At 8 a.m. the Illustrious began, within about 600 yards, to engage the Duquesne and Victoire in succession, when a third ship, the Tonnant, joined against her ; and with the three French ships, two of which were 80s, the Illustrious and Courageux kept up a warm cannonade. At 9 a.m. the fore topmast of the Illustrious went over the starboard bow ; and at 9 h. 15 m. a.m. her mainmast fell aft on the poop, carrying away the mizenmast, and breaking the beams of the poop deck. Her foremast and bowsprit were also dangerously wounded, and her hull pierced with shot in every direction. The Courageux, also, had her main and mizen masts shot away, and her hull much shattered.

The three French ships, at length, passing ahead, and, in consequence of the calm state of the weather, not being closely followed by the remainder of their line, the Illustrious and Courageux were fortunate enough (their friends having, in like manner, been retarded by the want of wind) to be no longer assailed by a force, the decided superiority of which must soon either have sunk or subdued them ; as, coupled with their damages, the following account of their loss will testify. The Illustrious had 15 seamen and five marines killed, one midshipman (Mr. Moore), 68 seamen, and one marine, wounded; the Courageux, one midshipman (Mr. Coleman), eight seamen, and six marines killed ; her master (Mr. Blackburn), 21 seamen, and 11 marines wounded.

The Duquesne, Victoire, and Tonnant, after exchanging a few shots with the British ships astern of their two crippled opponents, abandoned the Ca-Ira and Censeur to their fate, and, followed by the ships astern, which a light air of wind was now bringing up, stood away to the westward under all sail. The firing, which, as we have shown, had commenced at 6 h. 20 m. a.m., ceased altogether about 2 p.m.; at which time Vice-admiral Hotham, considering that his van-ships were not in a condition to renew the action, and still impressed, we suppose, with the idea that the French fleet consisted of 15 sail of the line, did not tack in pursuit : hence, the two fleets, steering in opposite directions, were soon so far separated as to be mutually out of sight.

None of the British ships sustained any damage or loss equal in extent to the Captain, Bedford, Illustrious, and Courageux ; and the greater part of the Egmont's loss, which, except that of the Windsor-Castle, was the most severe of any suffered by the remaining British ships, arose from the bursting of one of her lowerdeck guns. The Neapolitan 74 Tancredi received several shots between wind and water, and had her foremast injured : her loss amounted to one killed and five wounded. The frigate Minerva, belonging to the same power, was struck by three of the Ca-Ira's shots: one entered the cabin-window, and wounded

^ back to top ^