the Victory sank the boat, and the two French frigates were compelled to retreat. The Agamemnon, Blenheim, Captain, and Defence, were now becoming distantly engaged.

At 2 h. 42 m. p.m., just as the Cumberland having fired several shot at the Justice, and received great annoyance from the stern guns of one of the French line-of-battle ships, had attained a position alongside of the latter, the signal was thrown out to discontinue the action. Once, if not twice, had the Victory to repeat the signal, with the Cumberland's pendants, before that ship would, or, we suppose we must say, could see it. When this signal was made by Admiral Hotham, the Blenheim, Gibraltar, Captain, and a few other ships were closing with the enemy's rear ; and the Defence from her known good sailing, would probably have been in advance of them, had she not, while lying to upon the larboard quarter of the Victory, kept her mizen topsail aback, after repeated hails from that ship to fill and stand on.

At the time the action ended in this indecisive manner, Cape Roux bore from the Victory, then among the ships that were nearest the shore, north-west half-west, distant four leagues. The French fleet, however, by a sudden change of wind to the eastward, had gained the weathergage on the starboard tack, and, while the centre and rear of the British fleet lay nearly becalmed in the offing, was standing, with a light air, towards the bay of Fréjus; but we believe that Vice-admiral Martin, having about 7 p.m. been headed by a breeze from the south-west, did not reach an anchorage until very late. *

* The following statement of this miserable action is from the note-book of as gallant an admiral as the service can boast - he was an eyewitness, and a lieutenant on board the Victory.

"On the 12th of July, 1795, the English fleet, of 21 sail of the line, six of them being three-deckers, in company with two Neapolitan (Mr. James calls them Portuguese) seventy-fours, were a very few leagues to the eastward of Toulon. The wind blowing strong from the Gulf of Lyons from W.N.W. to N.W. In the evening the look-out frigates signalled "the French fleet out, and at no great distance." The admiral made the signal to prepare for battle.

" At 4 o'clock on the morning of the 13th July, it being my morning watch, on going on deck I saw the whole French fleet under our lee, at about the distance of from two to four leagues, consisting of 17 sail of the line, irregularly formed, and sailing large on the larboard tack, standing in for the land about Frejus bay. The English fleet, more collected, although six ships had split topsails in the night during the gale, which was still blowing at 4 o'clock, were on the starboard tack standing off the shore, which must have been at least 13 leagues distant. We thus continued to stand on opposite tacks, separately from each other, until about 6 o'clock, when the signal was made to wear, and soon afterwards that for "a general chase." At this time the French fleet were 6 or 7 leagues from us, and had got in shore, leaving us little hope of our nearing them before they reached the land. However, by carrying a press of sail, and the wind dying away as the French drew in shore, and the English carrying the strong breeze up with them, we were enabled, with six of the fastest and best-managed ships of the van, to close with the rear of the French line, and the action commenced at noon with the three or four rearmost ships of the enemy.

"At this time, or very shortly afterwards the wind having fallen away, a breeze sprung up from the eastward, which brought the French to windward of us on the starboard tack, our ships in the rear coming up with a fresh breeze at N.W., about 1 p.m. Our six ships before mentioned were joined by the Blenheim and Princess-Royal, the Bombay-Castle, and one or two more, being not far astern. It was about this time that the Alcide caught fire in the foretop, and was soon in flames : she was the second in the rear of the enemy. The Victory, which ship ought to have pushed on and been foremost on such a day, hailed several of the ships to pass ahead of her ; and she positively backed her maintopsail to allow others to get in advance of her ; whereas, had she carried sail at first, before the wind chopped round, she might easily have passed through the rear of the enemy's line, between the third and fourth ships, have secured three, and brought on a general action. At 2 o'clock the commander-in-chief, being 8 or 9 miles astern, not knowing the actual state of affairs, and fearing his van to be too near the coast, made the signal to discontinue the action, and recalled his van.

" It was not too late at this hour of the day to have done much, had the admiral, whose flag was flying on board the Victory (Rear-admiral Robert Mann), stated by signal 'that the enemy could have been attacked with advantage,' for we were at least three leagues off the land, and had 9 ships up, 3 of three decks, and others coming. At this time three or four more ships might have been captured with ease ; but, no! the signal to discontinue the action was obeyed without remonstrance, or stating what could be done. The Cumberland, however, was some time before she obeyed the signal, and followed the enemy ; then, firing her broadside, she wore round and rejoined her fleet. The enemy were very badly manœuvred, and fired without doing any execution of consequence for two hours.

" Had the English fleet only put their heads the same way as the enemy's, and stood in-shore at 4 o'clock the whole of the French line might have been cut off from the land, taken, or destroyed and even afterwards they might have been followed into Frejus bay, and wholly destroyed.

" There was a most beautiful manoeuvre performed by the captain of the French frigate, the Alceste, stationed to windward of the enemy's line. Seeing the second ship from the rear (the Alcide) in distress, and dropping astern into our fire, she bore down right athwart the bows, lowered a boat, and attempted to send her on board the Alcide with a hawser, in order to tow her clear of us ; but before the boat accomplished the object, a shot from the Cumberland cut her in two, and she disappeared in an instant, with all her brave and unfortunate crew. The frigate perceiving the calamity, immediately made all sail in a masterly manner, as such a clever officer would naturally do, and soon got out of danger.

" On this frigate coming down to take the Alcide in tow, the captain of the Victory of 100 guns, came down below with orders to reserve our fire for the frigate which had bore away to rescue the French 74, then abreast of us, and not half a mile distant ; and although the Victory did fire, and many other ships also at this gallant vessel, she had the good fortune to escape any serious accident, having only some of the running rigging cut, which was soon replaced by her daring crew. She got off most beautifully, to the astonishment and wonder of all our fleet, and I pronounce this to be the best executed (although unsuccessful) and most daring manoeuvre I ever witnessed in the presence of so very superior a force."

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