away, as well as her maintopgallant, foretopsail, and spritsail yards. Her bowsprit and all three of her lower masts were also wounded in several places. The Cumberland likewise suffered considerably, having had her main stay, maintopmast stay, shrouds, and running rigging, much cut.

The loss sustained in the action was as follows: Culloden, two seamen killed, her first lieutenant (Tristram Whitter) and four seamen wounded; the Victory, two midshipmen (James Beale and William Willison, neither of whom are named in the Gazette) and three marines killed, one lieutenant (John Hinton), one midshipman (William Irwin), one major and one lieutenant of marines (Frederick Hill Flight and William Darley), and 11 seamen wounded ; the Blenheim, two seamen killed and two wounded ; the Captain and Defence, each one seaman killed, and the latter six wounded. Owing to the high firing of her opponents, the Cumberland sustained no loss whatever. The total loss in the British fleet amounted, therefore, to no more than 11 killed and 27 wounded. *

About a quarter of an hour after her surrender, the Alcide caught fire in the foretop, owing, it is believed, to some grenades, or other combustible missiles, placed there for use ; and, notwithstanding every exertion by the people on board of her, the ship was soon in a blaze fore and aft. About 300, out of the 615 deposed to by her officers as the number of her crew, were saved by the boats of the nearest British ships; but the remainder unfortunately perished in the awful explosion which took place about an hour and a half after the fire had broken out.

Upon the merits of the affair off Hyères, we are relieved from the task of commenting, by the scientific remarks of a professional contemporary ; who, however, has left the action, in the way of detail, quite as brief and unsatisfactory as it stands in the official account.

"In this action," says Captain Brenton, "there was a total misapplication of tactic, neither recommended by a clerk or justified by experience. The French fleet should have been attacked by a general chase as soon as discovered : the bending new topsails, when the enemy was dead to leeward, was at best a useless measure ; and it is much to be regretted that time was lost in forming a line of bearing, which could not be preserved with any effect ; as the admiral observes in his despatches, ' the calms and shifts of wind in that country rendering all naval operations peculiarly uncertain.' With this knowledge it was incumbent on him to have dashed upon his enemy, who he knew would not wait for him, and who must have been in a great measure unprepared:

* In Admiral Hotham's letter in the Gazette, the total stated is 10 killed and 25 wounded ; but there appears to have been a mistake in the return of the Victory's loss, no officer being mentioned except one midshipman, and he is not named.

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