letters of marque from the Baltic ; with which in her company, the Anacréon re-entered Dunkerque.

The expedition to which we alluded, as being appointed to sail from Brest at the same time as that under Commodore Savary from Rochefort, consisted of one ship of the line, eight frigates, and an aviso, under the orders of Commodore Bompart, the captain of the Embuscade in her action with the Boston at the beginning of the war, and now on board the 74-gun ship Hoche. * This squadron contained about 3000 troops commanded by Generals Hardy and Ménage, a large train of artillery, and some battering cannon, with a detachment of men belonging to these two armies, under Colonel Pernetly and Captain Kirgenery, also a great quantity of military stores of every description. The French government having at length given the order for departure and a favourable wind occurring, Commodore Bompart, on the evening of the 16th of September, hoping to escape through the passage du Raz before daylight the next morning, put to sea with the:

On the 17th, at daybreak, the Bec du Raz bearing east-half-north distant four or five leagues, and the weather nearly calm, the British 38-gun frigates Boadicea, Captain Richard Goodwin Keats, and Ethalion, Captain George Countess, and 18-gun brig-sloop Sylph, Captain John Chambers White, discovered the above French squadron about five leagues off in the east-southeast, steering west-north-west. At 8 a.m., a light breeze sprang up from the north-east ; on which the French ships hauled their wind to south-south-west, and made sail. Now that the French squadron had fairly put to sea, Captain Keats made all sail to the northward, to communicate the intelligence to Lord Bridport ; leaving Captain Countess, with the Ethalion and Sylph, to keep company with the enemy and watch his future motions.

On the 18th, at 2 a.m., Captain Countess was joined by the

* Late Pégase, but newly named after the celebrated general ; who had died at the head-quarters at Wetzlar on the 18th of September, 1797, of a disease in the chest, and was buried, with the highest military honours, by the side of General Marceau, in the redoubt of Petersberg, near Coblentz.

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