astern, was taken possession of by the Magnanime. The Coquille then made sail after her companions in the west-south-west-quarter ; all of whom were immediately pursued by the Foudroyant, Ethalion, Amelia, and Melampus, and also by the Canada, as soon as Sir John Warren, with a very different feeling from that evinced by Captain Alms at the capture of the Alliance, * had sent his first lieutenant to take charge of the Hoche. The Magnanime, on account of the shattered state of her rigging and sails, was detained, with the prize-frigate Embuscade, in the rear ; and the Robust, whose condition was even much worse than the Magnanime's, remained to attend the Hoche. The Anson was away in the south-east, just heaving in sight, and vainly striving, without a mizenmast, to approach the scene of action.

The Loire, Immortalité, Bellone, and Coquille were now the nearest of the seven remaining French frigates ; and the principal object of all was to cross the bows of the Foudroyant, then standing directly across their path. The Loire and Immortalité succeeded ; but the Bellone, being an indifferent sailer, was obliged to haul up, to endeavour to escape to windward. This brought her upon the weather bow of the Foudroyant who opened upon her a heavy fire, and received one in return, which did some damage to her sails and rigging. A shot from the Foudroyant, however, struck the frigate's mizen top and ignited some hand grenades which had been placed there for use. These presently set on fire the rigging and sails ; but, by the prompt exertions of Enseigne de Vaisseau François-Auguste Cotelle, and a few others of the crew, the flames were extinguished.

The Bellone, notwithstanding, weathered upon the Foudroyant, and would have got clear of her, but found a British frigate, the Melampus, coming up in her wake. Hoping to shorten the chase by bringing down some of the Bellone's spars, the Melampus, at about half-past noon, yawed and fired her broadside. A repetition of this two or three times, coupled with some slight injury done to her sails and rigging by the French frigate's stern-chasers, caused the Melampus to drop astern. About this time, after an hour's chase and a brave resistance, the Coquille hauled down her colours, and, by signal from the Canada, was taken possession of by the Magnanime. In the mean time the Ethalion had overtaken the Melampus in the chase of the Bellone, and was ordered by signal to continue the pursuit of the latter ; while the Melampus, accompanied by the Foudroyant, Amelia, and Canada, bore up after the other French frigates, which now appeared to be meditating a serious attack upon the crippled Anson.

The Ethalion continued in pursuit of the Bellone, under a constant fire, during an hour and a half, of the stern chase-guns of the latter. The chief of the Bellone's shot, however, passed over the masts of the British frigate. Nor did the latter, to

* See vol. i., p. 292.

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