made the former trip, namely, the Concorde, Médée, Franchise, and Venus, having on board a small quantity of troops, sailed from Rochefort, in order to see what had become both of Commodore Bompart's squadron, which had now been out 26 days, and of General Humbart's army, which had been landed in Ireland since more than two months. On the 27th Commodore Savary had the good fortune to arrive in the neighbourhood of Killala bay, the scene of his former success. Here the commodore soon learnt the fate of both the French army and the French squadron ; and, fearing it might be his turn next, put to sea again the same afternoon, and steered straight for France with the melancholy news.

On the 28th, at about 7 a.m., the weather nearly calm, these four French frigates were discovered in the south-east quarter, not far from the Stags of Broadhaven, by the British 80-gun ship Cæsar, Captain Sir James Saumarez, 74-gun ship Terrible, Captain Sir Richard Bickerton, Bart., and 38-gun frigate Melpomène, Captain Sir Charles Hamilton ; and, as soon as the breeze would permit, were chased under all sail. At 3 p.m. the wind veered to the south-west. At 6 p.m. the four French frigates, then on a line in the larboard tack, were passed to windward by the Terrible, and between her and them several shots were exchanged, one of which struck the 74's mizenmast, and obliged her instantly to fish it. The Terrible then wore after the rearmost of the frigates, and bore away in pursuit to the north-north-west. Shortly afterwards the French frigates opened, in passing, a raking fire upon the Cæsar, but at too great a distance to produce any effect ; and, for that reason, the latter did not return it. At 11 p.m., just as she was fast coming up with the sternmost French frigate, the wind, having considerably freshened, carried away the Cæsar's fore topmast and main topgallantmast ; and this was not all, for the wreck demolished the foresail. At 11 h. 15 m. p.m., in consequence of this accident, the Terrible and Melpomène passed the Cæsar in the chase.

On the 29th, at 1 a.m., the Cæsar was entirely lost sight of by her two consorts ; and at 8 a.m. the enemy's squadron was distant from these about two leagues in the north-west. At noon, owing chiefly, as it would appear, to the bad sailing of the Venus, the Melpomène, who was at some distance ahead of the 74, got within two or three miles of the former. As the only means of averting the consequences likely to result from this retardation of the squadron, Commodore Savary made the signal for his frigates to separate. On this the Concorde hauled close to the wind (still at south-west) on the larboard tack, the Médée .and Franchise kept, as before, about four points free on the same tack, and the Vénus put directly before it. The Melpomène

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