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and the Atlas of the same force, Captain Samuel Pym, joined company, but without communicating a word of intelligence respecting any French squadron. Sir John here commenced watering and refitting his ships for their homeward passage ; when, on the 1st of February, the 16-gun ship-sloop Kingfisher, Captain Nathaniel Day Cochrane joined, with intelligence, that a French squadron of three sail of the line had been seen steering towards the city of Santo-Domingo. Immediately the British squadron, now consisting of seven sail of the line, one frigate, and one sloop, weighed and made sail in quest of the enemy. On the 3d the ships lay to off the island of Saint-Thomas, and were joined by the 14-gun brig Epervier, Lieutenant James Higginson. The squadron then ran through the Corvel passage, and at noon on the 4th passed the island of Zacheo in the Mona passage. On the 5th, at 8 A.M., the east end of the island of Saint-Domingo bore north-west eight or nine leagues ; and shortly afterwards the 12-pounder 36-gun frigate Magicienne, Captain Adam Mackenzie, with a Danish schooner which she had detained, joined company, bringing a joyful confirmation of the previous intelligence. This schooner had sailed from Santo-Domingo road, while the French Squadron was lying there. The French officers, it seems, wished have her burnt ; but the admiral, to his subsequent regret, would not consent. On the 6th of February, at daybreak, the British squadron, having been under easy sail all night, arrived in sight and nearly abreast of the road and city of Santo-Domingo. At 6 A.M. the Acasta, who, with the Magicienne, had been ordered ahead, signalled two frigates, one of which was the Diligente, under way ; and at 6 h. 45 in., nine sail at anchor. Five of these composed the line-of-battleships, and a sixth the remaining frigate, of the squadron of Rear-admiral Leissegues. The rest were merchantmen. The voyage hither of the former may be related in a few words. On the ninth day after chasing the Arethusa and her convoy, having been directed, inconsiderately at this season of the year, to pass to the north-west of the Azores in order to avoid British cruisers, the French squadron encountered a heavy gale of wind, in which the Jupiter lost her main topmast, and the Diomede sprang a leak. On the next day, the 25th of December, a still more violent storm came on, in which the Alexandre and Brave parted company. Finding he could not, without additional risk to the squadron, obey his instructions, the rear-admiral, with his remaining three sail of the line, two frigates, and one corvette, bore up and passed to leeward of the Azores. On the 20th of January M. Leissegues anchored in the road of Santo-Domingo, and on the next day disembarked the troops that were on board his ships, along with a quantity of ammunition and other military stores. On the 29th the Alexandre and Brave joined the Imperial, and landed their^ back to top ^ |