gained intelligence that a british squadron, whose 1796. force, if he had been informed of it, he would have Nov. found to consist of only seven sail of the line (one a three-decker) and two frigates, was cruising about 90 miles to the south-west of Belle-Isle, considered it too hazardous to attempt entering Brest: he therefore, with his seven two-deckers and three frigates, put into Rochefort. Here the french admiral remained until information reached him, that sir Roger Curtis had returned into port with his squadron. Thus left at liberty to proceed, M. Richery, on the 8th of December, got under way with five of the Dec. best conditioned of his line-of-battle ships and his three frigates; and, on the morning of the 11th, passing barely in sight of sir John Colpoys's fleet, and chasing away his frigates stationed off the mouth of the harbour, the french admiral anchored in Brest. Two only of M. Richery's five ships, the Pégase (late Barras) and Révolution, were in a state soon to put to sea again; and these were ordered to be refitted, and have their troops (600 each) and stores embarked within 24 hours, it being the determination of general Hoche not to wait any longer for the arrival of M. Villeneuve. The principal point of debarkation was to be Bantry bay; in which three different anchorages were chosen, to be used according to the state of the weather. If the wind blew from the eastward, which was out of the bay, the fleet was to anchor in Bear haven, situated between Great-Bear island and the main. If the wind blew from the westward, the fleet was to descend the bay to its bottom, and anchor, one division between the eastern extremity of Whiddy island and the main, and the other directly athwart the entrance of Glengary harbour. If, in addition to a favourable wind, the weather should be moderate, the whole fleet was to anchor at the entrance of the river Cumbola. Should any unforeseen circumstances prevent the fleet from entering Bantry bay, it was to proceed to the mouth Dec. 1796. of the river Shannon, and there effect the debarkation. Every captain in the fleet was provided with a large chart of the intended scene of operations, on which the different anchorages, as well in Bantry bay as at the mouth of the Shannon, were clearly marked out. In short, every precaution had been taken, by the able officer who then presided over the french marine, to prevent any failure in the naval part of the expedition. On the 15th of December, the day on which the Pégase and Révolution were to have been ready, the fleet got under way from the road of Brest, and anchored in front of the goulet, between Camaret and Bertheaume bays. Here vice-admiral Morardde-Galles awaited the arrival of the two ships; and, while he is doing so, we will give a description of the force placed under his command. It consisted of the gun-ship L 80 Indomptable...... {vice-adm. Morard-de-Galles. commod. Jacques Bedout. Droits-de-l'Homme {commod. Jean-Raimond La Crosse. rear-adm. Joseph-Marie Nielly. {commod. Louis L'Héritier. rear-adm.. Richery. captain Clement Laronier, ..commod. Chas.-Alex.-Léon Durand ... Linois. P.-René-M.-Et. Dumanoir le-Pelley. Esprit-Tranquille Maistral. Pierre-Maur.Jul.Querangal. captain Jean-Baptiste Henry. ... ..... Séduisant ... Jean-Marie Lebrun, Joseph-Pierre-André Malin. Moncousu. La Fargue. Frigates, Scévola, (rasé,) Impatiente, Romaine, Immortalité, Brig-corvettes, Affronteur, Atalante, Mutine, Renard, Vautour, 1796. and Voltigeur. Transports, Nicodème, Fille-Unique, Ville-de-Lorient, Suffren, Dec. Justine, Allegro, Expériment; and Powder-vessel Fidèle, a frigate armed en flûte. So that the expedition was composed of 17 ships of the line, 13 frigates, six corvettes, seven transports, and a powder-ship, in all 44 sail of vessels. On board of each line-of-battle ship were 600 troops. The Scévola carried 400; each of the frigates 250; the six corvettes 300 between them; three of the transports 450 each; three others 300 each, and one (a horse-transport) 50; making a total of 16200 men, that is, rank and file, or, including officers of all ranks, at least 18000. But some of the english accounts represent the number at 20000, and others as high as 25000. In addition to the troops, which consisted of both cavalry and infantry, the fleet carried a quantity of field-artillery, besides ammunition and stores of every description. The commander in chief of the land-forces, as already mentioned, was general Hoche, having under him, among other general officers of note, generals Grouchy, Borin, and Humbert. On the 16th, in the forenoon, just as the Pégase and Révolution were descried coming through the goulet, the french fleet at anchor in Camaret bay began getting under way, with the wind from the eastward, and consequently as fair as it could blow. At 4. P. M., which at this season of the year is nearly dark, all the ships were under sail, and steering for the passage du Raz, the route which had been selected by M. Morard-de-Galles, in spite of the dangers it presented, the better to conceal his movements from the british admiral cruising off Ushant; and whose fleet had that morning been counted from the look-outs at 30 sail great and small: so the french accounts state, but the number appears to have been greatly overrated. Contrary, as it would appear, to the directions of the minister of marine, all the french admirals, 1796. except Richery, embarked on board frigates: the Dec. two commanders in chief were in the Fraternité ; rear-admiral Bouvet, with the second in command of the troops, in the Immortalité; and rear-admiral Nielly in the Résolue. Finding the darkness coming rapidly on and the wind growing variable, M. Morard-de-Galles resolved not to attempt the passage du Raz, and accordingly signalled his fleet to steer for the passage d'Iroise, or that directly in front of the port. Owing to the darkness, few of the ships saw the signal, or the alteration which the Fraternité, the better to mark the admiral's intention, had made in her course. The consequence was, that the greater part of the fleet entered the narrow passage du Raz; while the remainder followed the admiral through the wide opening of l'Iroise, hoping to rejoin their companions soon after rounding the Saintes. Several circumstances, besides the darkness and this partial change in the course, conspired to disorganize the fleet at its departure from port; a fleet of ships, by the composition of their crews and the lumbered state of their decks, ill prepared at best to encounter difficulties of any kind. Besides the guns fired and lights shown by the Fraternité, to denote the change in her course, the corvette Atalante was directed to stand into the middle of the fleet, and there fire guns to enforce the signal of the commander in chief. While this was doing, guns were heard, and rockets and blue lights seen, in various directions. Part of the guns proceeded from the Séduisant 74, which had struck on the GrandStevenet rock, near the entrance of the passage du Raz; and which ship, in the course of the night, was entirely lost, along with her captain, several other officers, and about 680 out of her 1300 in crew and passengers. Other guns, along with some rockets, proceeded from a british frigate, and contributed, in no small degree, to add to the confusion which prevailed in the french fleet. This was the 44-gun frigate Indefatigable, captain 1796. sir Edward Pellew; who, having under his orders Dec. the 38-gun frigate Révolutionnaire, captain Francis Cole, 36-gun frigates Amazon and Phoebe, captains Robert Carthew Reynolds and Robert Barlow, and hired armed lugger Duke-of-York, commanded by Mr. Benjamin Sparrow, had been directed to watch the Brest fleet, and communicate every movement to vice-admiral Colpoys, at his rendezvous about eight leagues to the westward of Ushant. On the 11th, when sir Edward descried, as already related, the squadron of M. Richery entering the road, he despatched the Amazon to England and the Phoebe to the admiral. On the 15th, at 3 h. 30 m. P. M., although he had been chased several times by a line-of-battle ship and five frigates stationed in Bertheaume bay, sir Edward was close enough in to discover the french fleet coming through the goulet, and immediately sent the Phoebe, who had since rejoined, to vice-admiral Colpoys. On the 16th, at daylight, having stood off and on during the night, the Indefatigable and Révolutionnaire made sail on a wind towards Brest; and at noon, when Saint-Mathias' point bore from the Indefatigable east by north and Ushant north by east, the two frigates again got a sight of the french fleet, which had now anchored between Camaret and Bertheaume bays. At 3 h. 30 m. P. M., on seeing the fleet get under way, sir Edward despatched the Révolutionnaire to the admiral, and, with the Indefatigable alone, continued at his post, having, at 4 h. 15 m. P. M., the Bec du Raz bearing south by east half-east. The Indefatigable now managed to keep just ahead of the french fleet on its way out, and was sometimes within half-gun shot only of the leading ship. At 7 P. M. she began firing guns and sending up rockets; at 7. h. 30 m. hove to, and at 8 h. 30 m., having observed several of the french ships haul close round the Saintes, filled and made all sail to the north-west, |