to sail immediately, taking with him the four line-of-battle ships supposed to be ready for sea in the port. This reinforcement was ordered, in anticipation of the expected junction between MM. Nielly and Vanstabel, although the admiralty were still of opinion, correctly enough, that the latter had sailed from America with only two sail of the line. With his force thus augmented to 10 sail of the line, including two 64s, the rear-admiral was to hasten to the rendezvous off Ushant ; there to await the arrival of intelligence from Lord Howe, and, in the event of an action between the fleets, was to be ready to protect any disabled British, or to capture any disabled French, ships. If, however, any certain intelligence should in the mean time reach the rear-admiral, of the approach of the Franco-American convoy, he was to make all sail in that direction, and endeavour to intercept it.

On the 3d of June, as has already been mentioned, the Audacious arrived in Plymouth Sound, with the intelligence that the two fleets had had a partial engagement, and were likely to have a decisive one. On the 4th, Rear-admiral Montagu, not having received any alteration of his orders, weighed and put to sea with the following nine sail of the line and two frigates, with every probability that he should have disabled ships either to succour or to capture.

Frigates, Pallas* and Concorde.*

On the 8th, in the morning, the rear-admiral reached his station, about thirteen leagues south-west by west of Ushant. At 3 h. 30 m. p.m., the wind a moderate breeze from north-north-east, 12 sail were descried and chased in the east-south-east. At 4 p.m., eight of the strangers being discovered to be French line-of-battle ships, the British squadron formed the line of battle ahead on the larboard tack, and stood on to meet them. At 6 p.m. the French squadron, which consisted of the 110-gun ship Majestueux, and 74-gun ships Aquilon, Jupiter, Marat, Nestor, Rédoubtable, Révolution, and Superbe, also two frigates (one a rasé), a corvette, and a cutter, under the command of Rear-admiral Cornice, tacked from the British squadron, and, with all the sail the ships could carry, stood into the bay of Bertheaume. At 8 p.m., having chased the French close under the

* These ships composed the reinforcement.