fought her bravely; and the very slight disparity in the loss renders it problematical which of the two frigates, had they been wholly by themselves, would have carried the day. Opposed, however, by a squadron, the contest unavoidably terminated against the French commander.

Shortly after the arrival in port of the Artois and her prize, "Captain Nagle," as his biographer tells us,* "for his gallant conduct on the occasion, received the honour of knighthood ? " and the first lieutenant of the Artois, Robert Dudley Oliver, was made a commander.

The Révolutionnaire, was decidedly the finest frigate, except the Pomone taken in the preceding April, � which had yet been captured from France ; and, with that single exception, was larger by 50 tons, than any captured, and by upwards of 140 tons than any home-built frigate at this time belonging to the British navy. On being received into the service, the Révolutionnaire, was registered as a 38, and still continues to be one of the most esteemed vessels of her class.

On the 22d of October, at 11 a.m., Isle-Ronde, off the north-east extremity of the Isle of France, bearing north-west by west nine or ten leagues, the British 50-gun ship Centurion, Captain Samuel Osborne, and 44-gun ship Diomede, Captain Matthew Smith, descried and gave chase to four strange sail in the west, steering to the northward with the wind easterly. These proved to be a French squadron, composed of the 40-gun frigate Cybèle, 36-gun frigate Prudente, 20-gun corvette Jean-Bart, and 14-gun brig-corvette Courier, under the orders of Commodore Jean-Marie Renaud, in the Prudente.

This officer, having put to sea from Port-Louis purposely, as was stated, to fight the two British ships, of whose names as well as force he was, already apprized, suffered no long chase ere he hove to in line ahead ; his own ship, the Prudente, leading, followed, at little more than a cable's length, by the Cybèle, Jean-Bart, and Courier. The British ships now edged down to take their stations ; the Centurion placing herself abreast of the two frigates, with the greater part of her broadside bearing on the Prudente, while the Diomede took a similar position between the Cybèle and Jean-Bart, directing her chief attention to the Cybèle.

At 3 h. 29 m. p.m. the French commodore, having hoisted his broad pendant, and all his ships their colours, opened a fire within half musket-shot ; and the cannonade presently became general. Having, from her close position, bore the brunt of this firing, the Centurion soon became very much damaged in her sails and rigging ; whereupon the Prudente, at 4 p.m., with every spar standing, and with her sails and rigging not materially injured, bore up and ran to leeward out of gun-shot, signaling

* Marshall, vol. i., p. 277.

� See p. 203.