bay, situated between Spezia and Leghorn. Just as this was done, the Illustrious struck the ground abaft, and the cable by which she had till then been held, and another employed to supply its place, parted successively. The previously damaged state of the stocks of the sheet and spare anchors rendering it impossible to let go a third anchor, the ship paid round off inshore, and, although the wind had moderated since 6 p.m., the sea made a fair breach over her. At 10 p.m. it began to blow hard from the west-south-west, and at 10 h. 30 m. p.m., owing to the heavy shocks which the ship received, the rudder was carried away.

Soon after daylight on the 19th attempts were made to get a hawser on shore, then only half a mile distant, with the view of saving the people by a raft, but without success. In the evening the brig-sloop Tarleton, Captain Charles Brisbane, arrived, and anchored near the wreck, but the weather would not admit the passage of boats. On the 20th, in the morning, the Lowestoffe frigate, Captain Benjamin Hallowell, arrived ; and shortly afterwards the Romulus, Captain George Hope, together with the launches of the British fleet, then at anchor in Spezia bay. At length, the crew and principal part of the stores having been removed to the vessels in company, the hull of the Illustrious was set on fire and destroyed.

On the 25th, after some partial repairs done to the disabled ships, the fleet weighed from Spezia bay, and on the 26th cast anchor in the bay of San-Fiorenzo. Here the British fleet lay refitting until the 18th of April ; when Admiral Hotham (promoted on the 16th to be admiral of the blue), leaving behind the two prizes, to one of which, the Ca-Ira, Captain Henry Dudley Pater had been appointed, and to the other, the Censeur, Captain John Gore, proceeded to Leghorn, and on the 27th anchored with his fleet in the road.

The French, after their disaster, proceeded straight to the bay of Hyères ; where the fleet was soon afterwards joined by the Mercure and Berwick from Gourjean bay, and on the 23d by the Sans-Culotte from Genoa ; which port the French three-decker had entered on the morning of the 16th, after having been chased by five ships of war, supposed to be British, but in all probability Spanish. The French admiral despatched the Victoire, Timoléon, and Berwick, and the frigates Alceste and Minerve, to Toulon, to get repaired, and, with his fleet, now reduced to 11 sail of the line and about four frigates, remained at anchor in Hyères' bay.

On the 4th of April Rear-admiral Renaudin, whose departure from Brest we formerly noticed, anchored in Toulon road with the 80-gun ship Formidable, 74s Jupiter, Mont-Blanc, Jemmappes, Révolution, and Tyrannicide, frigates Embuscade, Félicité, and another, and two or three corvettes. This squadron was a great acquisition to Vice-admiral Martin (promoted