its cruise to the westward, Sir Edward Pellew, with the Indefatigable, and two or three other frigates, being left cruising off the harbour. By way of preventing Sir Edward from repeating his reconnoitring visits to the port, the admiral in Brest had ordered Commodore Ganteaume, with the Mont-Blanc 74, Brave rasé, 40-gun frigates Romaine and Immortalité, 36-gun frigates Précieuse and Coquille, corvette Lévrette, and three armed luggers, to quit the harbour and lay at single anchor in Bertheaume bay. By this French squadron the Indefatigable and her consorts were frequently chased, but not to any distance ; nor can we find that any shots were ever exchanged. The French accounts tell us, however, that M. Ganteaume got praised by the directory for having had several engagements with the enemy's light squadron, commanded by Sir John Borlase Warren and Sir Edward Pellew ; whom he is represented to have chased from the coast, and thereby to have favoured the arrival of several convoys. *

Lord Bridport had been ordered, very properly in the present posture of affairs, to keep as much at sea as possible. Hence, during the summer months, the fleet returned to port, only to refit or revictual, and then was presently out again. The seamen of the fleet, with very few exceptions, obeyed their officers, and conducted themselves with propriety. But, at Plymouth, the men belonging to most of the ships evinced a mutinous disposition, and, in some instances, proceeded to a great length. Finally, however, the seamen at this port became satisfied with the terms that had been accepted by their brethren at Portsmouth, and tranquillity was restored. The inactive state of the Brest fleet, during the remainder of this year, afforded to the seamen belonging to the Channel fleet no opportunity of evincing, how little their loyalty and courage had been affected by the recent unhappy events.

The fact that, in the latter end of June, owing to the junction of the ships from Lorient and Rochefort, and the great exertions of the French minister of marine, Truguet, there were at anchor in the road of Brest 19 full-armed sail of the line, besides a great many others armed en flûte for the reception of troops, renders it extraordinary that no effort should have been made to get the Brest fleet to sea ; especially, when it was the intention of the French government, by the aid of the Dutch fleet, and more than treble the quantity of troops they had previously employed, to attempt, a second time, the invasion of Ireland. General Hoche, who was again to be the commander-in-chief, had gone to Holland to inspect Admiral De Winter's fleet lying in the Texel, as well as the troops under General Daendels, that were to embark on board of it. He had also obtained from the chiefs of the Batavian republic funds, sufficient not only to pay the troops,

* Victoires et Conquêtes, tome viii., p. 255.

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