entitled to a share of the prize-money ; whereas it stands recorded, that no other ship than the Fisgard received, or claimed to receive, a doit of it. Moreover, as placing the matter beyond all doubt, the French officers, in the customary certificate to enable the captors to get their head-money, made not the slightest allusion to any other ship than the Fisgard.

The whole of the seven prizes, after the most shattered of them had put into port by the way, reached Plymouth. The Hoche was newly named the Donegal, after the bay near to which she had been captured. She was a fine ship of 1901 tons, and long proved a serviceable cruiser. The Embuscade was also a fine little frigate of 916 tons, and under the name of Seine [not re-named Seine until Jan 1804] (the Ambuscade being a name that, after the middle of December, excited in England no very pleasant recollections), was long attached to the 12-pounder 36-gun class. The Coquille, a similar frigate to the Embuscade, on the 14th of December, while lying at anchor in Hamoaze, and just after she had been surveyed preparatory to her purchase by the government, caught fire and blew up : by which accident, three midshipmen, seven seamen, and three women unfortunately perished. The Bellone and Résolue were frigates of a smaller class than either of the preceding ; the one measuring 888, and the other 877 tons : both were purchased into the navy, but, being old and worn out, never afterwards went to sea. The Loire, on the other hand, was a fine new frigate, and had recently been presented to the French government by the city of Nantes. The Immortalité was also a fine frigate, but less than the Loire, by about 90 tons ; and therefore very far from being, as a contemporary represents her, "one of the largest frigates that had fallen into our hands." *

Not being considered capable of carrying to advantage a battery of 24-pounders (of which heavy guns, however, that same writer had assigned her " twenty-eight," instead of twenty-four), the Immortalité was fitted with twenty-six 18-pounders ; and that was giving her one gun more of a side than she could fairly use upon her broadside.

We must not forget to mention, that the thanks of both houses of parliament were subsequently voted to commodore Sir John Borlase Warren, and the captains, officers, and men under his command, for the successful issue of the action, or actions rather, with the Hoche and her squadron ; not, certainly for any extraordinary exertions that were either required or made use of, in achieving the victory, but because of the evil consequences which it in all probability averted from the sister-kingdom. Lieutenants William James Turquand, first of the Canada, and, after a while, David Colby, first of the Robust, were made commanders ; as was also, for her capture of the Immortalite, the Fisgard's first lieutenant, John Surman Carden.

The dashing manner, in which the Robust went into action,

* Brenton, vol. ii., p. 367.

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