ex-Venetian corvettes. The Généreux had quitted Ancona a week or two before, and had since arrived safe at Toulon.

On the 19th the Russian admiral commenced cannonading the town and adjoining fortresses ; but, the guns of the ships being too much elevated, all the shot flew over the town and did little or no damage. Preferring a safe to an effective position, the Turks had stationed their ships outside of those of their allies, and began their part in the engagement by shooting away the colours and a great portion of the rigging of the Russian admiral's ship. In short the Turco-Russian squadron could produce, little or no effect upon the place, although the inhabitants of the coast were ready to co-operate with them. The siege was at length turned into a blockade : nor was it until towards the end of the year that Ancona surrendered ; and then, not to the Turco-Russian squadron, but to an Austrian army. The long and obstinate defence of the besieged obtained for them, as it always should do, the most honourable terms ; and General Monnier and his troops were highly complimented for their bravery by the Austrian General Fr�lich.

The first object of Lord Nelson's care when at Palermo, was to urge the Sicilian government to place the island in the best possible state of defence. A body of troops was immediately assembled ; and preparations were made under the rear-admiral's auspices, to fit out gun-boats, and to mount the batteries with the sixty-five 24-pounders which had been brought from Naples.

On the 18th Captain Troubridge arrived at Palermo from off Alexandria, with the Culloden, Zealous, Swiftsure, Seahorse, and the Perseus and Bulldog bomb-vessels. On the 24th the Minotaur also arrived. Having received this reinforcement, Lord Nelson, on the 31st, detached Captain Troubridge, with these four 74s, frigate, and bomb-vessels, and also with the Portuguese 74 San-Sebastian, to blockade the port of Naples.

On the 2d of April Captain Troubridge, with the squadron, stood into the bay, and anchored off the island of Procida, the governor of which had previously gone on board the Culloden. There being no French troops at Procida, the island, which lies about 13 miles from Naples, was taken quiet possession of : and his Sicilian majesty's colours were cheerfully hoisted, by the inhabitants. On the next day, the 3d, Ischia, Capria, and all the other of the Ponza islands followed the example of Procida.

On the 12th of May, while Rear-admiral Lord Nelson was lying at Palermo, with the Vanguard lay Captain Thomas Masterman Hardy, a Portuguese 74 (Principe-Real),and frigate, and the armed en flute 64-gun ship Haerlem, Captain George Burlton, the 14-gun brig Espoir, Captain James Sanders, arrived with intelligence that the French fleet had been seen off Oporto. On the 13th, at 9 p.m., an officer of the Peterel joined overland, with the additional intelligence, that on the evening of the 5th,

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