present occasion. Her net complement, as originally established ; was 297 men and boys ; but the ship, at this time, accidentally had on board a greater number, as we shall presently show.

Frigates, mounting 24-pounders on the main deck, have always been rare. The British possessed none until the three 64s, Indefatigable, Anson, and Magnanime, were reduced ; nor the French until the Pomone was launched. The capture of the latter by the British gave birth to the Endymion ; and, about the time that the Endymion was launched, the Americana set afloat three of the largest and heaviest frigates that the world had ever seen. The second 24-pounder frigate built by the French was, we believe, launched at Rochefort, in the summer of 1795, and she was very appropriately named La Forte. The Pomone was about 1270 tons, and mounted twenty-six 24 pounders on her main deck. The Forte measured 1400 tons, and carried, for which she had ample room, one gun more of a side on her main deck than the Pomone ; making, with 14 long eights and four brass 36-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck and forecastle, a total of 46 guns.

These, we have no doubt, were all the guns which, with e complement of 480 or 500 men, the Forte originally carried. But subsequently, when perhaps Rear-admiral Sercey hoisted his flag on board of her in the beginning of the year 1796, four additional brass 36-pounder carronades were added to her armament ; and, subsequently again, two long English 24-pounders, taken out of some prize probably, were placed in her two maindeck bow-ports ; thus making her guns amount to 52, exclusive of eight 1-pounder swivels mounted along the top of her waist hammock-nettings. After this, it is hoped, not profitless digression, we return to the Sibylle, whom we left hastening towards the Sand-heads, which lie off the mouth of Bengal river, in the hope there to meet this same truly formidable French frigate.

On the 28th, at 8 h. 30 m. p.m., the outer edge of the western sea-reef bearing by account about north-east, the wind a light breeze from the south-south-west, and the night dark, the Sibylle, then standing to the south-east, observed several flashes in the north-west ; which at first were supposed to be vivid lightning, very common in this quarter. A repetition of the flashes, how ever, until a few minutes before 9 p.m., when they ceased altogether, raised a suspicion that they proceeded from guns. At 9 p.m. the Sibylle, having extinguished all lights to prevent discovery, tacked to the westward, and at 9 h. 30 m. p.m., saw three ships in a cluster in the south-east quarter. These were the Forte, and two rich prizes which she had just made, the Endeavour and Lord Mornington country ships from China. The flashes had proceeded from the Forte's guns, and she and her prizes had gained their present bearing by standing to the eastward.

Rightly conjecturing that one of these ships would prove to

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