1810	Captain Hoste and Commodore Dubourdieu	253

tide, five were brought out and sent to Lissa with cargoes ; as were also 14 or 15 small trading craft, laden with the cargoes of the burnt vessels.

The British official account is, as it ever ought to be where practicable, very precise in enumerating the force of the opposite party : we wish it had been equally so in stating the numerical amount of the attacking force. There is one part of captain Hoste's letter, which we should like to see oftener imitated. " No credit," he says, " can attach itself to me, sir, for the success of this enterprise ; but I hope I may be allowed to point out those to whose gallant exertions it is owing." Captain Hoste then gives the christian as well as surnames of all the officers engaged ; a plan that has enabled us, without that difficulty which we almost on every other occasion experience, to do the same.

In the autumn of the present year the French force cruising in the Adriatic was under the orders of Commodore Bernard Dubourdieu, and consisted of the two French 40-gun frigates Favorite (the commodore's ship, Captain Antoine-Francois-Zavier La Marre-la-Meillerie, and Uranie, Captain Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Margollé-Lanier, the Venetian 40-gun frigate Corona, Captain Paschaligo, and 32-gun frigates Bellona and Carolina, Captains Baralovich and Palicuccia, along with the brig-corvettes Jéna and Mercure. The duty of watching this squadron was intrusted to Captain Hoste, with his three frigates already named.

On the 29th of September the Franco-Venetian squadron sailed from Chiozzo, and arrived in a few days afterwards at Ancona ; where, accompanied by a schooner and a gun-vessel, the squadron was descried, on the morning of the 6th of October, part under sail and part in the act of weighing, by Captain Hoste ; who, having detached the Cerberus to Malta, had then with him only the Amphion and Active. The wind was blowing a fine breeze from the south-east, and Ancona bore from the two British frigates south-south-west. distant four leagues. At noon, having collected all his ships, Commodore Dubourdieu made sail in chase of the Amphion and Active ; one division of three ships stretching out on the starboard tack, add (sic)[and] the remainder of the squadron standing close hauled on the larboard tack, ready to take advantage of any change of wind. Captain Hoste stood towards the Franco-Venetian squadron, until he had distinctly made out its force. Finding the enemy's superiority to be such as it would be impossible to overcome, he then, at 1 p.m., tacked and stood to the north-east. Fearful either of an increasing gale, or of being drawn off the land, Commodore Dubourdieu, at 2 p.m., tacked and stood in towards the harbour of Ancona. Having seen this squadron of bold cruisers safe at anchor in their port, Captain Hoste steered for the island of

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