¿86 A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



that to have attempted to approach fo near as to have 

 a fight of it, would havelDcen dangerous: accordingly 

 the marquis flackened fail, and tacked till the weather 

 ihould clear up, that he might make the iiland without 

 any danger. On the thirtieth of May, he difcovered 

 near him a frigate of forty guns, which he immediately 

 knew to belong to the enemy ; and elevated with the 

 hopes of fuch a capture, began to fire at the frigate, 

 which, as had been concerted, feigned a flight; and, 

 favoured by the fog, drew the Vigilante, which eagerly 

 gave her chace to that part of the coaft where the other 

 fhips of the Englifh fquadron lay: fo that when the 

 fog, which hitherto intercepted the fight of diftant ob- 

 jeds, became difperfed, the Vigilante found herfelf in 

 the midft of Mr. Warren's fquadron. Then the frigate 

 which had decoyed her into the fnare, together with 

 two men of war, the one of fixty and the other of fifty 

 guns, began about half an hour after one in the after- 

 noon, to pour their fire into her, as a ilnp, whofe fafe 

 arrival would have fiufirated their enterprize. Another 

 greav crifadvantage to the Vigilante, befides this fupc- 

 riority was, her being fo deeply loaded vv^ith military 

 fl:ores, hat fhe could make no ufe of her lower tier. 

 But neither this difparity, nor the fight of two other 

 fhips at a fmall diltancc, could intimidate the French 

 from making a vigorous refinance till nine o'clock at 

 night, when the ibip being battered in every part, full 

 of v\ 'ter, and her rudder Ihot away, they furrendered ; 

 lefl: their heroic courage might have been mifconftrued 

 to have proceeded only from a favage defpair. To this 

 misfortune France may attribute the lofs of that im- 

 portant place : for the ignorance of the befiegers, whofa 

 conduit Ihewed them not to have a fingle ray of mi- 

 litary knowledge, the vigorous refiftance of the forts, 

 which they now began more and more to think im- 

 pregnable, the fmall quantity of ammunition, snd the 

 proportion cf the artillery to the defign, together with 

 &he increafing difguit of thefe new-levied ruilicks, at the 



fatigues 



