B6 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



tONEON GAZFTTE EXTEAORDI- 

 KAF.V, WEDNESDAY, JUNK 11. 



j4drniralty-0ff.ce, June 10. 

 O IR Roger Curtis, lirst cr.ptaiii to 



the admiral earl Howe, arrived 

 tliis cvpi/ing with a dispatch from 

 ills lordship to Mr. Stephens, of 

 which the following is a copy : 



^een Charlotte atsea,Ju?ie2, 1 794. 

 UshaiH, E. half N. \40.kaguss. 



SIK, 



Thinking it may not be neccssaiy 

 to make a more particular report of 

 my proceedings with the fleet, for 

 the present information of the lords 

 commissioners of the admiralty, I 

 confine my communications chiefly, 

 in this dispatch, to the occurrerces 

 when in presence of the enemy yes- 

 terday. 



Finding, on my return off Brest on 

 the 19tn past, that the French fleet 

 had, a lew days before, put to sea ; 

 and receiving, ou the same evening, 

 advicesfrr.m rear-admiialMontrgue, 



1 deemed it requisite to endeasouf 

 to form a junction with the rear-ad- 

 niral as ?oon as possible, and pro- 

 ceeded immedialely for the station 

 on which he meant to wait for the 

 return of the Venus. 



But, having gained very credible 

 irrtellir-^nce, on the 21 St of the same 

 month, whereby 1 had reason to sup. 

 pose the French fleet w as then but a 

 few leagues fartherto the ^estwurd, 

 the rourse before steered was altered 

 accordingly. 



'"' On the morning of the 28th the 

 enemy were discovered far to wind- 

 ward, and partial rctions were enga- 

 ged with them that evening and the 

 next day. ' 



The weather-gage having been 

 obtained, in the progress r.f the last- 

 nieDlioned day, and the licet being 



in a situation for bringing the ene» 

 mv to close actiriitlic Istin&tar.t, the 

 ships bore up togcthrf for that pur- 

 pc e,bet«'een seven and eig'nt o'c^jclc 

 in the morning. 



The French, their forceconsisting 

 of twenty-six ships of the hne, op- 

 posed to hi3jr.a;^pty'i.fle(tof twenty- 

 five, (the Au'acious having parted 

 com.pany with the stenimost ship of 

 the entrniy's I'nt-, captured in the 

 night of the 28th) waited for the 

 action and sustained the attack wilji 

 their customary resoliition. 



In less than anliour f'fterthe close 

 action commc.icedin the centre, the 

 French admiral, engaged by the 

 Queen Charlotte, crowded off, and 

 was followed by most of the ships 

 of hib van in condilioil to can y sail 

 after him, 'taving with us about teii 

 or twelve of his crippled or totally 

 dismastedships,exclusiveof one sunk 

 inthe eiigagen"ent. ITicQueenCliar-. 

 lotte hadtlien lost her fore-top-mast, 

 and the main-top-mast fell ovef thi 

 side very' soon after. 



The greatcr'number of the other 

 ships of the British fleet were, at this 

 time, so much disabled or widely 

 Separated, and under such cii-cum- 

 stanccs '.vith respect to those shipsof 

 the enemy in a state for action, and 

 uith wh'ch the firing was' still con- 

 tinued, that two or t|iree, even of 

 their disma'iuled ships, attempting 

 tb get awaV imder a spritsail singly, 

 or smaller s^il raised on the stump of 

 the foremast, could not be di;tained. 

 " Seven remained in ourpossessiofi, 

 one of which, however, sunk before 

 the aqucdatc assistance could be gi- 

 ven to her crew ; but rhany were 

 saved. 



The Brunswick having lost her 

 mizen-mast in the action, and drift- 

 ed to leeward of the French retreat- 

 ign ships, was obliged to put away 



large 



