^2 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



bcing-a'rjout on the starboard tack, 

 and come a-'orc-ait of the Om-en 

 Charlotte, had not kept to,xhe 

 wind ;.and tluit the appointed ni«vc- 

 ment would conscqueiitiy be liable 



. to fail of the purposod effect. 



1'hc Queen Charlotte was therc- 



. fore iir.mcdiatcly tacked ; and, fol- 

 lowed by the Bellcroplion, her se- 

 cond astern (and soon after joined 

 -bytheLeviathan),.pa3W'dtbrouL;lnn 

 action, between the fifth and sixth 



. ships in the rear of the enemy's lir.e. 



She was put. about again on the 



larboard tack forthwitli, after the 



enemy, in preparation for renewing 



the action with the advantage of 



. that weatheimost situation. 



The rest of the British fleet being 

 atthis timepasiiing to leeward, and 

 without the sternmost ships, mostly 

 of the Frencli line, the enemy wore 

 again to the eastward in succession, 



,. for succouring the disabled ships of 

 their rear ; which intention, by 

 reason of the then disunited state of 

 the fleet, and having no more than 



-the two crippled ships, the Bellero- 



^phon and Leviatlian, at that time 



-near.me, I was unable to obstnvct.. 



The enemy having succeeded in 



that operation, wore roinid again, 



• after some dit^tant cannonadniij of 



■ tjienearesl Britisliships, occasionally 



■• returned, and stood away in order 

 of battle on tlje larboard tack, fol- 



-lowed by the British fleet inthesame 

 order (but with the weather-gage 

 r<;tained), as soon as the ships tom- 



. ing forward to close with the Queen 

 Charlotte was suitably arranged. 



The fleets remained separated 

 some few miles, in view at times 



■on the intermission of a thick fog, 

 which lasted most part of the two 

 next days. 



The commander of a fleet, their 



. lordships know, is unavoidably so 



.con&ied in his wew of the occur- 



-rences in time of battle, as to be 

 little capable of rendering personal 

 testimony to the meritorious service 

 of o^icevs who have profited, in a 

 greater extent, by the opportunities 

 to distinguish themselves on such 

 occasions. 



To discharge this partof my pub- 

 lic dut), reports wue called fur 

 from the flag ofScers of the fleet, for 

 supplying the defects of my obser- 

 vnrxe, under the limited circum- 



. stances above-mentioned. Those 

 olftccrs, therefore, who have such 

 particular claim to my attention, 

 are the admirals Graves and sir 

 Alexander Hood; the rear-admirals 

 Bowyer, Gardner, and Pasley ; tho 

 captainslordHugh Seymour,Paken- 

 ham, Berkeley, Gambier, John Har- 

 vey, Payne, Parker, Henry Harvey, 

 Priugie, Durkworth, and Elphin- 

 stone. Special notice is also due of 

 the captains Nicholls of the Sove- 

 reign, andPIope of theBcilerophon, 



.who became charged with, and 

 v.'ell^conducted thoseshipswhen the 

 wounded flag.ro§icers, under whom 

 they respectively s.rved therein, 

 were no longer able to remain 

 at their posts ; and the lieutenants 

 Monckton of the Mailborough, and 

 Doncily of the Montague, in simi- 

 lar situations. These selections, 

 however, shoidd not be construed 

 to the disadvantage of other com- 

 manders, who may have been 

 ecpially deserving of tiie approbation 

 of the lords co;nmisaioners of the 

 admiralty, although I am not en- 

 abled to makea particular statement 

 of their merits. 



To the reports from the flag- 

 officers are added those required 

 ficni the several captains of the 

 l;iet ; wliereby tl'.eir lordships will 

 beco^ae Uiore particularly acquaint- 

 ed 



