140 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



dcr success*. And on the 2Uh of 

 July, and 2d of August, captain 

 Oliver, of the Melpomene, was 

 equally unfortunate in bis attempt 

 upon the enemy's vessels in Havre 

 Pier; some damage, however, was 

 done to the town, by the shells and 

 carcases thrown into it on that oc- 

 casion t. 



We have already adverted to the 

 unfortunate circnnVstancc of the 

 JPrench admiral havingcscapod from 

 the roads of I'ondichcrry, in conse- 

 quence of the English commander- 

 in-chief, admiral Jlainier, being ig- 

 norant of hostilities having com- 

 menced. Since that period admiral 

 Linois had carried on a predatory 

 warfare against the English com- 

 merce and possessions in that part of 

 the globe, to a considerable extent. 

 Not only had he, in the Marengo line 

 of battle ship, of 84 guns, and some 

 frigates, captured several of the East 

 IndiaCompaiiy's ships, and others of 

 the private trade, but he had also made 

 asucccssful descent on Fort Marlbo- 

 rough (Bencoolen) and plundered 

 the settlement. Flushed with his 

 iininterrnpted success, and in conse- 

 quence of a pre-concerted projeft of 

 the French government, he now de- 

 termined on a bolder game. About 

 the beginning of this year he cruized 

 with his whole force in the Indian 

 Seas, near the entrance of the 

 Strcights of Mohuca, with an inten- 

 tion of capturing or destroying, 

 at a single ljlo\v, the whole of the 

 homeward-bound China tlect, in 

 this measure, sulliciently well con- 

 certed, were his courage equal to his 

 views, severe indeed would have 

 been the consequence to Great 

 Britain. 



An official letter from captain 



* V'idc Appendix, p. 548. 



Dance, who acted as commodore, 

 dated the 6th of August in the pre- 

 sent year, to the court of diredlors 

 of the East India company, an- 

 nounced his defeat of the French 

 squadron, which had Iain in wait for 

 him. and doubtless considered him an 

 easy and certain prey. On the 5th 

 of February, the fleet under his com- 

 mand, as senior captain, consisting 

 of lifteen compa,ny's ships froni Chi- 

 na, twehe cotMitry ships, a Por- 

 ti!guese East Indiaman, and a fast 

 sailing brig, (destined to execute the 

 orders of the commodore till he had 

 passed he Strcights of Malacca,) 

 passed Macao Roads, on the night 

 of the .5th of February, when the 

 Portuguese vessel, and one of the 

 company's ships, the Rolla, parted 

 company and never joined the fleet 

 again. On the 14th the signal was 

 made by the lieadmost ship, of four 

 strange sail in the soutli-west, which, 

 upon reconnoitring, were perceived 

 to be an enemy's squadron, consist- 

 ing of a line of battle ship, three 

 frigates, and a brig. The signal 

 w;i.s immediately made, by the intre- 

 pid commodore, for his lleet to form 

 a line of battle iu close order. At 

 sun-set the enemy was close up 

 with the rear of the company's 

 ships, and an immediate action was 

 supposed inevitable. The country 

 ships were then placed by the com- 

 modore on the lee-bow, for their 

 more perfedt protection. At day- 

 J)reak on the 15th, the enemy was 

 three miles to windward, lying-to ; 

 at this moment both fleets hoisted 

 their respe6tive colours, when the 

 French displayed a rear-admiral's 

 Hag, and battle was offered to him by 

 the English, if he chose to accept 

 the challenge. At one in" the after- 



t Appendix, p. ;A9, oQ. 



noon. 



