APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 



569 



bound to Europe, and therefore 

 strongly recommended to such com- 

 manding officer, the proceeding or 

 sending off Ferrol, to acquaint fhe 

 admiral off that port of that infor- 

 mation, that he might be upon his 

 guard, in case the enemy were 

 bound to Ferrol. 



On the 22d of July, about noon, 

 the combined squadrons came in 

 sight ; their force consisting of 

 twenty sail of the line, seven fri- 

 gates, and two brigs, a much greater 

 force than, as I before stated, ad- 

 miral Cornwallis supposed thcni to 

 consist of : and it appears from 

 Jord Gardner's letter to me, of the 

 6th of July, that when seen olF the 

 Diamond Rock, at Martinique, on 

 the iGth of May, they consisted 

 only of sixteen sail of the line, and 

 six frigates. 



JVfy force consisted of fifteen sail 

 of the line, two frigates, the Frisk 

 cutter, and Nile lugger. 



Notwithstanding this superiority, 

 and notwithstanding they had the 

 advantage of the wind, I forced 

 them to action. The general result 

 of it you are already acquainted 

 with. As it is not i)articularly the 

 object of your enquiry, it is unne- 

 cessary to take up your time with 

 observations upon it. 



Amidst the nmnerous prejudices 

 that have assailed me, I have never 

 yet heard the slightest insinuation 

 to my disadvantage, either as to t!ic 

 mode of (he fleet being carried into, 

 or conducted in action — The vic- 

 tory certaialy was ours, and most 

 decisively so. I have only to la- 

 ment that the weather did not afford 

 M opportunity of making it more 

 complete. Such was the valour and 

 intrepidity of my second in com- 

 mand, and of every officer and man 

 •f my squadron, that but for the 



weather, I am satisfied it woulcl 

 have been so. As it was, tliere are 

 but few instances, 1 believe, of mo- 

 dern date, in which even equal num- 

 bers have been so successful. 



The firing did not cease until iialf 

 past nine o'clock, and although it 

 has been asserted, by those who are 

 unacquainted with, or have not 

 given themselves the trouble to con- 

 sider, the ditibrence of time in th» 

 latitude in which the engagement 

 took place, that there was evea 

 then time to have continued it, I 

 need not remind you, gentlemen, 

 that in that latitude it was com- 

 pletely dark at that time, and, in- 

 deed, it appears that my night sig- 

 nals were hoisted before nine 

 o'clock. 



At the time the firing ceased the 

 enemy were to windward a long 

 cannon-shot. The night was foggy 

 and dirty. I had hailed the Wind- 

 sor-castle just about the close of the 

 action, and observing that her fore 

 top-mast was shot away, I desired 

 captain Boyles to use every exer- 

 tion to get a new one up, so as to 

 be ready to renew the engagement 

 in the morning. Captain Boyles 

 answered, he was fearful he should 

 not be able to do it, as the greater 

 part of the fore-top and trussel- 

 trees were carried away, but that 

 he v.ould do every thing in his 

 power. 



My reply was, that I had no 

 doubt but tliat he would do so, and 

 I should keep on the same tack I 

 then was all night, which I accord- 

 ingly did, keeping the sqnadron be- 

 tween the enemy and the Windsor- 

 castle and the prizes, for their pro- 

 tection. 



During tho night, my ship's com- 

 pany were employed in shifting the 

 fore top-sail yard, the larboard 



yard- arm 



