APPENDIX totjie CHRONICLE. 511 



Pole, of which the following are 



copies :— 



Villede Paris, off" St. Sebastian, 

 Oct. 30, 1809. 



Sir, — By my letter of the 16th 

 Sept., their lordships would be in- 

 formed of the intelligence I had re- 

 ceived relative to theintended move- 

 ments of the French squadron, and 

 of my reasons for changing my sta- 

 tion to St. Sebastion. 



While on this station, on the 

 night of the 22nd inst. the Pomone 

 joined, and capt. Barrie (who with 

 indefatigable perseverance had, 

 with the Alceste, watched the port 

 of Toulon^ informed me, that the 

 day before, several of the enemy's 

 squadron had put to sea, that others 

 were coming out when he left ihem, 

 and that there was every appear- 

 ance of the whole fleet being on 

 the move from the harbour. They 

 had a numerous convoy with them, 

 and as this movement was made 

 with the first of an easterly wind, 

 there was little doubt of their being 

 bound to the westward, I imme- 

 diately made the necessary signals 

 for the squadron to be prepared for 

 theirreception,andplaced the three 

 frigates and sloop (Pomone, Hy- 

 dra, Volontaire, and Minstrel) to 

 windward, to give notice of the ene- 

 my's approach. 



On the following morning (the 

 23rd) soon after eight o'clock, the 

 Volontaire made the signal for a 

 fleet to the eastward ; while they 

 continued to come down before the 

 wind, no alteration was made in the 

 squadron, except by advancing two 

 fast-sailingships, the Tigre and Bul- 

 wark. At ten, the Pomone made 

 the signal, that the enemy had haul- 

 ed to the wind, and the convoy 



separating from the ships of war 

 (which were now discovered to 

 consist of three ships of the line 

 only, two frigates, two smaller fri- 

 gates, or store-ships, and a convoy 

 of about twenty sailing vessels,) I 

 ordered rear-admiral Martin to 

 chase them, and eight of the best 

 sailing ships, which standing on 

 contrary tacks, might take advan- 

 tage of the changes of the wind 

 which was then variable. 



At two p. m. the Pomone having 

 got far to windward, was directed 

 by signal to convoy such of the 

 convoy as could be come up with ; 

 and in the evening she burnt two 

 brigs, two bombards, and a ketch. 

 The enemy before dark was out of 

 sight, and the ships chasing not 

 much advanced, were standing to 

 the northward ; while the squadron 

 with me stretched to the southward. 

 The next morning neither the 

 French nor our own chasing ships 

 were in sight. 



This morning rear-admiral Mar- 

 tin joined with his division, as 

 named in the margin,* having again 

 fallen in with the enemy on the 

 24;th, off the entrance of the Rhone, 

 and on the 25th they chased them 

 on shore ; the Robust, of 84; guns, 

 bearing the flag of rear-admiral 

 Boudain, and the Leon, of 74-, off 

 Frontignan, where the day follow- 

 ing themselves set fire to them.— 

 The Boree, of T^ guns, and a fri- 

 gate ran on shore at the entrance 

 of the port of Cette, where there 

 is little probability of either of 

 them being saved. 



I cannot sufficiently express the 

 high satisfaction I have felt at the 

 intrepid perseverance of rear-admi- 

 ral Martin, and of the captains of 



the 



Canopus, Renown, Tigre, Sultan, I.eviathan, and Cumberland. 



