LABRADOR JOURNAL 215 



the servants were embarked, and 1 put my ship 

 under eonvoy of the Pegasus. 



Sutulay, May IS, 1777. Nothing worthy of re- 

 mark occurred until this day, unless that captain 

 Gore, having a fleet of ships under his care, and 

 a report prevailing of privateers being near the 

 Irish Coast neglected his duty: for he neither took 

 the least pains to keep his fleet together, nor at- 

 tempted to collect them when dispersed; he 

 neither carried sail in proportion to the heaviest 

 sailers, nor did he ever examine such ships as 

 appeared in sight: although several vessels actu- 

 ally ran through his fleet, he never spoke to one, 

 nor even shewed his colours, in answer to theirs. 

 By such conduct, he soon lost the fourth part of 

 his fleet; and as he persisted in keeping on the 

 starboard tack, with the wind at south west, in 

 the latitude of 46" 4fi' north, at noon, I ordered 

 the signal to be made for speaking with him; but 

 notwithstanding we were no more than a mile 

 from him, and on his lee quarter, he took no notice 

 of it. At l\v(. o'clock I caused the signal to be 

 ha\ded down, the colours to be hoisted, the vessel 

 to be put about, and left him. 



W'c had \erv tempestuous weather all night, 

 and met several vessels, wliidi .ilarnu'd us greatly, 

 feni'iiig lest any of them should prove American 

 Piivateers. 



On the twenty-eighth we saw a ]iaii' of gannets, 

 wliicb ni.'idc 11u' sailors suspect that we were in 

 soun<lings: but we could not find any ground with 

 a luuiflrccl f;itbonis of line. 



