122 FRAGMENT OF AN INTENDED ACCOUNT 



to disappear ; the naval armies of our enemies were every day 

 gaining strength ; the number and force of their ships were 

 augmenting ; the skill and experience of their seamen appear- 

 ed to be coming nearer to an equality with our own. Their 

 commanders were completely masters of the art of avoiding a 

 general or decisive action, and at the same time of materially 

 injuring their enemies. In the doubtful conflict off Ushant, 

 which gave the commencement to our hostilities with France, 

 the British admiral, after placing himself between the French 

 fleet and their own coast, continued to manoeuvre for several 

 days together, without being able to bring on a general action, 

 and was forced at length to draw off towards his own ports, 

 allowing the French to return to theirs, without the capture of 

 a single ship to support his own claim to victory, or to refute 

 that of the enemy. The year which followed this had witnes- 

 sed the most inglorious naval campaign recorded in the annals 

 of Great Britain. The combined fleets of France and Spain 

 were seen riding with exultation in the British Channel, cap- 

 turing our ships close to our own shores, while the naval force 

 of Britain stood aloof, and only ventured to look from a dis- 

 tance on a scene which every British seaman beheld with 

 grief and indignation, while he seemed to read in it the tale of 

 his personal dishonour. Another action in the course of the 

 same year, had no great tendency to console us for the dis- 

 graceful caution which our fleet in the Channel had been for- 

 ced to observe. Admiral Byron attempted to bring the 

 French fleet, off Grenada, to action, and after the greatest 

 gallantry, displayed both by himself and the officers under his 

 command, he entirely failed in his object, and even suffered 

 considerable loss. Indeed when one studies the account of 

 this action, by help of the light which the author of the Naval 

 Tactics has thrown on it, he sees with much regret the highest 



efforts 



