572 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
This is the general consequence of trusting friends with letters. By 
other letters I am acquainted with the promotion in our Regiment, by 
which I at length get a company. A good deal of rain in the night. 
January 17 th .—A windy, hazy morning. The Savage, a sloop of 
war from Antigua, anchored at the mouth of the Careenage ; she is 
looking for Admiral Parker to acquaint him that the French Admiral 
de la Motte Piquet with five or six sail of the line and some frigates 
is off St. Kitts. We are told he is going to St. Eustatius for a convoy 
of provisions for Martinique. The Savage sailed again. Some rain 
fell this evening and in the night. 
January 18th. —A hazy but pleasant morning. Two ships are to 
leeward, supposed to be the Savage and a ship which sailed with her 
driven down by the current. This being the birthday of our English 
Queen, 21 cannon were fired. Gentle showers through the day and 
night. 
A week of very unsettled weather. About noon on the 27th, 
Commodore Collingwood and his fleet got under way from the Gros 
Ilot, and stood to windward. 
January 28th. —A fine morning. Commodore Collingwood and his 
ships are off Fort Royal harbour. The afternoon turned out very 
rainy and windy. A great quantity of rain fell during the night. 
January 80th. —A windy morning, but without rain. We discover 
our fleet under Commodore Colliugwood lying off Fort Royal harbour. 
Admiral Parker with his division is supposed to be looking for the 
enemy about St. Eustatius. A quantity of rain fell in the afternoon. 
A brig and a sloop taken by the Commodore came into the Careenage 
to-day. 
February 3rd. —Received a letter from Captain Williamson. He 
informs me of the death of Captains Carter 1 and John Scott. 2 I am 
appointed captain of a company in England 3 and to be relieved by 
Captain Wright. 4 Our fleet is not in sight. A fine day. 
February 10th. —A fine morning without rain. Small showers 
through the day and night. This evening a man-of-war of Admiral 
Parker's division came to anchor off the Careenage, having in company 
a store-ship which had parted from Admiral Rodney's fleet on January 
28th. She did not call at Barbadoes, but fell in with Admiral Parker's 
fleet to windward of that island. 
February 11th. —A fine morning. Two large ships are seen to lee¬ 
ward. They came off the Careenage in the afternoon, and prove to be 
the Venus frigate and a line of battle-ship of Collingwood's division. 
Before dark we saw the remainder of his fleet off Martinique. A 
u Snow," thirty days from Boston, intended for Martinique, came from 
1 Captain John Carter (Kane’s List, No. 180), one of General Burgoyne’s army died during 
its detention in America on May 17th, 1779. 
2 Captain Alexander John Scott (Kane’s List, No. 274), died in Newfoundland, September 
24th, 1779. 
3 Captain Downman’s promotion dated November 11th, 1779. 
4 Captain Jesse Wright (Kane’s List, No. 335). 
