576 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
the Careenage and joined the fleet. We are now pretty strong on the 
hill, (if sickness does not get amongst ns) by being joined by part 
of the 89th, 90th and 91st regiments. 
April 11th —Showery and cloudy day. Eight of our fleet are cruis¬ 
ing off' and on the shore of Martinique. 
April 15th. —A fine day. The cruising ships are driven by the 
current a great way to leeward. About 8 o’clock this morning the 
whole fleet from the Gros Hot got under way, and after a little time 
bore away to leeward and joined the cruisers. We are just informed 
that the French fleet with all their transports have got out of Martin¬ 
ique and gone. We do not know whither. Antigua and St. Kitts, 
I quake for you ! We are now left again, except the Fame (which is 
condemned) and the bombs which are now in the Gros Ilot. It is not 
unlikely that we have a visit from the French soon. We are told they 
are determined to have this island, and the other day when their fleet 
came over they intended attacking, if Admiral Parker’s whole fleet had 
not been here. They lost no time, for the day after the reinforcements 
arrived at Fort Royal, they came over to St. Lucia, and had not less 
than 12,000 men on board their ships. 
April 18th. —A close cloudy morning and a shower early. We learn 
that the French fleet were seen north of St. Eustatius, and that our 
fleet are between the Diamond rock and Fort Royal harbour, but as 
the day is thick and hazy, we cannot discover anything of them. 
April 21st. —A fine morning with gentle showers of rain. We are 
informed that Admiral Rodney fell in with the French fleet on the 17th, 
a few leagues to windward of Martinique; that an action ensued, but 
nothing decisive on either side. We are told that several of the British 
captains did not behave on that day with their usual fire and spirit, 
otherwise the day would have been glorious to Britain. Admiral 
Rodney we are informed acted most gallantly; he almost destroyed 
two of the enemy’s ships before he was attacked by the French Admiral, 
who was obliged to sheer off, being so roughly handled and thrice on 
fire, and many of his people threw themselves overboard in despair. 
It is allowed the fleet was admirably brought into action, only from 15 
to 20 minutes elapsing between the headmost and the sternmost ships 
being engaged. Admiral Rodney’s ship was on fire during the engage¬ 
ment. The British ships that are found fault with are the Ajax, Mon¬ 
tague and Medway. It is positively asserted that had the above 
captains acted with the spirit of their chief, half of the French must 
have been destroyed or taken, notwithstanding their superiority in 
number of ships 
April 22nd. —A fine day, but very hot with gentle rains. This morn¬ 
ing, early, five ships appeared to windward of Martinique, bearing this 
way. 
April 23rd. —Early in the morning the above ships came to at the 
Gros Hot, they prove to be the Actseon and four frigates from a cruise. 
Rain in the night. 
April 24th. —A warm close morning, the other part of the day clear 
and windy. A frigate appeared to windward. Four frigates from the 
