498 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
you of matters and things which we ourselves were ignorant of till 
this moment. 
We sailed from New York on the 3rd of November with a fair wind 
and pleasant weather. On the 3rd of November also sailed from 
Boston the Comte d*Estaing with his whole fleet, both fleets bound to 
the West Indies and destined within a very few miles of each other. 
A remarkable interposition of Providence in our favour happened on 
the 17th of the same month, or thereabouts, when in or near latitude 
26°. Commodore Hotham in the evening made the signal for the fleet 
to tack and stand to the eastward. This was done by the whole except 
a horse brig, which not paying attention to the Commodore, continued 
the course she was in and at daybreak in the morning was taken by 
d*Estaing*s fleet. Had our Commodore been told, or by divination 
known that this formidable enemy was so near him, and had been de¬ 
sired to change or alter his course as he should think best, so as to avoid 
the danger, it is ten to one he had run directly into it, but as it was, 
being totally ignorant of the matter, he went Providentially the way 
that proved to be right. This I think, Master Alexander, was an al¬ 
most hair-breadth escape, and our not falling in with this French 
Gentleman during the remainder of the passage was another instance 
of good fortune. Our arrival at this island in a happy moment of time ; 
our landing instantly; our army being well posted; our fleet being even 
in the readiness they were; our finding ammunition on the batteries; 
the French cannon being so badly spiked; our repulsing the different 
attacks, though so very superior to us in numbers, and the very trifling 
loss we sustained by those attacks are matters I think that very fully 
evince what I have before mentioned, that we are assuredly the favour¬ 
ites of some good creature above. Had we been 12 hours later in our 
arrival, which might easily have happened; had we not landed directly 
—it was wonderful we did for it was just after dinner time—or had the 
Comte d'Estaing made his attack in a proper manner, and the instant 
he came to us, all had been lost. 
We now continue the narrative from the diary. 
December 19th .—We remained very quiet all last night. The 
French army was in the same situation they were yesterday. Their 
fleet is augmenting every day ; there are now at anchor no less than 
twenty-six sail of ships of war and fifty sloops and schooners. One of 
our transports is taken; by some accident she drove out of our fleet. 
We have taken one of their vessels with a number of troops on board. 
The following letter from General Grant to Brigadier General Medows 
with General Medows* remarks was published to the troops to-day :— 
