500 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRAHCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
to receive them with three huzzas, and then to be perfectly silent and 
obedient to their officers. Whilst they are cool by day and alert by 
night they have nothing to fear. If the enemy want our arms let 
them come and take them. During the attack some of the drums to 
assemble round the colours of the 5th Regiment and beat the grena¬ 
diers march.” 
December 22nd. —Quiet all last night. The enemy began yesterday 
to raise works on some hills in our front, and are going forward with 
them now. They are within reach of my guns, but I am not 
allowed to molest them. “ It will not answer any purpose to prevent 
the enemy throwing up batteries and entrenchments,” says our General. 
The Ceres sloop of war is taken by the French; she is now at anchor 
with their fleet. 
December 23rd. —All quiet last night. The French army and fleet 
in the same position as before. They seem very busy carrying on 
their works which appear to be made entirely for defence, for they are 
at too great a distance to do any mischief to us. 
December 24th. —This morning early a rebel privateer carrying 18 
gun and 130 men was taken. She came by mistake in the night to 
our fleet, and in her fright and confusion could not get out of reach of 
the shot from the ships and Garstin's battery before several had 
struck her. She is called the Bunkers Hill. 
About 8 a.m., the French fleet began to get under way and continued 
till the whole was under sail standing to the northward. Their army 
is also in motion, retiring with their cannon, and making works as 
they move, which leads us to conjecture they have either learnt some¬ 
thing of Byron, or are about to make an attack in a different manner 
from what they did before. In the afternoon the French fleet, after 
standing off and on, came to anchor about half a mile to windward of 
its former place, and in a more compact manner; their small craft re¬ 
main as usual, except getting a little nearer to the shore. 
December 25th. —This is the third day without rain and the weather 
has been very pleasant and cool. The hill I am situated upon com¬ 
mands a fine prospect both of sea and land, the eye never wants 
entertainment. Beneath us the French army carry on their works 
with ease and in perfect security, for we are polite enough not to molest 
them though much within the reach of our cannon. Their fleet is 
another entertaining object, it exhibits a fine and formidable appear¬ 
ance, and by their different signals and manoeuvres amuse our sight, 
and make us form a thousand conjectures about their intentions. 
One moment we expect them to attack, the next we conclude they are 
going to leave us, but cannot believe they will be such cowardly rascals. 
The mountainous, rugged, irregular appearance of the island forms a 
very wild and savage picture, and the distant shore of Martinique 
adds a not unpleasing background to the whole. We only want 
Byron's fleet to make it a valuable and highly finished piece. 
All this day the greatest part of the French fleet have their main and 
fore top-sail yards hoisted up which I think is a convincing proof they 
expect an enemy, and from everything we observe amongst them, 
their small craft and their army, we conclude that M. d'Estaing means 
