by the vigilance of british cruisers: even the offer 1801. of large rewards to the equippers of merchant ves- his sels or privateers, that should first reach a port of EgypEgypt with provisions and military stores, served army. only to augment the number and enhance the value of lord Keith's prizes.

Hitherto the efforts to relieve the egyptian army had been confined to such frigates and smaller vessels, as might be able to escape from Toulon or some other french Mediterranean port; but, no sooner did the first-consul learn the real destination of the army under general Abercromby, than he contemplated the forwarding of a reinforcement upon a grander scale. That reinforcement was to consist of seven two-deckers, the élite of the Brest fleet, having on board 5000 troops under the command of general Sahuguet.

The officer intrusted with the charge of this secret and hazardous mission was one of the ablest at this time belonging to the republic, rear-admiral Ganteaume; and the following were the ships of which his squadron was composed:

tian

Lugger, Vautour.

On the 7th of January this squadron sailed from Jan. Brest, and anchored in the road of Bertheaume; and about the same time, in order to draw the attention of the british cruisers in a different direction, the french ships at anchor in the minor ports of the Channel and bay of Biscay made demonstrations of

Jan.

1801. putting to sea. In the hope to profit by this ruse, rear-admiral Ganteaume, on the 8th, got under way, and stood through the passage du Raz; but here, contrary to his expectation, he was discovered and chased by a division of the Channel fleet under the command of vice-admiral sir Henry Harvey. This obliged the french admiral to regain the coast; and he soon afterwards came to an anchor at the mouth of the river Vilaine. Thence, in order that the British might be led to suppose he had no other object in view than the other french squadrons in motion at this time, M. Ganteaume subsequently departed, steering for the road of Brest; where he anchored, as if the service he had been detached upon was executed.

Concorde and Bra

voure.

Here lay the french admiral, waiting for a northerly gale of wind, to blow the british blockading force off the coast. On the 23d a storm arose, favourable alike in direction and violence; and late on that night the squadron of M. Ganteaume weighed and put to sea. The only safe passage under such circumstances, that of Iroise, was now entirely free from british cruisers; but such was the violence of the gale that, besides carrying away the topmasts of several of the ships, it separated the Indivisible and Créole from the rest of the squadron.

On the 27th of January, at 9 P. M., Cape Finisterre bearing east half-north distant 25 leagues, the british 12-pounder 36-gun frigate Concorde, captain Robert Barton, while steering to the eastward, discovered by the light of the moon seven large ships, about two miles to-windward, under easy sail, standing to the westward. These were the Indomptable, Formidable, Desaix, Constitution, Jean-Bart, DixAoût, and Bravoure, under the orders of commodore Moncousu.

One of the 74s and the frigate immediately bore up in chase; whereupon the Concorde, casting off a swedish ship she had in tow, made sail ahead. In

a little time the line-of-battle ship, hauling up again, 1801. steered to rejoin her squadron; while the Bravoure Jan. continued bearing away in chase of the Concorde. As soon as she had reached what was considered to be a distance of about six miles from the french squadron, the Concorde hove to, and, by the usual mode of signalling, presently convinced herself that the ship in chase of her was not a friend.

After a mutual hail, an order to strike to a french frigate; and a volley of musketry, the Bravoure ranged up on the Concorde's lee side, and gave and returned a heavy fire; until, passing on, she shot so far ahead as to bring the Concorde on her larboard quarter. In this position the latter kept her opponent warmly and closely engaged, for about half an hour; when the fire of the Bravoure ceased, and almost at the same instant one of her boats and some other wreck fell from her stern and larboard quarter. Captain Barton now concluded that his antagonist, having discontinued the action, had surrendered; but presently the Bravoure was observed making sail, and soon stood away before the wind. The damaged state of the Concorde's running rigging delayed her in chasing; and, at 3 A. M. on the 28th, she lost sight of the Bravoure. At daylight, however, the Concorde again discovered the french frigate; but the appearance of the latter's squadron to-windward compelled captain Barton, not only to relinquish the pursuit of the Bravoure, but to attend to the safety of the Concorde.

The latter's loss in the action, out of a crew on board of not more than 224 men and boys, amounted to four men killed and 19 wounded, one of them mor tally. The loss on board the Bravoure, out of a complement of about 320 men and boys, is officially stated to have been 10 men killed, including her third lieutenant and pilot, and 24 wounded, including her captain, who had the misfortune to have half his hand carried away by a grape-shot.

The guns of the Concorde have already appeared;

1801. but, owing to the bursting of one of her 28* maindeck Jan. 12-pounders on the 10th of the preceding August, whereby nine men men were killed and five badly wounded, and another 12-pounder was disabled, the frigate mounted on the present occasion but 40 guns. The Bravoure appears to have mounted 42 guns, two more than the establishment of her class, on account of having, like the Concorde herself previous to her accident, 28 twelves on the main deck. In point of force, therefore, the Concorde and Bravoure were tolerably well matched; but, in practical gunnery, the relative execution shows that, if the two combatants had been left to themselves, the british frigate, without some extraordinary chance in her opponent's favour, must have come off the conqueror.

A writer in the french work so frequently quoted by us declares, that the two frigates did meet by themselves, but that captain Dordelin, by closing with the intention to board, "frightened away captain Barton," 66 effraya le capitaine ennemi."+ The latter assertion appears to be founded upon a statement, although not quite so forcibly expressed, in the despatch of rear-admiral Ganteaume; but who, be it understood, is merely reciting the report made to him by commodore Moncousu, as the substance of the information received by the latter from captain Dordelin himself. It is captain Dordelin, therefore, who vaunts of his own prowess; who declares that he compelled the Concorde to run away, that her guns were 18-pounders, and that he heard groans and cries" proceed from her after the discharge of his first broadside. Crediting the statement, M. Ganteaume strongly urges the minister of marine to promote M. Dordelin from a capitaine de

66

* See vol. i. p. 288. We omitted to mention, that the Concorde differed from her class in mounting 28, instead of 26 guns on the main deck; but the total of her guns is there correctly stated at 42. + Victoires et Conquêtes, tome xiv. p. 151.

Jan.

frégate to a capitaine de vaisseaux; but the first- 1801. consul appears to have seen further into the business than M. Ganteaume, and did not promote the Bravoure's captain to that rank until two. years and eight months (September 24, 1803) had elapsed since the date of the action upon the merits of which M. Dordelin founded his pretensions.

ture of

ary.

After this exploit by one of his squadron, commo- Capdore Moncousu pursued his way towards the Straits; the Inand on the 30th, off Cape Spartel, the first appointed cendirendezvous, effected his junction with rear-admiral Ganteaume; who, on the preceding evening, after a long chase, had captured the british ship-sloop, or fire-ship, Incendiary, captain Richard Dalling Dunn. Imitating the example of some british admirals and captains, M. Ganteaume described his prize as "of," when he should have said "pierced for," 28 guns. The Incendiary, we believe, mounted only sixteen 18-pounder carronades; but the Spitfire, and one or two others of the Incendiary's class, were established with 24 guns, for which, by opening their maindeck ports, they had ample room.

After destroying his prize, rear-admiral Ganteaume stood towards the Straits; and, on the morning of the 9th of February, passed through them into the Mediterranean under a press of sail. The only sea-going ship at this time at Gibraltar, the 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Success, captain Shuldham Peard, immediately weighed and steered after the french squadron. Having no doubt that M. Ganteaume's destination was Egypt, captain Peard intended, if he could, to pass him on the passage and apprize lord Keith of his expected arrival. On the 10th, in the morning, the Success came up with the french ships off Cape de Gata, where the second rendezvous had been appointed, and passed them in the night. During the whole of the 11th and 12th, owing chiefly to light and variable winds, the french squadron kept sight of the Success. Soon after dark the wind began to blow fresh from the southward; and, as