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British force designed to intercept the convoy was under LordHowe,then in command of the channel fleet. He sailed from Spithead on the 2nd of May with 34 See also:

SAIL

sail of the line and 15 smaller vessels, having under his charge nearly a See also:

HUNDRED

hundred merchant ships which were to be seen clear of the Channel. On the 4th, when off the See also:

LIZARD (Lat. lacertal)

Lizard, the convoy was sent on its way protected by 8 line of battle ships and 6 or 7 frigates. Two of the line of battle ships were to accompany them throughout the voyage. The other six under See also:

REAR

Rear-admiral See also:

Montagu were to go as far as Cape Finisterre, and were then to cruise on the look-out for the French convoy between Cape Ortegal and Belle Isle.

These detachments reduced the force under Lord Howe's immediate command to 26 of the line and 7 frigates. On the 5th of May he was off Ushant, and sent frigates to reconnoitre the See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour of Brest. They reported to him that the See also:

main French fleet, which was under the command of Villaret-Joyeuse, and was of 25 sail of the line, was lying at See also:

ANCHOR (from the Greek ayrcvpa, which Vossius considers is from 6yi17 , a crook or hook)

anchor in the roads. Howe then sailed to the See also:

LATITUDE (Lat. latitudo, latus, broad)

latitude on which the convoy was likely to be met with, knowing that if the French admiral came out it would be to meet the ships with the See also:

food and See also:

COVER (from the Fr. convert, from couvrir, to cover, Lat. cooperire)

cover them from attack. To seek the convoy was therefore the most sure way of forcing Villaret-Joyeuse to See also:

ACTION

action. Till the 18th the British fleet continued cruising in the See also:

Bay of See also:

Biscay. On the 19th Lord Howe returned to Ushant and again reconnoitred Brest. It was then seen that Villaret-Joyeuse had gone to See also:

sea. He had sailed with his whole force on the 16th and had passed See also:

close to the British fleet on the 17th, unseen in a See also:

fog. On the 19th the French admiral was informed by the " Patriote (74) that Nielly had fallen in with, and had captured, the British See also:

FRIGATE

frigate " See also:

CASTOR

Castor " (32), under See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

Captain See also:

Thomas See also:

TROUBRIDGE, SIR THOMAS, BART

Troubridge, together with a convoy from See also:

NEWFOUNDLAND

Newfoundland. On the same day Villaret-Joyeuse captured See also:

PART

part of a Dutch convoy of 53 sail from See also:

LISBON (Lisboa)

Lisbon. On the 19th a frigate detached by Admiral Montagu joined Howe.

It brought See also:

INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information that Montagu had re-captured part of the Newfoundland convoy, and had learnt that Nielly was to join Vanstabel at sea, and that their combined force would beg sail of the line. Montagu himself had steered to cruise on the route of the convoy between the 45th and 47th degrees of See also:

north latitude. Howe now steered to meet his sub-See also:

ORDINATE

ordinate who, he considered, would be in danger from the main French fleet. On the 21st he recaptured some of the Dutch ships taken by Villaret-Joyeuse. From them he learnt that on the 19th the French fleet had been in latitude 470 46' N. and in See also:

LONGITUDE (from Lat. longitudo, " length ")

longitude 11° 22' N. and was steering westward. Judging that Montagu was too far to the See also:

south to be in peril from Villaret-Joyeuse, and considering him strong enough to perform the See also:

DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty of intercepting the convoy, Lord Howe decided to pursue the main French fleet. The See also:

wind was changeable and the See also:

WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather hazy. It was not till the 28th of May at 6.3o A.M. that the British fleet caught sight of the enemy in 47° 34 N. and 13° 39' W. The wind was from the south-See also:

east, and the French were to windward. Villaret-Joyeuse See also:

BORE

bore down to a distance of 10 m. from the British, and then hauled to the wind on the See also:

PORT

port tack. It was difficult for the British fleet to force an action from leeward if the French were unwilling to engage. Lord Howe detached a See also:

LIGHT

light See also:

SQUADRON

squadron of four ships, the " See also:

BELLEROPHON, or BELLEROPHONTES

Bellerophon " (74), " Russel " (74), " See also:

Marlborough " (74), and " Thunderer " (74) under Rear-admiral Thomas See also:

PASLEY, SIR CHARLES WILLIAM (178o—1861)

Pasley, to attack the rear of the French line.

Villaret-Joyeuse stood on and endeavoured to See also:

WORK

work to windward. In the course of the afternoon Rear-admiral Pasley's ships began to come up with the last of the French line, the " Revolutionnaire " (11o). A partial action took place which went on till after dark; other British vessels joined. The " Revolutionnaire " was so damaged that she was compelled to leave her fleet, and the British " Audacious " (74) was also crippled and compelled to return to port. The " Revolution-mire " was accompanied by another See also:

LINER, or LINE OF BATTLE

liner. During the See also:

NIGHT

night the two fleets continued on the same course, and next day Howe renewed his attempts to force an action from leeward. He tacked his fleet in succession—his first See also:

SHIP

ship tacking first and the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest in order—in the See also:

hope that he would be able to cut through the French rear and gain the weather-See also:

gage. Villaret-Joyeuse then turned all his ships together and again headed in the same direction as the British. This See also:

MOVEMENT

movement brought him nearer the British fleet, and another partial action took place between the See also:

van of each force. Seeing that the French admiral was not disposed to charge See also:

home, Howe at See also:

NOON

noon once more ordered his fleet to tack in See also:

SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession. His See also:

SIGNAL

signal was poorly obeyed by the van, and his See also:

OBJECT

object, which was to cut through the French line, was not at once achieved. But the admiral himself finally set an example by tacking his See also:

FLAGSHIP

flagship, the " See also:

Queen See also:

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte " (See also:

LOO (formerly called " Lanterloo," Fr. lanturlu, the refrain of a popular 17th-century song)

loo), and passing through the French, two ships from the end of their line.

He was followed by his fleet, and Villaret-Joyeuse, seeing the peril of the ships in his rear, wore all his ships together to help them. Both forces had been thrown into considerable confusion by these movements, but the British had gained the weather-gage. Villaret-Joyeuse was able to See also:

SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save the two ships cut off, but he had fallen to leeward and the See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power to force on a battle had passed to Lord Howe. During the 3oth the fleets lost sight of one another for a See also:

time. The French, who had four ships crippled, had been joined by four others, and were again 26 in number, including the " Patriote." The 31st of May passed without a hostile See also:

MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting and in thick weather, but by the evening the British were close to windward of the French. As Howe, who had not full confidence in all his captains, did not wish for a night battle, he waited till the following See also:

MORNING

morning, keeping the French under observation by frigates. On the 1st of June they were in the same relative positions, and at about a See also:

QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter past eight Howe bore down on the French, throwing his whole line on them at once from end to end, with orders to pass through from windward to leeward, and so to place the British ships on the enemy's line of See also:

RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat. It was a very bold departure from the then established methods of fighting, and most See also:

HONOURABLE (Fr. honorable, from Lat. honorabilis, worthy of honour)

honourable in a See also:

man of sixty-eight, who had been trained in the old school. Its essential merit was that it produced a close melee, in which the better See also:

AVERAGE

average gunnery and See also:

SEAMANSHIP

seamanship of the British fleet would tell. Lord Howe's orders were not fully obeyed by all his captains, but a signal victory was won,—six of the French line of battle ships were taken, and one, the " Vengeur," sunk. The convoy escaped See also:

CAPTURE (from Lat. capere, to take; Fr. prise maritime; Ger. Wegnahme)

capture, having passed over the spot on which the action of the 29th May was fought, on the following day, and it anchored at Brest on the 3rd of June. Its safe arrival went far to See also:

CONSOLE (a French form, supposed to be an abbreviation of consolide, from Lat. consolidare, to strengthen)

console the French for their defeat.

The failure to stop it was forgotten in See also:

England in the See also:

PLEASURE (through Fr. plaisir from Lat. placere, to please; Gr. rlbovii)

pleasure given by the victory. See See also:

James's Naval See also:

HISTORY

History, vol. i. (1837) ; and Tronde, Batailles navales de la See also:

France (1867). (D.

End of Article: FIRST OF JUNE, BATTLE

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