1809	British and French Fleets	142

Having received information that M. Ganteaume, with his 15 sail of the line and frigates, meant to make the attempt, Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood retired from his station off Cape Sicie, and, with 15 sail of the line and five or six frigates and sloops, proceeded off Cape San-Sebastian ; between which and Barcelona he established his cruising ground, in the full expectation of intercepting the French admiral on his way to the latter port. In the mean time Lord Collingwood had not neglected the usual precaution of stationing frigates off the port of Toulon to watch the movement's of the French fleet. The 38-gun frigates Pomone, Captain Robert Barrie, and Alceste, Captain Murray Maxwell, from the tried zeal and activity of their commanders, were well calculated for such a service.

On the 21st, in the morning, Rear-admiral Baudin, with the Robuste, Borée, and Lion, the two 40-gun frigates Pauline and Pomone, and a fleet of armed store-ships and transports, sailed from Toulon, with an easterly wind, bound to Barcelona. At noon the British frigate Pomone descried the enemy, and made sail to the west-south-west. On the next morning Captain Barrie spoke the Alceste, and at 9 p.m. fell in with Lord Collingwood, then, with 15 sail of the line, three frigates, and a ship-sloop, cruising off the coast of Catalonia, between Cape San-Sebastian and Barcelona.

Judging that, as the squadron, or fleet, for Captain Barrie did not know but that the whole French force might be coming out, had sailed with the first of an easterly wind, it was bound to the westward, the British admiral prepared his fleet for battle, and stationed his frigates to windward, to give notice of the enemy's approach. On the 23d, at 8 a.m., the 38-gun frigate Volontaire, Captain Charles Bullen, made the signal for a fleet to the eastward. As the vessels of it continued to come down before the wind, Lord Collingwood made no alteration in the fleet, beyond advancing two fast-sailing ships, the Tigre and Bulwark. At 10 a.m. the English Pomone made the signal that the enemy, now seen to consist of three ships of the line instead of seven, as had at first been signalled, had hauled to the wind. Immediately Rear-admiral Martin, with eight of the best-sailing ships, was ordered to chase in the east-north-east. At 3 p.m. the three French line-of-battle ships and two frigates separated from the convoy ; the latter steering north-north-west, in great confusion, and the former east-south-east, with the wind at north-east. The English Pomone being well to windward, got hold of a part of the convoy, two brigs, two bombards, and a ketch, and in the evening destroyed them ; but the remainder of the convoy and the five men of war were shortly afterwards lost sight of by the British fleet.

At 8 p.m. Rear-admiral Martin, judging that the French would push for their own coast, tacked to the northward, the wind then about east. Shortly afterwards two of the chasing

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