1810	British and French Fleets	220

and that British officer, one who had already so unequivocally distinguished himself ?

It was not many weeks afterwards, ere a more decided display of British valour, although not a sentence respecting it is to he found in the London Gazette, occurred off the port of Toulon. In the early part of August three French store-ships, bound thither, were chased by the British in-shore squadron into the anchorage of Porqueroles, one of the Hyères, and were there watched by the 18-gun brig-sloop Philomel, Captain Gardiner Henry Guion. On the 26th at daylight, the three store-ships, each of which was about equal in force to an English 28-gun frigate, weighed and pushed out ; and one, covered by a division of the French fleet from the outer road, succeeded in getting round to Toulon. The remaining two, however, were obliged to put back and reanchor. On the 30th these shifted their births to the entrance of the Petite-Passe, preparatory to a second attempt to reach the port of their destination. On the next morning, the 31st, at daylight, the Toulon fleet was seen in motion ; and at 8 h. 30 m. a.m. the two store-ships were again under way. At 9 h. 30 m. a.m. the Philomel, still at her post, tacked, the wind a light breeze from the east-south-east, and at 10 h. 30 m. exchanged a few distant shot with the store-ships as they were coming round Pointe Escampebarion. In 10 minutes afterwards the 74-gun ship Repulse, Captain John Halliday, who was lying to on the larboard tack at some distance outside the brig, exchanged shots with the French advanced frigates. Meanwhile the two store-ships, favoured by the wind and protected by their friends, got safe into Toulon.

Having accomplished this object, the French squadron, under Rear-admiral Baudin in the 120-gun ship Majestueux, continued working out, in the hope, apparently, of capturing the Philomel, who now made all possible sail upon a wind to get clear of her foes. At noon the two headmost French frigates opened a fire upon the brig, which she returned with her two 6-pounders out of the stern-ports. At 0 h. 25 m. p.m. the Repulse also commenced firing her stern guns. At 0 h. 30 m., finding that the shot of the frigates were passing over the Philomel, the British 74 gallantly bore up, and, bringing to astern of the brig, opened so heavy and well-directed a fire upon the three headmost frigates, which were the Pomone, Pénélope, and Adrienne, that, in the course of a quarter of an hour, they wore and joined the line-of-battle ships ; several of which were also, by this time, far advanced in the chase. These, soon afterwards, wore also ; and, by 5 p.m., the whole were again at anchor in the road.

At the time this noble act was performed by the Repulse, the British fleet was out of sight to leeward, off Bandol, except the Warspite 74 and Alceste frigate, who were about nine miles distant in the same direction. Captains Blackwood and Murray Maxwell, and their respective officers and ship's

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