ct, and
carried such an immense weight of iron, in proportion to that of a
frigate, and there was so much difficulty in bringing two or three
ships to act with effect at the same time upon one, that I scarcely
considered three frigates a match for one line-of-battle ship;--that,
with respect to forcing a passage past the Bellerophon, it must have
depended greatly on accident, but the chances were much against it; as
the frigates would have had to beat out against the wind for three or
four leagues, though a narrow passage, exposed to the fire of a
seventy-four gun ship, which, from being to windward, would have had
the power of taking the position most advantageous for herself." He
then said, reverting to what had passed before about firing at marks,
"You have a great advantage over France in your finances: I have long
wished to introduce the use of powder and shot in exercise; but the
expense was too great for the country to bear." He examined the sights
on the guns, and approved of them highly; asked the weight of metal on
the different decks, disapproving of the mixture of different calibres
on the quarter-deck and forecastle. I told him the long nines were
placed in the way of the rigging, that they might carry the fire from
the explosion clear of it, which a carronade would not do: he
answered, "That may be necessary, but it must be attended with
inconvenience." His enquiries were generally much to the purpose, and
showed that he had given naval matters a good deal of consideration.

[Footnote 5: They were part of the officers and crew of the
AEneas store-ship, mentioned as having been detained on the
18th of June, who were on board the Bellerophon about a week,
and were landed at Isle d'Aix, in a chasse-maree, a few days
before Buonaparte's arrival there.]

[Footnote 6: I was afterwards told, that one of the frigates,
at Isle d'Aix, had changed her eighteen pounders for
twenty-fours.]

On seeing the additional supply of wads for each deck made up along
with the shot-boxes, in the form of sophas, with neat canvass covers,
he observed, "The French ships of war have all the preparations for
action that you have, but they have not the way of combining
appearance with utility."

We had breakfast about nine o'clock, in the English style, consisting
of tea, coffee, cold meat, &c. He did not eat much, or seem to relish
it; and when, on enquiry, I