e, it was my decided opinion that Rochefort
was much more likely to be the port where the trial would be made. I
therefore sent the Myrmidon off Bourdeaux, the Cephalus to Arcasson,
and remained with only the Bellerophon, off Rochefort. From this
period, until my return to England, the ship was never, by day or
night, more than three miles from the land. Considering it of much
importance to communicate the intelligence contained in the letter
from Bourdeaux, to my commanding officer, with as little delay as
possible; as I had no vessel left with me, after detaching the two
ships under my orders, I sent the Bellerophon's barge, under the
charge of a lieutenant, with directions to endeavour to join some one
of the cruisers stationed off Isle Dieu. I gave him an order,
addressed to the Captain of any of His Majesty's ships he might fall
in with, to proceed without loss of time, to join the Admiral in
Quiberon Bay, with the despatch accompanying it. This boat was
fortunate enough to fall in with His Majesty's ship Cyrus, Captain
Carrol; who, in consequence, after hoisting in the barge, proceeded to
Quiberon Bay.

As the coasting-vessels were not worth sending into port for
condemnation, (and considering the circumstances under which the ship
I commanded was placed, I should not have felt justified in weakening
her complement, even for a prize of value,) I was in the habit of
using such captures, as marks for the men to practice firing at. The
Cephalus had a chasse-maree in tow for that purpose, when the letter,
inserted above, was received; and I detached her so shortly
afterwards, that Captain Furneaux had no opportunity of destroying
her, but was obliged to cast her off. After he had left me some time,
I observed the vessel drifting to sea, and determined to run down and
sink her. While approaching her in this view. I was sweeping the
horizon with my glass, when I discovered, at a considerable distance,
a small white speck on the water, which had the appearance of a
child's boat with paper sails; but I could plainly perceive something
that had motion in it; and, after firing on and destroying the
chasse-maree, I stood towards the object which had engaged my
attention, and found it to be a small punt, about eight feet long,
flat-bottomed, and shaped more like a butcher's tray than a boat. In
it were a young man about eighteen years of age, and a boy about
twelve, who had got into the punt to amuse themselves, and, happeni