the coast of Africa; but the Seahorse,
returned from Maritimo with intelligence from the officer at the port,
that fourteen ships of war had passed the island on the 28th of March,
steering to the southward; and that two frigates had, on the 4th of
April, also passed, steering to the northward: neither of which reports
his lordship believed; and, in fact, they appear to have been totally
false. In the evening, steering for Palermo, they were joined by the
Ambuscade and Astrea, neither of whom had obtained any information of
the enemy's fleet, though they had seen many vessels. On the 9th, having
cleared transports, which arrived the preceding evening, they compleated
the fleet to four months provisions and sixty days wine and spirits. Le
Tigre joined next day, from Palermo: where they knew nothing of the
French fleet's having sailed; but sent information that an expedition
had left England, and that a Russian squadron was expected in the
Mediterranean. This information led his lordship to suppose that the
French fleet might, probably, with a view of intercepting them, be
somewhere about Minorca; he stood, therefore, to the westward of
Sardinia, in the hope of falling in with the enemy. The Hydra and
Childers joined, this day, from Magdalena, but brought no intelligence.
At sunset, seven leagues south of Maritimo, the Active also joined, from
Cagliari; and informed his lordship, that the Ragusan consul had
received a letter from St. Pierre's, giving him an account, brought by a
Ragusan brig, which had arrived there from Marseilles, that the French
fleet sailed from Toulon the 30th of March, having a great number of
troops on board.

This intelligence turned out to be the fact. Admiral Villeneuve having
succeeded in leading his dreaded antagonist to a safe distance, and
compleated all his preparations for the grand design, which was that of
forming a junction with the Spanish fleets, and then proceeding to the
West Indies, had in truth left Toulon, on the 30th, with eleven sail of
the line, a frigate, and two corvettes, in which were embarked ten
thousand select troops under the command of General Lauriston. This
armament first sailed to Carthagena; where the six ships expected to be
ready, under Admiral Salcedo, not being quite prepared to join, and
fearful of losing a moment's time, during the absence of Lord Nelson,
Admiral Villeneuve pursued his course to Cadiz. There he had, for some
time, been expected by Admiral G