ought her so close round the Frenchman's stern that the tricolour
ensign flapped against her shrouds, and as she passed she raked her
gigantic enemy from stern to stem with her larboard broadside to such
effect that the _Montagne_ lost 300 killed and wounded before she could
make reply. Six British ships broke through the line and engaged to
leeward; the others remained to windward, the captains perhaps not fully
understanding Howe's plan.

As the _Brunswick_ (74) tried to force her way through the French line,
her anchors caught in the rigging of the _Vengeur du Peuple_ (74), and
the two ships drifted side by side in deadly embrace for three hours.
When at last they parted the _Brunswick_ had received much damage and
lost 158 men, including her captain, who was mortally wounded. The
_Vengeur_ was a wreck. A broadside from the _Ramillies_ (74) finished
her. She "hauled her colours down and displayed a Union Jack over her
quarter, and hailed for quarter having struck, her masts going soon
after, and a-sinking".[253] The _Alfred_ (74) sent an officer aboard
her, and the boats of three English ships saved about 333 of her crew.
The "rest went down with her". The flatulent account of her end, given
by Barrere in the convention, is largely imaginary. The crew of the
_Vengeur_ did not choose death rather than the surrender of their ship.
Some of those whom the efforts of the British seamen failed to save,
went down with a cry of _Vive la republique_! They had surrendered after
a hard-fought fight, and they died as gallant seamen die. The battle of
"the glorious first of June" ended in the complete victory of the
British fleet. Six French ships were taken besides the _Vengeur_; five
dismasted and several crippled ships were brought away by Villaret. Howe
might easily have secured more prizes, but he was an old man, and was
completely worn out by the fatigue and anxiety of the last five days.
His tactics were splendid, though the detaching of part of his fleet
under Montagu was a strategic mistake. The provision ships got safely
into Brest, but the French purchased their food at the cost of their
fleet.

In July the whigs who supported Pitt coalesced with the government. A
third secretaryship of state was again instituted. Grenville remained
foreign secretary; the Duke of Portland, the nominal head of the
seceding whigs, took the home department, with the colonies, and Dundas
retained the conduct of the war as secretary of sta