knew no officer who had served so much for them as myself."

These promotions came timely to insure for him an employment
particularly suited to his active temperament and fearlessness of
responsibility, but which, though the fittest man for it, he might,
with less seniority, not have received from Hotham, despite the
well-known confidence in him shown by Hood. Since the spring opened,
the Austrians and their allies, the Sardinians, had been waiting,
ostensibly at least, for assistance from the Navy, to begin a forward
movement, the first object of which was the possession of Vado Bay as
a safe anchorage for the fleet. Until the arrival of Man and the
convoy, Hotham had not felt strong enough to spare the required force;
but now, after the ships had filled their wants from the transports,
he, on the 4th of July, detached Nelson, with the "Agamemnon" and six
smaller vessels, to co-operate with the Austrian commander-in-chief.
The latter had begun his movement on the 13th of June, passing through
Genoese territory despite the remonstrances of the Republic, whose
neutrality could claim but slight regard from one belligerent, when
she had already permitted the occupation of so much of her shore line
by the other. The French had fallen back, when attacked, abandoning
Vado Bay to the enemy, whose headquarters were established at that
point.

Nelson, having sailed with four of his squadron, fell in with the
French fleet of seventeen of the line, off the Riviera, on the 6th of
July. He had, of course, to retreat, which he did upon San Fiorenzo,
to join the body of the fleet. On the morning of the 7th the
"Agamemnon" and her followers, with the French in close pursuit, were
sighted from the anchorage, much to the surprise of the admiral, who
knew the enemy had come out, but, upon the information of the Austrian
general, believed them returned to Toulon. Why he had not more
accurate news from lookout frigates is not clear; but, as Nelson said,
he took things easy, and he had persuaded himself that they had left
harbor only to exercise their men. As it was, the "Agamemnon" was hard
pressed, but escaped, chiefly through the enemy's lack of seamanship.
The fleet, when she arrived, was in the midst of refitting and
watering, but succeeded in getting to sea the following morning in
search of the enemy, who meantime had disappeared.

Precise information of the French whereabouts could not be obtained
until the evening of the 12th,