se the
Dutch island of St. Eustatius. The two commanders now concerted a
joint expedition against Barbadoes, which was frustrated by the
violence of the trade winds.

Foiled here, the French proceeded against the island of St.
Christopher, or St. Kitt's (Plate XVIII.). On the 11th of January,
1782, the fleet, carrying six thousand troops, anchored on the west
coast off Basse Terre, the chief town. No opposition was met, the
small garrison of six hundred men retiring to a fortified post ten
miles to the northwest, on Brimstone Hill, a solitary precipitous
height overlooking the lee shore of the island. The French troops
landed and pursued, but the position being found too strong for
assault, siege operations were begun.

The French fleet remained at anchor in Basse Terre road. Meanwhile,
news of the attack was carried to Sir Samuel Hood, who had followed De
Grasse from the continent, and, in the continued absence of Rodney,
was naval commander-in-chief on the station. He sailed from Barbadoes
on the 14th, anchored at Antigua on the 21st, and there embarked all
the troops that could be spared,--about seven hundred men. On the
afternoon of the 23d the fleet started for St. Kitt's, carrying such
sail as would bring it within striking distance of the enemy at
daylight next morning.

The English having but twenty-two ships to the French twenty-nine,
and the latter being generally superior in force, class for class, it
is necessary to mark closely the lay of the land in order to
understand Hood's original plans and their subsequent modifications;
for, resultless as his attempt proved, his conduct during the next
three weeks forms the most brilliant military effort of the whole
war. The islands of St. Kitt's and Nevis (Plates XVIII. and XIX.)
being separated only by a narrow channel, impracticable for
ships-of-the-line, are in effect one, and their common axis lying
northwest and southeast, it is necessary for sailing-ships, with the
trade wind, to round the southern extremity of Nevis, from which
position the wind is fair to reach all anchorages on the lee side of
the islands. Basse Terre is about twelve miles distant from the
western point of Nevis (Fort Charles), and its roadstead lies east
and west. The French fleet were anchored there in disorder (Plate
XVIII., A), three or four deep, not expecting attack, and the ships
at the west end of the road could not reach those at the east without
beating to windward,--a tedio