ge and
devotion," but skill, which then tells. All these effects of "breaking
the line" received illustration in Rodney's great battle in 1782.

De Guichen and Rodney met twice again in the following month, but on
neither occasion did the French admiral take the favorite lee-gage of
his nation. Meanwhile a Spanish fleet of twelve ships-of-the-line was
on its way to join the French. Rodney cruised to windward of
Martinique to intercept them; but the Spanish admiral kept a northerly
course, sighted Guadeloupe, and thence sent a despatch to De Guichen,
who joined his allies and escorted them into port. The great
preponderance of the coalition, in numbers, raised the fears of the
English islands; but lack of harmony led to delays and hesitations, a
terrible epidemic raged in the Spanish squadron, and the intended
operations came to nothing. In August De Guichen sailed for France
with fifteen ships. Rodney, ignorant of his destination, and anxious
about both North America and Jamaica, divided his fleet, leaving one
half in the islands, and with the remainder sailing for New York,
where he arrived on the 12th of September. The risk thus run was very
great, and scarcely justifiable; but no ill effect followed the
dispersal of forces.[144] Had De Guichen intended to turn upon
Jamaica, or, as was expected by Washington, upon New York, neither
part of Rodney's fleet could well have withstood him. Two chances of
disaster, instead of one, were run, by being in small force on two
fields instead of in full force on one.

Rodney's anxiety about North America was well grounded. On the 12th of
July of this year the long expected French succor arrived,--five
thousand French troops under Rochambeau and seven ships-of-the-line
under De Ternay. Hence the English, though still superior at sea, felt
forced to concentrate at New York, and were unable to strengthen their
operations in Carolina. The difficulty and distance of movements by
land gave such an advantage to sea power that Lafayette urged the
French government further to increase the fleet; but it was still
naturally and properly attentive to its own immediate interests in the
Antilles. It was not yet time to deliver America.

Rodney, having escaped the great hurricane of October, 1780, by his
absence, returned to the West Indies later in the year, and soon after
heard of the war between England and Holland; which, proceeding from
causes which will be mentioned later, was declared