e West
India trade. The latter parted company on the 7th of January, under
the care of four frigates, and the following morning the fleet fell in
with and captured a Spanish squadron of seven ships-of-war and sixteen
supply-ships. Twelve of the latter being laden with provisions were
carried on to Gibraltar. A week later, at one P.M. of the 16th, a
Spanish fleet of eleven sail-of-the-line was seen in the southeast.
They held their ground, supposing the approaching vessels to be only
supply-ships for Gibraltar, without a strong force of men-of-war,--an
unfortunate error from which they did not awake until too late to
escape, owing to the yet more unfortunate oversight of having no
lookout frigates thrown out. When the Spanish admiral, Don Juan de
Langara, recognized his mistake, he attempted to escape; but the
English ships were copper-bottomed, and Rodney making the signal for a
general chase overtook the enemy, cut in between him and his port,
regardless of a blowy night, lee shore, and dangerous shoals, and
succeeded in capturing the commander-in-chief with six ships-of-the-line.
A seventh was blown up. The weather continuing very tempestuous, one of
the prizes was wrecked, and one forced into Cadiz; several of the
English ships were also in great danger, but happily escaped, and
within a few days the entire force entered Gibraltar Bay. The convoy
for Minorca was at once despatched, and immediately after the return of
the ships-of-war guarding it, on the 13th of February, Rodney sailed
for the West Indies with four ships-of-the-line, sending the rest of
his force, with the prizes, to England under Admiral Digby.

The state of politics and parties in England at this time was such
that, combined with the unavoidable inferiority of the Channel fleet,
it was difficult to find an admiral willing to accept the chief
command. An admirable officer, Barrington, the captor of Sta. Lucia,
refused the first place, though willing to serve as second, even to a
junior.[161] The allied fleet, to the number of thirty-six
sail-of-the-line, assembled at Cadiz. Their cruises, however, were
confined to the Portuguese coast; and their only service, a most
important one, was the capture of an entire convoy, largely laden with
military stores, for the East and West Indies. The entrance of sixty
English prizes, with nearly three thousand prisoners, into Cadiz, was
a source of great rejoicing to Spain. On the 24th of October, De
Guichen, retu