Admiralty of this
circumstance by a letter to the secretary, dated on the following day.
Lord Keith himself, however, arrived in the Foudroyant, from Malta, on
the 26th of March, and, being in expectation of orders to proceed to
England, he did not interfere with the duty of the squadron.

On the 24th of April, there being no doubt that Minorca would soon be
given up to Spain, Sir James received the following orders from Lord
Keith, appointing him to conduct that service:

By the Right Hon. Lord Keith, &c.

Whereas orders may be immediately expected for the evacuation
of the island of Minorca, and as I think it indispensable that
that service should be conducted by an officer of rank,
ability, and experience, you are hereby required and directed
to proceed thither in his Majesty's ship the Caesar, to be in
readiness to take upon you the charge and execution of that
duty, following such directions in that behalf as I have
already forwarded to the senior officer there, copies of the
most material of which are herewith enclosed, and such other
instructions as you may hereafter receive from me;
communicating with me or with Rear-admiral Sir Richard
Bickerton, at Malta, on all occasions when the necessity of
the service on which you are employed may so require.--Given on
board the Foudroyant, Gibraltar, 24th April 1802.

The following is a copy of the orders alluded to:

In the event of orders being received by you over land, or the
arrival of instructions by sea which may not have reached me,
for the evacuation of the island of Minorca, you are hereby
specially instructed to carry them into effect in the manner
most consistent with the directions which you shall receive.
You will enter into immediate communication with the officer
commanding his Majesty's land forces, and co-operate with him
on all necessary occasions for carrying the evacuation into
effect; and you will furnish to him, and to other officers of
rank and their families, the best accommodation of which the
disposable room in the ships will admit. In such case it will
be incumbent on you to obtain, without a moment's loss of time,
an exact estimate of the tonnage that will be required as well
for the embarkation of the troops as of the stores, &c.

The above will be sufficient to show the arduous duty Sir Jame