t, that de Grasse thought it
necessary to bear down for the purpose of protecting them. Rodney now
hoped to force him to battle; but as it was evening, he called in the
foremost ships, and forming a close line of battle, he plied to windward
all night. By this movement, however, he prevented the retreat of the
enemy, and on the morning of the 12th the two fleets, ranged in opposite
lines, engaged with the greatest fury. The fleets were about of an
equal number, but the ships of de Grasse were of higher rates than the
British, and had superior weight of metal. Victory was long held in
suspense, but about noon Rodney executed a manouvre, which had never
before been practised in naval tactics, and which was attended with
complete success. Taking advantage of a freshening breeze which sprung
up, his own ship, the Formidable, supported by the Namur, the Duke,
and the Canada, bore down with all sail set on the enemy's line,
within three ships of the centre, and succeeded in breaking it. By this
manouvre the French line was broken and thrown into confusion, and the
rest of the division following, Rodney wore round and doubled on the
enemy, by which those ships which had been separated from the others
were placed between two fires, without hope of assistance. The battle,
notwithstanding, lasted till sunset, at which time Rodney's exertions
were crowned with complete success. Six of the enemy's ships, among
which was the Ville de Paris, de Grasse's own ship, were captured; one
was sunk, and another blew up; and the shattered remains crowded all the
sail they could make for Cape Francois, and in the morning were out of
sight. Sir Samuel Hood was despatched in pursuit of the fugitive ships,
and coming up with five sail off Porto Rico, he captured two ships of
the line and two frigates. Thus, in the whole, the French lost ten ships
of the line and two frigates, and the victory was considered as one of
the most decisive ever obtained by the naval prowess of Britain. The
loss of the French, in killed and wounded, was terrible. Their ships
were crowded with land-troops, who only served to swell the carnage:
their killed alone is estimated at 3000 men, and their wounded at double
that number; so that, taking the prisoners on board the captured ships
into computation, they must have sustained a loss of nearly 12,000
men. On the side of the British the loss, in killed, was less, than two
hundred and fifty, and in wounded about 700. By the