he 21st, the
British frigates worked up to the south-east point of the peninsula, and
received on board, by means of boats, about 2500 men; the rest were made
prisoners or perished, and nearly all the arms and uniforms, with
the ammunition and stores, were left behind for the benefit of the
republicans. Those royalists who were taken prisoners were all marched
off to Vannes, where a sort of military tribunal condemned the Count de
Sombreuill, the Bishop of Dol, and all the officers and gentlemen taken;
and these being-all shot, the common men enrolled themselves in the
republican army. The broken remains of this expedition were landed in
the isle of Plouat, where they were soon afterwards joined by 2500 men
from England, who gained possession of the Isle d'Yeu; but at the close
of this year the English troops were re-embarked, and both ships and men
returned to England.

In the meantime, as soon as Canclaux weakened his army to strengthen
that of Hoche, and crush the royalist expedition at Quiberon Bay,
Charette resumed the offensive, and had gained several advantages over
the republicans. He looked eagerly for the promised arrival of Count
d'Artois; and on the 10th of October the count disembarked at Isle
d'Yeu. While here a place of rendezvous was appointed, and Charette,
fully assured that the prince would land at the port of La Tranche,
united his forces, dispersed some republican detachments, and cut his
way to within a day's march of the appointed place. But Charette was
doomed to be disappointed; the count's aide-de-camp here met him, with
the intelligence that his highness had changed his mind, and would
choose a more opportune moment and a better place for landing. The Count
d'Artois returned to England; and from this time the affairs of the
royalists in the western provinces rapidly declined. The efforts of the
Chouans and Vendeans were, indeed, confined to a species of guerilla
warfare, which, as will be seen, was completely extinguished in the
following year, by the republicans under Hoche. On discovering the
determination of the Count d'Artois the brave Charette saw the extent of
his fate. "My friends," he exclaimed to those around him, "we are lost;
this is my death sentence! To-day I have fifteen thousand troops around
me, to-morrow I shall not have three hundred." Charette fell back
immediately from the coast; and he soon had the mortification of seeing
his troops dispersing, and his enemies gathering ar