h tacked together to the northward. The
two fleets were now steering the same way, the French van abreast of
the British centre. At 11 the French opened their fire, to which no
reply was made then. At 11.20, the British van being close in with the
shore to the northward of the Bay, Hood tacked again together, and the
enemy, seeing his convoy secure, wore, also together, which brought
the two lines nearer, heading south. At this time the four French
ships in the Bay got under way and easily joined the rear of their
fleet, it having the weather-gage. The French were thus 24 to 18.
As their shot were passing over the British, the latter now began
to reply. At noon Hood, finding that he could not close the enemy,
shortened sail to topsails and hove-to, hoping by this defiance to
bring them down to him. At 12.30 the French admiral was abreast of
the British flagship, and the action became general, but at too long
range. "Never, I believe," wrote Hood, "was more powder and shot
thrown away in one day before." The French continuing to stand on,
Hood filled his sails again at 1 P.M., as their van had stretched
beyond his.

As the leading ships, heading south, opened the channel between Santa
Lucia and Martinique, they got the breeze fresher, which caused them
to draw away from the centre. Hood, therefore, at 1.34 made the signal
for a close order, and immediately afterwards ceased firing, finding
not one in ten of the enemy's shot to reach. The engagement, however,
continued somewhat longer between the southern--van--ships, where, by
the account of Captain Sutherland, who was in that part of the line,
four of the British were attacked very smartly by eight of the French.
The _Centaur_, _Russell_, _Intrepid_, and _Shrewsbury_ appear to have
been the ships that suffered most heavily, either in hull, spars, or
crews. They were all in the van on the southern tack. The _Russell_,
having several shot between wind and water, was with difficulty kept
afloat, the water rising over the platform of the magazine. Hood sent
her off at nightfall to St. Eustatius, where she arrived on the 4th of
May, bringing Rodney the first news of the action, and of the numbers
of the French reinforcement. During the 30th Hood held his ground,
still endeavouring to get to windward of the enemy; but failing
in that attempt, and finding two of his squadron much disabled,
he decided at sunset to bear away to the northward, because to the
southward the wester