war remained helpless spectators, while the victims
were hauling down their flags right and left. Night coming on, some
prizes could not be secured, but Kempenfelt carried off fifteen,
laden with military and naval stores of great money value and greater
military importance. A few days later a violent storm dispersed and
shattered the remainder of the French body. Two ships of the line
only, the _Triomphant_, 84, and _Brave_, 74, and five transports,
could pursue their way to the West Indies. The rest went back to
Brest. This event may be considered as opening the naval campaign of
1782 in the West Indies.

Kempenfelt, before returning to England, sent off express to Hood
in the West Indies the fireship _Tisiphone_, 8, Commander James
Saumarez,[105]--afterwards the distinguished admiral,--with news of
the French approach. Saumarez, having been first to Barbados, joined
Hood on the 31st of January, 1782, in Basse Terre Roads, on the lee
side of St. Kitts; a position from which Hood had dislodged de Grasse
six days before by a brilliant manoeuvre, resembling that which he
had contemplated[106] as open to Graves the previous September at
Chesapeake Bay for the relief of Cornwallis. The campaign for the year
1782 had opened already with an attack upon St. Kitts by the French
army and navy; and the French fleet was even then cruising close at
hand to leeward, between St. Kitts and Nevis.

The original intention of de Grasse and de Bouille had been to capture
Barbados, the most important of the Eastern Antilles still remaining
to the British; but the heavy trade-winds, which in those days made
a winter passage to windward so long and dreary a beat, twice drove
them back to port. "The whole French fleet," wrote Hood, "appeared
off Santa Lucia on the 17th of last month, endeavouring to get
to windward, and having carried away many topmasts and yards in
struggling against very squally weather, returned to Fort Royal Bay
on the 23d, and on the 28th came out again with forty transports,
manoeuvring as before." On the 2d of January it disappeared from Santa
Lucia, and, after a short stay again at Martinique, proceeded on the
5th to St. Kitts, anchoring in Basse Terre Roads on the 11th. The
British garrison retired to Brimstone Hill, a fortified position at
the north-west of the island, while the inhabitants surrendered the
government to the French, pledging themselves to neutrality. The
adjacent island of Nevis capitulated on th