from a point only sixty miles distant, hoped to come upon the
French by surprise at early daybreak, to attack the weather ships,
and from them to sail along the hostile order so far as might seem
expedient. His column, thus passing in its entirety close to a certain
exposed fraction of the enemy, the latter would be cut up in detail by
the concentration upon it. The British then, wearing to the southward,
would haul their wind, tack, and again stand up to the assault, if the
enemy continued to await it.

This reasonable expectation, and skilful conception, was thwarted by
a collision, during the night, between a frigate, the _Nymphe_, 36,
and the leading ship of the line, the _Alfred_, 74. The repairs to
the latter delayed the fleet, the approach of which was discovered
by daylight. De Grasse therefore put to sea. He imagined Hood's
purpose was to throw succours into Brimstone Hill; and moreover the
position of the enemy now was between him and four ships of the line
momentarily expected from Martinique, one of which joined him on the
same day. The French were all under way by sunset, standing to the
southward under easy sail, towards the British, who had rounded the
south point of Nevis at 1 P.M. Towards dark, Hood went about and stood
also to the southward, seemingly in retreat.

During the following night the British tacked several times, to keep
their position to windward. At daylight of January 25th, the two
fleets were to the westward of Nevis; the British near the island,
the French abreast, but several miles to leeward. Foiled in his
first spring by an unexpected accident, Hood had not relinquished his
enterprise, and now proposed to seize the anchorage quitted by the
French, so establishing himself there,--as he had proposed to Graves
to do in the Chesapeake,--that he could not be dislodged. For such a
defensive position St. Kitts offered special advantages. The anchorage
was a narrow ledge, dropping precipitately to very deep water; and
it was possible so to place the ships that the enemy could not easily
anchor near them.

At 5.30 A.M. of the 25th Hood made the signal to form line of battle
on the starboard tack, at one cable interval.[108] It is mentioned
in the log of the _Canada_, 74, Captain Cornwallis, that that ship
brought-to in her station, fourth from the rear, at 7 o'clock. By 10
o'clock the line was formed, and the ships hove-to in it. At 10.45 the
signal was made to fill [to go ahead], the van