presented a force that he might have crushed in detail
a few weeks before,--not to mention the similar failure of April,
1781.[114]

Large bodies of ships commonly will move less rapidly than small. By
2.30 P.M. of the day of starting, Rodney's look-outs had sighted the
French fleet; and before sundown it could be seen from the mastheads
of the main body. At 6 next morning, April 9th, the enemy, both
fleet and convoy, was visible from the deck of the _Barfleur_, the
flagship of Hood's division, then in the British van. The French bore
north-east, distant four to twelve miles, extending from abreast of
the centre of Dominica northwards towards Guadeloupe. The British had
gained much during the night, and their centre was now off Dominica to
leeward of the enemy's rear, which was becalmed under the island. Some
fourteen or fifteen of the French van, having opened out the channel
between Dominica and Guadeloupe, felt a fresh trade-wind, from east by
north, with which they steered north; and their number was gradually
increased as individual ships, utilising the catspaws, stole clear of
the high land of Dominica. Hood's division in like manner, first among
the British, got the breeze, and, with eight ships, the commander of
the van stood north in order of battle. To the north-west of him were
two French vessels, separated from their consorts and threatened to
be cut off (i). These stood boldly down and crossed the head of Hood's
column; one passing so close to the leading ship, the _Alfred_, that
the latter had to bear up to let her pass. Rodney had hoisted a signal
to engage at 6.38 A.M., but had hauled it down almost immediately,
and Hood would not fire without orders. These ships therefore rejoined
their main body unharmed. At 8.30 the French hoisted their colours,
and shortly afterwards the vessels which had cleared Dominica tacked
and stood south, opposite to Hood.

De Grasse now had recognised that he could not escape action, if
the convoy kept company. He therefore directed the two 50-gun ships,
_Experiment_ and _Sagittaire_, to accompany it into Guadeloupe, where
it arrived safely that day (Position 1, dd); and he decided that the
fleet should ply to windward through the channel between Dominica
and Guadeloupe, nearly midway in which lies a group of small islands
called Les Saintes,--a name at times given to the battle of April
12th. By this course he hoped not only to lead the enemy away from
the convoy, but also