were heard the opening guns of the great
battle, since known by the names of the 12th of April, or of The
Saintes, and, in the French navy, of Dominica. The successive losses
of the _Caton_, _Jason_, and _Zele_, with the previous detachment of
the two 50-gun ships with the convoy, had reduced the French numbers
from thirty-five to thirty effective vessels. The thirty-six British
remained undiminished.

The British appear to have been standing to the south on the port
tack at daylight; but, soon after sending out the chasers, Rodney had
ordered the line of bearing (from ship to ship) to be north-north-east
to south-south-west, evidently in preparation for a close-hauled line
of battle on the starboard tack, heading northerly to an east wind.
Somewhat unusually, the wind that morning held at south-east for some
time, enabling the British to lie up as high as east-north-east on
the starboard tack (Position 3, d), on which they were when the battle
joined; and this circumstance, being very favourable for gaining to
windward,--to the eastward,--doubtless led to the annulling of the
signal for the line of bearing, half an hour after it was made, and
the substitution for it of the line of battle ahead at one cable. It
is to be inferred that Rodney's first purpose was to tack together,
thus restoring Hood to the van, his natural station; but the accident
of the wind holding to the southward placed the actual van--regularly
the rear--most to windward, and rendered it expedient to tack in
succession, instead of all together, preserving to the full the
opportunity which chance had extended for reaching the enemy. In the
engagement, therefore, Hood commanded in the rear, and Rear-Admiral
Drake in the van. The wind with the French seems to have been more to
the eastward than with the British,--not an unusual circumstance in
the neighbourhood of land.

As Rodney, notwithstanding his haste, had formed line from time to
time during the past three days, his fleet was now in good order, and
his signals were chiefly confined to keeping it closed. The French, on
the other hand, were greatly scattered when their Commander-in-Chief,
in an impulse of hasty, unbalanced judgment, abandoned his previous
cautious policy and hurried them into action. Some of them were over
ten miles to windward of the flagship. Though they crowded sail to
rejoin her, there was not time enough for all to take their stations
properly, between daylight and 8 A.M.,