tly ready to sail. He ordered the fleet to
sea immediately; but many of them having made signal of inability, for
the pilots refused to get them under weigh, he sent for the chief pilot
of the flag ship, and questioned him if it were practicable to take out
a ship in such weather. The pilot having reported that it was quite
safe, even for the _Christian VII._, which from her great length was the
least manageable ship in the fleet, much more so for the others, some
of which worked like cutters, the Admiral made signal for all captains
and pilots to come on board. He then repeated his order to sail, and
enforced obedience. The fleet sailed, and beat across the North Sea to
their station, without an accident; and the enemy returned to their
former anchorage as soon as the blockading force appeared. As the autumn
advanced, the pilots gave up the charge of the fleet; but Sir Edward
kept his station, until the increasing severity of the gales compelled
him to take shelter in the Downs.

In the spring of 1811, he succeeded Sir Charles Cotton as
commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. He proceeded to his station in
the _Caledonia_, with his brother Israel, lately promoted to be a Rear
Admiral, as captain of the fleet; and arrived off Toulon on the 18th of
July. Next morning, two French frigates returning from Genoa with
conscripts for the fleet were chased by the _Conqueror_ and _Sultan_,
the inshore squadron; and the French commander, Vice-Admiral Comte
Emeriau, sailed out with thirteen line-of-battle ships and a frigate, to
protect them. The _Conqueror_ approached near enough to fire upon the
frigates, and afterwards, with her consort, exchanged a few distant
broadsides with the advanced ships of the enemy: but these, whose only
object was to secure the frigates, did not wait for the main body of the
British force, now fast coming up, but hastened back to their anchorage.
This affair, with the evident high state of equipment of the French
fleet, led all to expect that there would soon be a general action; a
hope in which the Admiral fully participated. He writes thus on the 28th
of December, 1811, when the fleet was on its way to Mahon:--

"MY DEAR BROTHER,--I would not permit a ship to sail direct for
England without carrying you a few lines to say we are all well, on
our way to replenish our provisions and water for the winter's
cruise: when this is done, we return to our old ground; or it is
po