the Concorde, as the state of the Engageante at her surrender places beyond a doubt.

Deceived by the statement at the foot of Sir John Warren's letter, that the Résolue and Engageante were 18-pounder frigates, and unacquainted, it is clear, with the particulars of this contest, none of which he gives, a contemporary adds a fifth ship to the enemy's force, and then calls Sir John's performance "a very brilliant action." * The same writer has also committed a mistake, in stating that "the Melampus," instead of the Concorde, " was so fortunate as to capture a third ship."

Sir John Warren safely reached port with his prizes; all of which were added to the British navy; the Babet as a sloop, the Engageante, from her age and weakness, merely as a hospital-ship, but the Pomone as a cruising 40-gun frigate.

The Pomone was constructed on a new principle in naval architecture, her greatest breadth being at the gun abaft the mainmast. She proved an incomparable sailer, and possessed every good property of a ship of war ; but, although quite a new vessel, her reign, as we shall by and by see, was a short one. A second French frigate, of the same force and construction, was, it is believed, built at Cherbourg in the year 1795, and named the Romaine. The principal dimensions of the Pomone were as follows:

Early in the present year the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Orpheus, Captain Henry Newcome, 50-gun ship Centurion, Captain Samuel Osborne, and 44-gun ship Resistance, Captain Edward Pakenham, arrived on the East India station. On the 5th of May, while this squadron was cruising off the Isle of France, two strange sail were discovered approaching before the wind. These were the French 34-gun ship Duguay-Trouin, late Princess-Royal, Indiaman, † and, we believe, the Vulcan brig-corvette. As soon as it was thought that the British ships could lay up for the enemy, chase was given ; and, at 11 h. 45 m. a.m., the Orpheus, from her superior sailing, got within long gun-shot of the Duguay-Trouin. In ten minutes afterwards a close action commenced, and, at a little after noon, the Orpheus obtained a position upon the Duguay-Trouin's starboard quarter. Here she kept pouring in her broadsides until 1 h. 5 m. p.m. ; when the French ship, having had her bowsprit shot through, and three of the knees of her head cut away, and having sustained a considerable loss in killed and wounded, struck her colours : at which time the Centurion and Resistance were

* Brenton, vol. i., p. 240.

† See p. 194.

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