Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/307

Book IX. and get into her station, and at length backed her topsails to obtain it by falling astern; which succeeded, but not until she had dropt below her opponent the Saint Louis, and at a considerable distance from the Yarmouth which she was to second; during this operation, the Newcastle and Weymouth, in order to keep their proper distances, backed likewise, and both fell below the Moras, the last remaining of the enemy's rear; and were thus likewise left without any ship to fire at. But after the Cumberland had set sail, and gained her proper station, the Newcastle still kept back, and failed to close the line, on which the Weymouth hailed her to do so, which not being attended to, she hauled the wind, set sail, and, passing to windward of the Newcastle, came properly into the line, a-breast of the Moras, during which the Cumberland was well engaged with the Saint Louis, and took off the fire of her forward guns, which she had for some time employed against the quarter of the Yarmouth. Mr. Pocock had continually thrown out signals for the rear to get in order, and now continued them for the Newcastle. A great explosion of powder had blown up in the Zodiac, another in the Bien Aimé; the Moras, although by much the weakest of the enemy's ships, had fought with as much activity as any of them; and when attacked by the fresh and superior fire of the Weymouth, stood it with great loss for 10 minutes, when she quitted the line, shattered and admired. Mr. D'Aché continually made the signals of the fugitives to rejoin the line. The engagement had continued an hour and a half, when the Tyger, which led the English van, having lost her fore-top-sail-yard, could not keep her station, but fell slanting a-head of her opponent, the Vengeur, on which this ship, favoured at the same time by a small change of the wind, hauled up, and began to get to windward of the Tyger's quarter, over which she would then have had every advantage, and with sufficient resistance against the Salisbury behind; and by this time the Comte de Provence, with the Diligente, were advanced from Pondicherry within a league of the battle. Nevertheless Mr. D'Aché finding that the ships which had bore away did not return, made the general signal, and bore down towards them, intending afterwards to take up the Comte de Provence, and with her