10th [August].—At half-past 8 a.m. the wind shifted in a squall and came to the northward. The French fleet immediately cut their cables and came to sea. We got under way and stood to the southward under an easy sail, in order to form. The French fleet were so long of coming near us, as the wind shifted in a squall; and the time of day drawing on when it was usual to have the wind from the sea—these reasons, I suppose, induced the admiral to continue standing off from the French fleet, in hopes of a change of wind, when he could have made use of the fire ships. In the evening the French fleet were five or six miles astern of us. Sent the Apollo between them and us, to keep sight of them and to make signals to us.¹