11th [August].—At 3 a.m. saw the French fleet steering after us. They consisted of twelve two-decked ships; two 90-, six 74-, three 64-, and one 50-gun ships. Course, SE by S; wind, E by N; fresh breezes and thick hazy weather. At 8 a.m. altered course to South; half-past ten, to SW by W; at half-past eleven, to West; half-past one, to NW. By these different changes of course, which were performed in succession from the van, our fleet made a considerable circle; and the French continuing to steer for our rear, they got so far to leeward that by four o’clock the greater part of our fleet, had they tacked, could have weathered the French fleet; but by this time the wind had increased to a gale, with a great sea, so that we should now been deprived of the use of the fireships; nor indeed would it [have] been prudent to have brought two fleets to action in such weather and so late in the day, when nothing decisive could possibly be done. A little before dark the French bore away SW by W, and soon after we brought to on the starboard tack. During this night, between the 11th and 12th, it blew very hard, with a great sea. At daylight in the morning of the 12th, only seventeen sail of our fleet were in sight. Saw nothing of the French fleet. At 1 p.m. the Apollo¹ lost her main and mizen topmasts; at mid-night lost sight of the Apollo.

On the morning of the 14th the gale abated. Commodore Elliot² hoisted his pennant on board the Eagle,³ and bore up for Sandy Hook with the Trident,⁴ Cornwall,⁵ Somerset,⁶ Nonsuch,⁷ and three other ships. Anchored outside the Hook the evening of the 17th.