[Aoust 1778, Languedoc, en mer]
du samedy 15
les vents a Lest petit frais nous avons Continué à Etablir nos nos mats de hunne et à travailer à notre Gouvernaille et Le marseillois1 de meme au jour vüe un vaisseau au vent qui nous à parüe à deux Batterie Le sagitaire2 à appareillé pour Lui donner Le Chasse à 6 heures nous avons vüe sous Le vent nos quatre vaisseau qui donnoit chasse à un petit Batiment à trois mats Lector3 Lui tiroit quelque Coup de Canons de chasse à 8 hr. nous Le vimes àmarner à 8 hr. nous vimes un Cinquante vaisseau Réjoindre Les quatre autres qui remorquet un petit Batiment qui navoit qu’un mat de mizaine,4 observée à midy 38=55 mt Longitude arrivé 74=8 mt
[Translation]
[August 1778, Languedoc, at sea]
Saturday 15
the winds to the east, a little fresh we continued to set up our topmasts and to work at our helm and the Marseillois1 did the same at daylight we saw a ship to the windward that appeared to us to be a two-decker The Sagitaire2 weighed to give it chase at 6 o’clock we saw to the leeward our four ships that had given chase to a small ship of three masts The Hector3 fired several chase guns at it at 8 o’clock we saw it anchor at 8 o’clock we saw a fifth ship join the four others which towed a small ship that had only a foremast,4 observed at noon 38 degrees 55 minutes, Longitude arrived at 74 degrees 8 minutes
D, FrPNA, Marine B4, vol. 147, fol. 145.
1. Ship of the line Marseillais, Capitaine de vaisseau Louis-Armand de La Poype Vertrieux.
2. Ship of the line Sagittaire, Capitaine de vaisseau François-Hector, comte d’Albert de Rions.
3. Ship of the line Hector, Capitaine de vaisseau Pierre de Cheylan, comte de Moriés du Castellet. The “small ship of three masts” was H.M. ship-rigged sloop-of-war Senegal, Capt. John Inglis, taken by Hector this day. See Journal of John Lawrence, below.
4. H.M. bomb Thunder, Comdr. James Gambier [2], had been taken the day before by French ship of the line Vaillant, Capitaine de vaisseau Joseph-Bernard, marquis de Chabert Cogolin. During the storm two days earlier, Thunder had lost her main and mizzen masts. Gambier had rigged a jury mizzen mast before capture by the French. D’Estaing’s “Liste des Prises,” FrPNA, Marine B4, vol. 151, fol. 132 and UkLPR, Adm. 1/5310 fols. 469–70.