Mon general

j'ai parrcourü dans la Sortie que je viens de faire les parages du So. au No. d'ouessant á la distance de 18 á 20 liqües ainsi que vous me l'avais ordonné; je n'ai vü dans cette croisiere que deux batiments que m'ayant parü etre de guerre et en croisiere: dimanche 28. á 4 heures du soir j'etais á 15. lieues dans l'ouest d'ouessant lorsque je rencontrai le premier, je le rangeri d'assés prés pour lire son nom qui est le hawke corvete de 12 canons,¹ lorsqu'il s'etait apperçü que j'avais changé de route pour le reconnoitre il avait mis en panne et arbori son pavillon et sa flamme, j'arborai les miens et aprés l'avoir depassi je repris ma route, il changea ses amures pret la bor dée du ouest, les vents etaient au Sud.

meredy 2^e. de ce mois á deux heures du matin etant environ á 18 lieües dans le No 14 O d'ouessant je vis le Second qui courait le bord opposi á celui que je tenais; aprés l'avoir depassi je virai de bord et il en fit probablement de même dans l'intention réciproque de nous reconnoitre, l'instant d'aprés nous nous rétrouvames encore á bord contraire, je me decidai alors á continuer le mien pendant quelque tems pour voir sa manoeuvre; la premiere d'avoir viri sur moi, me faisait assés connaitre qu'il etait croiseur et je m'attendais á la lui voir repeter ce qu'il ne tarda pas á executer:

ayant fait mettre chacun á son poste, je diminüai de voile et nous nous trouvasms á portée de la voix, il me parla anglais et je lui repondis en français ce qui ne nous permittait pas de nous entendre, la mer etait grosse et le vent assés frais, il me parut se decider á me conserver jusqu'un jour, et de mon côté je me tins á la même voilure; lorsque le jour se fit je mis pavillon et flamme française il arbora pavillon hollandais, nous etions á portée de fusil par le travers l'un de l'autre, et cette proximite ne me permittait pas de croire que ce fut réellement un v^au. hollandais, malgré cela je manoeuvrai pour aller lui passer á poupe dans l'intention de lui dire que puisqu'il etait hollandais j'insistais qu'il rendit au pavillon du roi de France mon maitre le Salut qu'il lui devait: il amena le 1^r. pavillon et arbora celui anglais et la flamme alors je revins au vent et nous nous trouvasms encore par le travers l'un de l'autre fort prés, il tira un coup de canon à boulet qui passa en avant de moi, je lui en fis tirer un qui lui passa au moins aussi prés; Sur le champ il mit en panne et son canot à mer, je mis en panne de mon côté:

L'officier qui me vint à bord me dit qu'il venait me complimenter de la part de son capitaine et me demander le nom du batiment que je commandais; je le reçus assés mal et lui dis que je le priais de dire à son capitaine que le pavillon et la flamme que je portais avaient assés dü lui faire connaitre que j'etais une fregate dü roi de France, que j'etais fort etonni et Scandalisi qu'il eut osi faire tirer sur moi un coup de canon à boulet, que peu s'en sin etait fallu que je Luis eus repondü par toute ma volée, et que la reflection seule que la Sotise d'un particulier ne devait pas etre cause peut etre du trouble et de la mesintellegence d'un evenement pareil pourrait occasionner entre deux nations que etaient en pais m'avait arreté: il me dit que c'etait Leur usage à quoi j' lui repondas qu'il etait mauvais, que je renderais certainement compte à la cour de France et que je n'imaginais pas qu'il fut approuvi de la sienne; m'ayant repeté que c'etait la maniere d'assurer son pavillon je lui dis quois l'assurait en faisant tirer du coté opposi à celui ou etait le batiment quand il n'etait pas d'une nation avec laquelle on etait à guerre, il voulut encore excuser son capitaine en me disant que les insurgents se masquent tous les jours sous la couleur etraneaste et qu'ils en avaient pris un, il n'y avait pas long tems, qui avait mis pavillon et flamme blanche; cette conversation un peu longue et chaufée lui avait fait avoir recours pour interprete à un homme de son canot qui parlait et entendait fort bien la français, je repetai à ce même homme tout ce qui j'avais dit à son officier et le chargeai particulierement de le rendre à son capitaine, cet homme me demanda le nom de la fregate, je me fis donner dabord le nom de son vaisseau par ecrit qui est l'egmond commandé par capitaine elphinston, le même qui à commandé une division chés les russes dans leur guerre avec les turcs;² alors je lui dis que la fregate se nommait la Sensible commandée par le ch^r. de marigny qui (Si jamais la guerre se renouvellait entre la France et l'angleterre) serait enchanté de rencontrer le capitaine elphinston.

cet homme interprete ou soi disant me dit qu'ils etaient quarante batiments de guerre tant grands que petits en croisiere depuis le cap clare jusqu'a ouessant, et me demanda Si nous avions beaucoup de batiments de guerre en croisiere dans le golphe, je lui repondis que nous pouvions en avoir 50. m'ayant alors dit que il n'y avait pas longtems q'il s'etait trouvé à toulon ou il avait vü beaucoup de batiments armés, je lui dis que je ne comptais pas les vaisseaux que nous avions dans la mediteranée car alors le nombre pourrait etre de 80. nous nous donnames ansi gasconade pour gasconade, le canot s'en retourna je fis servir et dirigeai ma route et ma voiture pour me rapprocher d'ouessant, le vaisseau anglais me suivit pendant quelque tems, et il n'y eut d'avantage de marche bien marqué si de part ni d'autre cependant s'il y eut quelque difference ce fut plutot en ma faveur, ce batement est percé 13 et 14; à peu de batterie, n'a point de canon à son dernier sabord de l'arriere à sa seconde bat terie, avait six canons sur son gaillard d'arriere du coté qu'il me presentait et deux sur son gaillard d'avant:

aprés avoir continüé à faire route quelque tems ensemble je vis deux batiments dont je crus reconnaitre l'un pour etre la premiere corvete le hawke dont j'ai fait mention et que j'avais rencontré dimanche 28. 7^bre. alors l’egmond manoeuvrer pour le joindre et je les vis se parler l'un et l'autre.

je n'ai eü aucune autre connaissance de batiments de guerre dans le reste de ma croisiere, j'ai eprouvé d'assés mauvais tems et des mers trés dures par lesquelles la fregate la sensible à infiniment fatigué par ses hauts, ses soutes de l'avant etaient remplies d'eau, beaucoup de coutums ontevaisé toutes leur etoupe particulierement celles sous les porte haubans, toutes les coutums des goutieres ont absolument be soin d'etre recouvüés:

à Brest ce 3. 8^bre. 1777. ​

[Translation]

My General:

I have reviewed the sorties that I have just made in these waters from south to north of Ouessant, at a distance of 18 to 20 leagues, as you ordered. On this patrol I saw only two ships which appeared to me to be warships and cruising. Sunday the 28th at 4 o'clock in the afternoon I was 15 leagues to the west of Ouessant when I came upon the first. I sailed rather close to him in order to read his name which is the Hawke, a corvette of 12 guns.¹ When he perceived that I had changed course in order to reconnoiter him, he hove to and hoisted his flag and pennant. I hoisted mine, and after having passed him, I returned to my course. He changed his tack and set course for the west, the winds being from the south.

Wednesday the 2nd of this month, at two o'clock in the morning, being about 18 leagues NW by W of Ouessant, I saw the second, who was sailing on a tack opposite to the one I was holding. After having passed him, I changed tacks, and he probably did the same, with the reciprocal intent to scout each other. The next moment we again found ourselves on opposite courses. I then decided to continue mine for some time in order to see his maneuvre, the first to have veered on me caused me to know enough that it was a cruiser, and I waited to see him repeat it, which he was not long in executing.

Having put everyone on station, I shortened sail and we found ourselves at hailing range. He spoke to me in English, and I replied in French, which did not allow us to understand each other. The sea was heavy and the wind rather strong. He seemed to me to decide to stay with me until day, and on my side, I held to the same sails. When day broke, I hoisted French flag and pennants. He hoisted a Dutch flag. We were the distance of a musket shot abeam of each other, and that distance did not allow me to believe that he really was a Dutch ship. Despite this, I maneuvered to have him pass under my stern with the intention of telling him that although he was Dutch I insisted that he render to the flag of the King of France my master the salute that was due him. He hauled down the first flag and hoisted the English flag and pennant. Then I came into the wind, and we found ourselves abeam of each other, very close. He fired a cannon-shot which passed ahead of me. I fired one which passed at least very close to him. Immediately he hove to and put his boat in the water. I hove to as well:

The officer who came on board told me that he came to compliment me on behalf of his captain and to ask me the name of the ship that I commanded. I received him rather badly and told him that I begged him to tell his captain that the flag and pennant that I carried should have made well enough known to him that I was a frigate of the King of France, and that I was very shocked and scandalized that he had dared to fire a cannon ball at me, that it was only by a little that I did not answer him with a full volley, and that only reflection that the foolishness of an individual ought not to be the cause perhaps of the trouble and misunderstanding that a similar event might occasion between two nations at peace had stopped me. He told me that it was their custom to which I replied that it was bad, that I certainly would make a report to the court of France, and that I did not imagine that it would be approved by his. When he repeated to me that this was his way of asserting his flag, I told him that one asserted it by firing to the side opposite to the one on which the ship is if it was not from a nation with whom one was at war. He wished again to excuse his captain by telling me that the insurgents mask themselves every day under foreign colors, and that they had taken one, not a very long time ago, who had shown a white flag and pennant. This rather prolonged and heated conversation had made him have recourse to an interpreter, a man from his boat who spoke and understood French very well. I repeated to this same man everything that I had said to his officer, and I charged him especially to report it to his captain. This man asked me the name of the frigate. I made him first give me the name of his ship in writing. It was the Egmond, commanded by captain Elphinston, the same one who had commanded a division for the Russians in their war with the Turks.² I then told him that the frigate was named la sensible, commanded by the Chev. de Marigny who (if ever war was renewed between France and England) would be charmed to meet Captain Elphinston again.

This interpreter or self-styled interpreter told me that there were forty warships, large as well as small, on cruise from Cape Clear to Ouessant, and asked me if we had many warships on cruise in the bay. I replied that we might have about 50, he having just then told me that not long ago he had been at Toulon where they had seen many ships outfitted. I told him that I did not count the ships that we had in the Mediterranean, since then the number might be around 80. We then were trading boast for boast. The boat turned back, and I had it assisted and set my course and sails in order to draw near to Ouessant. The English ship followed me for some time, and there was no marked advantage in speed for one or the other. If there were any advantage, it was, moreover, in my favor. This ship is pierced 13 and 14, has few batteries, has no cannon in his last after gun-port of the second battery, had six cannon on his quarter-deck on the side that he presented to me, and two on his forecastle.

After having continued to follow a course together, for some time, I sighted two ships which I thought I recognized, one to be the first corvette the hawke, of which I have made mention, and which I had encountered on Sunday the 28th of Septem ber. Then the egmond maneuvered to join it, and I saw them speaking with each other.

I have had no other knowledge of warships on the rest of my patrol. I have experienced rather bad weather and very heavy seas by which the frigate la sensible has infinitely labored by their height; its forward storerooms were filled with water; many seams have lost all of their oakum particularly those under the chain-wale. All of the seams of the waterways absolutely need to be re-covered.

Brest, this 3rd of October 1777

Chev. Bernard de Marigny