By &c^a.

Whereas the very considerable Armaments making in the Ports of France, together with the late offensive proceedings of the French Court give the strongest reason to apprehend that their Intentions may be hostile against His Maj^’s. Dominions and Subjects; And whereas from Intelligence received there is reason to believe that the French Squadron fitted out at Toulon is designed to join the Squadron at Brest; And it being of great importance that the junction of those Squadrons should if possible be prevented, and that the Troops destined to reinforce the Garrison of Gibraltar, which are to embark at Portsmouth about the 26th Ins^t and proceed from thence under the Convoy of Commodore Evans in the Invincible in conjunction with the Exeter, should be protected from any attempts that may be made to interrupt them by the Ships from Brest; You are therefore, in pursuance of His Majesty’s pleasure signified to us by Lord Viscount Weymouth one of His Principle Secretaries of State, hereby required & directed, so soon as the Troops beforemention’d are embarked, to take Commodore Evans under your Command (he being directed to obey your orders) and putting to Sea with the first opportunity of wind and weather with the Commodore & his Convoy and such of the Ships of the Squadron under your Command as are in readiness, You are to proceed down the Channel; and having seen the Commodore and his said Convoy into the Latitude of Ushant, direct him to prosecute his Voyage to Gibraltar agreeable to the Orders he shall have received from us; ordering, if you judge it necessary, some of the Ships of your Squadron, to accompany the Convoy, for its greater security, so much further on its way as you may think proper, and then to rejoin you on such Rendezvous as you shall appoint.

When you have dispatched the Convoy for Gibraltar as abovementioned, you are in further pursuance of His Majesty’s pleasure to cruize at such a distance, and upon such a station, off the Port of Brest, as you shall judge most proper to prevent the junction of the French Squadrons abovementioned, and to intercept any Ships that may attempt to sail from Brest to molest the Convoy going to Gibraltar.

If you fall in with, or discover the Toulon Squadron attempting to push into Brest, you are to use your utmost endeavours to take or destroy it, And if the Brest Squadron or any part of it should put to Sea, you are to use the like endeavours to take or destroy such of the Ships as you may be able to come up with.

If the Brest Squadron should slip by you and proceed up the British Channel, or to any part of the Coast of Ireland, you are immediately to follow it; or, if you re- ceive certain intelligence of its having taken any other Route, you are in that case to pursue it, if there is a probability of your being able to overtake it without leaving Great Britain and Ireland exposed, the protection of which must always be the principal object of your care and attention.

If in the course of your cruize, any of the Ships of your Squadron, in chasing, or otherwise, should fall in with any French Ship of the Line of Battle they are to use their endeavours to take or destroy them, and in case any French Frigates of War should attend upon the Fleet or appear to be watching your motions you are to oblige them to desist, & on their refusal to seize them & send them to England.

Intelligence having been received that several rich Ships bound to France from the East Indies (a list of which is inclosed) are shortly expected at Port L’Orient or some other Port in the Bay of Biscay, you are to direct the several Commanders of the Ships of your Squadron in case they fall in with the said ships or any of them to seize them, and send them to some convenient Port in England to be secured, until His Majesty’s further pleasure concerning them shall be known, taking care that every person belonging to all Ships so seized or intercepted be well treated and that no Plunder or Embezzlement be made of any Effects on board.

In case the Toulon Squadron shall have joined the Squadron at Brest before you arrive upon your Station, or, while you are upon it, should elude your vigilance & find the means of passing you into that Port, and the two Squadrons when combined should venture to come out, or, if at the time the Toulon Squadron may be attempting to push into the Port of Brest (pursued perhaps by the Squadron under your Command) the Squadron in that Port should come out in order to succour and effect a junction with the other; you are, in either of these Cases, if the Superiority of the French Fleet is not very apparent, to give them Battle: But if the French Fleet when the Squadrons abovementioned are joined, shall be Manifestly superior to yours, and should come out to meet you, or if you are satisfied that after the junction of the two Squadrons at Brest they are superior to you, tho’ they do not come out, you are, in either of these Cases, to return with the Squadron under your Command to S^t. Helens for a Reinforcement, it being our intention to direct not only the Ships of your Squadron which may not be intending to sail with you, but also such others as shall from time to time be got ready, to assemble at that Place for the purpose of reinforcing you if it be necessary.

You are during the course of your cruize to take or destroy all such Ships and Vessels belonging to the Rebellious Colonies, and all Ships & Vessels going to, or returning from trading with those Colonies, as you may fall in with.

And Whereas the great armaments that are making in the Ports of Spain may eventually be ordered to join those in the Ports of France, the preventing of which is of very great consequence; you are therefore, in pursuance of His Majesty’s further pleasure signified as aforementioned, hereby required and directed to endeavour to seize any Spanish Ships of war of the Line that you may discover or meet with, acting in conjunction with the French, and to intercept such as may be attempting to enter, or are evidently bound to, any of the Ports of France. But in all other Cases you are to consider the Ships of Spain, as those of a Power at Peace and in Friendship with Great Britain, & to afford them any assistance or protection they may stand in need of.

You are to transmit to Our Secretary for Our information, before you sail, a Copy of your intended Rendezvous, and of the Signals by which the Ships of your Squadron are to know each other; and you are to send to him during your cruize frequent accounts of your proceedings with such intelligence as you receive that may be necessary to be communicated to us, directing the Officer by whom you send your Dispatches to forward the same from the Port from where he arrives by Express.

While you are employed on the service beforementioned, you are to protect such of the Trade & Ships of His Majesty’s Subjects as may fall in your way.

You are to continue on the said Service for the space of one Month after you arrive upon your Station, and at the expiration of that time, to return with your Squadron to S^t. Helens; sending by an Express an account of you arrival & proceedings and waiting there for further Orders.

Given &c^a. 25^th. April 1778.

By & c^a. PS.¹