| On March 20th, off Pointe du Raz, the British frigates, Pomone, 40, Captain Sir John Borlase Warren; Anson, 44, Captain Philip Charles Durham; Artois, 38, Captain Sir Edmund Nagle, and Galatea, 32, Captain Richard Goodwin Keats, saw and chased a large French convoy under the charge of the frigates Proserpine, 40, Unite, Coquille, and Tamise, all of 36, and the corvette Cigogne, 20. 2 After taking several prizes from the convoy, the British squadron passed the French on the opposite tack, exchanging fire. The Galatea was roughly handled. Tacking, the British stood after the French, who steered for Pointe du Raz and Brest, whither they succeeded in effecting their escape. A French armed storeship, the Etoile, 28, was, however, added to the list of British prizes. The force of the British was superior in this affair, and it is not obvious why the French escaped so easily. Warren, the British senior officer, absurdly exaggerated the strength of his enemy in his report of the business. Of the convoy six ships in all were taken. The British loss was 2 killed and 6 wounded. |