LETTERS.

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put to sea from Toulon yesterday . 8 These Frigates wereclose to them at ten o’clock last night, and saw one of themuntil two o’clock this morning. Unmoored and weighed. Attwenty-eight minutes past four, made the general signal for eachShip to carry a light, and repeat signals during the night, madeby the Admiral. Ran through the Passage between Biche andSardinia at six o’clock. At thirty-five minutes past six, burnta blue light, and at forty-five minutes past, another. At seventhe whole Fleet was clear of the Passage. Sent Seahorse roundthe Southern end of Sardinia , to St. Peters, to look out forthem, but to prevent the Enemy, as much as possible, fromseeing her; and the moment Captain Boyle discovered them,to return to me. From their position when last seen, and thecourse they were steering, S. or S. b W., they could only bebound round the Southern end of Sardinia . At nine, p.m.bore away along that Island with the following Ships—Vic-tory, Donegal, Superb, Canopus, Spencer, Tigre, RoyalSovereign, Leviathan, Belleisle, Conqueror, Swiftsure, andActive Frigate. During the night it was squally, unsettled

* Monsieur Tliiers says, that the Fleet in Toulon , which had been increased fromeight to eleven Ships of the Line , had required the whole month of December to ge-tready for sea; that General Lauriston , Napoleon ’s Aide-de-Camp, had been appointedto form a corps of 0000 picked men, with 50 cannon, and a battering train, and toembark the whole in the Toulon Fleet; that that Fleet, on its way, was to detach adivision to St. Helena , to take possession of the Island , then to proceed to Surinam ,retake the Dutch colonies, and then to join the Squadron under Admiral Missiessy,which, on its part, would have relieved the French West India Islands, and ravaged theEnglish Colonies, and that both Squadrons, after having decoyed the English towardsAmerica , and liberated Gantcaume with the Brest Squadron, were to return toEurope . Monsieur Thiei*s then says, that Ganteaume had waited during the wholewinter, until Missiessy and Villeneuve, running out of Toulon , should draw off theEnglish ; that Missiessy sailed from Roehfort on the 11th of January, and, withoutbeing seen by the English , proceeded to the West Indies , with five Ships of the Line and four Frigates. After some very severe remarks on Admiral Villeneuve,Monsieur Thiers thus speaks of the sailing of the Squadron under Villeneuve’s com-mand from Toulon ;—“ Urged by Napoleon , by the Minister Decrfcs, and by General Lauriston, he got ready to weigh anchor towards the end of December. A headwind [un vent debout] detained him in Toulon Roads, from the end of Decemberto the 18th of January. On the 18th, the wind having changed, he set sail, and bysteering a wrong course, succeeded in evading the Enemy. [En faisant fausse routea se soustraire a l'ennemi.} But in the course of the night a heavy tempestarose, and the inexperience of the crews, and the had quality of the materialsexposed many of our Vessels [plusieurs de nos batiments] to serious accidents.The Squadron was dispersed. In the morning, Villeneuve found himself separated,with four Ships of the Line and one Frigate. Some had carried away their top-masts, others had sprung leaks, or had received damage not easily repaired at sea.