officers have nothing to divert their attention from them and their
men; and in consequence, not only is their appearance more attended
to, but they are much better trained to the service they have to
perform."

"I believe you are right," said he. He then went on to talk of
several naval actions; adding, "Your laws are either more severe, or
better administered, than ours; there are many instances of French
officers having conducted themselves ill in battle, without my being
able to punish them as they deserved:" among others, he mentioned the
names of two naval officers; and speaking of one of them, said, "He
ought to have suffered death, and I did all I could to bring it about,
but he was tried by a French naval court-martial, which only dismissed
him the service." I observed, "The laws appear sometimes to be
administered with more than sufficient severity. I commanded a frigate
in the affair of Basque Roads; and in my opinion, the sentence of
death on the Captain of the Calcutta was unjust: he could do no more
to save his ship, and she was defended better and longer than any one
there." He answered, "You are not aware of the circumstances that
occasioned his condemnation; he was the first man to quit his ship,
which was fought some time by her officers and crew after he had left
her."

He next said, "I can see no sufficient reason why your ships should
beat the French with so much ease. The finest men of war in your
service are French; a French ship is heavier in every respect than one
of yours, she carries more guns, those guns of a larger calibre, and
has a great many more men." I replied, "I have already accounted for
it to you, in the superior experience of our men and officers." "I
understand," said he, "from some Frenchmen who were on board your ship
for several days,[5] that you take great pains in exercising your
guns, and training your men to fire at a mark." I answered, "I did so,
because I considered it of the greatest importance;" and I added,
"that if the frigates had attempted to put to sea, he would probably
have had an opportunity of seeing the effect of it." He asked me "if I
thought two frigates, with four-and-twenty pounders on their main
decks,[6] were a match for a seventy-four gun ship; and whether it was
my opinion, if he had attempted to force a passage in the ships at
Isle d'Aix, it would have been attended with success." I replied,
"that the fire of a two-deck ship was so much more compa