under charge of the Helicon, arrived
from England, having on board arms and ammunition, to supply the
Royalists in La Vendee, for whose support and assistance I now found
the squadron, of which the Bellerophon formed one, was destined.

On Tuesday the 30th of May, I received orders from Sir Henry Hotham,
to take the Eridanus under my command, and proceed off Rochefort, for
the purpose of preventing a corvette from putting to sea, which,
according to information received by the British Government, was to
carry proposals from Buonaparte to the West India Colonies, to declare
in his favour. I had likewise orders to reconnoitre the Roadstead of
Rochefort, and report to the Admiral the number and state of the ships
of war lying there. Accordingly, on the 31st of May, I ran into
Basque Roads, and found at anchor, under Isle d'Aix, two large
frigates, a ship corvette, and a large brig, all ready for sea, which
I afterwards ascertained to be the Meduse, Saale, Balladiere, and
Epervier. Nothing occurred worth mentioning until the 9th of June,
when the Vesuve French corvette came in from the northward, and got
into Rochefort, notwithstanding every effort to prevent her; the ships
under my orders having been driven to the southward, during the night,
by a strong northerly wind, accompanied by a southerly current. She
was from Guadaloupe, and immediately on passing the Chasseron
light-house, hoisted the tri-coloured flag.

On the 18th of June, I detained and sent to Sir Henry Hotham, the
AEneas French store-ship, commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, with a
crew of fifty men, loaded with ship-timber for the arsenal of
Rochefort; but he, being of opinion that she did not come within the
intention of the order, liberated her.

On the 21st of June, I detained and sent to the Admiral, under charge
of the Eridanus, the Marianne French transport, from Martinique,
having on board 220 of the 9th regiment of light infantry, coming to
France to join the army under Buonaparte. The Eridanus was sent to
England with her, and did not return to me, being employed on other
service.

On the 27th of June, the Cephalus joined us, bringing with her the
declaration of war against France; after which we were employed
several days, taking and destroying chasse-marees, and other small
coasting vessels.

On the 28th of June, I received intelligence, from one of the vessels
captured, of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo; and on the 30th, a boat
came off