d, the fighting in the naval
campaign of 1759 began in the Mediterranean. On June 8th Boscawen,
having driven two French frigates into a fortified bay near Toulon,
attacked them with three ships-of-the-line. The attack failed, and the
British ships were badly injured; a timely lesson on the general
inexpediency of attacking shore batteries with vessels, unless for
special and adequate reasons of probable advantage. In July he returned
to Gibraltar, to refit and for provisions. In the absence of details,
positive criticism is unwarranted; but it is impossible not to note the
difference between this step, during summer weather, and the Toulon
blockades of Lord St. Vincent, who, when before Brest, modelled his
course upon that of Hawke. The port being thus left open, De la Clue
sailed on the 5th of August for Brest. On the 17th he was near the
straits of Gibraltar, hugging the African coast, and falling night gave
promise of passing unseen, when a British lookout frigate caught sight
of his squadron. She hauled in for Gibraltar at once, firing signal
guns. Boscawen's ships were in the midst of repairs, mostly dismantled;
but, the emergency not being unforeseen, spars and sails were sent
rapidly aloft, and within three hours they were underway in pursuit. The
French division separated during the night. Five ships put into Cadiz.
The British next morning caught sight of the remaining seven, among
which was the admiral, and a sharp chase resulted in the destruction of
five. From August 18th the Toulon fleet was eliminated from the
campaign; though the vessels in Cadiz remained to the end a charge upon
Hawke's watchfulness, similar to that caused by the enemy's divisions
expected from America.

That one of the latter was already on its way home, under the command of
Commodore Bompart, was notified to our admiral on September 21st by a
despatch from England. He immediately sent a division of heavy ships to
reinforce the light squadron to the southward. "If the alarm is great
now," he said, "it will be much greater if he get into Rochefort."
Further information from the West Indies contradicted the first report,
and on October 10th Hawke recalled the ships-of-the-line, apparently at
the wish of the Admiralty; for he expresses his regret at doing so, and
asks for more of the "many ships" then in England, that Rochefort may be
blocked as well as Brest. The incident has now little importance,
except as indicating the general nation