lain not only of
inattention on the part of the dockyard officials, but of want of zeal
and activity in the officers of the fleet, many of whom behaved with a
disrespect and want of cordiality which are too often the precursor of
worse faults. Rodney was not the man to put up with such treatment. That
it was offered, and that he for the moment bore with it, are both
significant; and are to be remembered in connection with the fast
approaching future.

Gibraltar was then at the beginning of the three years siege, and his
intended departure was utilized to give him command of the first of the
three great expeditions for its relief, which were among the
characteristic operations of this war. He sailed from Plymouth on the
29th of December, 1779, having under him twenty-two sail-of-the-line, of
which only four were to continue with him to the West Indies. With this
great fleet, and its attendant frigates, went also a huge collection of
storeships, victuallers, ordnance vessels, troop ships, and merchantmen;
the last comprising the "trade" for Portugal and the West Indies, as the
other classes carried the reinforcements for the Rock.

On January 7th, the West India trade parted company off Cape Finisterre,
and the next day began the wonderful good fortune for which Rodney's
last command was distinguished. It is no disparagement to his merit to
say that in this he was, to use Ball's phrase about Nelson, "a
heaven-born admiral." A Spanish convoy of twenty-two sail, seven of
which were ships of war, the rest laden with supplies for Cadiz, were
sighted at daylight of the 8th, and all taken; not one escaped. Twelve
loaded with provisions were turned into the British convoy, and went on
with it to feed the Gibraltar garrison. A prince of the blood-royal,
afterwards King William IV., was with the fleet as a midshipman. One of
the prizes being a line-of-battle ship, Rodney had an opportunity to
show appositely his courtliness of breeding. "I have named her the
_Prince William_, in respect to His Royal Highness, in whose presence
_she had the honor to be taken_."

Repeated intelligence had reached the admiral that a Spanish division
was cruising off Cape St. Vincent. Therefore, when it was sighted at 1
P.M. of January 16th, a week after the capture of the convoy, he was
prepared for the event. A brief attempt to form line was quickly
succeeded by the signal for a general chase, the ships to engage to
leeward as they came up with t