f the French (F2-F3), steering
towards their rear, in a direction in a general sense opposite to
theirs, but not parallel; that is, the British course made an angle, of
between thirty and forty-five degrees, with the line on which their
enemy was ranged. Hence, barring orders to the contrary,--which were not
given,--each British ship was at its nearest to the enemy as she passed
their van, and became more and more distant as she drew to the rear. It
would have been impossible to realize more exactly the postulate of the
17th Article of the Fighting Instructions, which in itself voiced the
ideal conditions of an advantageous naval position for attack, as
conceived by the average officer of the day; and, as though most
effectually to demonstrate once for all how that sort of thing would
work, the adjunct circumstances approached perfection. The admiral was
thoroughly wedded to the old system, without an idea of departing from
it, and there was a fair working breeze with which to give it effect,
for the ships under topsails and foresail would go about three knots;
with top-gallant sails, perhaps over four. A fifty-gun ship, about the
middle of the engagement, had to close her lower deck ports when she set
her top-gallant sails on the wind, which had then freshened a little.

The 17th Article read thus: "If the admiral see the enemy standing
towards him, and he has the wind of them, the van of the fleet is to
make sail till they come the length of the enemy's rear, and our rear
abreast of the enemy's van; then he that is in the rear of our fleet is
to tack first, and every ship one after another as fast as they can
throughout the whole line; and if the admiral will have the whole fleet
to tack together, the sooner to put them in a posture of engaging the
enemy, he will hoist" a prescribed signal, "and fire a gun; and whilst
they are in fight with the enemy the ships will keep at half a cable's
length--one hundred yards--one of the other." All this Byng aimed to do.
The conditions exactly fitted, and he exactly followed the rules, with
one or two slight exceptions, which will appear, and for which the Court
duly censured him.

When thus much had been done, the 19th Article in turn found its
postulate realized, and laid down its corresponding instruction: "If the
admiral and his fleet have the wind of the enemy, and they have
stretched themselves in a line of battle, the van of the admiral's fleet
is to _steer with_ the van