hat wore a pendant was an armed
merchant ship, and that a king's frigate lay there in sight, at
anchor within the Humber, waiting to take under convoy a number
of merchant ships bound to the northward. The pilots imagined the
Bonhomme Richard to be an English ship of war, and, consequently,
communicated to me the private signal which they had been
required to make. I endeavoured by this means to decoy the ships
out of the port, but the wind then changing, and with the tide
becoming unfavourable for them, the deception had not the desired
effect, and they wisely put back. The entrance of the Humber is
exceedingly difficult and dangerous, and, as the Pallas was not
in sight, I thought it not prudent to remain off the entrance; I,
therefore, steered out again to join the Pallas off Flamborough
Head. In the night we saw and chased two ships until three
o'clock in the morning, when, being at a very small distance from
them, I made the private signal of recognizance, which I had
given to each captain before I sailed from Groaix. One half of
the answer only was returned. In this position both sides lay to
till daylight, when the ships proved to be the Alliance and the
Pallas.

On the morning of that day, the 23d of September, the brig from
Holland not being in sight, we chased a brigantine that appeared
laying to windward. About noon we saw and chased a large ship
that appeared coming round Flamborough Head, from the northward,
and at the same time I manned and armed one of the pilot boats to
sail in pursuit of the brigantine, which now appeared to be the
vessel that I had forced ashore. Soon after this a fleet of
forty-one sail appeared off Flamborough Head, bearing N. N. E.;
this induced me to abandon the single ship which had then
anchored in Burlington Bay; I also called back the pilot boat and
hoisted a signal for a general chase. When the fleet discovered
us bearing down all the merchant ships crowded sail towards the
shore. The two ships of war that protected the fleet at the same
time steered from the land, and made the disposition for the
battle. In approaching the enemy I crowded every possible sail,
and made the signal for the line of battle, to which the Alliance
showed no attention. Earnest as I was for the action, I could not
reac