e first perceived by Byron, their line
was forming; the long thin column lengthening out gradually to the
north-north-west, from the confused cluster[58] still to be seen at
the anchorage. Hoping to profit by their disorder, he signalled "a
general chase in that quarter,[59] as well as for Rear-Admiral Rowley
to leave the convoy; and as not more than fourteen or fifteen of the
enemy's ships appeared to be in line, the signal was made for the
ships to engage, _and form as they could get up_."[60] It is clear
from this not only that the ships were not in order, but also that
they were to form under fire. Three ships, the _Sultan_, 74, the
_Prince of Wales_, 74, and the _Boyne_, 70, in the order named,--the
second carrying Barrington's flag,--were well ahead of the fleet (b).
The direction prescribed for the attack, that of the clustered ships
in the French rear, carried the British down on a south-south-west, or
south by west, course; and as the enemy's van and centre were drawing
out to the north-north-west, the two lines at that time resembled the
legs of a "V," the point of which was the anchorage off Georgetown.
Barrington's three ships therefore neared the French order gradually,
and had to receive its fire for some time before they could reply,
unless, by hauling to the wind, they diverged from the set course.
This, and their isolation, made their loss very heavy. When they
reached the rear of the French, the latter's column was tolerably
formed, and Barrington's ships wore (w) in succession,--just as
Harland's had done in Keppel's action,--to follow on the other tack.
In doing this, the _Sultan_ kept away under the stern of the enemy's
rearmost ship, to rake her; to avoid which the latter bore up. The
_Sultan_ thus lost time and ground, and Barrington took the lead,
standing along the French line, from rear to van, and to windward.

Meanwhile, the forming of the enemy had revealed to Byron for the
first time, and to his dismay, that he had been deceived in thinking
the French force inferior to his own. "However, the general chase
was continued, and the signal made for close engagement."[61] The
remainder of the ships stood down on the port tack, as the first three
had done, and wore in the wake of the latter, whom they followed; but
before reaching the point of wearing, three ships, "the _Grafton_,
74, the _Cornwall_, 74, and the _Lion_, 64 (c), _happening to be to
leeward_,[62] sustained the fire of the enemy's wh