bide
the consequence of a closer fight with an enemy so expert in naval
operations: he therefore took advantage of Mr. Byng's hesitation,
and edged away with an easy sail to join his van, which had been
discomfited. The English admiral gave chase; but the French ships being
clean, he could not come up and close them again, so they retired at
their leisure. Then he put his squadron on the other tack, in order to
keep the wind of the enemy; and next morning they were altogether out of
sight.

While he lay-to with the rest of the fleet, at the distance of ten
leagues from Mahon, he detached cruisers to look for some missing ships,
which joined him accordingly, and made an inquiry into the condition
of the squadron. The number of killed amounted to forty-two, including
captain Andrews of the Defiance, and about one hundred and sixty-eight
were wounded. Three of the capital ships were so damaged in their masts,
that they could not keep the sea with any regard to their safety; a
great number of the seamen were ill, and there was no vessel which
could be converted into an hospital for the sick and wounded. In this
situation he called a council of war, at which the land-officers were
present. He represented to them that he was much inferior to the enemy
in weight of metal and number of men; that they had the advantage of
sending their wounded to Minorca, from whence at the same time they
were refreshed and reinforced occasionally; that in his opinion it was
impracticable to relieve St. Philip's fort, and, therefore, they ought
to make the best of their way back to Gibraltar, which might require
immediate protection. They unanimously concurred with his sentiments,
and thither he directed his course accordingly. How he came to be so
well acquainted with the impracticability of relieving general Blakeney,
it is not easy to determine, as no experiment was made for that purpose.
Indeed, the neglect of such a trial seems to have been the least
excusable part of his conduct; for it afterwards appeared that the
officers and soldiers belonging to the garrison might have been landed
at the sally-port, without running any great risk; and a gentleman, then
in the fort, actually passed and repassed in a boat, unhurt by any of
the enemy's batteries.

Mr. Byng's letter to the admiralty, containing a detail of this action,
is said to have arrived some days before it was made public; and when
it appeared, was curtailed of divers expressions,