1793.02 French. In a week or two after the declaration of war against England, Rear-admiral Pierre-Cesar-Charles-Guillaume Sercey, with the 74-gun ships Eole, America, and Jupiter, and some frigates and corvettes, sailed from Brest bound to the West Indies. Whence the Phocion 74 had previously gone. About the same time a squadron from Brest, Lorient, and Rochefort began to assemble in Quiberon bay;

1793.0604. French. 4th of June Vice-admiral Morard- de-Galles, with all the line-of-battle ships then in the road, sailed from Brest for the same destination ; having under his command, in the course of that and the following month, from 14 to 17 line-of-battle ships, and, by the latter end of August, a fleet composed of the 21 sail of the line and four frigates named in the following list: 

The whole of this time to be at anchor in the road of Belle-Isle; with permission, how ever, to weigh occasionally, and stand across to the adjacent island of Groix. This was under an idea that England meant to make a descent upon that part of the French coast, in order to favour the cause of the royalists.

1793.0714. British. 14th of July, that Admiral Lord Howe, with the Channel fleet, consisting of 15 ships of the line, besides a few frigates and sloops, set sail from St. Helen's. On the 18th, at 4 p.m., when about 20 leagues to the westward of Scilly, the fleet was taken aback in a squall from the northward, and the Majestic 74, in wearing, fell on board of her second astern, the Bellerophon: by which accident the last-named 74 had the head of her bowsprit, her foremast, and maintopmast carried away; but fortunately none of her crew were hurt. The Ramillies 74 was immediately ordered, by signal, to take the Bellerophon in tow. The former there upon conducted her disabled companion to Plymouth, and on the 20th rejoined the fleet. On the 22d Lord Howe was joined by the London 98, sent out to replace the Bellerophon in the line of battle ; and on the next day, the 23d, his lordship anchored with the fleet in Torbay.