the French line, the enemy wore for the purpose of succouring their disabled vessels; which intention, by reason of the disunited state of his fleet, and having no more than the two crippled ships, the Bellerophon and Leviathan, at that time near him, Earl Howe was unable to frustrate. During the two succeeding days, the long and tedious interval between the skirmish last mentioned, and the final, the glorious termination of this so long pending contest, a thick fog prevented a renewal of the action; but the hostile fleets, in the short spaces of time when the atmosphere became less obscure, were constantly visible to each other.
Early in the morning of the 1st June, the British fleet, having previously had the good fortune to obtain the weather-gage, bore up for the purpose of bringing the enemy to a general and decisive action. Needless is it to say, that after a long and bloody battle, a total defeat of the French armament was effected. The loss sustained by the Bellerophon was trivial, considering how much she had been exposed; it amounted to no more than 4 men killed and 27 wounded. Rear-Admiral Pasley lost a leg on the occasion, and was soon afterwards rewarded for his gallant conduct with the dignity of a Baronet of Great Britain, and a pension of 1,000l. per annum[1].
For his share in this brilliant affair, Captain Hope was presented with the gold medal, then first instituted by his late Majesty, as a mark of honorable distinction for naval services; and, in common with the other officers of the fleet, received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. He continued to command the Bellerophon till Jan. 1795; and in the month of March following, was appointed to the Tremendous, another 74, attached to the Channel fleet, in which ship he remained till the ensuing May; when, at the request of Admiral Duncan, he joined the Venerable, of the same force, bearing the flag of that officer, under whom he served for some time in the North Sea. Unfortunately, however, he received a violent contusion on the head, on board one of the Russian men of war, at that period acting in conjunction with the British squadron, and was in consequence obliged to resign
- ↑ Sir Thomas Pasley died at Chilland-cottage, near Winchester, Nov. 29, 1808, aged 75 years. (See Sir Pulteney Malcolm.)
