at a distance that obscured all but the beautiful deep blue mountains of the interior, which rose to an altitude that concealed their summits in the clouds. Upon rounding the eastern point the Sybille steered directly north, and as the south-west monsoon was blowing strong she coasted within ten miles of the shore to make the harbor of Trincomalee. Nothing could be more beautiful than the appearance of this Paradise of the East. At times the lofty mountains, although upward of sixty miles distant, appeared to be within a day's march of the vessel. The sea was the deepest blue, and as the frigate stood close in shore when passing a projecting headland the white surf was seen to break upon the coral reefs almost at the feet of the waving cocoa-nut palms which formed dense groves even to the water's edge. At times the native villages could be perceived nestled among the shady palms. At length the latitude of the wished-for harbor was reached, and the Sybille steered direct for the shore toward the heights that rose near the entrance to Trincomalee. As the frigate approached the scene increased in beauty; the palms appeared to spring from the surface of the waves, and the hills, clothed with verdure to their summits, were reflected in the calm waters of the magnificent harbor which, completely land-locked, lay like an inland lake surrounded by the most lovely vegetation of the tropics.

With her sails close hauled, the Sybille steered through the narrow entrance, and shot after shot rang from her decks and re-echoed from the surrounding hills as she saluted the fort upon the Point; she then came sharp up to the wind, and cast anchor within a hundred yards of the shore, while the men swarmed up the rigging at the sound of the boatswain's whistle, and in a few minutes every sail was furled, and the Sybille looked as snug as though she had been lying for a month in port.

At that time the beautiful island of Ceylon had not been long in our possession since England had wrested it from the Dutch. The latter people had contented themselves with the seaboard and adjoining lowlands, as they considered that the great importance of Ceylon consisted in the peculiar harbor of Trincomalee, which not only would contain a powerful fleet to command the Indian seas, but was sufficiently large to float half the navies of the world; in addition to its vast capacity, the water was of sufficient depth within a few feet of the land to enable a first-class ship of the line to lie with her bowsprit overhanging the shore. Trincomalee may be called the key of India; in the hands of a powerful enemy a fleet would lie in perfect security that could defy attack, as the vicinity of the harbor is specially arranged by nature for defense. At the time of which we write there was no other protection than the Dutch fort at the Point, which exists at the present day, and it is a curious instance of neglect that this magnificent harbor remains otherwise unprotected.

With a fleet of fast cruisers concentrated at Trincomalee by an enemy the trade of India would be almost annihilated, as such vessels would scour the seas like falcons, and when chased by a superior force they would run for the impregnable nest. On the same principle the possession of Trincomalee affords incalculable advantages as a great dépôt and arsenal for naval and military stores. There is no other safe harbor in the island, neither is there any secure port nearer than Bombay; thus, in the event of a naval action in the Indian seas, there are no ports to which the crippled ships could retreat for repairs, except those of Port Louis in the Mauritius, Trincomalee, and Bombay; it was accordingly of vital importance to our Indian possessions that these three harbors should belong to England.

Unfortunately for our Indian commerce, at that time

Mauritius belonged to the French, with whom we were at war, and the extreme importance of our position was painfully exhibited to the English by the havoc committed on our trade. In the strongly-fortified harbor of Port Louis a French fleet of powerful frigates was established, with which our vessels of inferior force upon the station were unable to cope. In consequence of our inferiority several actions had been fought in the Indian seas which added more to French renown than to the glory of England; nevertheless our Admiralty authorities continued to send to the Indian station a number of second-class frigates and corvettes that were totally unadapted for a collision with the large ships and heavy metal of the enemy.

Although this inferiority was admitted, it did not interfere with the ardor of our captains, who with a reckless intrepidity hovered around the coasts of Mauritius, and challenged every combat without considering the overpowering odds. Thus many severe losses had befallen us.

Among those French vessels that had gained a high reputation was a powerful frigate, the Forte. This vessel had been newly built in France expressly to harass our commerce in the Indian seas; and as our naval supremacy was generally admitted, the French had constructed this ship upon a scale and armament so superior to any thing that the English possessed that without some gross mismanagement success would appear almost certain.

As the English losses had become of serious importance it was resolved that the fleet upon the Indian station should be re-enforced. Thus, among other vessels, the Sybille had been dispatched from England, and it was the determination of her captain to seek out and fight the renowned Forte upon the earliest opportunity.

A

CHAPTER XII.

WEEK after the Sybille had arrived in the harbor of Trincomalee she looked as though she had only just been rigged and fitted for sea; her lower rigging had been tightened and retarred, her top-masts fresh varnished, and the vessel had been newly painted from stem to stern. There was not a ship in the British navy that looked more like a perfect specimen of a man-of-war; her guns were not only in beautiful neatness and finish of polish, but her crew were constantly trained in their use, as Captain Cooke was of opinion that a shot thrown away was worse than wasted: thus he instructed his men never to fire at a useless range, but to wait patiently for close quarters: "Close quarters and good seamanship will win the battle" was a well-known saying of the Sybille's captain, in which his men had learned to thoroughly believe.

During the frigate's stay at Trincomalee she on several occasions put to sea to exercise her guns, until at length the day arrived when she was to sail in search of the renowned depredator, the Forte.

At that time the French Indian squadron, under Admiral Sercey, was cruising with great success in the neighborhood of Manilla and throughout the China seas, in which direction our losses of homeward bound Indiamen had been most severe; it was reported that the Forte was also in those seas, and the Sybille left the quiet harbor of Trincomalee with her officers and crew in high spirits at the expected

rencontre.

After a rapid voyage to Manilla, to the great disappoint

ment of Captain Cooke he heard that the Forte had left, and that she was cruising in the Bay of Bengal. Without losing a day the Sybille ran for Madras, where she expected to gain some intelligence of the proceedings of her enemy.

Upon arrival at the Madras roadstead Captain Cooke heard to his intense satisfaction that the Forte was cruising along the coast, and that she had already intercepted several vessels. Having gained this welcome intelligence he sailed without delay for the mouth of the Bengal River.

When near the Sandheads the Sybille met a vessel containing French prisoners, some of whom had been on board the Forte; these upon seeing the armament of the Sybille ridiculed the idea of an encounter with their heavy frigate. Upon the same vessel was an English captain of a merchant vessel that had been captured by the Forte: he also expressed an opinion that the risk of an engagement would be most dangerous to the Sybille, at the same time he gallantly volunteered his services. The Forte was reported to be near at hand off the Sandheads.

It was on a dark night that the Sybille was standing under easy sail, with the wind light but steady from the sou'-souwest, when flashes were remarked in the far distance which resembled sheet lightning. At first this appearance attracted no more than ordinary attention, but upon their quick and repeated occurrence Captain Cooke concluded that they originated from the explosion of cannon; it was therefore natural to suppose that, as the Forte was within a short distance, the flashes must proceed from her in some engagement with an English vessel.

Having carefully extinguished all lights on board, the Sybille tacked to the west at 9 P.M., and at 9.30 P.M. she distinguished three vessels in a cluster in the south-east; these were the Forte and her two valuable prizes, the Indiamen Endeavor and the Lord Mornington from China.