On the 17th of April, in the evening, the Amazon brought a confirmation of the intelligence respecting the French fleet, from a vessel which had seen, on the 8th at noon, eleven sail of the line, four frigates, and three brigs, pass Gibraltar with their colours flying.  To add to the mortification, westerly winds, and a heavy sea, prevented the British fleet’s gaining any ground, either this or the following day.  A vessel five days from Cadiz, still to augment his lordship’s distress, now also informed the Amazon, that the Spanish squadron had joined the French, and were gone with them to the westward.  Having appointed the general rendezvous at Gibraltar, his lordship sent every where to procure additional frigates.  He also dispatched the Active to Ireland, the Channel fleet, and England, with an account of his intended pursuit of the enemy.  His passage to Gibraltar was prodigiously impeded by continual foul winds, and heavy swells.  “Nothing,” writes his lordship, at this anxious period, “can be more unfortunate, than we are in our winds; but, God’s will be done!  I submit.  Human exertions are absolutely unavailing.  What man could do, I have done.  I hope that the wind will come to the eastward.  What ill fortune! but, I cannot help myself.”  Thus did the hero complain, and thus did he console himself.

On the 1st of May, near the coast of Barbary, he was joined by the Martin sloop, which sailed from Plymouth the 17th of April; and brought his lordship a letter from the Admiralty, dated the 15th, which informed him that five thousand troops were coming to the Mediterranean.  On the 30th, at ten in the morning, the fleet anchored in Tetuan Bay; or, rather, in the little bay to the eastward of Tetuan, where there is a very fine river of fresh water.  The day was chiefly employed in watering the fleet; and clearing a transport with wine, which had been brought out from Gibraltar.  No information of the combined fleet was, however, obtained from thence, nor in letters dated at Lisbon the 27th; but it seemed generally credited, that they were gone to the West Indies.  “Surely,” exclaimed his lordship, “I shall hear something of them from Sir John Orde’s cruizers; which he must, naturally, have sent after them!” Sir John, however, very unaccountably, had not taken any measures for ascertaining their course.  On Sunday, the 5th, at eight in the morning, light easterly breezes springing up, the fleet weighed at ten; but, in the evening, the wind, having first shifted northerly, unfortunately came again fresh from the westward.  At two in the afternoon, next day, the fleet anchored in Gibraltar Bay.  At four o’clock, a Levanter came on:  at six, the fleet again weighed; and, by midnight, they were abreast of Cape Spartel, where nothing had been heard of the enemy.  In the evening of the 7th, having steered for Cape St. Vincent, Le Tigre was sent to call the transports left by Sir John Orde, who had sailed for England, out of Lagos Bay.