Byng was subsequently court-martialled and shot at Portsmouth for having failed to do his utmost to destroy the French fleet. His ships were indifferently manned and in none too good condition. He encountered a better man than himself, and there is no reason to suppose that had he resumed action, anything but his total defeat would have resulted. At the same time, the execution of Byng, _pour encourager les autres_, probably bore utilitarian fruit in the years that were to follow. The execution has since been condemned as little better than a revengeful judicial murder; but a realisation of the circumstances of the times suggests that other motives than punishment of an individual were paramount. [Illustration: BATTLESHIPS OF THE WHITE ERA AT SEA.] War was formally declared shortly after the fall of Minorca. No events of much moment marked the rest of the year 1756, but early in the following year, Calcutta, which had fallen to the natives, was recaptured by Clive, assisted by a naval force. In 1758, the Navy consisted of 156 of the line and 164 lesser vessels. The _personnel_ was 60,000. The situation at this time was that in North America the French colonies were being hotly pressed, Louisbourg being invested. The French had a species of double plan--to relieve Louisbourg directly, and also the usual invasion of England. The relief of Louisbourg came to nought; a Toulon squadron which came out being driven back by Osborne, while Hawke destroyed the convoys in the Basque Roads. Louisbourg finally fell, four ships of the line that were lying there being burned, and one other captured, together with some smaller craft. Nearer home, combined naval and military attacks were pressed upon the French coast, Anson wrecking havoc on St. Malo, while Howe destroyed practically everything at Cherbourg. The invasion of England project remained, however. In 1759, the French had somewhere about twenty ships of the line, under De Conflans, at Brest, twelve at Toulon, under De la Clue, five with a fleet of transports at Quiberon, five frigates at Dunkirk with transports, a division of small craft and flat-bottomed boats at Havre, and a squadron of nine ships of the line with auxiliaries in the West Indies.