Through night and day for a fortnight he kept his fleet under way without mishap, and then at daybreak one February day when the fleet was E.N.E. of Pulo-Auro, which was visible, the _Royal George_ made a signal that she had sighted four strange sail to the south-west. Commodore Dance therefore signalled the _Alfred_, _Royal George_, _Bombay Castle_ and _Hope_ to go down and examine them. It happened that in the Commodore’s ship there was a passenger named Lieutenant Robert Fowler, R.N., lately in command of a ship that had been wrecked. He now offered to go in the fast-sailing brig _Ganges_, which was in the convoy. The Commodore assented, and she went away also to examine the strange vessels. Before long the look-out ships signalled that the strangers were actually a French squadron consisting of a line-of-battle ship, three frigates and a brig. At 1 p.m. the British Commodore signalled his scouts to return, and formed the line of battle in close order. Admiral Linois, who was in command of the French squadron, as soon as he could fetch in the wake of the East Indiamen, put about. The Commodore expected his rear to be attacked, but at nightfall the enemy, preferring a daylight action, hauled close to the wind. The British ships lay-to all night, the men at their quarters, ready for action, and at daybreak the enemy were seen also lying-to, but were three miles to windward. Both forces now hoisted their colours, and as the whole of the China fleet had been only recently painted, they presented a wonderful sight with their clouds of canvas. Admiral Linois’ flag was in the 74-gun ship _Marengo_, his other units being the 40-gun frigate _Belle-Poule_, the 36-gun frigate _Sémillante_, the 22-gun _Berceau_, and the 16-gun _Aventurier_. It was no chance meeting, for the French Admiral was on the look-out for this China fleet, of whose strength and time of departure he had been informed.