gallant merchant captains, with their ill-armed and badly-manned ships (the crews consisting partly of cowardly Portuguese and lascars), had done all that was possible. The one consoling feature was that _Lord Keith_ managed to get right away, and actually arrived safely back in English waters. [Illustration: [_By courtesy Messrs. T. H. Parker._ A CONVOY OF EAST INDIAMEN. H.E. India Company’s ship “Inglis” leaving St. Helena in July 1830, with H.M. Frigate “Ariadne” and the H E. India Company’s ships “Windsor,” “Waterloo,” “Scaleby Castle,” “General Kyd,” “Farquharson” and “Lowther Castle.”] Similarly on July 3, 1810, three outward-bound Indiamen, the _Ceylon_, _Windham_ and _Astell_, each of them of 800 tons, were about thirty miles west of the island of Mayotta on a northerly course with a fresh S.S.E. breeze when three ships were sighted close-hauled on the port tack. These were the two French frigates _Bellone_, _Minerve_, and the recaptured ship-corvette _Victor_, about nine miles distant, and it was about six o’clock, just as the day was dawning. Half an hour later the senior Indiaman _Ceylon_ made the private signal, and, as no answer was returned, the merchant ships prepared for action. Presently, as _Astell_ signalled she was overpressed, the other two shortened sail. Captain Meriton made the following signal from _Ceylon_: “As we cannot get away, I think we had better go under easy sail, and bring them to action before dark.” To this _Astell_ replied: “Certainly.” _Windham_ answered: “If we make all sail and get into smooth water under the land, we can engage to more advantage.”