First and foremost, let us mention Armand Louis de Gontaut, duc de Lauzun, the duc de Biron of the Vendee.  He was the gayest gallant of the time, and whether with the Polish princess Czartoriski, the beautiful Lady Sarah Bunbury—­George III.’s admiration as he saw her making hay at Holland House—­Mesdames de Stainville and de Coig and the rollicking actresses of the Comedie Francaise, or Mrs. Robinson (the prince of Wales’s “Perdita,"), seems to have had universal success.  We except the record that gives him the love of Marie Antoinette.  To him was entrusted in this expedition the legion that bore his name, with Count Arthur Dillon as coadjutor.  The marechals-de-camp were the two brothers Viosmenil, celebrated for their beauty, and the marquis de Chastelleux, a member of the Institute and possessed of some literary merit.  He had written a piece called La Felicite publique, which drew from the wits of the day the following epigram: 

  A Chastelleux la place academique: 
  Qu’ a-t-il donc fait?  Un livre bien concu. 
  Vous l’appelez La Felicite publique;
  Le public fut heureux, car il n’en a rien su.

He printed twenty-four impressions of his travels in America by the aid of a printing-press on the squadron, the first record of a book having been published privately in the colonies.  The aides of De Rochambeau were the handsome Swede Count de Fersen, the marquis de Vauban, Charles de Lamette (who fought a famous duel in the Bois de Boulogne with the duc de Castries), De Dumas and De Laubedieres:  De Tarli was intendant.  The list of officers comprised such historic names as those of the marquis de Laval-Montmorenci, the duc de Deux-Ponts (colonel of the regiment raised in Alsace that bore his name), his two brothers, Vicomte de Chartres, De Custine, D’Olonne, De Montesquieu and the vicomte de Noailles.  The last named had, as ambassador to England, the task entrusted to him of bearing to Lord Weymouth the news of the French alliance with America.

The fleet which appeared off Newport on the 11th of July, 1780, comprised seven ships of the line—­the Duc de Bourgogne, Neptune, Conquerant, Provence, Eveille, Jason and Ardent—­the frigates Surveillante, Amazone and Gentille, the corvette Fantasque (which was a hospital-ship) and the cutter La Guepe.  There were thirty-two transports with the expeditionary corps of five thousand men.  Admiral de Ternay, wisely profiting by D’Estaing’s experience, lost no time in reaching his destination.  He was welcomed by the sight of the French flag planted both on Point Judith and Newport Point, this being the signal agreed on with La Fayette that all was well.  Only a few days later he would have been intercepted by an English squadron, Admiral Graves having sailed from Portsmouth early in the season, intending to prevent the French reaching Newport, but his plans were deranged by the bad weather.  The squadron entered the beautiful harbor of Newport with flying flags and pennons bright with the golden fleur-de-lys of France.