Howe himself went first to the North Sea in the month of May.  Having there held the Dutch in check during a critical moment, he was directed next to go to the entrance of the Channel, leaving only a division in the Downs.  Information had been received that an allied fleet of thirty-two ships of the line, five only of which were French, had sailed from Cadiz early in June, to cruise between Ushant and Scilly.  It was expected that they would be joined there by a reinforcement from Brest, and by the Dutch squadron in the Texel, making a total of about fifty of the line, under the command of the Spanish Admiral, Don Luis de Cordova.  The Dutch did not appear, owing probably to Howe’s demonstration before their ports; but eight ships from Brest raised the allied fleet to forty.  To oppose these Howe sailed on the 2d of July with twenty-two sail, of which eight were three-deckers.  Before his return, in the 7th of August, he was joined by eight others; mostly, however, sixty-fours.  With this inferiority of numbers the British Admiral could expect only to act on the defensive, unless some specially favourable opportunity should offer.  The matter of most immediate concern was the arrival of the Jamaica convoy, then daily expected; with which, it may be mentioned, de Grasse also was returning to England, a prisoner of war on board the Sandwich.

On its voyage north, the allied fleet captured on June 25th eighteen ships of a British convoy bound for Canada.  A few days later it was fixed in the chops of the Channel, covering the ground from Ushant to Scilly.  On the evening of July 7th it was sighted off Scilly by Howe, who then had with him twenty-five sail.  The allies prepared for action; but the British Admiral, possessing a thorough knowledge of the neighbouring coasts, either in his own person or in some of his officers, led the fleet by night to the westward through the passage between Scilly and Land’s End.  On the following morning he was no more to be seen, and the enemy, ignorant of the manner of his evasion, was thrown wholly off his track.[134] Howe met the convoy; and a strong gale of wind afterwards forcing the allies to the southward, both it and the fleet slipped by successfully, and reached England.

Howe was ordered now to prepare to throw reinforcements and supplies into Gibraltar, which had not received relief since Darby’s visit, in April, 1781.  For this urgent and critical service it was determined to concentrate the whole Channel Fleet at Spithead, where also the transports and supply-ships were directed to rendezvous.  It was while thus assembling for the relief of Gibraltar that there occurred the celebrated incident of the Royal George, a 100-gun ship, while being heeled for under-water repairs, oversetting and sinking at her anchors, carrying down with her Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt and about nine hundred souls, including many women and children.  This was on the 29th of August, 1782.  On the 11th of September