the bulk of his force in the southern part of Rhode Island and about Newport.  Goat Island, which covers the inner harbour of the town, was still occupied, the main channel being commanded by its batteries, as well as by those to the north and south of it upon Rhode Island.  On the 5th of August, Suffren’s two ships again got under way, sailed through the western passage, and anchored in the main channel, north of Conanicut; their former positions being taken by two other ships of the line.[27] The senior British naval officer, seeing retreat cut off both north and south, now destroyed those ships of war[28] which could not enter the inner harbour, sinking two between Goat and Rhode Islands, to prevent any enemy passing there.  Five transports also were sunk north of Goat Island, between it and Coaster’s Harbour, to protect the inside anchorage in that direction.  These preliminary operations cost the British five frigates and two sloops, besides some galleys.  Guns and ammunition taken from them went to increase the defences; and their officers and crews, over a thousand in number, served in the fortifications.

[Illustration]

On the 8th of August the eight remaining French ships of the line ran the batteries on Rhode and Goat Islands, anchoring above the latter, between it and Conanicut, and were rejoined there by the four previously detached to the western passage.  Ten thousand American troops having by this time crossed from the mainland to the northern part of Rhode Island, d’Estaing immediately landed four thousand soldiers and seamen from the fleet upon Conanicut, for a preliminary organisation; after which they also were to pass to Rhode Island and join in the operations.  For the moment, therefore, the British garrison, numbering probably six thousand men,[29] was hemmed in by vastly superior forces, by land and by water.  Its embarrassment, however, did not last long.  On the following morning Lord Howe appeared and anchored off Point Judith, seven miles from the entrance to the Bay, and twelve from the position then occupied by the French fleet.  He brought a stronger force than he had been able to gather for the defence of New York, having now one 74, seven 64’s, and five 50’s, in all thirteen of the line, besides several smaller vessels; but he still was greatly inferior to opponent, by any rational mode of naval reckoning.

Howe’s energies in New York had not been confined to preparations for resisting the entrance of the enemy, nor did they cease with the latter’s departure.  When he first arrived there from Philadelphia, he had hastened to get his ships ready for sea, a pre-occupation which somewhat, but not unduly, delayed their taking their positions at Sandy Hook.  Two, for instance, had been at the watering-place when the approach of the French was signalled.  Owing to this diligence, no time was lost by his fault when the new destination of the enemy was made known to him, on the 28th or 29th of July, by the arrival of