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Introduction
Three years into the Seven Years’ War of 1756-63, the Kingdom of France was building up pressure on Britain’s beleaguered North American colonies. Despite a bruising setback at Lagos in August, the French still had hopes of an invasion of Scotland, and by November 14th a fleet was ready to sail; but the story goes that the tides of history were turned by Harry Paulet, a cross-Channel smuggler.
PAULET happened to be sneaking across with a cargo of Brandy when he sighted the French fleet, which, under Conflans, had stolen out of Brest. This was on the 14th of November, 1759. There had been a good deal of rough weather previously, and Conflans* thought that Hawke,* who was watching him with the British fleet, was still sheltering at Torbay. As it happened, Hawke had left Torbay, and reached his station just as Paulet, who loved his country better than his cargo, sailed into sight, steered boldly for the Admiral’s ship, and reported that the French had slipped out to the southward, and were steering east.*
* Hubert de Brienne (1690-1777), Comte de Conflans, commander of the French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay on November 20th, 1759, which the French know as La Bataille des Cardinaux. See The Seven Years’ War.
* Admiral Edward Hawke (1705-1781), 1st Baron Hawke, commander of the Royal Navy fleet.
* After leaving Brest, the French ships hugged the coast in pursuit of a flotilla of British ships led by Robert Duff (?1721-1787) that had remained in the area. Conflans had been spotted by three other British vessels, HMS Actaeon, HMS Juno and HMS Swallow, but they could not pass on their intelligence to Hawke. The supply ship Love and Unity saw the French at 2pm on the 15th and did manage to tell Hawke about it the following day; but if the the tale of Harry Paulet is true, he told Hawke something he did not know: that on the 17th the French fleet, which for two days had been had been sailing west into the Atlantic, had turned sharply east again and was making for Quiberon Bay.
Précis
In 1759, during the Seven Years’ War, a French fleet led by the Comte de Conflans quitted Brest en route for the Atlantic. The manoeuvre was spotted by smuggler Harry Paulet, who cut short his unlawful business and sailed to where he knew Admiral Hawke’s Royal Navy fleet lay, eager to inform him. (53 / 60 words)
In 1759, during the Seven Years’ War, a French fleet led by the Comte de Conflans quitted Brest en route for the Atlantic. The manoeuvre was spotted by smuggler Harry Paulet, who cut short his unlawful business and sailed to where he knew Admiral Hawke’s Royal Navy fleet lay, eager to inform him.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, despite, if, just, may, or, whereas, whether.
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