Note 72 — Front matter (continued 3)

Compare the curious definition of the term 'Retreat' in Falconer's Naval Dictionary (2nd edition, 1789). 'Retreat:—The order or disposition in which a fleet of French men-of-war decline engagement, or fly from a pursuing enemy. (Note) The reader who wishes to be expert in this manœuvre will find it copiously described by several ingenious French writers ... who have given accurate instructions deduced from experience for putting in practice when occasion requires. As it is not properly a term of the British marine, a more circumstantial account of it might be considered foreign to our plan.'