A painting of an engagement between three East India Company ships and two French vessels, 8 March 1757'. Three homeward bound East Indiamen, the ‘Suffolk’, ‘Houghton’ and ‘Godolphin’ were intercepted by two French privateers off the Cape of Good Hope. The merchantmen were heavily laden and represented great riches for the French privateers. However they were unable to capture them when the Indiamen formed a line and beat them off after a three hour engagement. This relatively minor skirmish was a major success for the East India Company, which could have lost three ships and their valuable cargoes. The board of Directors amply rewarded all the ships’ companies.

The action shows the ships split into two groups. In the centre is the largest ship in the engagement, the French ship ‘Comte de Provence’ under the command of the Marquis de la Chaise. She is in action with the ‘Suffolk’ on the left under the command of Commodore Wilson and another Indiaman beyond. On the right is the ‘Sylphide’ in action with the third Indiaman. The painting is signed ‘L. Dunn’ and two engravings were made of this action, one was by P.C. Canot, see PAH7688.