The Action of 28 February 1799 was a minor naval engagement Hostile_encounter of the French Revolutionary Wars , fought Hostile_encounter off the mouth of the Hooghly River in the Bay of Bengal between the French frigate `` Forte '' and the Royal Navy frigate HMS `` Sybille '' .

To eliminate Removing this threat Terrorism , `` Sybille '' was sent Sending from Madras in pursuit .

Acting on information from released prisoners Prison , Edward Cooke , captain of `` Sybille '' , was sailing Self_motion off Balasore when distant gunfire alerted Warning him to the presence of `` Forte '' on the evening of 28 February .

The captured merchant ships subsequently escaped Escaping under their French prize crews while Cooke 's executive officer Lieutenant Lucius Hardyman repaired Recovering `` Sybille `` and `` Forte '' .

To ensure Preventing_or_letting the safety of the merchant ships gathering Come_together at Macau in the winter of 1797–98 , the British commander in the East Indies , Rear-Admiral Peter Rainier , sent Sending a convoy to China escorted Patrolling by the frigates HMS `` Sybille '' and HMS `` Fox '' and commanded Control by Captain Edward Cooke .

Sailing Self_motion in `` Sybille '' and accompanied by Captain Pulteney Malcolm in `` Fox '' , Cooke reached Arriving the Spanish capital on 13 January 1798 .