 Within a day Hotham's fleet was ready to sail, leaving the harbour in the early morning of 9 March.Hotham believed that the French target was Corsica, and sent the brig under Commander Charles Brisbane to warn Littlejohn and arrange a rendezvous with "Berwick" off Cap Corse.On the evening of 9 March "Tarleton" returned with the news of the capture of "Berwick", causing Hotham to veer north-west in his course.