THE LONDON GAZETTE, England, June 23-27, 1778  

* Naval conflict between the Belle Poule vs. the Arethusa
* British and French frigates - 1st naval battle
* Action of 17 June 1778

A  very notable issue reporting a significant naval event in the Revolutionary War. The front page & nearly half of pg. 2 are taken up with letters headed: "Victory, at Sea" which give details of the naval battle between the Belle Poule and Arethusa, being the first naval battle between the British and new American allies the French, in the Revolutionary War.
Significant not only to have this report in a British newspaper, but on the front page.
Complete in 16 pages, although mostly taken up with legal notices & Parliamentary announcements. Measures 7 1/2 by 12 inches, some foxing at margins, red tax stamp on the front page, nice condition.

Background: The report in the June 23–27, 1778 issue of The London Gazette documents the historic naval battle between the French frigate Belle Poule and the British frigate HMS Arethusa—a pivotal skirmish off Lizard Point that marked the unofficial opening salvo of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) and catalyzed France's formal entry into the American Revolutionary War as America's new ally. Front-page coverage under official dispatches titled "Victory, at Sea" carried immense political and strategic weight, signaling to Parliament and the public that the conflict had escalated from a colonial rebellion into a global superpower struggle. Beyond the immediate tactical claims, the battle transformed into a high-stakes propaganda victory for both nations, inspiring intense British naval mobilization while turning French Captain Jean-Isaac Chadeau de la Clocheterie into a national hero and triggering French patriotic fervour—most famously immortalized in the Parisian "à la Belle Poule" hairstyle—which directly impelled King Louis XVI to authorize full naval warfare against Great Britain weeks later.