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1936

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NAVAL HISTORY

OF

GREAT BRITAIN,
INCLUDINO THB
HISTORY AND LIVES
OF
XHE BRITISH ADMIRALS.
BY DR. JOHN CAMPBELL.
WITH
A CONTINUATION TO THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1812 :
COMPRISING
fclOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE ADMIRALS OMITTED BY DR. CAMPBELL:
LIKEWISE OF NAVAL CAPTAINS AND OTHER OFFICERS WHO HAVE
DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES IN THEIR COUNTEY'S CAUSE.
EMBELLISHED WITH PLATES,
Dedicated, by Permission, to his Royal Highness the
PRINCE REGENT.

IN EIGHT VOLUMES.

VOL. III.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.
1813.

B y 3 G a

PxinUJ iy /oyM Qf)li^ 105, 5/iW Zanp* Zon Jon.,

CONTENTS

OF

THE THIRD VOLUME.

CHAP. XVIII.— CONTINUED. Page
The "Naval History vf Great Britain, under the Reign.
of King William III, from the Revolution to the
Peace of Ryswick. . . . . 1
CHAP. XIX.
Tfie Naval History of Great Britain, continued through
the remaining Part of the Reign of King William III.
comprehending the most remarkable Transactions in
relation to our Commerce and Plantations, with the
Memoirs of such eminent Seamen as flourished in this
Period of Time . . . . .56
Memoirs of George Legge, Baron of Dartmouth, 8fc. . 89
¦  Sir John Berry, Knight . . -96
.  Arthur Herbert, Baron Herbert, of Tor-
bay, Sfc. . , - . J06
—  Anthony Hastings . . , .131
¦  John Neville . . , .133
 Sir Francis Wheeler . . . 140
 Henry, Duke of Grafton . . . 145
¦  Sir John Jshby .... 148
 Edward Russel, Earl of Orford . .154

VI CONTENTS. CHAP. XX.
Containing the Naval History. . of Great Britain, from
the Accession of her Majesty Queen Anne, to the
Union of the two Kingdoms . . : . I62
CHAP. XXI.
The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Union
of the two Kingdoms, to the End of the Reign of
her Majesty Queen Anne .... 303
Memoirs of Vice-admiral Benbow . . . 505

NAVAL HISTORY OF GREAT
BRITAIN,

INCLUDING

LlYES OF THE ADMIRALS, CAPTAINS, &c.

CHAP* XVIII
GONTINUEDi

Thi Naval History of Great Britain, under the Reign
of King William III. from the Revolution to the Peaie
qf Ryszvick.
WE are now arrived at that period of our his
tory, which naturally leads us to take a view
of what passed in the West Indifes, from the begin*
ning of the war to the close of the ne.xt year \6^7 ;
and, as our reasons for treating, this subject at once
have been already given at large, we shall enter upon
it here without farther introduction. The revelation
took place in our colonies as easily as it had dorie at
home, on a principle which was very emphatically
expressed by one of our governors, who, when he
was summoned by a man of war to submit to King
William and Queen Mary, very sensibly answered,
that if they were king and qlieen at Whitehall,,
they should be so there, and proclaimed them im
mediately. By this means, the plantations were secured against
every thing 'except foreign invasions, and to these
they were not long exposed, since, towards, Jhe end
vol.. HI. ¦ B

i NAVAL HISTORY
of the year 1689, orders were given for fitting out a
squadron for Barbadoes and the Leeward islands, un
der the command of Captain Lawrence Wright, who
was directed to sail as soon as possible, and had very
ample instructions given him.* It fell out, however,
in consequence of abundance of unlucky accidents,
that he did not leave Plymouth till the eighth of
March following. Arriving in Carlisle Bay on the
eleventh of May, I69O, he found all things there in
a better posture than he expected; and towards the
latter end of the month, when his men were pretty
well recoveried of the scurvy, he sailed for the Lee
ward islands, in order to assist General Codrington,
who was preparing for an expedition against St.
Christopher's where we had been joint possessors with
the French, who had now driven us out, and had
made themselves masters of the whole island.
The commodore sailed on the third of June to
Montserrat, where he was joined by the general from
Antigua, with such a force as the English colonies
could supply. Thence they proceeded together to
Nevis, in consequence of a resolution taken in a
council of war, to make a descent as soon as possible
upon the island of St. Christopher. On the twenty-
third. Sir Timothy Thornhill landed, with five hund
red men, to the east of Frigot's bay, and, having
twice engaged and routed the French, marched on to
Basse-Terre, and in the way beat the French forces a
third time. This broke the spirits of the enemy to
such a degree, that they gave General Codrington
no disturbance, when he landed with three thousand
men, and marched the same way. The fleet at the
* This squadron consisted of ten sail of men of war ; 'tiz. one
third rate, seven fourth, and two fifth rates, two fire-ships, and a
ketch. The duke of Bolton's regiment of foot embarked on
board it, and the commodore was instructed to use his best endea.
vours to secure the English colonies, assist the Dutch, and dis
tress the French, in all which he was directed to take the advice
of councils of war, of GeneriU Codrington, the governor aud
eouncii of Barbadoes, &c.

OF KING WILLIAM III. 3
same time sailed into the road, in order to batter the
town and forts, while the general attacked it by land.
The French, however, saved them the trouble, by
abandoning- the place, and setting it on fire. In
about three weeks time the whole island was reduc
ed; and, the season Of hurricanes coming on, the
fleet returned triumphantly to Barbadoes, and the
design of making farther conquests, was postponed
to another year.*
In the month of January, I69I, the commodore
received fresh orders from England, directing him to
stay some time longer in America ; upon which he
took up six of the largest merchant-ships, turned
them into men of war, and on the twelfth of Febru
ary sailed for the Leeward Islands. There an un
happy difference sprung up between him and General
Codrington, which ruined tlie expedition ; for though
in the month of April they landed in Marigallante,
and in a great measure ruined that settlement, from
whence they proceeded to Guadaloupe, and remained
there some time; yet, on the news of a French squad
ron's being in the neighbourhood, they hastily re-em
barked their forces, and resolved to abandon the en
terprise, at the same time almost that the French bad
determined to abandon the island. Soon after this,
Commodore Wright returned to Barbadoes, where
finding his conduct universally disliked, he, under
pretence of sickness,quitted the command, having first
separated the squadron to different services ; and
* This was in some measure owing to the sickness of the troops,
and to several ships being disabled, but was chiefly occasioned by
the commodore's receiving orders to return to England, which, '
as we shall see, were very quickly countermanded. See a true and
faithful Relation of the proceedings of the forces of their Majes
ties King William and Queen Mary, in their expedition against the
French, inthe Caribbee islands in the West Indies, under the con
duct of his Excellency Christopher Codrington, Captain-General
and Commander-in chief of the said forces in the years 1689, and
1690, written by Thomas Spencer, junior, Secretary to the Ho
nourable Sir Timothy Thornhill, Baronetj London, 169J, 4to.

4 NAVAL HISTORY
soon after returned, with very little reputation, t^
England. The same year, some other expeditions were un
dertaken against the French in this part of the world.
The colony of New England found itself so liable to
disturbance from the settlement which the French
had at Port Royal, in Nova Scotia, that it was resolv
ed to attack it, and that too as soon as the war broke
out. With this view, a c&nsiderable fleet, with
seven hundred land forces on board, was fitted out
under tbe command of Sir William Pbips, who sailed
from Nantascot on the twenty-eighth of April, I69O
and by the middle of the next month, he completed
his design, and reduced Port Royal and the adjacent
settlements under the dominion of the English. His
quick success in this, induced the colony to under
take an enterprise of greater importance, which was
no less than the reduction of Quebec, the capital of
the French settlements in Canada. This was cer
tainly a well laid scheme, and if it had been executed
with equal prudence, miist have tumed very highly
to the advantage of the English, as experience hath con
vinced us since. The colony shewed on this occasion,
a very extraordinary measure of public spirit, by rais
ing no less than two thoiisand men, whom they em
barked on board their fleet of thirty-two sail great
and small, without demanding or expecting any as
sistance from hence.
With this force Sir William Phips sailed from Hull,
near Boston, on the ninth of August, and arrived
about the beginning of September, before the river
of Canada, but was there unluckily, by contrary
winds, detained in such a manner, as that it was
tliree weeks before they arrived at Quebec. This
fi^ave the Count De Frontenac, gov<irnor there for the
French, an opportunity to prepare for his defence.
and of drawing all the strength of the colony to
Quebec, which Sir William Phips expected woulet
h.-ive been divided, by an army marcliino- over lanti

OF KING WILLIAM III. 6
and attacking Moynt Royal fort, at the same time
that he fell upon the city. This army was to con
sist of a thousand men from New York, Connecti
cut, ^nd Plymouth colonies, and fifteen hundred
X;-0qJ4ois. Tlije English marched as far as the great
lake of Canada, but not finding canoes re.ady for them
to pass it, and the Indians not joining them accord
ing to their agreement, they returned ; by which
unfortunate miscarriage, Count Frontenac had no
need to make any detachniei^ts for the security of
AIount-Royal. Sir William summoned thp count to surrender the
city, but received a very insolent and haughty ans
wer. On the eighth of October, the English landed,
under Lieutenant-General Whalley, to the number
of fourteen hundred, for to that number they were
now reduced by the Small Pox, and other diseases.
In the mean while Sir William brought his ships to
bear on the west end of the city, waiting till Gene
ral Wiialley should begin the assault. But this gen
tleman hearing that Count De Frontenac had four
thousand men within, and was provided to make a
vigorous defence, notwithstanding the entreaties of
the English soldiers to the contraiy, resolved imme
diately to re-embark. Sir William expecting the sig
nal for their attacking the town on the east side, sent
a messenger on shore to know the reason of their not
gi\'ing the assault ; which when he understood, and
saw many of tlip men were almost frozen to death,
to which we may add, the colonel and others ill of
the small ppx, he ordered tlierji on board to le-
frcsli themselves : and calling a council of war, it
was therein resolved to return. Thus ^ended this
fruitless expedition, which post the colony of New
England so large a sum of money, and as to which
mighty expectations had been raised.
Several accounts have been given of this unlucky
expedition ; bint most of them written, either with a
\-kw to load the character of Sir WiUiam Phips, ot

6 NAVAL HISTORY
else purely to excuse his conduct. The bounds of
this work will not permit an ample examination of
the whole affair, much less a recapitulation of what
has been said on both sides. Yet thus much, I think,
from an in"ipartial consideration of the facts stated by
both parties, it is n^y duty to declare, that Sir William
Phips intended well, and did his best through the
whole expedition ; though, perhaps, he Avas not,
either from education, or experience, qualified for a
command of so extensive a nature. But, besides
any mistakes he might fall into, there were many un
toward accidents which contributed to frustrate this
design, and, therefore, it is equally cruel and unjust
to lay the blame entirely at his door. This is certain,
that no man could be more sensibly affected than he
was by this disappointment; aud yet be made it the
business of the remaining part of his life, to dispose
all things for another attempt, in hopes that the suc
cess of is might efface the memory of the former
miscarriage, and this ought to be remembered to his
honour. In the latter end of October, I69I, Captain Ralph
Wren, who then commanded the Norwich, had or
ders to sail with that and two other fourth rates to
Barbadoes, and from thence to the Leeward Islands,
where he was to take upon him the command of such
ships as were in that station ; and his general instruc
tions were, to secure the trade and plantations, and
to annoy the enemy. He sailed from Plymouth on
the twelfth of December, and on the sixteenth of the
next month arrived in Carlisle Bay, in Barbadoes.
He had not been there long, before he was informed,
that the French had a stout squadron at sea, which
had taken the Jersey, that was to have been added
to Commodore Wren's squadron.
Upon the news of this, the governor and council
of Barbadoes agreed, tbat two large merchant ships
(should be fitted out, in order to join the five men of
war already under the commodore; and that with

OF KING WILLIAM III. H
these he should attack the French squadron, though
it consisted of nine sail. Accordingly the commo
dore quitted Barbadoes on the thirteenth of January,
and cruised for about a week, but without seeing the
enemy, and then returned. Another council of war
being held, it was therein resolved, that the commo
dore should proceed with his squadron, and the mer
chant ships that were then ready, for the Leeward
Islands. This he accordingly performed, and on the
twenty-first of February he fell in with a French
squadron of eighteen men of war, of from sixty to forty
guns. They laboured all night to engage him, and
about eight in the morning, on the twenty-second,
the enemy having a fresh gale, and most of the com
modore's squadron not a breath of wind, four of their
ships bore down upon the Mary, commanded by Lieu
tenant Wyat, who defended her very well, until the
commodore could come to her assistance. At the same.
time the Mordaunt, commanded by Captain Boteler,
with one of the hired ships, and the England frigate,
commanded by Captain Stubbs, were warmly engaged
in the very midst of the enemy; but they cleared them
selves with all the bravery imaginable. The commo
dore finding the great disproportion as to strength,
his squadron consisting then but of seven ships, and
that the merchant ships, which were under his care,
had taken the proper and usual methods for their
own security, he, after a warm engagement of four
hours, wisely provided for the safety of the ships of
war, under his command, by bearing away. He did
this, however, with so little sail, that he seCured the
three ships which the enemy gave chace to; and they,
as much tired of his company, readily stood away
from him. Thus, by a due mixture of courage and
conduct, the commodore saved his small squadron,
and gained an high reputation, this having been reck
oned one of the best conducted actions of the war.
The gallant commander, however, did not long en
joy that satisfaction which must necessarily result

8 NAVAL HISTORY
from performing so signal a service as he had done
to his country ; for as at the time of the engage
ment he was in a declining state of health, so very
soon after, disease carried him off, and in August fol
lowing, part of his squadron, under the command of
Captain Boteler returned to England.
The government being very sensible of the incon
veniences resulting from their want of having a suffi
cient force in the West Indies, resolved, in the year
J 692, to put an end to the complaints that had been
made from most of the colonies on that subject by
sending a powerful fleet thither, under Sir Francisi
Wheeler, as gallant and as judicious an officer as any in
the rfS,vy. The squadron he was to command consisted
of twelve men of war, besides smaller vessels ; and he
was likewise empowered to take under his orders such
ships of war as he should find in that part of the
world, he had under his convoy also a certain num^
ber of transports, with fifteen hundred land troops,
and had assurance given him, that he should find ano
ther body of very good troops ready assembled in Bar
badoes ; and in conjunction with them, he had in
structions to fall upon some of the French settlements,
which it was judged very practicable for him to
reduce. Sir Francis left our coasts in the beginning of Ja
nuary, and on the twenty-sixth of the same month
touched at Madeira, from whence he sailed for Bar
badoes, and arrived there on the first of March.
There it was unanimously resolved, in a full council
of war, that Maitinico should be the place attacked;
and advice was sent to General Codrington of the ar
rival of the squadron, that he might draw together
the forces of the Leeward Islands, in order to j^oiri
the regiments brought from England, aud the troops
(about eight hundred foot) raised in Barbadoes; to
which Sir Francis Wheeler offered to join another re-r
giment, composed of seamep, to be commanded as
colonel by him iu person,

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 3
April the fifteenth, I693, the squadron, with all
these troops on board, arrived at Cui de Sac Royal,
in Martinico; but, instead of proceeding to perform
without delay what they came thither about, it was
resolved, in a council of war, held on the twentieth,
that the men should re-embark, and the squadron sail
to Dominica, there to take in water, and to give the
men, who were very sickly, an opportunity of refiesh-
ing themselves. As the commodore was very sen
sible this manner of acting would be indifferently
relished at home, he desired and insisted, that every
member of the council of war should give his opi
nion in writing; by which it appears, scarcely any
but Sir Francis Wheeler, and Lieutenant-Colonel Colt,
were for landing and acting vigorously. The reasons
advanced by such as ' voted for a contrary measure,
were, that the enemy had a superior strength, that
one full third of our soldiers were Irish Papists, not
to be relied on, and that hazarding an engagement
in these circumstances, was hazarding the whole Lee
ward Islands, since, in case of a defeat, they had not
asufflcient force to defend them. These were chiefly
insisted on by General Codrington, who declared,
however, that he was ready to attempt Dominica,
provided the fleet could remain in those parts six
weeks or two months ; but this being inconsistent
with the commodore's instruction.s, and the troops
from Barbadoes impatient to return, was not, and, in
deed, could not be complied with. Such was the issue
of this expedition, of which, in Englamd, from the
-commodore's known character, there were high ex
pectations. However, it may not be amiss to peruse
his own state of the case.
" On the 30th of March, the fleet sailed from
Barbadoes, having on board the regiments of Foulke,
Goodwin, two hundred recruits of Lloyd's, and the
two Barbadoes regiments of Salter and Butler ; and
on the first of April they arrived at Martinico, and
anchored in the Cui de Sac Marine, the South-east

io NAVAL HISTORY
part of the island, about a mile and a half from the
shore. Sir Francis Wheeler, Colonel Foulke, Com
mander-in chief of the land forces, and Colonel
Lloyd, went in a sloop to see for a convenient place^
in order to land our men ; the enemy had several
small parties along the shore, from one of which a
musket shot struck Sir Francis under the right pap,
and fell down at his feet, having only left a great
contusion. " Orders were given for landing the forces, but
the wind blowing very ^esh, it was deferred till the
seconcj : when, at about nine in the morning, Colonel
Foulke landed with fifteen hundred men without any
opposition ; the boats were immediately sent back,
and towards evening the rest of the forces were like
wise landed. On the third they continiied ashore,
and burnt and destroyed all the houses and planta
tions about Cui de Sac Marine, most of which were
good sugar works; the inhabitants and negroes flying
into the \^oods. The fourth, the forces returned on
board. " The fifth. Sir Francis Wheeler went ashore,
with a detachment of five hundred men, in the Bay
towards the Diamond, and burnt several houses aud
plantations, and at night came on board again. The
same day, a lieutenant of one of the Barbadoes regi
ments going ashore to a plantation without order,
with six or seven soldiers besides the boat's crew,
they were way-laid by the enemy, two of them ki^
led and the rest taken prisoners. -
" The sixth, Lieutenant-Colonel Lillingston was
set ashore with a strong party, to destroy the coun
try on the side of the bay towards the Diamond ; and
having performed the same, returned on board with
his men towards night. The seventh, the Experi
ment brought advice, that Colonel Codrington was
at sea with the forces of the Leeward, who joined us
on the ninth and tenth, together with Colonel Lloyd'*
regiment.

OF KING WILLIAM III. ll
** On the twelfth, in, pursuance of what had been
resolved on in a council of war, the whole fleet weigh
ed and sailed down towards Fort Royal, and Port St.
Pierre. On the fifteenth we got into the bay of Port
St. Pierre. On the sixteenth all things were prepared
for landing our men, and the fleet came to an anchor
within musket shot of the shore. Our men landed
on the seventeenth, and our advanced parties had
some skirmishes with the enemy. Colonel Foulke
commanded an eminence to be possessed, and sent
out several parties, who advanced into the country,
destroying all before them. ,
*' On the eighteenth our forces posted themselves
on a hill, within cannon shot of the town of St.
Pierre, and several field pieces were brought ashore,
which played upon the enemy, who lay behind their
entrenchments. On the nineteenth the enemy made
a sally upon our out guards, but were repulsed by
part of Colonel Fou Ike's regiment, led by Captain
Spraston, and pursued to their trenches, where the
officer that commanded them was killed. This party
was seconded by Colonel Blackston arid his regi
ment; after which the enemy ventured out no more.
Our forces continued ashore till the twenty-second,
vvhen having destroyed a great part of the island, and
our men growing sickly, it was, at a council of war,
not thought advisable to attempt the fort, which is
a regular fortification, and very strong, but rather to
embark again our men and cannon ; which we did
the same day in the morning, having had in the
whole about one hundred and twenty men killed, and
one hundred and sixty wounded, with some few
officers. " The twenty-third the fleet came to Dominica,
and on the fourth of May, to St. Christopher's,
where having watered, they set sail again on the ele
venth ; Colonel Goodwin died at St. Christopher's,
Colonel Foulke at sea, with Major Abrahal, and seve
ral other officers."

13 NAVAL HISTORY f
, Sir Francis, towards the latter end of May, sailed
for New England, and arrived at Boston on the
twelfth of June. He itnmediately proposed to Sir
William Phips, then governor, the attacking Quebec
SL second time. But though nothing could have been
more agreeable to that brave and public-spirited man,
yet, as circumstances then stood, he could not close
with it. Such an expedition required a strength of
four thousand men at least, and these, having had no
previous notice, the governor could not possibly draw
togethq^r by the beginning of July, which was the
very latest a fleet that was to be thus employed could
sail ; and therefore this grand design appearing every
way impracticable, was dropt, even by those two
men, who, of all otbers, had it most at heart. This
disappointment determined the commodore to quit
Boston as soon as possible; and therefore, on the
third of August, he left that place, and proceeded
for Newfoundland, resolving to attempt something
there worthy of the force with which he left England,
and the honour allowed him of carrying the union
flag, from a view to the advantages which, it was
not doubted, would result to the nation from his ex
pedition. On the eighteenth of August he arrived at Placen-
tia, and found the enemy much stronger there than
he expected ; for, in the first place, the town was
well fortified ; next, there were in the harbour, se
veral stout privateers, the hayen itself excellently pro^
vided with batteries, heavy cannon, bombs, &c.
with at least two thousand soldiers and inhabitants,
well disciplined, and most of them old buccaneers.
Sir Francis, however, was not to be discouraged ; he
called a council of war, laid down the method in
which the place ought to be attacked at once by sea
and laud, and took upon himself the going in with
the men of war to batter the great fort, which was
the most dangerous part of the undertaking. How
ever, as there were eleven land to six sea officers in

OF KING WILLIAM IlL 53
this council, they resolved the whole to be impossible
and impracticable. Sir Francis Wheeler was exceed
ingly chagrined at this new disgrace ; but, to shew
how little this inactivity agreed with his disposition,
he gave orders for destroying the French fishery at
St. Peter's ; which was done effectually, and so that
it was not soon or very easily recovered.
On the twenty-eighth of August he sailed from the
Bay of Bulls in Newfoundland for England, where
lie did not arrive till the eighteenth of October fol
lowing, his ships in a bad, and his men in a much
worse condition, so that they were scarcely able to
navigate them. Yet, as unfortunate as this expedi
tion proved from first to last. Sir Francis Wheeler
never fell under the least censure. The accounts he
transmitted home, joined to the letters from the re
spective colonies, and the extracts of proceedings in
councils of war, justified him so clearly, and set his
courage and conduct in so fair a light, that, when he
arrived at Portsmouth, he had the satisfaction of
finding a commission appointing him rear-admiral of
the red ; a preferment, which, as it was obtained
purely by merit, so it never exposed him to envy. —
But to look now to another coast.
The royal African company, finding themselves
much disturbed in their trade by the new settlements
made by the French in the mouth of the river Sene
gal,, and having exact intelligence of the schemes
concerted by that nation for extending their own
trade in those parts, and destroying ours, resolved to
exert the great force they had in Guinea,^to secure
themselves from all these apprehensions, by attacking
the enemy immediately, in order, if possible, to the
dispossessing them of their settlements, before they
could gain any intelligence of the design. If, on
their forming this project, they had applied them
selves to the administration, and had either procured
assistance for the execution of it, or assurance of
having their conquests protected, they would have

14 NAVAL HISTORY
certainly carried their point, and the French have
been beaten out of that advantageous trade, perhaps
for ever.
But they were at this time so much afraid of the
enemy's penetrating whatever was transacted at the
secretary's office, that the African company resolved
to risk this uudertaking, without communicating
their secret to any body. With this view they sent
orders to John Booker, Esq. then their agent-general
in Guinea, to attempt, if he found it practicable, the
execution of the design which they had formed ; and,
that he might be satisfied as to the authority upon
which he acted, they sent him a copy of the commis
sion they had received from the king and queen, em-*
powering them to commit hostilities, and annoy the
enemy in all places within their jurisdiction.
Mr. Booker, upon receipt of these letters and this"
commission, immediately applied himself to execute
what the company directed, and in the month of De
cember, 1692, having drawn together a sufficient
force, he embarked them on board the company's
ships and sloops, and, sailing from the river of Gam
bia, arrived in the mouth of the river of Senegal on
new-year's-day, 1693. Having with some difficulty
got over the bar, he made the necessary dispositions
for attacking Fort Bourbon ; but the governor, M.
Dumoulin, knowing his own condition best, and that
he must soon be compelled to surrender, sent to Mr.
Booker, to demand terms, upon which he offered im
mediately to give up the place. This proposition was
accepted, and the English that evening entered into
possession of the fort, which the French had held up
wards of fifty years.
Mr. Booker continued here till the twenty-fifth of
the same month, and then embarked his forces in or
der to make a descent on the island of Goree, the
only place which remained to the French in Guinea.
He arrived there on the first of February ; and, after
alarming the enemy till the fourth, he in the nighf

OF KING WILLIAM HI. 15
landed an hundred men under the old fort, from
whence he advanced to attack the new, called tlie
fort of St. Michael, a well-fortified place^ furnished
with twenty-eight pieces of cannon. They made
some shew of defending themselves at first ; but, be
ing indifferently provided with ammunition, about
noon they desired to capitulate, and on the eighth
marched out with all military honours, and were car
ried to James-island, in virtue of the articles signed
by Mr. Booker; from whence they were to be trans
ported into Europe on board the company's shipping,
but at their own expence.
Affairs in the West Indies went all this time ex
tremely ill : the French destroyed our trade by their
privateers, disturbed our settlements continually, and
frequently made descents upon them, particularly on
Jamaica, where they committed great havock, and
enriched themselves exceedingly at our expence. The
few ships of war we had in those parts were so far
from being able to defend our colonies effectually,
that several of" them were taken by the enemy ; and,
in short, things were in so bad a way, that the ad
ministration at home thought the loss of our colonies
no improbable thing, as appears by the instructions
given to the commodores of the squadrons, and the
commanders-in-chief of the land-troops. On the
other hand, our good allies the Spaniards were no less,
or rather were still more distressed by the enemy than
we ; all trade between their colonies was destroyed,
their coasts plundered, and every thing subject to
the mercy of the privateers, that were equipped in
whole squadrons from the French settlements in His-
paniola. As I profess to speak truth without reserve
as far as I can discover it, so, upon this occasion, I
think myself obliged to say, that these advantages
were not so much owing either to the force or cou
rage of the French in those parts, as to the want of
public spirit and right management in us, as well as
in the Spaniards,

Ig NAVAL HISTORY
The French governors seem to have had nothing'
so much at heart as the glory of their country, and
a just discharge of their duty; whereas ours were ge
nerally involved in disputes with the people they
should have protected, and much more intent on in*
creasing their own private fortunes, and that too at
any rate, than desirous of vindicating the honour of
the nation, and securing the properties of those they
governed. In one thing only they were commend^
able, that from time to time they made the most
pressing instances to the ministry at home to take
more care of our concerns in the West Indies, by
sending proper squadrons, and with them sufficient
supplies of land-forces into those parts.
About the beginning of the year 1694, some pro-'
posals were laid before the council, for our under
taking, in conjunction with the Spaniards, to drive-
the French out of the island of Hispaniola. To this
there was at first some attention given ; but after
wards it being represented, as indeed the truth was>
that the Spaniards, at the bottom, were not either
wilhng orable to join with us in any such undertak
ing, it was laid aside. Other business interveuingj
it does not appear that either the council or the Board
of Admiralty thought any more of the plantations
till towards the latter end of the year, when they
were alarmed with the account of a brisk attempt
made upon Jamaica by M. Ducasse, "the French go
vernor of St. Domingo. He sailed in the month of
June with three men of war, and twenty-three trans
ports, having on board fifteen hundred men for the
coast of Jamaica, where they arrived on the twenty
fourth of the same month, and made a descent on Port
Morant, which they found abandoned, and, marching
from thence up the country, they plundered, burnt,
and destroyed whatever they met, and carried off
money and effects to a very great value. But they
soon found, that the fine schemes of conquest which
theyJiad formed to themselves were altogether imprac-.

OF KL\G WILLIAM III. 17
ticable, and that the only thing they had to do was
to return with what they had got. The people of
Jamaica, when they found their property in danger,
assembled readily for its defence, and beihaved them
selves so well in an engagement with the French, that
it contributed not a little to make the latter for the
present sick of this design, and to hinder them from
resuming any project hke it afterwards.
The complaints that were sent home on this affair,
joined to the representations of other colonies, the re
monstrances of the West India merchants, and the
fear of a parliamentary inquiry, which was then a
thing of all others the most terrible, obliged the mi
nistry to resume this long-neglected subject, and ro
think seriously of sending to America such a force,
and under such officers, as might do more than had
hitherto been done. With this view they directed,
that a squadron of five sail of men of war, and two
fire-ships, with twelve transport-vessels, should be
got ready, with the utmost diligence and secrecy, to
rendezvous at Plymouth in the beginning of the year
1695. The command of the squadron was given to
Captain Robert Wilmot, an officer of great reputation
and experience. The command of the land-forces
was intrusted with Colonel Luke Lillingston, and
that they might be the more subject to orders, and
better directed, they were reduced into a single regi
ment, consisting of twelve hundred men ; and, be
sides these, there were spare arms for another regi
ment, and, in short, every thing else provided that
could be desired for securing the success of such an
expedition ; and all this was done with such secrecy,
that even the officers who were to be employed had no
distinct knowledge of the particular design they were
to execute, but only knew in general, that they were
to be sent to the West Indies to protect our planta
tions, and annoy the enemy.
When all things were ready, the commodore had
his instructions given him sealed "P, with orders not
VOL. III. c

18 NAVAL HISTORY
to open them till he arrived in the latitude of forty
degrees. Instructions were also given to Colonel
Lillingston for the regulating of his conduct, and for
giving him, a clear view of the extent of his com
mand. Before they set out for Plymouth, both the
commodore and the colonel were separately exhorted
to be extremely careful in keeping up a right corres
pondence, because that hitherto all our expeditions
had suffered more through the weakness and misun
derstandings of our own commanders, than through
any extraordinary courage or conduct shewn by the
enemy; and, 'that this might be the easier, their
commands were made as distinct as, the nature of the
service considered, it was possible.
The squadron sailed from Plymouth the latter end
of the month of January ; but, before they were in a
condition to act, the commanders differed, and all
things were in confusion. Colonel Lillingston in his
account asserts, that the commodore opened his in
structions in an unwarrantable manner, and that,
after he had done so, he proposed to the colonel to
take what care they could of themselves at the ex-
pence of the public service. The colonel rejected this
offer as became a man of honour, and the commo
dore thenceforward prepared to execute his scheme iu
spite of all that the colonel could do to prevent him.*
Towards the latter end of March, 1695, they ar*
xived before the city of St. Domingo, where the Spa
nish governor, on the receipt of the king of Spain's
letters, promised them all the assistance in his power;.
but how he performed this promise, is not very well
agreed. Mr. Secretary Burchet in his history, from
the letters, no doubt, of Commodore Wilmot,,
charges him with creating unnecessary delays, which

,•!

* Reflections on Burchet's Memoirs. I have been the longer
in my account of this business, that 'the reader may see what ar«
the true reasons why conjunct expeditions never succeed, and how
necessary it is to call oflficers strictly to account when they live to-
return honxe, in order to put an aid to- such shameful practices.

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 19
livere of great prejudice to the expedition.* On the
other hand, Colonel Lillingston asserts, that the Spa
nish governor behaved in every respect like a man of
honour, concerted with him the measures necessary
to be taken for attacking Cape Francois, and per*
formed all he undertook with the utmost punctuality.
It must be observed, that the fwrce of the allies then
in Hispaniola was such, as that the ruin of the French
settlements might have been well expected front it.
The Spanish governor marched one thousand seven
hundred men ; the commander of our land-forces was
able to debark about twelve hundred; the commo
dore promised to join his force with five hundred sea
men ; the Spaniards actually added three men of war
to our fleet, and, to prevent any disputes about the
command, the Spanish admiral took dov/n his flag.
The first thing that was attempted was the ruin of
the French settlement at Cape Francois. When the
fleet was arrived within sight of the place, the com
modore absolutely prescribed the place where the
land-forces should go on shore ; and though Colonel
Lillingston represented to him, that it was extremely
hard to oblige the troops to a march of five leagues
and a half^ when, by only rowing one league and a
half, the boats might land them close by the fort
which they were to attack, the commodore gave him
barely the hearing, but pursued his own project, and
they soon discovered with what view^
The English and Spanish troops joiijed, and con
tinued their fatiguing march till they arrived within
five miles of Fort St. Francis, v/here they saw the
French blow up their works, and abandon the place.
* Burchet's Naval History. Indeed this gentleman seems to have
had an extraordinary pic(ue against the Spaniards, whom, though
our allies at that time, he never mentions but with reproach. This
is the more injurious, since that writer, though ho had so great an
opportunity, never supports what he advances by any authority.
It would, however, be hard to set the judgment of a single man ,
so high as to sacrifice fo it the character of a whole nation.
C 2

20 NAVAL HISTORY
When the troops came up, they were surprised to find
the English colours hoisted on the fort, and a single
seaman left to attend them : but the mystery was soon
explained ; Commodore Wilmot no sooner saw the
place abandoned, than he rowed to shore with five
hundred men, entered it, and carried oft' all that was
worth carrying. This disgusted, as it well might,
both the EngTish and Spanish forces ; and, if they
had not been composed of veteran troops, and men
who had a great respect for their officers, a mutiny
must have followed, which would have destroyed the
whole design. But Colonel Lillingston pacified them
as well as he could, by promising to take care they
should not be treated in this manner for the future, if
it were in his power to prevent it.
After this extraordinary exploit it was resolved to
attempt Port de Paix, where M. Ducasse commanded
in person ; but he quitted the place, leaving in it a
garrison of six hundred men.
On the first of June the English and Spanish troops
marched by two different roads towards the place
they were to attack, and the squadron sailed thither
at the same time, but with this extraordinary circum
stance, that, if the Spanish admiral out of pure hu
manity had not left some transports to take in our
sick men, they must have been left to perish ; for
Commodore Wilmot had something else in his head
than to take care of invalids, and had therefore sailed as
soon as the resolution was taken. The march was very
fatiguing ; it took up sixteen days before they arrived
in sight of Port de Paix, and then there was a great
deal of time lost in getting the artillery and ammuni
tion on shore. At last this too was performed, and
then the siege of the place was begun in a regular
manner : and the commodore, to shew his willing
ness to assist, lauded a great body of seanven, and
invested it on the other side.
On the third of July, /the breach being practicable,
jand Colonel Lillingston employed in making the ne-

OF KING WILLIAM lIL 21
ces&ary dispositions for a general storm, the enemy
took a resolution of deserting the place, and forcing
their way through the quarter of the commodore.
Their force consisted of about five hundred and thirty
men, of which about one hundred and fifty were ne
groes, but well armed and disciplined. Their great
est difficulty was to carry off their women, children,
and the most valuable part of their effects. The
latter they packed up fust, and put them in small
bundles on the backs of the women, who, with the
children, mardhed in the front, under a good escort,
while three hundred men fell into the quarters of our
seamen, ^nd, by exposing themselves to a very brisk
fire, which lasted for a long time, gave the rest an
opportunity to retreat. The affair was, conducted
with equal resolution and address; but not without
a very considerable loss.
Colonel Lillingston, as soon as he heard the firing,
guessed at the cause, and immediately detached his
brother with two hundred and fifty men, to support
the seamen. When Major Lillingston arrived, the
affair was over, and he marched directly to take pos
session of the fort, in order to secure whatever the
French had left behind them ; and having posted
centinels every where, and put the rest of his men
under arms, he thought that all was safe, but in this
he was mistaken ; Commodore Wilmot, at the head
of his whole corps of seamen, followed him instantly.
As soon as the commodore came up to him, he clap
ped his hand upon his shoulder, with this familiar
salutation, " Now, major, I am stronger than you."
After which, he removed his guards, broke open the
store-houses, and carried off every thing that was
worth taking, " with a dexterity," .says Colonel Lil ¦
lingston, " very natural to seamen."
This kind of proceeding was not likely to produce
much good ; the commodore offered to carry the sick
men to Jamaica, and to leave Colonel Lillingston to
attempt, iii conjunction with the Spaniards, the taking

^2 NAVAL HISTORY
Leogane and Petit-Guavas ; but they were wear/ of
6uch kind of treatment, and had so many men dis
abled by the unnecessary hardships to which they
had been exposed, that it was resolved, in a council
of war, not to prosecute either of the designs beforcrr
mentioned ; but to demolish the fort, ruin the adja?
.cent country, carry off the artiUery they had taken,
and sail witli all the English forces to Jamaica.
To this the Spanish governor consented, because
he saw the impossibility of their performing, in the
condition they were in, what they had projected; and
of this he was the better judge, because he had an
exact account of the French forces that M., Ducasse
was assembling at Cui de Sac, and with which, it
was expected, he v/ould march to give thein batt}e,
as having no other means of preserving the French
settlements ; though in this there was a gre3.t deal of
danger, It must not be supposed that, because tins expedi
tion was ir] itself very iU managed, and far from be-?
jug .glorious to those that undertook it ; it must not,
J Sciy, be theitfoie S'.i]:)posed, that it did but very
little prejudice to tlie French,
The confederate army, in sixty days, ruined their
plantations for a hundred miles round, carried off a
thousand negroes, demolished two strong forts, whercr
in they took one hundied and forty pieces of cannon,
with a vast quantity of all sorts of ammunition and
naval stores ; so that there seems to be no reason to
think Colonel Lillingston exaggerated, whp com
putes the loss of the French at 200,000/.* But what

* It is necessary for me here to give the reader some account
pf the authorities on which the facts mentioned iu the text ave
founded. In the year ITO.i, Secretary Burchet published his
Memoirs of Transactions at Sea, during the War with France,
from less tp 1097. In these Memoirs, p. 305, ho gives a largo
accputit of this expedition, Mhich is altogether in favour of Mr.
WiLiiot, and was, very probably, transcribed from his letters.
In 1704, 99!P"'-'I' I-'Ulie Lillingstpii published his Re|lectioQS q^i

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 23
recompence is this for the expence which the nation
was at in fitting out such a squadron, and in sending
so great a body of land-troops so far ? What opinion
must the commodore's conduct give our allies, the
Spaniards, of English armaments, and what notions
could they entertain of the significancy of our naval
force, when they saw it so flagrantly misapplied; our
commander in chief having regard only to his private
views, and encouraging his seamen upon all occa
sions to behave like pirates ? How much must this
miscarriage at once disgrace and discourage an admi
nistration, since it seemed to shew, that all attempts
of this sort would prove as fruitless for the future,
and serve only to exhaust the treasures of this na
tion, in order to enrich such as least deserved it ? I
am very sorry that I have been obliged to say so
much ; but every reader will do me the justice to
own, that this subject compelled me, to it. We suf-

Mr. Burchet's Memoirs, in which he advances nothing but upon
undeniable authority, producing instructions, letters, aflBdavits,
and other necessary papers upon every occasion. Some months
after, Mr. Burchet published a Justification of his Naval Memoirs,
in answer to Colonel Lillingston, which are supported only by
extracts from journals of persons, who were disposed to set their
own proceedings in a good light, and, which is strange, acknow--
ledges he neither asked or desired any account from Colonel Lil
lingston, in order to have an opportunity of comparing evidence
on both sides. This was the ftiore extraordinary, as King Wil
liam, prejudiced by the admiralty accounts, looked coldly on the
colonel, till, upon examining the affair, he was undeceived, and
granted him a pension of two hundred pounds a-year, which was
cotttinued by Queen Anne. So that his Memoirs seemed a censure
npoii their Majesties' bounty. Yet, notwithstanding all this,
when Secretary Burchet came to publish his Naval History in
1720, he, in a manner, transcribed what he had before said in,
his memoirs, correcting only a few facts from Colonel Lillingston's
book, by which, however, he admits its authority, but without
setting Any mark of ignominy upon this most scandalous expedi.
tion. At this, Mr. Lediard very honestly expresses his surprise;
but, for my own part, when I consider that the admii-alty never
thought this aifair worth an inquiry, I do not at all wonder their
secretary did not think proper to censure it.

24 NAVAL HISTORY
fered very long for the misdeeds of those times, and
the false pity that was shewn in letting slip the pub
lic examination of a thing so scandalous as this was.*
Reflections like these, on the faults of our ancestors,
are proper lessons for the present generation ; and I
think it my duty to inculcate them, in order to pre
vent our being wanting, in the same manner to our
selves and our posterity.
The account given us of this affair, by French
writers, agrees pretty well with our own. It is true,
that they gave great commendations to M. Ducasse,
governor of St, Domingo, who was certainly a very
gallant man, but who, as certainly, had no opportu
nity of shewing his bravery on this occasion. In the
main, however, they agree, that a misunderstanding
between the allies proved the ruin of the whole affair;
and that nothing could more amaze, and at the same
time oveijoy the people, than the news of the English
troops embarking for Jamaica did M. Ducasse and
his army. The same writers intimate, that the co
lony of Jamaica was much wanting to itself, in not
laying hold of this opportunity to make a descent
on the French settlements, in revenge for the mis
chiefs done them by the inhabitants of this colony,
under M. Ducasse, the year before, which, if they
had done, in all probability the French must have
been driven out of Hispaniola; and, as things then
stood, there is no great reason to doubt that the Spa
niards would have been very well pleased to have
* The general answer to what has been said upon this subject is,
that all inquiry was prevented by the commodore's death.. But,
surely, this is a very poor excuse. To an intelligent reader it
will appear, that an effectual inquiry might have been more easily
made after his death, than in the life of the commodore. His in
fluence was then determined, he could not be hurt by the inquiry,
all his creatures were at full liberty to speak ; and, as knowing
the truth only was of importance to the public, in order to pre
vent such detestable actions for the future, the burying all this
villany, as far as possible, in oblivion, is inexcusable to the na
tion.

OF KING WILLIAM III, 25
seen an English colony settled in their room, as well
knowing their own inability to preserve the island
without such assistance.
But all these views for the glory of England were
effectually defeated by the sailing away of the Eng
lish squadron frojn Hispaniola, on the 23d of July,
1695, with the land-forces on board. The governor
and people of Jamaica gave the commodore a very
indifferent reception, having had previous intelligence
of his behaviour through the whole affair. Several
councils of war were held, to consider how practica
ble a second attempt might be in conjunction with
a considerable force from this island. But, after
much deliberation, this design also came to nothing.
The commodore, in the mean time, followed his busi
ness closely ; that is to say, he converted the plunder
he had taken into money, which he vested in all sorts
of merchandise fit for the English market, and took
in the goods privately on the back of the island.
When this was dotie, his next care was to get back
to England with his squadron, with the great wealth
he had amassed on board of it. He left Jamaica on
the 3d of September, 1 695, but met with a very bad
passage. On the shoals of Florida he lost a fourth-rate man
of war, in a manner which gave great cause to sus
pect he never intended to bring her home.* After
this, an epidemic distemper broke out on board the
* One may see by Colonel Lillingston's whole book, how
much more jealous men of honour are of their reputation, than
statesmen of a nation's glory. The colonel's account of this af
fair was printed but seven years after the thing happened, and yet
no search was made into the .matter. His words are these:
" It would be a most diverting thing, abating for the disaster
of it, and the lives lost in it, to hear a true particular of the loss
of the Winchester man of war. If I am not misinformed, there
would come to light a great many hidden circumstances, very use
ful to the nation in general, if the loss of that man of war were
inquired into. If due examination were made, whether all the
stores and guns that were pretended to be in her, were really on

28 NAVAL HISTORY
ships, which carried off a multitude of sailors and
soldiers, and not a few oflficers, among whom, was
the commodore himself This disease prevailed at last
to such a degree, that there was scarcely found men
enough to bring home the squadron, which did not
arrive till very late in the year. I cannot help closing
this account by observing, that Co'Wimodore Wilmot
left sixteen thousand pounds in effects on board his
own ship, which engaged his family in a long suit
with Captain Butler, Such are the wretched effects
of sacrificing pubhc concerns to the narrow views of
private interest !
Towards the latter end of the year I696, the na
tion was again alarmed with the report of an inva
sion. It was known that the French were fitting out
a strong squadron at Brest; and for what service, the
intelligence that our secretaries had could not inform
them. Sir Cloudesley Shovel, therefore, was sent
with a considerable force to block them up, which,
however, the French avoided ; and it was then given
out at home, that our vigilance had disappointed the
designs of the enemy, and obliged them to abandon
all thoughts of a descent. In this we only deceived
ourselves, for our merchants quickly came at the
knowledge of the true scheme, which was, the send
ing a strong squadron into the West Indies, to attack
some of the Spanish plantations in those parts.* The

board her ; and if the loss of that ship did not serve for a colour
to pretend the loss of many things, w.hich were otherwise disposed
of." Lillingston's Reflections.
* In order to support this fact, I shall give the reader a pas
sage from the Monthly Mercury for December, 16y6. " The
great noise made about Poinlis's squadron that was equipping at
Brest, and -s^hich, as it was furnished with a vast number of
scaling ladders, bombs, pontons, and other materials for a descent,
and for the attack of places on shore, had given the alarm to all
the dominions of Great Britain, is at last over ; and those that
were most frighted, are now most inclined to treat it with con
tempt; for whether it was, that Pointis wanted a money-wind to
carry him out of port, or that his project had not received the

OF KING WILLIAM III, 27
Sieur Pointis was the person who formed the plan of
this undertaking, and who had been no less than
three years in bringing it to bear.
The French king had suffered a great number of
private persons to contribute towards this enterprise,
and the strongest assurances were given them, that
whatever profits accrued thereby, should be fairly
divided amongst them. Orders were privately sent
to M, Ducasse, in Hispaniola, to assemble as many
buccaneers as he could, with vessels proper to sup
port them ; and he was to have these ready to join
M. Pointis's squadron, as soon as it appeared. The
true design all along was upon Carthagena ; but such
as pretended to be in the seciet at the French court,
gave out, that the king intended this armament to
execute a project, long ago formed by M. Ducasse,
of driving the Spaniards entirely out of Hispaniola.
But, notwithstanding this variety of reports, some of
King James's adherents fancied that they had pene
trated farther than any of these politicians, and that
the true design of this mysterious armament was
against Jamaica ; and of this, as Englishmen, . they
thought it their duty to advise our court.*

least sanctiijn of the court, so it was, that his Britannic Majesty
had time enough to send Sir Cloudesley Shovel with a strong squa
dron to inspe.ct this fleet, which, was reported to bo strong enough
to attempt the invasion of his kingdoms ; and, on his looking
into the port, it appeared there were but sixteen men of war of all
sorts there ; so that, whatever the design of Pointis's squadron
was, it seems to be vanished into smoke."
* The political tracts of that year best inform us what the
$entifnents of the world were upon that occasion, because later
writers are apt to impose upon us, by pretending that this or that
great minister had actually discovered the secret very early,
though, for certain reasons of state, it was not published. Now
jt clearly appears from those writings, that nothing of this kind
happened; and it is as certain, from Pointis's journal, that he
never had any other view than that of attacking Ciirthagena, not
withstanding so many other projects were talked of. The infor
mation I speak of from France, 1 know from unquestionable au
thority ;. far, as the author of fie Jewish letters rightly observes^

28 NAVAL HISTORY
At first, this was considered as a very extraordi
nary piece of intelligence, which alarmed us the
more, because, considering the force we had in that
part of the world, if they had really attempted this
island, there was but too great probability of their
succeeding. When this matter, however, came to be deliberated
upon in council, and several of the most intelligent
persons there seemed convinced that the blow was
meant at us. King William declared himself of a con
trary opinion, for a reason which shewed how well he
understood mankind, and how justly , the French
king dreaded his superior capacity iu the closet. His
Majesty observed, that the basis of the French king's
new expedition was private interest, not pubhc uti
lity, or national glory, for which reason he concluded
they would not either endeavour to conquer Hispa
niola, or attack Jamaica, but attempt the taking the
Spanish galleons, or the surprising of Carthagena.
The good sense of this observation brought over every
body to his Majesty's opinion, and the sequel will
shew, that the Sieur Pointis and the rest of the
French commanders, M. Ducasse always excepted,
never considered, in this expedition, what was best
to be done, but how much might be got, in which
piratical kind of knowledge they proved much greater
proficients than the buccaneers themselves.*

the English refugees at St. Germain's were quite a different sort
of people from the refugees in Soho ; for they loved their country,
though they were banished from it, and, like the Greek exiles of
old in the Persian court, shewed those who were inured to slavery,
how great a blessing it is to be born and bred up free.
* Bishop Burnet, in his'History of liis own Times, vol. ii. ex
presses a good deal of dislike to the management of our affairs at
sea in this critical conjuncture; but, whoever considers the matter
strictly, will find all the reason in the world to commend the dis
position made by our court for preventing the French from exe
cuting their design in the West Indies, We ought always to dis
tinguish between the laying of a scheme, and the carrying it into
execution ; for the same praise is due to the contrivers of a good

OF KING WILLIAM III. 29
To frustrate this blow, wherever it was intended,
orders were given for a small squadron to assemble
at Portsmouth under the command of Captain Meeze,
and other orders were at the same time dispatched to
Mr. Neville, who commanded our fleet in the Medi
terranean, and who was now made vice-admiral,
which he was directed to open, when he had taken
due care of the homeward-bound fleet, and should be
fifty leagues S. W. by W. from Cadiz, He found
himself in this situation about the middle of the
month of February, I696-7, and, then consulting his
instructions, found that he was to join Captain
Meeze's squadron at the island of Madeira, where,
after cruising a long time, he was met by the captain,
now made a rear-admiral, in his own ship the Bristol ;
and, the Lightning fire-ship having lost company with
the rest of his squadron in a fog, a little after he left
the Isle of Wight. On the seventeenth of April Vice-
admiral Neville arrived at Barbadoes, where he found
most of the ships he expected, except the Dutch,
who joining him, however, soon after, they bore away
for Antigua, where they arrived the third of May,
1697. There it was resolved in a council of war to
sail for Porto Rico, in order to take as much care as.
possible of the Spanish galleons. Before he reached
his intended port, he had intelligence, that M.
Pointis had sailed from Hispaniola on the twenty-first
of Marcli, N, S, with twenty-six ships small and
great It was then resolved in a council of war to
proceed forthwith to Jamaica, in order to take in a
supply of water and provisions,*
scheme, thougli it fails of its effect, as if it had met with the
wished-for success. Here was a force superior to the French,
who had been three years providing theirs, assembled in less than
Uuee months; and, if the orders given to our admirals had been
strictly complied with, they had been as early in the West Indies
as the enemy ; if they were not, it was no fault either of the
eouncii, or the board of admiralty,
* Mr, Burchet tells up, both in his Memoirs and his Hisfwry,
that Viee.admiral Neville cruized fifty-eight days about the Ma-

^0 NAVAL HISTORY ^
On the fifteenth of May, 1697, the admiral being
off the east end of the island^ met with a sloop, the
master of which informed him, there was a flymg
report of the French squadron's being before Cartha^^
gena ; upon this he stayed no longer than was ab
solutely necessary to take in water, but sailed from
Port-Royal, and attempted to go through the Lee
ward channel; but in that he was prevented by the
dying away of the land-breeze, and -contrary to
what had been ever known by all persons acquainted
with those parts, the sea-breeze blew for six days and
six nights together, during which time an English
sloop came in, that left Porto-Bello the eighteenth
of this month, in company with the galleons, which
were fifteen in number, and two days after parted
with them, steering away N, N, E, for Jamaica,
where they intended to take in provisions, for v/hich
they were so much straitened, that they had not
enough to carry them to the Havannah. The vice-'
admiral sent out two sloops to look for them, the one
off the keys of Point-Pedro, and the other off those
of Porto-Morant, and to let their general know, that
he was going to Carthagena to see what could be
done against the French, but that he would re-'
turn to Jamaica in a shoft time. The twenty-fourth
of the same month he took advantage of a small gale
from shore to steer for Carthagena, in hopes of find
ing the French either embarrassed in the siege of the
place, or in embarking the plunder; for, according
to the best accounts he could get, the Spaniards were
very strong there, and had been so lucky also as to
have pretty early intelligence of the visit that was-
deiras, to which, if he thought himself bound by his instructions,
he was justified ; but, however, this certainly proved the ruin of
the whole affair ; for, if he had stood away for Barbadoes, instcaij
of cruizing there, he might have come time cnoiigh to hate at-
tacked the French before they left Hispaniola, or at least he might
have followed them to Carthagena, where, if he had attacked
their fleet while their army was engaged in the siege,, tlieir whole
force must have been- destroyed^ • '

OF KING WILLIAM III, 31
designed them ; but the cross accidents, that kept
the vice-admiral so long on the coast of Jamaica,
frustrated his good intentions, and hindered our re
taking from the French the best part of what they
took from the Spaniards, which must otherwise pro-,
bably have happened,*
In order to give a distinct account of this extra
ordinary affair, which is somewhat partially related
both by English and French writers, I must pursue
the history of Pointis's voyage, and shew how and
when he executed the scheme which he proposed ;
for this will naturally bring us back to this very point
of time when Vice-admiral Neville sailed in search of
him and his squadron. As the success of Pointis's
expedition depended upon the assistance he was to
receive at St. Domingo, he sailed thither directly,
and arrived on the coast February ly, I697. The
governor, M, Ducasse, had taken care to provide
every thing pursuant to his instructions, so that the
Sieur Pointis met with no retardment but what pro
ceeded from his own imperious disposition, which
hindered him from giving the buccaneers the satis
faction they expected ; and thi« produced a mutiny
or two, which nothing could have quieted but the
presence of M. Ducasse, who was actuated wholly
by public spirit, and exerted his utmost interest
among these people to keep them steady ; at the
same time he suffered as much as they did from the
* The admiral's going to Jamaica was anotlier misfortune ; for,
as it will be hereafter shewn, if he had sailed directly on the first
intelligence he had for Carthagena, he must have surprised M.
Pointis, and destroyed his whole force. But if, according to tha
admiral's journal, he was under an absolute necessity of taking
in water ; this is to be considered as an unavoidable misfortune.
These are points I leave to the reader's judgment to determine ;
for none of our accounts afford us sufficient light to decide posi
tively on the matters of fact, though this is certainly in the ad
miral's favour, that he was known to have had as much personal
courage as any man, and that he afterwards shewed as great an
inclination to fight upon this occasion as any man ever did, or
indeed could do.

32 NAVAL HISTORY
insolence of the general, who, proud of his commis
sion, and full of himself, behaved without any re
gard either to the rank or circumstances of others.
After about a fortnight's stay to forward all neces
sary preparations, the whole fleet sailed for Cartha
gena, and arrived before that city on the third of
April, The force brought from France by M. Pointis
consisted of seven large ships of war, about ten fri
gates, and small vessels of several sorts, on board
which were two thousand two hundred and sixty sea
men, and one thousand seven hundred arid fifty sol
diers, in all four thousand and ten, to which M,
Ducasse added another stout squadron, on board of
which were fifteen hundred buccaneers, soldiers, and
volunteers. They first attempted the strong fort of
Boca-Chica, which was carried by assault; then they
attacked Neustra Signora de la Popa, a monastery
on a hill which commands the place ; they besieged
and took likewise the fort of St, Lazarus, and at
length stormed the suburbs, which forced the gover
nor to think of a capitulation ; and this, being
granted him on pretty good terms, was concluded
April 24, 1697, when the city was surrendered to
the French, who lost before it upwards of five hun
dred men ; neither could it have been ever taken but
for the assistance of M. Ducasse, and the troops he
commanded, though Pointis used them very ill
through the whole affair, and, after it was taken,
actually shut them out of the city, putting off from
time to time the distribution of the booty, and not
allowing so much as to put a check on such as
received it,*
* In the whole of this'relation I reduce all the dates to the old
style for the sake of comparing them readily, which could not
have been otherwise done. As to the facts, we have a vast va
riety of relations, though I think but two of any great authority ;
vi:. Pointis's own Memoirs, and the History of St. Domingo,
written by Father Charlevoix on the Memoirs of Father Pers, and
from the Registers in the Public Offices of the Mafine in France,

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 33
Many-disputes have been raised as to the value of
the plate and other effects taken by the Sieur Pointis
in this place. Some have carried this so high as forty
millions of livres, and other.s, amongst whom is M.
Pointis himself, reduce it to nine millions. There ar©
several reasons which have induced different writers
to impose upon their readers in this particular.* All
the Spanish authors who have mentioned this, say,
they had sent the nuns, together with one hundred
and twenty mules, laden with gold and jewels, forty
miles up into the countiy, before the P'rench arrived ;
but then it is visibly their interest to abate, as much
as possible, the credit of tliis expedition, and this
perhaps is now become the French interest too. The
Sieur Pointis, and his4 partizans, had also cause suf
ficient to state this account as low as possible, be
cause, the lower they brought it, the less they had
to account for, which was what they wanted. Our
historians in those days were desirous of lessening the
success of all French expeditions, and therefore, as we
see in the celebrated work of Bishop Burnet, that pre
late affected to treat this as a miscarriage, by which
the French, on the whole, could scarcely be called
gainers, t
But one who is solicitous only about truth will
make proper allowances on such occasions, and, by
where I find these differ too widely fo be reconciled ; therefore I
prefer, without ceremony, the latter, because it is evident, that
Sieur Pointis had views to serve, whereas Father Charlevoix writes
without the least bias. Occasionally I have recourse to other
authorities, which I refer to in their proper places.
* Ilistoire de St. Domingne, vol. iv, Memoires de Pointis, &c.
Father Daniel, in his Journal Historique de Louis XIV. com
putes the riches brought home by Sieur Pointis at ten millions ;-
and this, as I take it, was the commonly received calculation at
that time,
+ Bishop Burnet might ' possibly be deceived by the second ac
counts from France, which were all against Pointis; but if he had
inquired into what followed, and how much money was recovered
when this business came to be narrowly sifted, he would have al
tered his opinion. The French do not .&u£fer a few great officers'
VOt, III. D

84 NAVAL HISTORY
comparing these different accounts together, will en*
deavour to acquire a just notion of a thing, with
which, for many reasons, surely both we and poste
rity have a right to be acquainted. After taking all
imaginable pains to this purpose, I venture to assert,
M. Pointis carried home upwards of twenty millions
of livres; I believe I should not err in saying, twelve
hundred thousand pounds sterling.*
But there is no need of lessening the profits to
abate the gk)ry of this expedition. The Sieur Pointi*,
certainly behaved very ill through the whole affair ;
he disgusted the buccaneers ; he treated M, Ducasse
excessively ill during the whole siege ; he made an un
fair distribution of the effects taken : he took no kind
of care of the sick and wounded, but left them in the
hospitals not only without medicines but food; and,
to complete his blunders, he loitered till the twenty-
first of May, and did not embark his men till the
sickly season came on, and they could scarcely crawl
to their ships. The buccaneers were so irritated by
the behaviour of Pointis, and his breaking the agree
ment he made with them, to force upon them a di
vidend of 40,000 crowns, that, as soon as they saw
him and his squadron ready to sail, they returned
back to Carthagena, in order, as they phrased it to
look for their share of tbe plunder, which they did
not fail of finding.
It is very evident from this account, that if our
vice-admiral, on his having the first information of
the enemy's being sailed for Carthagena, which was
to cheat their owners and the public by cooking up stories desti
tute of proof; their government is arbitrary, and therefore, ia
cases like this, generally speaking, just.
* My calculation goes upon undeniable principles. The Sieup
Pointis gave the Buccaneers 40,000 crowns, or 1 .'0,000 livres, for
Iheir share, computing at tho rate of one tenth from the first mil
lion, and the thirtieth from every othermillion ; and this by a very
easy process, makes it clear that he estimated the whole booty a^
9,000,000. But, when M. Pointis's behaviour came to be scruti
nized in France, they had a decree for 1,400,000 livres more.

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 85|
on the fifteenth of May, had proceeded thither in
stead of going to Jamaica, he had unquestionably
surprised the French in the harbour of that place ;
and, as the Spaniards had actually assembled an army
to retake the city, it is not easy to guess how the
French would have escaped, who were by that time
split into factions among themselves, and at least on©
half of them fallen sick, But though he missed them
then, yet on the twenty-seventh of May, 1697, being
half seas over from Jamaica, he saw the Sieur De
Pointis's squadron, consisting of seven men of war,
andto or three frigates, at no great distance; upon
which he. endeavoured to engage them, but co^Id
not. The Warwick indeed exchanged some shot with
one of the Frenchmen ; but in spite of all the sail
she could iinake, the ship got away from her, as the
rest did from the admiral. The Warwick, perceiving
this, bore down on a fly-boat belonging to the French
fleet, and took her, having on board a vast quantity
of arms and ammunition, with as much plate as made
the prize worth two hundred thousand pounds, and
is a pretty good sample of what mighty treasures
were on board the rest.
Five days the vice-admiral continued the pursuit,;
in which five ships, among these his own and Rear-
admiral Meeze's were included, sprung their fore-top
masts, and their sails were so torn, that it was found
impossible to continue the chace with any hopes of
success. This again was a narrow escape ; the French
themselves own it, they were much inferior in force,
they were ill manned, most of their ships were foul;
and, if they had fought, many of them m^ist have been
taken without doubt, I see no manner of cause to
censure the vice admiral's conduct on this occasion,
as some have done, because it was beyond question
his own and hi.s officers interests to have fought, upon
the presumption that their own superior force would
have put them in possession of all the plunder the
French had obtained.
d2

3& NAVAL HISTORY
Besides, they all gave sufficient proofs afterwards,'
that fighting was what they did not desire to avoid.
I am therefore satisfied as to this point, that there
was nothing of treachery or neglect of duty in this
business, but that Pointis's squadron escaped by a
concurrence, with respect to us, of unlucky and un
avoidable accidents, unless there might be some fault
in tliose who furnished our sails, which did not wear
so well as those of the French, for which, however,
the sea-officers were not to blame.
The buccaneers, on their return to Carthagena,
met with no resistance ; and therefore, having driven
the inhabitants into the great church, they told them
how General Pointis had treated them, which, as
they alleged, obliged them, though against their
will, to come back to make a demand of five mil
lions, which once paid them, they promised to re
tire without doing any kind of violence. The poor
Spaniards did their utmost to rake together this sum ;
but it was all in vain. The French took what they
brought, and, as soon as they had done bringing,
these miscreants had recourse to such cruelties, as
are scarcely credible, tO force discoveries. After all,
in the space of about five days, they amassed near
1,000,000 of crowns in money, and above as much
more in rich goods ; after which they fell out amongst
themselves as to the division of it, the buccaneers
refusing the inhabitants of Domingo an equal share,
because, as they said, they were at great expence oij
that island before they sailed, when the inhabitants
were at home in their own houses. This dispute, how
ever, was soon adjusted on the arrival of a ship from
Martinico, with advice that a strong Eng-lish squadron
was in quest of them ; they instantly quitted the
place, embarked their plunder with all imaginable
diligence, and contrived to get to sea as soon as pos
sible, and retire to St, Domingo.
When our squadron found it impracticable to tn-
gage the French, the vice-admiral thought it expe-

OF KING WILLIAM Itl. 37
dient to proceed to Carthagena, in order to see jf
the galleons were safe, and how far he could be use
ful to the Spaniards. He arrived in the port in the
evening of the thirty-first of May, and found the place
quite abandoned ; for the inhabitants were so much
afraid of the buccaneers returning a third time, that
they were fled info the woods. Two days the vice-
admiral remained in the port before he prevailed upon
the governor and some of the principal inhabitants
to return, and then sailed, after sending a frigate to
St, Jago to inform the governor of the Havannah,
and the general of the gallies, of what had passed,
that they might the better piovide for the safety of
the galleons.
On the sixth he discovered eight sail of buccaneers
close under the shore; upon which, a detachment
was sent to destroy them. The enemy crowded all
the sail they could, in hopes of escaping, but only
four were so lucky as to effect it. One was forced
upon the Spanish coast, not far from Carthagena, her
crew taken by the inhabitants, and compelled to
work in the repair of their fortifications. Another
was forced on shore on St, Domingo, and beat to
pieces. The Christ, a fine sliip, commanded by Cap
tain Cofuy, who bad two hundred and fifty men on
board, and about 350,000 crowns in silver, was taken
by a Dutch ship, as was the Flying Hart of the same
force and value, commanded by Captain Pierce, by
Captain Dilkes, and her crew were brought into
England. The governor of Jamaica at that time was Sir Wil
liam Beeston, who, considering that the fleet must
soon be obliged to return home, resolved to suggest
the destruction of that nest of pirates, Petit-Guavas,
to the vice-admiral, as the most important service that,
as things were circumstanced, could be done to the
English colonies in general, and Jamaica in particu
lar. Vice-admiral Neville instantly complied with it,
and left the execution of the scheme to Reai-adijiiral

38 NAVAL HISTORY
Meeze, who was detached from the fleet, June 22,i
1697, for this very purpose, with nine ships of war,
great and small. On the twenty-seventh he arrived
at a small distance from Petit-Guavas, and debarked
some of his forces, ordering the ships to come in
next day.
On the twenty-ninth he surprised Petit-Guavas, en
tering the place before it was light, and seizing the
guard. He had, at first, thoughts of remaining there
some short time; but the seamen, and at last, through
their example, the landmen began to plunder and
drink so hard, that when the rear-admiral altered hia
sentiments, and resolved to burn and abandon it,
there was not above fifty sober men under his com
mand, out of nine hundred. When he gave out this
order, the whole was executed with such precipi
tation, that, notwithstanding there was abundance
of gold and silver in the place, yet very little was
saved or brought away. However, the burning the
town, and carrying off" a good number of negroes
prisoners to Jamaica, was a great and seasonable
service to the English colonies, and gave the enemy
a remarkable check, which they did not soon reco
ver : to say the truth, it was one of the most im
portant actions done during the war.
Vice-admiral Neville, having wooded and watered
with all possible diligence, sailed to meet Rear-
admiral Meeze, and then bringing away the home
ward bound ships from Jamaica, resolved to proceed
to the Havannah, in order to preserve the galleons.
He sailed in the beginning of July, and, coming
about the middle of that month on the coast of
Cuba, the seamen became excessively sickly, and
Rear-admiral Meeze died before they reached the Ha
vannah, On the twenty-second of the same month,
the vice-admiral arrived befi)re that port, and sent in
advice to the governor of his want of water and other
refreshments. The governor sent him a civil mes
sage, but refused to admit his squadron, and did not

OF KING WILLIAM III, 89
even supply his necessities, or at least not in all re
spects. As for the general of the galleons, when he
was informed that tbe vice-admiral came on purpose
to convey that rich fleet home, wliich was the prin
ciple point of King William's instruction^^ far from'
being satisfied with those unusual acts of kindness to
allies, he excused himself from putting his ships
under our protection, supposing, or at least pretend
ing, his orders would not warrant it. The true reason
however, both of his and of the governor's conduct,
might probably be, their fear of having the place of
the greatest consequence in the West Indies, and the
richest fleet of that age, for there were fifty millions
on board the galleons, taken at once, since both had
been left in the vice-admiral's power, if he had been
admitted into the haven.
This kind of treatment, after the pains he had
taken to save the galleons, and to serve the crown
of Spain on every occasion, broke the vice-admiial'sf
spirits very much. He had always counted upon
escorting the galleons, and believed so acceptable a
service would entirely efface the memory of former
misfortunes ; but being disappointed again, and re
flecting on the little service that with so strong
a squadron he had been able to do his country, it
threw him into a kind of hectic fever, which hung
upon him till he arrived in Virginia, on the twenty-
second of August, and there he died, as much of
grief as of his distemper, to the great regret of all
who knew him, as he was a person of cOiuage, pru
dence, and integrity ; who wanted not either will or
abilities to do his country service, though his fortune
fell short of his zeal.
By his demise the command of the squadron de
volved upon Captain Robert Dilkes, who, from Vir
ginia, arrived safely in England on the twenty-fourth
of October, 1697, with the whole squadron, though
poorly manned, and the ships many of them foul and
rotten ; so that, notwithstanding the great hopes that

48 NAVAL HISTORY
had been entertained of our doing mighty things in
the West Indies, all came to nothing; for, besides
this, we met with other disappointments in that quar^
ter of the world, that were no less mortifying than
fhose we have mentioned.
The Sieur Pointis thought himself safe M'hen he ar
rived oft' Newfoundland, as not having the least
knowledge that we had a stout squadron there, under
the command of the late Sir John (then Captain)
Norris, so that he made no difificulty of going into the
Bay of Conception, and of lying there carelessly
enough, though we had a force suflficient, at St.
John's to have given a good account of him and his
Spanish plunder. It was on the twenty-third of July
our squadron had advice, that five French ships were
seen in Conception Bay, and they immediately con
cluded it was M, Nesmond's squadron come to attack
them; and, . therefore, instead of going to look for
the enemy, they wisely considered how, in case they
Jell upon St. John's, they should be best able to de
fend themselves, and bent all their endeavours that
way. Captain Norris was, from the beginning, a little sus
picious that this was not the outward bound French
squadron, and, therefore, sent the Mary galley, a
clean tight ship, to discover what they were. But
before they could have any news from her, he receivr
ed a letter from one Mr. Alexander Cumberbatch,
master of a ship taken bj^ the French at sea, and put
on shore in Newfoundland, in order to procure fresh
provisions. In this letter there was a distinct ac
count of M, Pointis's strength, and of his .squadrpn'as
having on board the rich plunder of Carthagena.
Captain Norris was ravished with this epistle, called a
council of war immediately, and pressed that no far-;
ther time might be lost, but that withovit more ado,
they might sail in quest of the enemy. Other peo
ple, however, were in no such haste ; they doubted
whether Cumberbatch's letter might not be intend^t^

OF KING WILLIAM III. 41
to draw them out of their strength, and thereby ex
pose St, John's, and the whole country, to the
French ; and accordingly, after a long debate, it was
resolved in the council of war to remain where they
were, and to expect the French in close quarters,
without running unnecessary hazards.*
* The reflections of Bishop Burnet on this business, are very
¦well worth notice. " Commodore Norris's squadron'', says he,
•' might have fallen upon the French, and would probably have
mastered them ; but as they had no certain account of their
Strength, so, being sent out on another service, they did not think
it proper to hazard the attacking them ; so the French got safe
home, and the conduct of our affairs at sea was much censured,"
In Burchet's Memoirs, p. 378, and in his History, tho blame is
thrown entirely on the land officers, who out voted the sea officers
in the council of war. The whole is strangely skimmed over in
our Gazette, No. 3319, as a thing not fit to be mentioned.
I have with some difficulty recovered the minutes of this famous
council of war : and, as I believe, a list of the names of those who
sat in it, and their votes, cannot but be agreeable to the reader, I
shal}' transcribe them,
A council of war at St, John's, July 24th, 1697, at which
were present,

LAND OFneERS,
John Gibson ........ No.
Thomas Dore  No.
Thomas Handasyde  No.
CliflF. Brexton  No.
Griff. May  ,  No.
HughlBoyd  r No.
y. Smith  No,
Koh. Da7,yeU  No,
H. Petit  No.
'George Watkins  , No.
Jos. Hargrave ........ No.
Eleven. No's, all.

SEA OFFICERS.
Francis Dove ........ Yea.
Robert Stapilton ...... Yea.
James Littleton ...... No.
Charles Desborow .... Yea.
Co.operWade ........ Yea.
John Roffey  No.
James Migbells ....... Yea.
Thomas Day ........ Yea.
John Cranby ..;..... Yea.
.Tohn Drake  No.
Nicholas Trevannion .... No.
John Norris ,..,.,.... Yea.
Thomas Smith ........ No,

Thirteen, Yea's 8, No's 5.
This whole business was, in an ensuing session of parliament,
examined in the House of Lords ; when, upon a full view of the
evidence, their lordships came to the following resolutions :
Die Lun(E, 17th April, 16?9.
1, It is resolved by the lords spiritual and temporal in parlia
ment assembled, that the squadron commanded by Captain Norris,
at St, John's in Newfquiidland, not going out tolight Ppintis, upon

42 NAVAL HISTORt^x
About noon on the twenty-sixth, tliey received ad
vice, that. the five French ships were seen, the night
before, at anchor a little eastward of Belle-isle, by
Portugal Cove, and the next day, upon a message
from Colonel Gibson, there was another consulta
tion, where this intelligence was read ; but it was re
solved to remain till the two captains arrived, who
were sent to make a discovery. Soon after, one of
them came with twenty-one Frenchmen, that he had
taken in a boat at Carboniere, who said they were
sent by M. Pointis to procure fresh provisions. The
other captain returned also from Portugal Cove, who
saw the French ships at anchor, one of them of three
decks, two from sixty to seventy guns, and two
more of above fifty. The council adjourned till the
next morning, and then calling the prisoners before
them, they related all they knew, fearing that other
wise they should be very ill treated. They said the
squadron had not been at any other port since they
left the West Indies, and that hearing of an Enghsh
squadron in those parts, they had appointed Placen-
tia, in Newfoundland, for the place of rendezvous ;
but, through the haziness of the weather, were
obliged to drop anchor in Conception Bay.
But notwithstanding all this, and other corrobora
tive evidence, to prove that this was in reality M.
Pointis's squadron, the council of war still over ruled
Captain Norris, who was eager for fighting, and
obliged him to remain in the harbour of St. John's,
which they fortified with such industry, that when
M. Nesmond arrived, which was about two and
thirty days after the other squadron had been first
seen, the place was in so good a state of defence, that
though the French squadron consisted of sixteen sail,
the several intelligence given, was a very high miscarriage, to the
great disservice of the king and kingdom.
- 2, It is resolved, that the joining the land officers in the council
»f war, on the 24th of July, 1697, was one occasion of the mig-
tarriage in not fighting Pointis.

OF KING WILLIAM III. 43
of which ten were of the line of battle, yet they were
so well satisfied with the sight of the preparations
jnade for th^ir reception, that they thought proper to
retire without so much as firing a gun, and thereby
left all Newfoundland in our possession, which was
confirmed by the ensuing peace,
M. Pointis, however, though he got so happily
clear of this affair, met with another, which gave
him a good deal more trouble; for, on the fourteenth
of August, 1697, he fell in with a squadron com
manded by Captain Harlow, whom he boldly engag
ed about three in the afternoon. After a brisk dis
pute of two hours, the French made a signal for tack
ing, when one of their ships, being disabled, escap
ed with much difficulty, and put the rest into some
confusion. They bore away as fast as possible, and
by ten at night the English squadron lost sight of
them. The fifteenth, being a clear day, the enemy
was discovered, by four in the morning, at the dis^^
tance of four leagues ; upon which Captain Harlow
x;ontinued the chace till evening, but with very httle
advantage, our ships being fouler than theirs, though
they were returned from so long a voyage. The next
day they got clear away, and the day following en
tered the harbour of Brest, having as happily and as
strangely escaped a variety of dangers, as any squad
ron that ever went to sea,*
It is not easy to account for M. Pointis's bearing
down upon Captain Harlow's squadron; nor can one
readily apprehend, how the English ships, just come
out of port, came to sail so much worse than the
French. Some nlystery there was in this, which
was never revealed to the public, though, in all pro
bability, something might be discovered to the lords
of the admiralty, which it was not proper should
* M. Pointis confesses this in his Memoirs, A Dutch Gazet
teer says pleasantly, Ill-luck put on leaden boots to pursue bim.
See Captain Harlow's own account, in the London Gazette, No.
3317*

44 • NAVAL HISTORY
come abroad,*- Thus we have run through the histo
ry of what passed in the West Indies during this war,
and are now returned to the naval transactions in Eu
rope, in the year 1697, where we shall find not many
extraordinary actions to detain us.
His Majesty going in the spring of the year to
Holland, he was pleased to declare Edward Russel,
Esq. then at the head of the admiralty, one of the
lords-justices in his absence ; and soon after, it was
known, that his Majesty had created him baron of
Shingey, Viscount Barfleur, and earl of Orford.
These honours seemed not only fit but necessary,
since his lordship, as Bishop Burnet well observes,
had the whole authority of high admiral, though not
the title. His presence, therefore, being requisite at
the board. Sir George Rooke was declared admiral of
the fleet, and actually went down, in the beginning of
June, to Portsmouth, in order to take upon him the
command of it. On his arrival, however, he found
things but in a very indifferent condition; for though
the ships made a handsome figure enough in the list
at the admiralty, yet they were in fact not half man
ned, and worse victualled ; so that if a Dutch squad
ron had not happily joined them, it is on all hands
agreed, they could not have put to sea. But by the
latter end of the month, his force being augmented
by two squadrons, which had been under the com
mand of Vice-admiral Mitchel, and Rear-admiral
* I ground what I advance in the text, on the following adver
tisement, which appeared first, Thursday, September 23, 1697,
London Gazette, No. 3325.
" Admiralty office, September 23. Whereas the right honour*
able the lords commissioners of the admiralty, did receive a letter by
the post, signed A, B. which contains several things relating to
the late action of Captain Harlow : these arei to give notice, that,'
if the person who writ the said letter 'h'ill apply himself to one of
the secretaries of the admiralty, his name shall not be made known,
without his own consent, and he shall likewiie be rewarded, and
preferted by their lordships.
William Bhidgemak."

OF RING WILLIAM III. 45
Benbow, the admiral found his strength increased to
forty-four sail of the line, and, therefore, he put to
sea for some time, but was obliged to return sooner
than he intended, for want of provisions.
In the month of September he detached Vice-admi
ral Mitchell with a squadron, to meet and sustain
Vice-admiral Neville, who was expected home with
tbe galleons from the West Indies ; but before he
reached the cape of St, Vincent, he had notice of the
return of that squadron, and did not, therefore, think
proper to continue any longer at sea. He was after
wards ordered out again in October, when he per
formed nothing worthy of remark, except the bring
ing in fifteen Dutch East India ships, which had lost
most of their anchors and cables, and must otherwise
have been in great danger of perishing themselves.
Soon after, he received the king's orders, to bring over
the Czar from Holland, which he did ; that monarch
arriving in England on the eleventh of January fol
lowing, and was so acceptable to that great prince,
that, with the king's leave, he attended him during
the whole time he stayed in England, and had the ho
nour also to command the squadron which escorted
him on his return to Holland, in his way back to his
own dominions. His behaviour towards that great
and glorious prince, was such as gave him entire sa
tisfaction, so that he retained a grateful remembrance
of it many years after, when he came a second time
into Holland, and expressed it by taking notice of
many points in naval discipline, in which he was in
structed by Admiral Mitchel,
Rear-admiral Benbow sailed from Spithea.cl on the
eleventh of April, 1697, with a squadron consisting
of seven third rates and two fire-ships,* and instruc-
* London Gazette, No. 3279. Mr. BurcTiet says, April lOth,
but I prefer the author of the Gazette, in which 1 find an article
that deserves a place here, and therefore I shall transcribe it,"
''' Newcastle April 10th, Yesterday morning came to our bar
eight colliers from London j one of them belonging to this town,

46 NAVAL HISTORY
tions to protect the trade of this nation in every in
stance in his power, aud to annoy the enemy. With
this view, he was stationed from ten to fourscore
leagues from-Scilly, but was able to perform nothing*
remarkable during the best part of the month of May,
though hewas joined by five ships ol war more, and
therefore he returned to St. Helen's about the twenty-
first of that month, from whence he sailed again on
the twenty-fourth, with four' third rates and two firei-
ships, for his former station ; and, after having seea
two East India ships pretty far out to sea, he receiv
ed such intelligence as to our homeward liound Ja
maica ships, as induced him to repair to Plymouth^
in doing which, he had the good fortune to join the
Virginia and West India fleets, and their particular
convoys, off the I.izard ; and, soon after meeting
Vice-admiral Mitchel off the Start, he was by him di
rected to repair to Plymouth with the merchant-shipsj
where he received orders from Sir George Rooke to
repair to the fleet then passing westward, and to
take care for sending eastward a convoy with the
trade. But these orders were contradicted by others from
tbe lords of the admiralty, dated the tenth of July,
and he, in obedience to them, proceeded to the
squadron before Dunkirk, which Captain Beaumont
had commanded a con.'iderable time before, consist--
ing ofsix third rates, besides the Newark, two fourth,
one fifth, and two fire-ships ; but three of those third
Charles Newton, master, laden with merchants goods, and carry
ing twelve guns, was, in her voyage here, attacked by a French
privateer of fourteen guns and four patererocs : Captain Newton
made a vigorous defence, and another of the merchant-ships com
ing to his assistance, they boarded the said privateer, took her, and
have brought her into this harbour : of the French, twenty.three
were killed in the fight, and (he rest, sixty.six in number, are
brought ashore, several of whom are wounded, and the captain so
dangerously, that it is thought he will hardly recover. There wa«
another privateer in his company, v. ho, seeing his companion coma
off so ill, fell astern, and stood off to sea."

OF KING WILLIAM III. 47
rates were ordered away to the Downs by the lords
of the admiralty.
The rear-admiral, as soon as he arrived with his
squadron, went in person with his boat before the
pier-heads of Dunkirk, where, though he discovered
not one vessel in the road, yet he saw fifteen or six
teen sail of great ships within, one of which bore a
flag. With Captain Beaumont he found two orders
from the lords of the admiralty, the first directing
him to pursue and burn Du Bart's ships wherever he
could find them, except under the protection of the
forts in Norway or Sweden : the other, to obey any
orders he might receive from his Majesty, who was
then in Holland. On the thirtieth of July, Rear-ad
miral Vandergoes joined him with eleven Dutch ships,
and itwas proposed, that one of the squadrons should
lie so, as that Dunkirk might be south of them, and
the other in or near Ostend road ; that, if Du Bart
should attempt to pass out either at the north or east
channel, they might the better discover him : but no
other answer was made by the Dutch flag, than that
his ships were foul, and not in a condition to pursue
him. The French ships at Dunkirk were in all eleven,
from fifty to twenty-six guns ; and about the begin-»
ning of August they were all, except M. Du Bart's
own ship, hauled into the bason to clean, so that it
was judged they were making ready to come out the
'next spring tide. But since our ships, as well as the
Dutch, were all foul, little service could be expected
from their chacing, and it was almost next to an im
possibility to block up clean ships at Dunkirk with
foul ones. The rear-admiral, therefore, proposed,
that four of his best sailers might be ordered to Sheer-.
ness to clean, and that the others might come to the
Downs, not only to take in water, which they very>
much wanted, but to heel and scrub ; and this he
judged might be done before the approaching spring
could afford the French an opportunity of getting

48 NAVAL HISTORY
over the bar. But at this time it was not thought
advisable, though afterwards he received orders to do
it; so that for the present he only sent the ships from
time to time to the Downs to water, as they could
best be spared. It is evident enough from this large
account of the matter, that our disappointments
'(vere frequently owing to the want of proper orders,
and the not paying a due attention to such pieces of
advice as the commanders of squadrons thought them
selves, in duty obliged to offer. On the twenty-third
of August Du Bart left Dunkirk with five sail, having
the prince of Conti on board, whom the French at
tempted to make king of Poland. The rear-admiral
pursued him, but to no manner of purpose ; and, be
fore he returned to his station, eight other ships were
gone, which he pursued likewise, but with the same
want of success : and this was the last action of the
war : for, on the tenth of September following, peace
was concluded between England, Spain, and Holland,
on the one side, and the crown of France, on the
other, at Rysw^ick, by which the French king ac
knowledged King William's title, and, as the French
historians say, gave up more towns than the confede
rates could have taken in twenty years ; but this was
not from any principle either of justice or moderation,
but with views of quite another sort, as was fore
seen then, and in the space of a few years fully
appeared. We have now brought this long war to a conclu- *
sion, and it is but just that we should offer the reader
some reflections on the consequences of it to the naval
power and commerce of England, First then, with
respect to our navy, we have seen that the war
opened with a very bad prospect ; for though we had
an excellent fleet, a vast number of able seamen, and
perhaps as good officers as any in tlie world, yet the
French got earlier to sea than we did, appeared with
a greater force, and managed it better, though we,
acted then in conjunction with Holland, and, ac*^

OF KING WILLIAM IH. 4$
cording to the general rule of political reasoning,
ought to have had it in our power to have driven the
French out of the sea.
All this proceeded from the sudden change in our
government, which perhaps left many of our officers
disaffected, and many more without having anv pror
per degree of credit at court, Want of confidence
between the administration and the commanders of
our fleets is always destructive to our maritime power,
and therefore, instead of wondering that things went
on so ill in the three first years of the war, we may
with niore justice be surprised, that they went no
worse. Our party divisions not only enervated our
own strength, but created such jealousies between us
and the Dutch as blasted the fruits that must have
been otherwise produced by this close and fortunate
union of the maritime powers. Of this we have the
fullest proof in the case of the earl of Torrington,
whom even the enemies of the government made it a
point to support, because they knew that preserving
him must give distaste to our allies, and who on thp
other hand was prosgcu,ted by many who believed hiin
jnnocent,* But when once the government was thoroughly
settled, and we acted cordially in conjunction with the
; States, it soon became evident, that we were much
. more than a match for France at sea. Our misfoiv
tunes at the beginning of the war created inquiries
and censures, which were, and always will be, fol
lowed with victories ; for, when officers find thein-
selv.es in danger for acting ill, they will endeavour to
* The reader will easily discern the force of this argument, ifhe
,f;onsiders the share the earl of Torriugton had in the revolution,
.and the warmth with whiph, pijhis prosecution, he was supp,p,rted
by those W^o were least pleased with th^t event. This sljews the
.^ifects of party spirit upon national affairs ; for though it might
,be right in them to espouse the earl pf Tprrington, who probably
acted according to the best of his judgment, yet they did it appa^
rently from wrong motives, and with no better intention, than t^
piortify and distress the court.
yOL, III. E

50 NAVAL HISTORY
escape it by doing well; whereas, if they once find
that they may prefer private profit to that duty which
they owe the public, "with impunity, they will not
fail to run into that broad road. This accounts for
our success in the middle of the war, and the declen
sion of it afterwards, when the Board of Admiralty
beo-an to feel its own strength, and the management
of naval affairs was reduced to a court-system, by
which such men were sure of protection, as could be
depended on in other respects than their commands
in the fleet,*
But notwithstanding these and some other miscar
riages, no less prejudicial to the interest of the nation,
yet, on the whole, the French suffered much more in
their maritime power than we, as Mr. Burchet has
shewn us; and consequently, if we consider the situ
ation of both nations, the ease with which it was in
our power to repair our losses, and the almost insu
perable difficulties the French had to struggle with in
this respect, we must conclude, that not only they
but the whole world had full evidence, from thence,
of their being no way able to struggle against the
Diitch and us in a maritime war. To make this still

* It may possibly be thought, that I dsifer in my sentiments
here from what I have said elsewhere as to inquiries, and therefore
I take this opportunity of sayingj that I would be understood so
as to distinguish between proper inquiries and peevish inquiries. I
call proper inquiries such as begin with things and end with men,
and I take such to be peevish as presume things to be wrong, be
cause they were done by this- or that set of men. In this reign we
had frequent examples of both : inquiries were set on foot in par
liament, and, when they did not answer the intentions of a party,
they were dropped. This certainly was very scandalous. On tha
other hand, Commodore Wilmot's disgraceful expedition, and se
veral others of the same Itind, were passed over without any se..
rious inquiry at all. This, undoubtedly, was very suspicious
dealing in the Admiralty, 'who ought to have vindicated their own
uprightness by justifying the characters of such as they employed^
which appears to be the judgment of Bishop Burnet himself, who,
tholigh he loved the ministers, yet could not help s^oing tbeiF
faults.

OF KING WILLIAM IIL

51

more apparent, I must observe, that King William,
in his speech to both Houses of Parliament at the
conclusion of the war, asserted our naval force to be
nearly double what it was at his accession ; whereas
I do not find in any of the French historians, that they
attempted fo build new ships duriug the progress of
the war, or to do any thing more than finish such as
were then upon the stocks, purchasing, as occasion
required, large merchantmen, which they converted
into frigates.
In this light, therefore, we were gainers by the
war, of whrch the French seemed to be very sensible,
since they avoided all general engagements ; and, in
particular actions between small squadrons or single
ships, the strictness of their discipline gave them great
advantages, since their vessels, generally speaking,
were much cleaner than ours, and consequently were
able to leave us whenever thev found themselves too
hard pressed, of which several instances have l)eei\
given in the foregoing sheets, At the same time,
however, it must be confessed; that the French fleets,
generally speaking, behaved very well at sea, and
that we suffered considerably even in those actions
where we were victorious, as well as where our ships
were taken by surprise, or beaten as convoys, by a
superior force,*
* The loss sustained by the English in their navy, during the
war, from the year 1688 to 1697:

No. ships.
1
1
2 I
3
3 (5
2 4

23

ofofof
of ofof
of
of
of

Force. Total guns.
70 guns, 70 '

64
484642 36
32 30
24

64
96
46
126108192 60
96
84S

jVfo. ships.
Bt. over 23 2 2
11 5 1
4
Tot. 50
E 2

of of
ofof
of of
of

Force. 18 16
1210 8 64

Total guns. 848 36
32
24
110 40 6
16*

53 ' NAVAL HISTORY
But, with respect to our trade, it is certain, that
we suffered infinitely more, not only than the French,
for that must have been expected, but than ever we
did in any former war, where there was a nearer ba
lance between our trade and that of the enemy. This
proceeded in a great measure from the vigilance of the
French, who, as we have already shewn, made it
their choice, nay, their great monarch made it his
glory, to carry on the war in a piratical way, on pur
pose to distress our merchants, and excite a loud cla
mour here for a peace. Another reason why our
commerce suffered so much was, that spirit of ava
rice which prevailed, and which engaged many mer
chants to attempt making a sudden fortune by suf
fering their ships to run, instead of waiting for a con
voy. It cannot indeed be denied, that a third prin
cipal cause of our miscarriages was, the want of proper
attention at the board of Admiralty, where officers
were generally heard with too much, and merchants
with too little favour. To this we may add that
spirit of rapine and corruption which prevailed among
the sea-officers at this time, and which too often in
duced them to consider their commissions rather as
powers given them to provide for themselves and
their families, than as trusts received for the benefit
of the public.
We must not forget, in this enumeration of the
causes of our losses in this respect, the ill conduct of
our governors abroad, who were likewise totally em
ployed in amassing fortunes, while the strictness of
the French discipline obliged such as had the care of
their plantations to pay a proper regard to the public
service, to which alone was owing their preserving
their settlements at St. Domingo, from whence they
might have been driven with the greatest ease by the
EngTish and Spaniards, and yet were suffered to re
tain their possessions, though both nations were con
tinually distressed by their invasions ; and, in respect

OF KII^G WILLIAM IIL &a
to this, it is no less evident, that the Spaniards were
not so much to blame as we.* But, after all, the
principal source of these mischiefs was, the necessity
that both the Dutch and we were under of fitting
out such great fleets every year, whereby all our sea
men were, in a manner, employed in the public service;
so that, on the one hand, the merchants were forced
to send their ships to sea worse manned than formerly,
and, on the other, our grand fleet and annual squa
drons required so many ships, that it was impossible
to furnish the necessary convoys for the security of
our ta-ade. At least this was pretended, and the very
pretence, perhaps, was another cause of our losses.
This, however, is out of doubt, that, taking all to
gether, our traffic suffered excessively, our merchants
were many of them ruined, and though inquiries into
the mismanagements, which heightened these mis
fortunes, were not prosecuted with that vigour they
might have been, yet such discoveries were made as
produced an absolute distrust of, and distaste against
those who had the direction of naval affairs, a loud
clamour against the war, and an universal desire of
peace at any rate.
After this impartial representation of the state of
our affairs at its conclusion, we need not wonder that
a peace, and a peace so advantageous as that of Rys-
v/ick was, should give the greatest satisfaction to the
nation in general, and to the trading part in particu
lar. That it did so, may appear from the govern
ment's causing a special gazette to be published, on
purpose to make known the French king's ratification
and proclamation of the peace at Paris two days sooner
* This appears plainly from the French history of that island,
where it is owned, that a storm delivered them, in the beginning of
the year 1698, from a descent from Jamaica, and that the news of
the peace of Ryswick came so opportunely as to preserve them
from being totally destroyed "by the Spaniards, who had already
passed the mountains with a body of between five and six hundred
men, Ilistoire dc St. Domingue, vol. iv.

54 NAVAL HISTORY
than it would have otherwise been ; * and by the nu
merous arldresses of thanks and congratulation, which
were sent up from all parts of the kingdom to felici
tate his Majesty upon that occa^'on, and to express
their just sense of being delivered from the burden
arid expence of so bloody and destructive a war.
Neither ought it at all to abate the merit of this
treaty, that the French struck medals, magnifying
their success in the war, and their demonstrating
themselves thereby a match for all the rest of Europe,
since, if they had really been so victorious, and had
gained such advantages, the wonder was so much
greater that they should stoop to such a peace. But
though it may be true, that, in many respects, the
French had the advantage in this war, yet undoubt
edly they foresaw they were unable to support so
vast an expence as it brought upon them, and as
their weakness increased much faster in proportion
than that of the maritime powers, this, in a few cam-
.paigns, would have quite changed the face of things,
and either brought on the total ruin of France, or
obliged her to make peace upon still worse terms than
were demanded now.
It must therefore be allowed, to the honour of this
reign and of this administration, that, however they
managed the war, they gained by the peace all, and
indeed more than could be expected. By the fourth
article the French king engages his word and faith
not to disturb the King of Great Britain in any of his
dominions ; not to assist, directly or indirectly, any
of the enemies of the said king, nor to give shelter to
any rebels or conspirators against him. By the fifth,
* The Gazettes came out in those days on Mondays and Thurs.
days. This paper, said to be printed by authority, is dated,
Whitehall, October 26, which was Tuesday. It is printed but on
one side, and the French king's proclamation is in Italic, in order
to render it the more remarkable. The same thing had been done
on the e'schange of the ratifications, October IS, 1697. Butthat
•was in the nature of a post-gazette.

OF KING WILLIAM III. 65
the free use of commerce or navigation is restored be
tween the subjects of both kings. By the seventh all
places taken during the war, either in Europe or in
America, are restored. As great care was taken of
our allies, every thing was stipulated for them which
Avitli any shew of justice they could desire ; so that,
by the conclusion of this treaty, the general peace of
Europe was restored,* and we were left at full liberty
to improve the advantages, afforded thereby, for the
rectifying whatever was amiss in our domestic eco
nomy, extending our commerce, and easing our peo
ple. How far these points were studied or neglected,
shall be our business to examine in the next chapter.
* Amongst other medals, struck on the occasion of this peace,
there was one very remarkable. On the face of the medal was re
presented a temple, thedoorsof which are shut by the plenipoten
tiaries. Before th« temple there is an altar, on which a sow is of
fered ; alluding to the custom of the Romans, who, on the con
clusion of a peace, sacrificed a swine. On the reverse are the arms
of the several powers comprehended in the treaty, and in the
centre the royal castle of Ryswick, with this inscription, Ryswick,
GuUelmi III. Dei gratia Magnce Britannice regis palatium, i.e.
" The palace of William III. by the grace of God king of Great
Britain." Gerard Van Loon Hist. Metallique des Pays Bas, tome iv.

se NAVAL HISTORY

CHAP. XlX.
the Naval History qf Great Britain, continued thfdugh th
remaining part of the Reign of King William III. comprt->
hending the most remarkable Transactions in relation to our
Commerce and Plantations, with the Memoirs of such emi
nent Seamen as flourished in this period of time*
The affair of the East India Company in Scotland
has been mentioned in the former chapter ; but I did
not insist upon it then, because it would have inter
rupted the thread of our history, arid because I ap
prehended it would come in more naturally here. It
is certainly, even at this distance of time, a very de
licate subject, especially for one who professes to fol
low trutli in defiance of all parties and characters
whatever. But the pleasure which results from act
ing fairly in matters of this natute, is a sufficient
compensation for any risk that a writer can run by
his impartiality ; and therefore I shall lay, without
reserve, the true state of this matter before the reader,
as it appears to me,
The revolution brought back to Scotland several
worthy patriots, whom the jealousy of forriier reigns
had driven into Holland, Germany, and other coun
tries. These, from the time of their return, thought
of nothing so much as the putting the trade of Scot
land, which had been hitherto in a manner totally
neglected, on a proper footing. With this view they
procured, in 1693, an act of parliament, that is, of
the patTiament of Scotland, for the encouragement
of foreign commerce, and, in consequence of that
law, procured another in ]6g.5, for setting up an
East India Company. When this was done, it was

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 57
found requisite to take in subscriptions : and as it
was not easy to find money enough in Scotland for
the carrying on so expensive a design, the company's
agents endeavoured to procure subscriptions abroad,
particularly at London, Hamburgh, and Amsterdam,
in which they were certainly sufficiently supported
both by the royal and legislative authority.
But as the carrying this scheme into execution
gave great umbrage to the East India Companies in
England and Holland, they took, as it was very na
tural for them to do, the best measures they could
to hinder the success of these applications. This,
however, had some very untoward consequences,
since these companies could effect nothing but by
, the interposition of their respective governments ;
and by this means his Majesty's name, as king of
England, and Stadtholder of Holland, came to be
made use of, to thwart those designs which actually
had his sanction as king of Scotland. This as might
have been easily foreseen, embarrassed King William
prodigiously ; for it forced him to act in a manner
little suitable to his inclinations, since, on an appli
cation of the Scots, he was obliged to promise that
he would not countenance any such attempts to their
prejudice ; and, to gratify the English and Dutch,
he found himself obliged to part with two very use
ful and able ministers, the Marquis of Tweedale and
Secretary Johnston, because the former had given
the royal assent to the law which established the
Scots East India Company, in which, however, he
had only followed his instructions ; and the latter
for promoting the design, which, no doubt, he took
to be, what it really was, an act of duty to his coun
try. Yet these steps served only to palliate things
for the present, and, instead of healing the breach,
widened it, as will be seen hereafter.
In the ensuing session of parliament, in I698, the
government found itself not a little embarrassed with
tlie affairs of the English East India Company. A

m NAVAL HISTORY
scheme had been offered for erecting a new Com
pany, which was to advance two millions for the
public service at eight per cent, and they were to
carry on this trade by a joint stock. To make way
for this, it was proposed to dissolve the old com
pany, though they had very lately a new charter
granted them upon an address from the House of
Commons, and, in virtue of that charter, had in
creased their capital by a subscription of so consider
able a sum as seven hundred thousand pounds. The
pretence for dissolving it was, a xlause in that very
charter, reserving such a power to the crown. But
as it was not so much as asserted, that, since the
granting this new charter, they had done any thing
which ought to subject them to a dissolution, by mo
derate and impartial people, who knew nothing of
stock-jobbing, this was thought not a little hard.
The real cause why this step for erecting a new
company was taken, as Bishop Burnet and other in
telligent writers fairly own, Avas the pubhc's wanting
and having no way so ready to get, money. How
ever, the dissolving scheme, notwithstanding it was
powerfully supported, did not take place ; the new
company had large privileges given them, and Sir
William Norris was sent, by his Majesty, ambassa
dor to the Great Mogul, on purpose to promote this
scheme; which, notwithstanding, miscarried in re
spect to trade : for the old company, being possessed
of the forts' and factories in the East Indies, took care
to prepossess that monarch, and indeed all the other
princes in those parts, so strongly against the new-
company, that the ambassador was but very indiffe
rently received, and the whole affair, instead of im
proving our commerce, tended only to hurt both it
and the credit of the nation in those parts, at the same
time that the acts for establishing this new company,
created very great discontents at home.*
* Bishop Burnet, in his History of his own Times, has treated
this subject very fairly, and, as far as 1 can judge, set this matter

OF KING WILLIAM III. 59
Tbe managers of the East India Company in Scot
land, finding their designs for carrying on that trade
so vigorously opposed, and having, as they conceived,
very large powers vested in them by the late act of
parliament, resolved to turn their endeavours another
way for the present, and to attempt the settlement
of a colony in America, on the Isthmus of Darien.
Every body knows, that this is a very narrow tract
of country, which unites the two great continents of
North and South America, and that consequently it
must be very advantageously seated for commerce.
As the inhabitants had never been conquered by the
Spaniards, and as the new colony sent thither actu
ally purchased their lands from the native proprie
tors, and settled there by consent, it was apprehend
ed that the Spaniards had no right to dispute this
establishment; and that, if they did, the planters
might defend themselves Avithout involving the na
tion in a war.
The colony was accordingly settled at a vast ex-
pence ; but it was soon found, that great mistakes
had been made in relation to the consequences ex
pected from it. For the Spaniards not only con-
sidfered it as an invasion on their rights, and began
to take our ships upon it ; but the English also grew
very uneasy, and made warm representations to his
Majesty on this subject, which produced private or
ders to the governors of Jamaica, and other neigh
bouring plantations, not only to avoid all commerce
with the Scots at Darien, but even to deny them
provisions. As it was foreseen that these measures
Avould naturally occasion great disturbances in that
part of the world, it was found requisite to send a
in a true light. It is a great misfortune, that we have not any
HISTORY of public companies, which would be both a useful and
entertaining work. What I have offered is very succinct, as the
nature of this history obliged me to make it. To give the reader
an accurate account of tliis business would take up some sheets^
and indeed the business deserves it.

60 NAVAL HISTORY
'squadron thither to protect our trade, to awe the
Spaniards, and to hinder the increase of pirates, which
had been very great ever since the conclusion of the
peace, occasioned chiefly by the multitude of priva
teers that Avere then thrown out of employment; and
having been long used to live by plunder, had not
either the will or the means to procure a subsistence
for themselves by any. honest employment. There
were also some other reasons which made the send
ing such a naval force requisite, as will appear in the
subsequent account of its proceedings.
Rear-admiral Benbow was made choice of to com
mand this squadron, Avhich consisted of three fourth
rates, and a small French prize. He sailed from
Portsmouth on the twenty-ninth of November, I698,
and arrived at Barbadoes the twenty-seventh of Fe
bruary following. He executed there, and at the
Leeward Islands, what he Avas directed by his in
structions to do, and being informed that the Spa
niards at Carthagena had seized two of our ships,
Avith an intent to employ them in an expedition they
Avere then meditating against the Scots at Darien,
he, like a brave and public-spirited commander, as
he really Avas, resolved to prevent it, and restore
these ships to their right owners. With this view he
stood over to the Spanish coast, and coming before
Boca-Chica castle, he sent his men on shore for wood
and water, which though he asked with great civility
of the Spanish governor, he would scarcely permit
him to take.*
This highly nettled the admiral, who thereupon
sent his own lieutenant to the governor, with a mes-
* London Gazette, No. 3450. Most people thought this squa
dron too small, too weakly manned, and sent too late in the year;
and many reflections to this purpose were thrown out in pamph
lets, to disturb fhe minds of the people, and alienate the affections
of the seamen. But Rear-admiral Benbo w's conduct was irreproach
able, and, though he Was a downright sailor, his manner of acting
was so engaging, that he not only performed more than was expect
ed, but returned with ample commendations from all onr colonics.

OF KING WILLIAM III. ei
sage, importing, that he not only wanted these ne-
cessariesj but that he came likewise for two English
ships that lay in the harbour, and had been detained
there some time, which, if not sent to him immediate
ly, he would come and take by force. The governor
ansAvered him, in very respectful terms, that if he
would leave his present station, in which he seemed
to block up their port, the ships should be sent out
to him. With this request the admiral, without the
least hesitation, complied ; but finding that the go
vernor trifled with him, and that his men were in
danger of falling into the country distemper, Avhich
doubtless the Spanish governor foresaw, he sent him
another message, that if in twenty-four hours the
ships were not sent him, he would come and fetch
them, ' and that, if he kept them longer than that
time, he would have an opportunity of seeing what
respect an English officer had to his Avoid. The
Spaniards, however, did not think fit to make the
experiment, but sent out the ships within ihe time;
with which the admiral returned to Jamaica, Avhere
he was received with much kindness and respect.
There he received an account, that the Spaniards
at Porto-Bello had seized several of our ships em
ployed in the slave-trade, on the old pretence, that
the settlement at Darien was a breach of the peace.
At the desire of the parties concerned, the admiral
sailed tliither also, and demanded these ships ; but
received a surly answer from the admiral of the Bar-
lovento-fleet, who happened to be then at Porto-*
Bello, Rear-admiral Benbow expostulated with him
on this head, insisting, that, as the subjects of the crown
of England had never injured those of his Catholic
Majesty, he ought not to make prize of their ships for
' injuries done by another nation. The Spaniards re
plied shrewdly, that since both the crowns were
placed on the same head, it was no wonder he mis
took the subjects of one crown for the other. Af
ter many altercations, however, and when the Spa»

62 NAVAL HISTORY
niards saw that the colony of Darien received no
assistance from Jamaica, the ships were restored.
The admiral, in the mean time, sailed in quest of a
person named Kidd, a pirate, who bad done a great
deal of mischief in the East and West Indies, and of
Avhom we shall have here after occasion to speak more
largely. On his return to Jamaica, towards the lat
ter end of the year, he received a supply of pro
visions from England, and, soon after, orders to return
home ; which he did Avith six men of war, taking
New England in his way.
While Rear-admiral Benbow was thus employed.
Vice-admiral Aylmer was sent with a strong squa-^
dron into the Mediterranean, in order to confirm our
treaties with the governments of Algiers, Tunis, and
Tripoli, which he performed very effectually ; for,
being a man of a generous temper, he executed all
things with such magnificence, and treated the de
puties sent on board him in a manner so well suited
to their tempers, that they were easily drawn to do
those things for him, which an officer of another dis
position would never have obtained.*
It was intended, too, that he should have secured
the galleons, in case the French attempted to seize
them on the death of the king of Spain, which was
daily apprehended ; but for this he certainly capie too
late, and though no body pretended to fix any inir
putation on his character in this respect, yet there
was great blame laid on the board of admiralty, for
not fitting out this fleet sooner. This, among many
other things, made up part of the charge brought
against the management of the navy by the House of
* London Gazette, 3427, This fleet sailed from Portsmouth,
September 13, 1698. But Mr. Burchet's account is so indistinct^
that Mr. Lediard, in transcribing it, thought this fleet was fitted out
in 1700, and under that year has placed it in his Naval History, I
ftm the more surprised at this, becauseJie takes notice of the Com.
inons address in 1699, which actually took its rise from an inquiry
into tli8 late fitting out of this squadron.

OF KING WILLIAM IIL ea
Commons, in their address to the king, presented in
the month of April, 1699; wherein, after taking
notice of the late sending of this fleet, they add,
" That the victualling any of his Majesty's ships by
others than by the victuallers appointed for that seiv
vice, or their agents, Avas contrary to the course
of the navy, and might be of ill consequence. That
many and new unnecessary charges had, in an ex
traordinary manner, been introduced into the navy,
which Avas a great mismanagement. That the de
ductions of poundage, taken by the pay-masters of
the navy, for slop-cloths, dead-men's wages, tobacco,
chest at Chatham, chaplain, and surgeon, Avas with^
out Avarrant, and ought to be accounted for. That
it was inconsistent with the service of the navy, for
the same person to be one of the commissioners for
executing the office of lord high-admiral and trea
surer of the navy at the same time. And that the
passing of any account of monies impressed for the
contingent uses of the navy, without regular vouch-
<ers, or such other proofs as the nature of the service ,
would admit, either with or without a sign manual,
was contrary to the rules and methods of the naA'y,
and of dangerous consequence. All Avhich they
begged leave to lay before his Majesty, desiring that
he would be graciously pleased to take effectual care,
that the mismanagements herein complained of might
be prevented for the future," The king gave a soft
answer, Avhich yet was satisfactory enough to this
charge. It ran in these words : "Gentlemen, I will
consider of your address. It is my desire that all
sorts of mismanagements and irregularities should be
prevented or redressed. You may be assured, that I
will take the best care I can in relation to the navy,
the right management whereof is of great concern to
the kingdom."
The earl of Orford, who was at this time at the
head of the navy, and who, as all our writers agree,
governed pretty absolutely, oa a supposition that

64 NAVAL HISTORY
bringing over to the court a body of men who had
been formerly looked upon as stubborn malecontents,
would justify every measure that he should think ne
cessary for so salutary a purpose, saw at what the
Commons were driving, and therefore very prudently
resolved to abate the edge of their resentment, by
laying down his employments, Avhich be did accord
ingly, and thereupon a new commission of admiralty
passed, in which the Earl of Bridgewater the Lord
Haversham, Sir Robert Rich, Sir George Rooke, and
Sir David Mitchel, were constituted commissioners.
And thus things were twisted about, rather as the
interest and influence of partiies required, than as
was fittest for the public service, which, though al-
Avays pretended in speeches and addresses, yet this
Avas so visibly a cloak for the pernicious designs of
party, that we may safely assert, private interest
was never more considered than at this time, when
nothing was so much talked of as public spirit ;* may
we live to see things conducted with wore sinr
cerity !
We are now come to a necessary part of this his
tory, which will appear one of the strongest instances
of the truth of the foregoing observation ; 1 mean,
the affair of Kidd, the pirate, wliich, byv an unac
countable strain of party-resentment, makes a con"
siderable figure in our general histories, and belongs,
in a particular manner,, to this ; for which reason I
shall treat it circumstantially, and, to the best of my
judgment, exactly agreeable lo truth ;¦—
There had been for many years loud and very just
complaints of piracies in the West Indies, which, for
* The carl of Orford was afterwards impeached, as we shall
have occasion to shew ; but tliere was never any proof offered on
that impeachment; and to be sure his lordship's faults were in his
ministerial character, and not as a commander. He was very
sincere and serviceable to his party, at the head of the admiralty
board ; but at sea forgot all distinctions, an(]l had regard tp p^»
thing but merit.

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 65
the sake of the profit made by purchasing their ill-
gotten goods, had met with too much encouragement
from the inhabitants of several of our plantations. This
induced King William, in the year I695, to declare
the earl of Bellamont, a nobleman of Ireland, and a
person of very great worth and honour, governor of
New York and of New England, believing him to be
a proper person to restrain such mischiefs, and in time
to put an end to the complaints made about them.
After he Avas raised to this station, and before he
set out for his government, he began to inquire as to
the most proper methods for extinguishing these
abuses, and represented it to one Colonel Levingston,
a gentleman of considerable property in New York,
as a thing Avhich nearly concerned the honour of that
plantation. This induced the colonel to mention to
his lordship Captain William Kidd, who was lately
arrived from New York in a sloop of his own, as a
brave bold fellow, Avho knew most of the pirates
haunts, arid might therefore be employed against
them with great probability of success. The carl
readily approved the scheme, and knowing how much
the king had the business at heart, mentioned it to
his Majesty, who applauded the design, and recom
mended it to the board of admiralty. But the pub
lic affairs being then in a perplexed situation, and
great difficulties found in manning the fleet, the
board, though they signified their approbation of the
thing, thought fit tp lay it aside,*
* Bishop Burnet and Mr, Oldmixon have both insisted pretty
largely on this matter. As to the former, he did not certainly
understand it; for he actually took the grant of pirates' goods to
be illegal and unjustifiable, and seems to intimate some hastiness
or imprudence in this business ; whereas nothing can be clearer
than that public spirit was the sole motive to this design, and that
Kidd's owners became so, because he could not be fitted .out
otherwise. As to the latter, though very prolix, yet his account
wants, in a great measure, the light of evidence, which arises very,
fully from an impartial stating of the matters of fact, and therefor*
1 have dwelt so long upon it,
VOL. III. *

66 NAVAL HISTORY
Colonel Levingston, having exact information of
all that had passed, applied himself a second time to
the earl of Bellamont, and offered an amendment to
his first project. He observed, that this was a thing
Avhich would admit of no delay ; and since the public
could not immediately bear the expence, or conse
quently undertake the intended expedition, it might
not be amiss if some few persons of distinction should
venture on carrying it into execution at their own
expence. This, too, was attended with much diffi
culty ; but at last it was agreed, that the lord'chan-
cellor, then Lord Somers, the duke of Shrewsbury,
the earl of Romney, the earl of Orford, and some
other persons, together with Colonel Levingston and
Kidd, who were to have between them a fifth of the
Avhole undertaking, should raise six thousand pounds
for the expence of the voyage.
The kmg was so well pleased with the thing, and
thought it of so great consequence as Avell as of so
iriuch benefit to the public, that he likewise promised
to contribute, and, therefore, a tenth part of the
goods taken from pirates was reserved to his Majesty
in the grant made of the rest to the persons engaged
in fitting out Kidd, But, Avhen the business was
brought to bear, the king could not advance the mo
ney coiweniently, and so the persons above-mentioned
Avere obliged to be at the whole expence. Captain
Kidd had a commission in the common form, to take
and seize pirates, and bring them to justice, without
any special clause or proviso whatever. He knew
none of the adventurers but tbe Lord Bellamont, Avho
introduced him to the earl' of Orford, and another
person carried him to the earl of Romney. As for
the rest, he never saw them ; and so little was there
of secrecy or management in this business, that he
had no instructions either public or private ; only
the earl of Bellamont gave him sailing orders, iu
which he was directed to act according to the letter
of his commission.

OF KING WILLIAM III. 67
Thus furnished, Captain Williani Kidd sailed in
the Adventure galley towards the end of the year
1695, for New York, and, in his way, took a French
prize. From thence he sailed to Madeira, thence to
Bonavista and St. Jago, from Avhence he proceeded to
lyiadagascar, and from thence he cruized at the en
trance of the Red Sea; but, effecting nothing, he
sailed to Calicut, and took a ship of one hundred
and fifty tons ; the master and three or four of the
crew were Dutchmen, the rest Moors : this ship he
carried to Madagascar ; from thence he sailed again,
and, about five weeks after, took the Quedah Mer
chant, of four hundred tons ; the master w^as one
Wright, an Englishman: she had on board tAVo Dutch
mates, and a French gunner; the crew were Moors,
in all about ninety persons.
The ship he carried to St. Mary's near Madagas
car, and there he shared tbe goods with his crew, >
taking forty shares to his own use. Here ninety of
his crew, who were a hundred and fifty-one in all,
left him, and went on board the Mocha Merchant,
an East India Company ship, which had turned pi
rate ; and there was every grain as much reason to
charge that company Avith the piracies the Mocha
Merchant's crew committed, as there Avas to charge
Kidd's adventurers Avith his. He and his men burnt
his own ship the Adventure galley at St. Mary's, and
they all went on board the Quedah Merchant, and
sailed for the West Indies, Being denied succour
at Anguilla and St. Thomas's, he sailed to Mona,
lying between Porto-Rico and Hispaniola, and there,
by the means of one Bolton, got some provisions
from Curacoa. He bought a sloop of Bolton, in
which he loaded part of his goods, and left the Que
dah Merchant, with the rest of the goods, in trust
.with Bolton, and seventeen or eighteen men in her.
In this sloop he touched at several places, and dis
posed of a great part of his goods, and at last came
to Boston in New England, where the earl of Bella-

68 NAVAL HISTORY
mont seized him and what goods he had left ; for
this fellow either had, or pretended to have, a notion
that the Quedah Merchant, being manned by Moors,
was a lawful prize, though there was no proof that
the commander of her and his crew had committed
any piracies on the Enghsh or any other European,
or indeed Indian nation.
As soon as this was done, his lordship sent advice,
of his taking Kidd, to England, and desired that a
ship might be sent to bring him home. This wa*
accordingly comphed with ; but the Rochester, Avhich
was the ship employed in this service, being disabled,
was forced to return, which heightened the clamour
that had been already raised about this transaction,
and which was outrageous in the very same propor
tion that it was groundless.
Thesource of this clamour was undoubtedly a private
pique to particular persons, which induced some Avarm
men to put a question in the House of Commons,
" That the letters-patent, granted to the earl of Bel
lamont and others, of pirates' goods, were dishonour
able to the king, against the law of nations, contrary
to the laws and statutes of this realm, an invasion of
property, and destructive to commerce," This was
carried in the negative, but it did not hinder those
who supported the question from charging Lord
Somers and the earl of Orford Avith countenancing
pirates ; and to give some colour to this groundless
and most improbable charge, as soon as it was known
that the Rochester was returned, it was suggested
that the sending that ship was mere collusion ; that
the earl of Bellamont was as deep in this affair as the
rest ; and upon this a motion Avas made, and carried
in the House of Commons, for an address to his Ma
jesty, that Kidd might not be tried till the next ses
sion of parliament, and that the earl of Bellamont
might be directed to send home all examinations and
other papers relating to this business, Avhich the king^'
promised very readily.

OF KING WILLIAM III, C3
This affair must naturally give his Majesty, and
indeed the whole Avorld, a strange opinion of the pa
triotism of those times. He knew the whole matter
better than any body, and Avas pleased to say, Avith
great truth and justice, that, ifhe might be admitted
as a witness, he could vindicate, from his own know
ledge, the noble persons now attacked, in all they
had dojie. He must, therefore, be thoroughly per
suaded, that this Avas a very unjust and iniquitous
prosecution, in relation to which, he had reason to
think himself happy, that he Avas not able to perform
his promise of contributing towards this design, since
that might have gi\'en a handle to some warm mem
ber for calling him pirate, as Mr. Howe actually
called him a. felon, for making the treaty of parti
tion, to which we shall speedily come.
Bnt, how clear soever the king and other impartial
judges might be, this spirit was still so prevalent in
the House of Commons, that, even after making
some inquiries into this fact, aud having not only
his examination, but Kidd himself in their power,
Avhom they ordered to be brought to their bar, and
questioned him there, very little to their credit or to
the purpose, yet, Avhen they afterwards found an op
portunity of attacking the earl of Orford and Lord
Somers by impeachments, they did not fail to throw
in their encouragement of Kidd as part of the charge.*
In the articles against the earl of Orford, they make
the fifth and sixth, Avhicb, for the satisfaction of the
reader, I shall throw into the notes, to shew with
* It was pretended that Kidd would make discoveries, and
upon this he was sent for to the bar of the House of Commons,
where he behaved very meanly : and Sir Edward Seymour, who
Bent for him, said, " The fellow was not more a knave than a
fool." But the true intent of bringing him thither was, to set up
another discovery, viz. That, before he returned to Newgate, he
went to the house of thfe earl of Halifax, and conferred there with
the lords who were said to be concerned with him j but of this the
proof was as weak as the story incredible.

70 NAVAL HISTORY
how great solemnity the most trifling affair may be
made to appear.*
The earl of Orford's answer will sufficiently declare
* " V. And whereas complaints were made to the commis
sioners for executing the office of lord-high admiral of England ;
where the said earl at that time presided, by the company trading
to the East Indies, of divers piracies committed in the South Seas
to the destruction of their trade, desiring they might have letters of
marque granted to them, whereby to be empowered, though at
their own charge, to suppress such piracies : but the said earl,
preferring his own interest, discouraged and rejected their request
and proposal, and in some short time after, jointly with others,
did procure a commission for one William Kidd, as likewise a
grant under the great seal of England, to and for the use of him
the said earl and others, of the ships and goods of certain persons
therein named, and also of all the goods found on board the said
ships. And the said company having intimation of a commission
granted to the said Kidd, being apprehensive of the ill consequences
of the same, did apply themselves to the said board of admiralty,
desiring to know what powers and instructions were given : but
such their reasonable request was denied, and Kidd, who was
known to be a person of ill fame and reputation, ordered to pur
sue the intended voyage, in which he did commit divers piracies
and depredations on the high seas, being thereto encouraged
through the hopes of being protected by the high station and in
terest of the said earl, in violation of the laws of nations, and the
interruption and discouragement of the trade in England,
" VI. That the said carl, within the time aforesaid, when an
horrid conspiracy was discovered against his Majesty's sacred
person, aud the kingdom was under an apprehension of an im
mediate invasion from P' ranee, and divers ships of war, particu
larly the ship Duchess, were armed out, and equipped and manned
in defence of ijhe realm, to oppo>e the intended invasion, did his
utmost endeavour to prejudice his office, being the first commis
sioner for executing the office of lord-high admiral of England,
without the privity of the other commissioners, contrary to his
oath and duty, and preferring his hopes of gain to himself to the
safety of the public, did order Captain Stew.ard, commander of
the ship Duchess, to deliver over, and put on board, the said
Kidd, mentioned in the foregoing article, out of the said ship the
Duchess, a great number of able seamen, levied and provided at
the expence of the public, and then discharging their duty in de
fence of their country, and against their own consent, to the pre.
judice of the public security, and to the endangering the said ship
the Duchess, if it had boen attacked by the enemy,"

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 71
hoAV little foundation there Avas in fact for what the
commons advanced, and, therefore, I shall give what
he offisrs, as to these two articles, in his own words :
"As to the fifth article," says his lordship, " the
East India Company, about the beginning of March,
1696, did apply to the admiralty-board, of which the
said earl was one, to empoAver their ships and officers
to seize and take all pirates infesting the seas within
the limits of their charter, and likewise to erect a
court of admiralty in those parts, to try and condemn
such pirates as they should take. Upon which ap
phcation, the board of admiralty did take advice, and
were informed they had no authority to grant the
same, and denies he, the said earl, ever discouraged
or rejected the Company's request therein, unless it
Avere by telling thein, that the admiralty by laAV,
could not grant the same ; and denies that the Com
pany was ever denied letters of marque in common
form, to the knowledge of the said earl: and saith,
as to the matter of Kidd in this article mentioned,
he was gone upon his expedition about twelve months
before that time; and as to his commission, and the
grant in the said article mentioned, the said earl
humbly conceives, and is advised, the same were not
contrary to laAV, but sure he is the said expedition
was intended for the public good and service; and
saith, the said Kidd had no powers or instructions
from the board of admiralty, other than the ordinary
and common letters of marque, the contents Avhereof
are common and well known to merchants ; and the
said earl doth deny that he kncAV the said Kidd to
be of ill fame and reputation. But, in case the said
Kidd had committed any piracies, he the said
Kidd is answerable, and ought to answer for the
same, he never being ordered by the said earl so to
do, nor had he ever any the least encouragement
given him by the said earl, or any other, to his know
ledge, to expect or hope for any protection therein,
or in any illegal action done or committed by him,"

73 NAVAL HISTORY
But his lordship's answer to the latter article is
still stronger. In that he says, " He believes it to
be true, that there was a horrid and barbarous plot
and conspiracy against his Majesty's sacred person,
and that there was an apprehension of an immediate
invasion. But tbe said earl hopes, no neglect of duty
in his station can be imputed to him to prevent the
same. And as for the ship Duchess, which w^
amongst many others, armed and equipped in de
fence of the realm, the said earl saith, that the men,
in the said article mentioned to be taken from on
board her, were but some ef the very persons that
Avere just before taken from on board Captain Kidd,
and returned by their own consent on board Captain
Kidd again, not being above twenty in number; and
saith, all fisars of the invasion were then over, and at
an end ; and denies that the same Avas intended to
weaken, or did Aveaken, the said ship, or the navy-
royal, or that the said seamen, so returning on board
the said Kidd, Avere levied or provided at the ex-
pence of the pubhc, or did return, or were put on
board the said Kidd against their own consent, or to
the prejudice of the public security, or that the ship
Duchess was thereby endangered, if she had been
attacked, as in the said article is alleged,"
These articles Avere agreed to by the Hous^ of
Commons on the Sth of May, I701, the very day
that Kidd was brought upon his trial for piracy at
the Old Bailey, Avhere he Avas convicted, with many
of his companions, and soon after executed; but
could never be prevailed upon, as weak and as bad a
man as he was, to charge any of the noble persons,
who were his owners, with having any thing to do
with his proceedings. Yet, even after his death, the
Cotnmons, in an impeachment by them preferred
against John Lord Somers, charge him as lord-keCper
of the great seal of England, in conjunction with the
earl of Orford, first commissioner of the admiralty,
and Richard earl of Bellamont, governor of New

OF KING WILLIAM III. ' 73
York and of Ncav England, and of others then in
great stations, and in high power and authority, for
sealing a commission to one William Kidd, a person
of evil fame and reputation, since convicted of piracy,
and with procuring a grant of pirates' goods to be
taken by the said "Vi^illiam Kidd, under colour of the
said commission, in trust for himself and other per
sons, with abundance more to the same purpose, in
tended purely to hurt that lord's character, and ren
der it impossible for his Majesty to employ him
longer in his service ; though his lordship, conscious
of his own innocence, took every measure possible
to have this matter brought to a fair, open, and
speedy trial.
But while things were thus carried on at home,
the nation suffered exceedingly for want of due care
being taken to put an end to those depredations
committed by pirates abroad, and, therefore, several
experienced officers were sent to Madagascar, where
they had made a very strong settlement, in order to
root out and destroy them ; but Avith so little success,
that the government began at last to despair of ef
fecting any thing in this Avay, till Mr. Secretary
Burchet, and I speak it to his honour, devised a me
thod \yhich answered the end very speedily. This
was, sending a proclamation by Captain James Lit
tleton, who Avas afterwards a flag-officer, and com
missioner of the navy, promising pardon to all the
pirates who surrendered, and a leward in case they
would secure and deliver up any of their commanders.
This soon brought in many of the private men, and
made the rest, especially their chiefs, so jealous of
each other, that they could not hold together, or
venture upon any new enterprises : so that Captain
Littleton, having brought off some, and separated the
rest, very soon destroyed such as were most refrac
tory, and re-established that free navigation which
had been so long interrupted in those parts, I know
that this will seem to some a very trivial affair to be

74 NAVAL HISTORY
so long insisted on ; but as it shews the spirit of those
times, and accounts for a very famous persecution, I
hope the majority of those who peruse this work, will
not think it impertinent, especially as it has some
connection throughout with the subject of this
book. But we now return to matters of a more public
concern. A war had arisen between the kings of
Denmark and Sweden, which greatly affected the
peace of the north; a thing that can never happen
Avithout interesting the maritime powers. It will be
necessary to say something as to the grounds of this
war, because the 'part we took in it was very much
to the honour of the English nation, and ought to
establish it as a maxim, that whenever it is really ne
cessary to assist our allies, we ought to do it vigo
rously, and at once ; Avhich is the Avay not only to
serve them, but to save a very considerable expence
to us. There was, towards the close of the year
1699, a private treaty made by several princes for
attacking the king of Sweden, afterwards the famous
Charles the Twelfth, but then a perfect youth, and
even for dismembering the Swedish monarchy. Ac
cording to this scheme, the king of Denmark was to
invade Holstein, the elector of Brandenbourg Avas to
fall into the Swedish Pomerania, the king of Poland
Avas to attack Livonia, and in case the dukes of Zell
and Hanover moved to the assistance of the Swedes^
the Landgrave of Hesse, and the duke of Wolfen-
buttle, were to fall upon them.
This was an aUiance founded intirely upon interest
and ambition, for the Swedes had 'done nothing to
deserve this treatment ; and therefore, upon the "first
breaking out of this confederacy, his Swedish Ma
jesty addressed himself to King William and the
States-General, as guarantees of the treaties made for
securing the tranquillity of the north, by preserving
there a proper balance of power. At first it was
thought requisite to interpose only our good offices*

OF KING WILLIAM JII. 75
But when the king of Denmark over- ran Holstein, and
the king of Poland first attempted to surprise, and
then besieged Riga in Livonia, it became necessary
to take other measures, especially when it was known
that the Czar was inclined to enter into the confede
racy. The point in debate with his Majesty was,
whether he should do what was necessary, and what
he was obliged to by treaties, without consulting the
House of Commons ; or whether he should lay the
whole matter before the parliament, and leave the
decision of it to them. Some of the ministry were
for taking the latter method, but the king was for the
former, and with good reason; he said, the execu
tive part of the government was in him, and there
fore he would do Avhat was fit for him to do, and ac-
tjuaint the parliament Avith it at their next meeting.
His Majesty, inthe spring of the year 1700, sent
over a strong squadron to Holland, under the com
mand of Sir George Rooke, who, in the latter end
of May, was joined by a Dutch squadron; and, hav
ing the command of the whole fleet, he sailed for the
Sound, where he arrived about the middle of June.
There he found the Danish fleet, consisting of twenty-
eight sail of line-of-battle ships, ranged athAvart the
narroAV passage, under the guns of their castle of
Cronenburgh, opposite to Helsingburg ; and here also
he received assurance from Count Wutchtriieister,
admiral-general of Sweden, that he Avould take the
first opportunity of joining him AA'ith the squadron
under his command. Not long after, a signal was
made, as had been agreed, from Helsingburg, that
the Danish fleet were under sail ; whereupon our ad
miral weighed anchor, and advanced into the Sound,
to prevent any mischief which might otherwise hap
pen to the Swedes. But the Danish ships anchored "~
again on this side of the grounds, not only to guard
the passage, but to , prevent our joining Avith the
Swedish squadron, which were now come down to
the south-side of that channel.

76 NAV^VL HISTORY
In this posture the fleets lay for some time, Sir
George Rooke expecting that the Swedes Avould, ac
cording to what had been promised, have pushed
through ; which in all probability they might haA-e
done in less than tAvo hours, for it had blown fresh
at S. S. E, But the opportunity being lost, he got
under sail, and came nearer to the island of Huen.
Meanwhile the Danes plyed towards him in a line of
battle, but anchored about noon nearly three leagues
off, in the mouth of the channel leading up to Co-*
penhagen, and the Swedes were much about the same
distance on the other side of the grounds. The
Danes then endeavoured to amuse the admiral Avith
an account of a treaty, in .hopes that, Avhile it Avas
negociating, he would suspend hostilities; but he
pursued the spirit of his instructions, Avhich required
him to promote not a negociatlon, but a peace ; and
therefore, being informed that the Swedish fleet had
passed the channel of Flinterena on the third of July,
he sailed the next day, and anchoring off Landscroon,
the Swedish fleet joined him on the sixth ; upon
Avhich the Danes retired into their harbour, Avnere
they Avere very Avell secured ; and though the united
fleets pretended to bombard them in the port of Co
penhagen, yet either they could not, or Avould not,
do them much mischief.
The confederate fleet consisted of fifty-two ships of
the line ; but as so great a strength was not necessary
to keep in the Danes, part was detached for other
purposes; for there were sent to Gottenburga fourth
and a fifth rate of the English, and three ships of the
States-General, to cover the forces which the king' of
Sweden intended to transport to Tonningen, on the
river of Eyder, and three English, with six Swedish,
together with three Dutch ships, were ordered into
the south channel going into Copenhagen, with the
bomb-vessels, from whence they bombarded the
Danish fleet some hours, but not with much greater
success than before ; nor did those on our side receive

OF KING WILL|^M III. 77
any damage from their shells, or the shot from the
town, the ships and the puntoons. Preparations were
now making for a vigorous descent in Roge-bay, and
between Copenhagen and Elsinore at the same time ;
but the winds being contrary, those troops which
embarked at Udstedt, being chiefly horse, could not
get over to the bay before-mentioned, as was intended,
so that they were put on shore, and ordered to Land
scroon and Helsingburg, to be transported from
thence ; and the latter end of July, the king of
Sweden landed with about five thousand foot, near
four miles on this side Elsinore, without any great
loss, although the Danes had brought down a body
of horse and foot, and three or four field-pieces, to
oppose them.
This quick motion was intended to accelerate the
negociations that were then carrying on, and it had
the desired effect ; for the Danes, excessively alarmed
at so unexpected a proceeding, sent orders to their
plenipotentiaries at Travendale to sign the prelimi
naries on the terms proposed by the mediators ; and
this being signified to Sir George Rooke, he refused
to let the combined fleet cover any longer the descent
of the Swedes, there being enough already done to se
cure a peace, which Avas signed on the eighteenth of
August, 1700, and left the king of Sweden at liberty
to act against the Czar and the king of Poland, Avho
had both invaded his dominions in this critical junc
ture. This Avhole transaction was extremely honourable,
and at the same time very advantageous to the ma
ritime powers, who cannot, as I observed, be at any
time, consistent with their interests, tame spectators
of a war in the north. If they had not assisted the
Swedes, Avho were then the weakest, the Danes
would have drawn the negociation into a great length,
Avhile their allies Avere distressing the king of Sweden
in different parts of his dominions ; and, on the other
hand, if the co^ibined fleets had acted as vigorously

78 " NAVAL HISTORY
as the king of Sweden Avould have had thcni, thft
island of Zealand must have been reduced, and per
haps the city of Copenhagen taken, which would
have inclined the balance too much the other way.
This was the true reason that the bombardment had
so little effect, and Sir George did not affect to con
ceal it: for when King Charles complained to him,
that the Enghsh bombs flew over, and the Dutch
fell short of the Danish fleet, and that he wondered
the maritime powers sent so great a strength to do
nothing ; Admiral Rooke answered him very calmly,
" Sir, I Avas sent hither to serve your Majesty, but
not to ruin the king of Denmark," " Why then,"
replied the King, smiling, " you have certainly ex
ecuted your commission, and have made such a war
as will make a peace."
When the business was done, the combined fleets
returned, and the States-General were so sensible of
the prudent management of the English admiral, that
they thanked his Majesty for having intrusted him
with the commission, I cannot help observing upon
this occasion, that when Sir George Rooke, Avas so
unlucky as to labour under the displeasure of a pow
erful party in England, he was known and acknow^
ledged in Holland to be the best officer, and the
greatest seaman of the age. This, perhaps, was the
reason, that, notwithstanding the difference of par
ties. King Wilham always preserved a good opinion
of this gentleman, and employed him as long as he
lived in the most important commands.
In Scotland things ran very high on the old subject
of complaint; viz. the ruin of the Darien colony.
Things were printed on both sides on purpose to in
flame the minds of the people, and many thought
that it would at last have created a breach between
the two nations. The coldness of the king's temper
prevented this; he could not either be heated by the
Enghsh representations, or blown into a passion by
the hasty resolutions of. the Scots parliament; ao.d

OF KING WILLIAM IIL 79
bis moderation towards each of them, if it did not
bring them both to a good temper, which was indeed
never effected in his reign, yet it gave him an oppor
tunity to keep the wisest people iu England and in
Scotland firm to his government, Avhile, in the mean
time, many unforeseen accidents brought about the
ruin of the Scots company ; so that the ends of their
English adversaries Avere ansAvered, without their
having recourse to any harsh means ; for after Cap
tain Drummond ran avpay with the Rising Sun, and
engaged in some exploits which had too much the
air of piracy, it was found impracticable to restore
the affairs of the company, though the matter hung
in suspence, and the fire of dissension lay raked up
under the embers as long as King William lived, and
had nearly blazed out in the reign of his successor;
as will be hereafter shewn in its proper place.
We are now td return to affairs nearer home. The
death of the king of Spain changed all the affairs of
Europe, and forced us, who had so lately made a-
very necessary peace, upon a new, expensive, and
dangerous war, contrary to the genius, at least, if
not, as the patriots of those times asserted, to the in
terest of the nation.* It is certain that the King did

* In order to be sensible of this, we need dnly cast our eyes on
the following passage of my Lord Somers's letter to King William,
dated from Tunbridge- wells, August 28, 169S, in answer to one
written by the King in relation to the first treaty of partition.
" The second thing considered was the very ill prospect of what
was likely to happen upon the death of the king of Spain, in case
nothing was done previously in providing against that accident,
which seemed probably to be very near, the king of France having
so great a force in such a readiness, that he was in a condition to
take possession of Spain, before any other prince could be able to
make a stand. Your Majesty is the best judge whether this be the
case, who are so perfectly informed of the circumstances of parts
abroad. " But, so far as relates to England, it would be want of duty
not to give your Majesty this clear account : That there is a dead-
ness and want of spirit in the nation universally, so as not at all to
be disposed to tlie thought of entering into a new war ; that they

80 NAVAL HISTORY
all he could to avoid it, and that this was the great,;
if not the sole foundation of the two famous partition
treaties, which were so much exclaimed against by
those, whose steady opposition to a Avar had first
brought the king and his ministry to think of them.
It bas been much disputed, whether the French
king or the confederates meant least to keep these
treaties Avhen they were made ; but it so falling out,
that the French king had a fairer opportunity of
breaking the last than the confederate princes, this
furnished them with an opportunity of charging him'
Avith breach of faith, and forging the king of Spain's:
Avill, which, hoAvever, were things believed by such
only, as knew little of the matter, since ithere never
Avas a state-resolution taken with better advice, and
more deliberation, than that of King Charles the Se
cond's, calling the duke of Anjou, afterwards King
Phihp V. to the succession.
It has been also said, that the proclaiming the
prince of Wales on the death of King James II. by
the French king Avas one of the causes of the war ;
and whoever looks upon the public acts of those'
'times, I mean declarations, addresses, votes, &c.
will think the fact certain. Yet I am pretty confident"
it was t|uite otherwise, since King William signed the
grand alliance at the Hague a Aveek before King James
died. But this pretence of the French king's breach-
of treaty and of his word was very plausible, and'
therefore it was very prudent to lay so great stress
upon it, because it served to raise the resentments of ^
the nation, and to excite that spirit that was Avant
ing, and which much better motives never would
have raised.*
eeemed to be tired out wkh taxes, to a degree beyond what was
discerned, till it appeared upon the occasion of the late elections.
This is the'truth of the fact, upon which your Majesty will deter-'
mine what resolutions are proper to be taken."
* The citation in the last note sufficiently shews the king's sen.'
timents, and those of his minister, upon this subject ; and there-'
i'ore, as I write at such a distance of time, when truth must be'

OF KING WILLIAM III. 81
• I would by no means be understood to censure this
war as unreasonable or unjust ; in doing this I should:
quit my. character as an historian, and at the same
time write contrary to my opinion. ' All I aim at is, to
distinguish grounds from pretences, and to justify.
King William's measures in this respect from their true
motives, rather than from those \vhich were used only.
to colour them in compliance Avith the nation's tem
per at that time. The king, who Avas a very wise
man, and a consummate poUtician, saw plainly, that)
the Spanish succession, if it fell entirely into the hands:
of the house of Bourbon, would leave it absolutely in
the . power of that house to give law to the rest of
Europe, and to destroy that independency so neces
sary to Great Britain and Holland, which yet results
from the balance that had hitherto been kept betAveeii;
that family and the House of Austria. He ,saw, too,
that the sense which other powers had of their parti
cular ,grievances and immediate danger from the
power of tbe French king, afforded the means of com
bining such a, force as might be able to bring that
monarch to reason, and to consent to such an es-ta-
bhshment as would leave things in their former state, i
and secure the several potentates of Europe in the pos-.
session of their just rights.
serviceable, and can do no hurt, I think I have a right to speak
plainly, otherv»ise I should not have exercised it. As to the ad
dresses from all parts of England, in which tho French king's cha
racter is very roughly treated on account of his proclaiming a per
son whom some call prince of Wales, and others an impostor, I
can only say, that it was politically right at that time to encourage'
them. But as to the perfidiousness of the French king, it is not
so clear in this case, because, he knew at the ti,mc, King William.'
had • negociated a new grand alliance, and consequently stood to
him in the light of his capital enemy. The excuse, indeed, he
made for proclaiming the son of King James was trifling and disin
genuous. He said it was no breaqh of the treaty of Ryswick, be
cause he gave him the titles only of king- of England, &e. but did
not assist him to recover them. On the otlier hand. King AVil
liam wrote a letter to thgnew king of Spain, to felicitate him on his
accession, though he never intended to own him. These ar* act*
A)f policy, .not of perfidy, • , . ¦ ¦ '
VOL, III. G

82 NAVAL HISTORY
• This induced him to engage reciprocally Papists
and Protestants to support each other's pretensions ;
for, by the grand alliance. Great Britain and the
States undertook to procure satisfaction to the Pope,
as, on the other hand, the emperor and other Catholie
princes stipulated to support the Protestant interest,
and maintain the rights of the maritime powers in res
pect to their commerce. This it was that made the
whole a common cause ; and, though these articles
exposed the alliance to very popular objections
amongst party men at home and abroad^ yet to per
sons of judgment and sagacity, of clear heads and
candid hearts, nothing could recommend it more.
In all confederacies the good of the whale must be
regarded, and to this the particular views of all the
separate princes and powers Avho compose it must
give way ; and therefore if, considering things in this
light, the general alliance formed against France in
1701, was right and well founded, all the cavils,
raised against it from the party-spirit that prevailed
here, Avere equally frivolous and unjust.*
When the resolution Avas once taken to have re
course again to arms in order to preserve tbe balance
of power, the first care was for the fleet, Avhich his
Majesty resoh^ed should be much superior to that of
the enemy, his Majesty being extremely sensible of
tlie ill consequences that attended the want of this
salutary precaution at the beginning of the last Avar.
Preparatory to this Avas the new commission of the
admiralty in the spring of the year 1 70 1, at the heatji
of which Avas placed the earl of Pembroke, a man uni-^
versally beloved and esteemed.
The command of the fleet Avas very judiciously be
stowed upon Sir George Rooke, who on the second
* This is the substance of all the Starte Tracts that were written iw
tl>ose times, and which served, as they generally do, only to pu2-
zlc and confound people ; whereas we, being now out of the reach
of their influence, see things as they were, and are able to crowed
the substanes pf many pamphlets intp » SHigle paragraph.

OF KtNG WILLIAM IIL 8*
of Julj/j Avent on board the 'Triulhph in the Downs,
where he hoisted the flag. He soon after sailed to
Spithead, where he was speedily joined by the rest of
the fleet, consisting of forty-eight ships of the line^
besides frigates, fire-ships and small vessels. He had
Under him some of the greatest seamen of the age ;
¦viz. Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Sir Thomas Hopson, John
Benbow, Esq. and Sir John Munden : he Avas, not
long after, reinforced by fifteen Dutch men of Avar of
the line, besides frigates and small vessels, under the
command of Lieutenant-Admiral AllemOnde, Vice-
admiral Vandergoes, and Rear-admiral Waessenaan
The Avhole fleet Avas obliged to wait at St. Helen's
until the middle of August for want of provisions J
and when he put to sea, the wind blew in a few hours
so high, that he was constrained to put back again
into Torbay, Towards the latter end of the mouthy
he sailed from thence, and on the sedond of September
he detached Vice-admiral Benbow Avith a stout sfciua-^
dron for the West Indies : and as this was the princi
pal business of the fleet, and indeed a thing in itself
of the highest importance, the admiral detached a
Strong squadron of English ships under the command
of Sir John Munden, and ten sail of Dutch men of
War, besides frigates, under Rear-admiral Waesse-
naar, to see the West India squadron Avell into the
6ea. The French expected that this fleet AifOuld have
actually proceeded to the Mediterranean, and it Avas
to confirm them in this belief, Ave had demanded the
free use of the Spanish harbours ', btit this was only to
conceal things, and to gain an opportunity of sending
a squadipn early to the West Indies, without putting-
it in the power of the French to procure any exact: ac
count of its strength: the admiral, after performing
this, cruised according to his instructions for some
time, and then returned with the largest ships into
the Downs.*
' * Some of these people seem to find fault with Sir George Rooke
«n account of his doing little while he was at sea with so great a
G a

84 NAVAL HISTORY
After this fleet was sent to sea, his Majesty, on
the 18th of January, thought proper to revoke his
letters-patent to the commissioners of the admiralty,
and to appoint the right honourable Thomas earl of
Pembroke and Montgomery, lord high-admiral of
England and Ireland, and of the foreign plantations.
The design of this promotion Avas to be rid of the dis
advantages attending a hoard : and this end it an
swered perfectly ; for his lordship immediately sent
away Captain Edmund Loades to Cadiz to bring
home the sea stores, and the merchants' effects be
fore the Avar broke out, as also two hulks that had
been left in that harbour, from the time of the last
Avar, for the greater conveniency of careening our
ships Avhich remained in that port. This the captain,
Avith his small squadron, consisting but of three fri
gates, effectually performed.
His lordship also took the like care of our trade in '
all other parts, and, by his extraordinary prudence,
remarkable patience, and being very easy of access,
gave much more satisfaction to the merchants and to
the officers of the fleet, than any of the boards of ad
miralty, since they Avere first introduced, had ever
done. Indeed his lordship's merit and success in this
arduous employm<ent, Avas so conspicuous and so uni
versally acknowledged, that it is not easy to under
stand upon Avhat principles the management of the
fleet was changed in the ensuing year, except that it
might be thought necessary to raise Prince George of
Denmark to.that dignity, that he might appear to
have had a principal concern in advising and manag
ing affairs ; which, however, Avas in this respect but
very little to his royal highness's advantage, as will be
fleet. But the merit of this admiral was, that he alw.ays knew,.
and did, what was to be done. This was a fleet of amusement,
the war was not declared, and, therefore, the longer Sir George
could keep the French and their allies in suspence, the greater ser
vice he did ; though, without this key, hasty people plight mistake
the thing, and believe he ^d no service at all.

OF KING WILLIAM III. 85
shewn in our account of transactions under the next
reign,* The war was now the great object of our councils
as Avell as those of France, though hitherto it was not
dcclarerl, and negociations Avere still carried on in
Holland, as if both parties had inclined to an amicable
determination of tliese differences, which was, how
ever, the intention of neither. The expectation of a
rupture made our sea officers exceedingly alert, and
put them upon shewing their zeal sometimes a little
too much. For instance, the marquis of Caermar-
iheu's yacht fired upon a French ship in the harbour
of Rotterdam, to oblige her to strike, which she did
immediately. Tlie commander of the yacht not satis
fied with this, sent for the master of the French ves
sel on board, and obliged him to pay twelve livres for
the shot. This was complained of by Count D'A-
vaux, the French minister in very high terms ; and it
is very probable, that the States would have express
ed their dislike of it at another season, but things
Avere then in such situation, that it was not thought
proper to animadvert on these accidents, whatever
might have been thought of them at another time.
The States, indeed, were obliged to unite themselves
closer than ever to Great Britain, since their safety,
,as well as ours, depended on the force of this alliance,
as that did on our union. f
* This is a strong proof of King William's justice and good
sense. Many of the enemies of that prince have remarked, that
he introduced here the Dutch custom of boards, by putting all
great offices into commission ; but hitherto nobody has remarked,
that, when he resolved to enter into a second general war, he very
prudently and hone.stly altered this method in the navy, by ap
pointing a lord high-admiral; which shews, that he was more in
tent pn the nation's beina; well served at sea, than on his ministers
being well supported ia the House of Commons,
+ This steadiness of the States was chiefly owing to their coufi-
depce in King William, which, without question, induced them
to enter into this long and dangerous war, though they were so
much exjiiiu.sted by the former. Jlis ;Majesty, no doubt, pressed
them to it, because ha thought it their interest, as it really was^.

ea NAVAL HISTORY
In the midst of these preparations, however, care
was taken of a point Avhich nearly concerned trade,
apd that Avas the uniting the two Ea,st India Compa
nies, which Avas done under an act of arbitration,
wherein Lord Godolphin and Mr. Hariey, after-:
wards earl of Oxford, were for the old company, and
Lord Halifax for the ne\y. By this instrument it was
agreed, that the old company's stock in the funds
should be transferred to the ncAV, 3»nd that the old
pompany should purchase of the new as much of their
stock as, Avith that which was transferred by the old,
should make up a moiety of the whole capital of the
united companies. The old company were likewise
to give an equivalent for the new company's dead
stock. During seven years each company was to
have an equal power in the administration of the fund
and trade ; and to that end twelve persons were to b§
yearly appointed by the general courts of each com
pany respectively, who AA'here to be styled Managers
OF THE United Trade to India ; and after these
seven years were expired, the old company were to
surrender their charters, and the new company was;
thenceforward to change its style, and to be called
The United Company of Merchants trading
TO the East Indies : and this agreement was the
foundation of that company Avhich has subsisted with
so great credit to themselves, and benefit to the
pation, ever since.
One of the last act:^ of King William's adqfinistra-
tion Avas, a solemn message to the lower house of par^
liament, in relation to an union between England and
Scotland, in Avhich he said " He should esteem it a
peculiar felicity, if" during his reigr^, some happy ex-
^nd o\irs top. Yet such has been thfs violence of partjes, that the
Tories here have charged King William with making us principals
in this war to serve the Dutch, ^yhile the patriots in Holland have
loaded his memory with the imputation of sacrificing the interest of
the republic to those of his three kingdoms. It is hard to say,
which is most wonderful, the wisdom and integrity of the king.
or the ingratitude of the people in both countries. -

OF KING WILLIAM III. 87
pedient for making both kingdoms one, might take
place, and, therefore, he Avas extremely desirous a
treaty for this purpose might be set on foot, which
he therefore recommended in the most earnest manner
to the House of Commons." In compliance with
the message, the house did appoint a day to consider
of the proposition contained ^therein : but the death
of the king prevented their coming to any resolution.
Before this hafjpened, however, they resolved that
forty thousand men should be granted for the service
of the fleet in the ensuing year, and shewed such an
inclination to enter heartily into all the measures ne
cessary to render the grand alliance effectual towards
the ends for which it was made, that the French,
who little expected that such a spirit would be shewn
in this parliament, were much surprised, as easily
foreseeing that the new war would distress theiui
rnuch more than the old had ever done, because it was'
likely to be better managed.
His extraordinary attention to business, is thought
to have hastened tihe king's decease, which happened
on the Sth of March, 1701-2, about eight in the
morning. He died, as he lived, Avith great steadi
ness of mind, and shewed himself, in his last mo
ments, as much a hero as he had ever done iu the
field. I ought now to say somewhat of this prince's
character, and to sum up all with a general view of
the capital events i'n his reign ; but as I have already
treated very copiously of such as have any afiinity
with, the principal design of this AVork, and as the
fame of King William III, stands in no need of my
feeble assistance, I shall content myself with saying,
that never any prince better understood the general
interest of Europe, or pursued it with greater firm
ness,* and that whatever unlucky accidents fell out iu
* The reader, if he is inclined to pursue this snbject farther,
may consult Kennet, Burnet, Oldmixon, the Life of King WiU
liam, &c, where h.(i will often find, that flattery is as dangerous to
the reputation of a prince, as prejudice itself. Some writers, out

88, NAVAL HISTORY &c. >
his reign, to the prejudice of" our affairs, were not s«
much owing to any mistakes in his conduct, as to the
circumstances of the tifiies, our own unfortunate divi?
sion.s, and the fatal consequences of both.
The only thing now left to be performed, before av©
proceed to another chapter, is, the collecting, as far
as the slender memoirs-that have come to our hands
AviU allow, some account of the most eminent seamen
Avho died in this reign ; and in treating of these, the
reader is desired to remember, that no party is espous-.
ed ; that every man is considered as a person of
Avorth and honour, so far as he pursued his principles,
and was just to the prince he served, and faithful tO'
the interest of his country. By the help of this ner
cessary and Avell fountled distinction, avc shall be
able to do strict justice to all those brave men who.
exposed their lives in their country's service at sea,
of what party soever they were, or were reputed ;
which, however, hath been seldom done in a work;-
of this kind, where, generally speaking, the heroes
are all on one side, and there are none but indifferent
people on the other : Avhereas, in truth, there is no
foundation for such characters, honest and brave men
being found alike on both sides, though they have
sometimes had the misfortune to be hated and defam
ed by such as have less regard to merit than opinion,
and who thought it excusable to raise a clamour
against a great man in an opposite interest, though
they Avere sensible this clamour sprung from prejudice,
and not any love to justice. These reflections I
thought necessary, to prevent the reader's being sur
prised by what he meets with in the following pages,
Avherein I have as much disregarded the common cry,
as I have been careful, by an accurate comparison of
of pure zeal, would make King William more than man ; and
others, blinded by malice, refuse to see, what his actions made
visible to all the world, that he was one of . the greatest men, and
one of the wisest pringcs, in every respect, of the age in Avhich hft
lived, . .

HISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF GEORGE LEGGE, 89
facts, to come as near, in every instance as I could,
to the naked truth, which, when discovered, I have
not either exaggerated or concealed.

GEORGE LEGGE,
baron of DARTMOUTH, &c.
If remarkable loyalty, and a steady adherence to-
the interest of the prince who raised him, joined with
all the abilities requisite to fill the many high employ
ments he possessed, ought to render the memory of a
man valuable to posterity, then the memoirs of Lord
Dartmouth deserve our utmost attention ; for he was,
even in the opinion of such as were not his friends,
one of the ablest and best men of the ao-e in which he
lived, or, to express it in the words of a writer who
ought always to meet with credit when he speaks
Avell of the dead, " The worthiest nobleman of the
court of King James II."* to whose fortunes he ad
hered, though he had always opposed with firmnes?
the councils which were the causes of his distress,
. The family of Legge came over hither from Italy,
Avhere to this day the eldest branch are nobles of
Venice, Here in England there are two flourishing-
families of this name; onejn Herefordshire, the other'
s^ettled at Legge 's Place, near Tunbridge, in Kent,
: f. The author mentioned in the text is Bishop Burnet, whose
character of this noble lord is to be found towards the end of his,
first volume. What he says of him is so just and generous, that
it deserves the reader's notice. That prelate, speaking"of the un
easiness King James was under on the fitting out of the Dutch fleet
in 1688, and of the preparations he made for the defending him
self, proceeds thus : " He recalled Strickland, and gave the com.
mand to the Lord Dartmouth, who was indeed one of the worthi
est men of his court. He loved him, and had been long in his ser-
¦^iceand in his confidence, but was much against all the conduct of
^lisafifairs; yet he resolved to stick to him at all hazards,''

00 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
from whom the present'earls of Dartmouth are lineal
descendants, as coming in a direct line from Thomas
Legfj-e, of that place, Avho Avas sheriff of London in,
1344. twice lord-mayor, and twice representative for
the city in parliament.
In the reign of Henry VII. the family settled in
Ireland, where Edward Legge, Esq. Avas vice-presi
dent of Munster, and died in the year 1616, leaving
behind him a very numerous posterity; viz..s\x sons
and seven daughters, all of them distinguished by
their great merit, and several of the daughters espe
cially, by living to a very extraordinary age ; Eliza
beth, the eldest, to 105, Margaret, who married Mr.
Fitzgerald, to upwards of 100, and Anne, the wife;
of William Anthony, Esq. who died in 1702, aged
102.* But let us now return to the person Avhose ac
tions we are to record.
He was the eldest son of the famous Colonel William
Legge, groom of the bed-chamber to King Charles I.
and a most constant folloAver of all his fortunes.
Soon after the restoration, his father thought proper
to send him to sea, under the care of that great and
gallant admiral; Sir Edward Spragge, in the first
Dutch war, in 1665, when Mr. Legge was barely
seventeen. I He distinguished himself in all the ac
tions of that and the succeeding year by such re
markable testimonies of conduct as well as courage,
that in those days Avhen naval preferments were earn
ed before they were enjoyed, he was without envy
raised to the command of the Pembroke in 166/,
Avhen he v^as yet short of twenty, a preferment
Avhich did him as much honour as any he afterwards
obtained.
* These particulars are chiefly collected from the memoirs of the
family, though they are likewise confirmed by several monumental
inscriptions. t The reason of his going to sea under Sir Edward Spragge was,
because of his near relation to the Legge family, his mother being'
second sister to Colonel Willjam Legge, this gentleman's father. .

OF GEORGE LEGGE. 91
^ After the peace, he applied himself assiduously to
the study of the mathematics, especially to such
branches of that extensive science as have any relation
to the mihtary art; and, having attained to great
skill as an engineer, he was employed by his Majesty
in that character, and in I669 succeeded his father in
the command of an independent company of foot.
In 1671, he Avas made captain of the Fairfax, and,
in 1672, of the Royal Catharine, in which he served
Avith the highest reputation, having beat the Dutch
out Avho boarded her while she Avas sinking, and,
after he had stopped her leaks, brought her safe into
harbour; in Avhich desperate service he received seve
ral AVOunds. In acknowledgment of this and other
marks of military virtue shewn in that memorable
year, he Avas, towards the end of it, made lieutenant
governor of Portsmouth, under his royal highness
James duke of York ; in 1673, he Avas made governor
of that place, and at the same time master of the
horse, and gentleman of the bed chamber to the
duke. In 1677, he Avas added as an assistant in the board
of ordnance, with a salary of 300/. per annum, and
the same year Avas promoted to the rank of lieutenant
general of the ordnance, and had also a regiment of
foot bestowed upon him. These extraordinary marks
of royal favour were soon followed by still greater tes
timonies of esteem and confidence; forin I68I he
was sworn of the privy council to King Charles IL
and in 1682 had a special commission to review all
the forts and garrisons throughout the kingdom of
England, and AA'as ^Iso constituted and appointed
commander in chief. On the second of December,
in the same year, he was, by letters patent, raised to
the dignity of a peer of this realm, by the title of
baron of Dartmouth in the county of .Devon; with
remainder, in case of failure of his issue male, to,
his brother William Legge, Esq. and his issue; and,
jii the piea|nbl^ of the patent; bis own a^d hisi farr

g? HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
ther's services are very justiy and gratefully acknoAv
ledged.* In 1683, the king finding it impossible to support
the garrison of Tangiers out of his own revenue, and
having little hopes of obtaining any supply for that
purpose from a pariiament, his last haying shewn a
remarkable dislike to the keeping up of forces there,
resolved, notAvithstanding the immense sums it had
cost him in fortifying the place, and in building a
mole, which rendered the port both convenient and
safe, to destroy the Avhole, and to bring back the
troops he had there into England. The management
of this affair required great secrecy, and much con
duct in the commander in chief, and this probably de
termined the king to make use of Lord Dartmouth,
Avho was appointed governor of Tangiers, and general
of his Majesty's forces in Africa, as well as admiral, of
the fleet, iu order to enable him to execute his instruc
tions, which he did very exactly and effectually ; so
that, on his return home, the king was pleased to
make him a grant of 10,000/. as a reward for that ser
vice, besides other acknovvledgments.f

* The preamble of this patent recites, " That his Majesty re,
roembering the great merits of William Legge, one of the grooms
of the royal bedchamber to his late father King Charles I, especi
ally in that unparalleled rebellion raised against him, in which, be
ing a person of singular skill and experience in military affairs, as
also a valiant and expert commander, he faithfully served him in'
most of the battles and sieges of those unhappy times: also'per-
formed several eminent services to the said king, since his most
happy restoration : and farther considering that George Legge,
eldest son of the said William, following his father's steps in divers
military employments, especially in sundry sharp and dangerous
naval fights, wherein he did freely hazard .his life ; for which res
pect, being made general of the ordnance and artillery, and one of
his most honourable privy council, his Majesty thought fit to dig
nify him with some farther honour." &c.
+ Particularly a grant of a fair to be held twice a year, and a
market twice a week, upon Blackheath,' in the parish of Lewis.
ham, in the county of Kent. It may not be amiss to observe here,
that the greatest difficulty in executing his commission in Tangiers

OF GEORGE LEGGE. ' &»
Upon the accession of King James IL his lordship
met with all the testimonies of royal favour and friend
ship which his many services, and unspotted fidelity
to that prince, deserved; for he not only continued
him in all the offices he then possessed, but raised
him also to posts of still greater consequence ; so that
he was at once master of the horse to the king, gene
ral of the ordnance, constable of the Tower of Lon
don, captainof an independent company of foot, and
one of the privy council. '
These employments he executed with such great di'*
ligence and reputation, that he stood as high in the fa-
vour of the people, as he did in that of his prince, and
Avas always considered as the greatest encourager of
merit, and the most upright man in tlje administra
tion of public affairs, that the age produced. " He
preserved the affection and confidence of his master to
the last, and yet he was so far from giving in to the
king's fatal inclinations to Popery and arbitrary go
vernment, that he opposed all councils looking either
Avay, with much firmness and .freedom, though he
took care to restrain all l|is remonstrances within the
just bounds of decency and duty.
In 1687, King James making a short progress,
and Lord Dartmouth attending him therein at Co
ventry, the city presented his Majesty Avith a large
gold cup and cover, which he immediately gave to his
lordship, and that too with a compliment as gene
rous and as acceptable as the present, "I would
have your lordship," said he, "receive this cup and
cover as a mark of the city of Coventry's concern for
the sufferings of your father in it," For, in the time
of the civil wars, old Colonel William Legge had re
mained long a prisoner in Coventry gaol, after being
taken at the battle of Worcester,*
was, to blow up all tho works there, without exposing the garri
son to the Moors ; which service he performed with equal caution
xnd success.
* This stnry of his father's sufferings at Coventry certainly de*

94 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
When it was absolutely certain that the prince of
Orange intended to invade England, King James
saw the necessity of employing some more consider*
able person than Sir Rogei- Strickland, Avho had hi
therto commanded the fleet, and whose being a Pa
pist, though it recommended him to that trust, ren
dered him very disagreeable to the seamen. In this
situation of things, his Majesty certainly made a very
proper choice of Lord Dartmouth, for the important
ofifice of admiral, since no man had greater abilities,
scarcely any so great an affection for his Majesty's
person, or so hearty a zeal for his interest.
His lordship was much beloved by the seamen, and
so universally esteemed by the officers of the navy,
that he very soon put his fleet in a posture fit for ser
vice ; and though, as I have shcAvn elsewhere, it has
been strongly reported, that his lordship declined
fighting the Dutch fleet, yet it is certain that it was
never in his power, and that^ if it had, both he and his
oflScers Avould have performed what they took to be
their duty. But, after being severely ruffled by the
storm, the fleet Avas forced into Portsmouth, Avhere
his lordship quitted the command to Sir John Berry^
and returned to London.
Aftgr the revolution. Lord Dartmouth lived quietly.
Serves the reader's notice; and, therefore, not fo be v^anting eithe*
to his entertainment, or to the illustration of the history, I subjoin
ithere. The great share Colonel William Legge had in the favour
of King Charles I, made him so obnoxious to the rump, that they
intended to have executed him, as they did the earl of Derby, for
being in arms against them, and with that view they confined him
in Coventry gaol. His lady, knowing their cruelty, and having
tried all her interest with the people in power in vain,. Ut last con^
trived a very artful method for making his escape, which was aa
successfully executed. With this view, she hired an old woman to
lend him her clothes, which he put on ; and, having a close stool
pan well filled between his hands, the smell kept the keepers at
such a distance, that he vralked fairly off^ without their makihg
any enquiries. After the murder of King Charles I. he was
much about the x>erson of the Duke of York, which inspired his
Majesty with a great tenderness for him and all his family.

OF GEORGE LEGGE. 94
.'and submitted to the new government, yet was al-
Avays suspected to retain his old sentiments for the
person who had been so long, and withal, so kind a
master. For this reason, and on account of some
suggestions that he carried on a secret correspond
ence with the exiled king, he Avas committed prisoner
to the Tower of London. While he continued there,
some rumours flew abroad of his being ill treated,
which had such an effect on the sailors, who loved
him as their father, that they assembled in great bo
dies on Tower-hill, where they expressed their re
sentment in such language, that it was at length
found expedient to desire Lord Dartmouth to confer
with them ; and, on his assuring them that the report
they had heard was void of any foundation, they
gave a cheerful huzza, and dispersed immediately.
It is thought, however, that his confinement, and
the want of his usual exercise, might contribute to
the shortening his days; for, on the Slst of October,
163], he Avas seized with an apoplexy, which put au
end to his life in the forty-fourth year of his age.*
His relations applied themselves, on his decease, to
the constable of the Tower, then Lord Lucas, for
leave to remove his body in order to its interment;
which his lordship scrupled, Avithout receiving ex
press directions from the king. But, upon applica
tion made to his Majesty, he not only ordered that
the body should be immediately dehvered to his
lordships relations, but, upon his being informed
that they intended to bury it near the remains of his
father in the Little Minories church, in a vault be
longing to his family, his Majesty gave further orders,
that such marks of respect should be paid at his
funeral, as would have been due to him, if he had
died possessed of all his employments. Which is a

* King James recaived the news of his death with great con
cern, and said, with a deep sigh, "Then faithful Will Legge'8
Ifonest son George is dead 1 J have few such SBrvants now ',"

96 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
circumstance equally honourable to the merhory of
King William and Lord Dartmouth, since it shewsf
impartiality and greatness of soul in the former, and
the true merit of the latter, which produced such a
testimony of respect from so penetrating a judge,
A monument of white marble, adorned with a pro
per inscription, was erected to the memory of his
lordship, by his consort Barbara, baroness of Dart-^
mouth, whoAvas the daughter of Sir Henry Archbold;
of Staffordshire, who died in 1718, and lies buried
there by him.
His lordship had by her an only son William, af-'
terwards earl of Dartmouth, so created by her Ma
jesty Queen Anne, in the tenth year of her reign.
His lordship had also the honour of being secretary
of state and lord privy-seal in the same reign, and:
discharged both those high offices with that integrity
hereditary in his lordship's family, and deceasing De
cember 15, 1750, at his house on Blackheath, in
Kent, in the seventy-ninth year of his age, was suc
ceeded in his honour and estates by his grandsonv
William.

SIR JOHN BERRY, Knt.
EEAR-ADMIRAL of ENGLAND.
There cannot be a stronger testimony of real
ability, than a man's sunnounting, by bis spirit and
diligence, a long series of crosses and misfortunes,
and thereby forcing himself, as it were, into an easier
situation, and, by degrees, into a condition Avorthy
of his merit. Fortitude in suffering is a virtue nO
lesis honourable than courage in achieving, and the
distresses of heroes, like the shades in a fine picture,
afford a graceful relief to the brighter parts of the
piece, and thereby considerably heighten its beauties.
This observation cannot more fully be illustrated,-.

OF SIR JOHN BERRY. 97
than it will be by the account we are to give of the
life and actions of Sir John Berry, who, without any
assistance other than resulted from the contemplation
of his courage and conduct, arrived at the dignity of
rear-admiral of England, and shared the confidence
of three succeeding kings.
The family of the Berries in Devonshire were seated
at Berry-Nerber, near Ilfracorab, where they had
flourished for some hundreds of years,* But the fa
ther of our gallant sea-officer Avas never in any extra
ordinary circumstances. He owed his reputation,
Avhich long subsisted i'n his neighbourhood, not to
the goods of fortune, but to his learning and abilities,
and above all, to his courage and loyalty. He was
a clergyman, and vicar of Knoweston and Molland
in that county, where he discharged his duty with
equal fidelity to the church and to the state. For
this, the saints of those times not only turned him
out of his livings, but plundered his house, and took
even his bed from under him ; all Avhich they sold by
public auction, except his books, which being a large
and valuable collection, they, to shew their modera
tion and generosity, bestowed them upon an Inde
pendent preacher. Soon after this, the truly reverend
Mr, Daniel Berry, a victim to his honest principles,
died of grief and want, in the forty-fifth year of his
age, and left behind him a widow, Elizabeth, daugh
ter of John Moore of Moorhays, Esq. and nine small
children, of Avliich seven were sons and two daugh
ters, f
The eldest, Robert, betook himself to the sea,
* Pole's Survey of Devonshire, MS. This village lies in Bran.
ton-hundred, in the middle between Combe Merton and Ilfracomb,
at a small distance from the sea, and about twenty-seven miles
from Exeter.
+ Most ofthese particulars are taken from a monument erected
in the year 1684, by Sir John Berry, to the memory of his father.
His two churches of Knoweston and Molland were not above two
miles asunder, lying both in Moulton hundred, at the distance of
about eighteen miles from Exeter.
VOL. III. H

08 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
where he succeeded very well. The second, John,
of whom Ave are to speak, and who was born in his
father's vicarage-house at KnoAv.eston in the year
1635, being at the good old man's death about seven
teen, went to Plymouth, Avhere he bound himself ap
prentice to Mr. Robert Meeting, a merchant in that
town, and part-owner in several ships. He went to
sea in his service, and was extremely unfortunate in
setting out, being twice taken by the Spaniards, and
suffering a long imprisonment, which, however, did
him no great hurt in the main. On his return to
England, he found his master in very bad circum
stances ; jvhich was no prejudice to him ; for, in a
short time after, ]\Ir. Meering told him, that, having
now no farther occasion for his service, he Avould,
in reward of his past diligence, give him the remain
der of his time, which he did freely.*
Mr, Berry, thus at large and at liberty to act for
himself, immediately came up to London, where, by
the help of some friends, he Avas preferred to be boat-
SAvain of a ketch belonging to the royal navy, called
the Swallow, which, under the command of Captain
Insam, was ordered to the West Indies in company
with two of his Majesty's frigates, both of Avhich
were lost in the gulf of Florida; but the Swallow, by
cutting down her masts, and heaving her guns over
board, as also her provisions, got clear, and, in the
space of sixteen weeks, during which they had no
thing to eat but the fish they caught, or to drink but
rain-water, they arrived at Campeachy, There they
furnished themselves Avith provisions, and then sailed
for Jamaica, Avhere they arrived in three AATeks.
Sir Thomas Muddiford, who Avas a native of De
vonshire as well as Mr. Berry, Avas then governor of
that island, and he ordered the Swallow to be re-
* The particulars mentioned in this life were most of them col-
lected by Mr, Daniel Berry, brother to the admiral ; but, as he
wrote at a considerable distance of time, he often omits dates,'
aud sometimes mistakes theot.

OF SIR JOHN BERRY. 99
fitted, put eight guns on board her ; and having in
telligence that a pirate, who had taken one Mr..
Peach, bound from Southampton to Jamaica, and
marooned him and alibis crew, was still in those
seas, he ordered the Swallow, now well victualled
and manned, to put to sea in quest of her, and gave
his countryman Berry the title of heutenant.
In three weeks after they sailed from Jamaica, they
found the pirate at anchor in a bay off the island of
Hispaniola. He- had about sixty men and twenty.
guns, whereas the Swallow had but forty men and
eight small guns. Captain Insam having considered
the enemy's strength, and compared it with his own,
called up all his men, and addressed them in these
words : " Gentlemen, the blades we are to attack
are men at arms, old buccaneers, and superior to us
in number and in the force of their ship, and, there
fore, I would have your opinion, whether" — "Sir,"
interrupted Lieutenant Berry, " we are men at arms
too, and which is more, honest men, and fight under
the king's commission ; and, if you have no stomach
for fighting, be pleased to walk down into your ca
bin," The crew applauded this motion, and decJ-ared
one and all for Captain Berry, Avho undertook this
affair with great disadvantage,
• The pirate rode at anchor to the Avindward, by
which the Swallow was obliged to make two trips
under her lee, in which she received two broadsides,,
and two volleys of small shot, without returning a
gun, Mr, Berry then boarded her on the bow, pour
ing in his broadside, which killed the pirate and
twenty-two men on the spot: they then fought their
Avay, to the main-mast, where they called to the doc
tor and his mate to get overboard, and hfing by the
rudder, which they did ; and soon after the pirate
was taken, having only seven men left, and those all.
wounded, though they lived long enough to be exe
cuted, afterwards in Jamaica; and, which is still more
H 2

100 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
remarkable, there was nobody killed on board thi
Swallow but the boatswain's mate.
On their return to Jamaica, Captain Insam con
fined his lieutenant, and Brought him to a court-
martial, where, on the evidence of the men, the court
declared he had done his duty, and ordered the cap
tain to live peaceably Avith him in their voyage to
England, which he did; and Mr. Berry, notwith
standing what was past, behaved towards him with'
all imaginable modesty and submission.
In a short time after he came home, the Dutch
war broke out, and Mr. Berry had a sloop given him,
called the Maria, of fourteen guns, with the king's
commission. He held this small command for about
four months, in vvhich space he took thirty- two prizes,
and, for his extraordinary diligence, had the com
mand given him of the Coronation, a hired ship of
Avar of fifty-six guns.
In this ship he was soon after sent to the West
Indies, where our colonies were in no small danger,
as having both the French and Dutch upon their
hands. On bis arrival at Barbadoes, the governor
bought some large merchant-ships, converted them
into men of war, and having made up nine sail, in
cluding the Coronation, manned andput them under
the command of Commodore Berry. With this little
fleet he sailed for Nevis, in order to protect it from
the French, who had already made themselves mas
ters of St, Christopher's, Antigua, and Montserrat.
He was scarcely arrived, before he had inteUigence
that the French were preparing at St. Christopher's a
very great force, Avhich was intended for the con'
quest of Nevis. They had twenty-two men of war,
and frigates, six large transport-ships of their own,
and four Dutch, With these they sailed towards
Nevis as to a certain victory.
Commodore Berry sailed with his nine ships to^
meet them; and, as he turned the point of tlie

©F SIR JOHN BERRY. loi
island, one of his best ships blew up, Avhich struck
his men with astonishment. " Now you have seen
an English ship blow up," said the commodore, "ilet
us try if we can't blow up Frenchmen. There they
are, boysl and if we don't beat them, they will beat
us." Having said this, he immediately began the
,%ht with the French admiral, and, after a brisk en
gagement of upwards of thirteen hours, he forced
this mighty fleet to fly for shelter under the cannon
of St, Christopher's, whither he pursued them, sent
in a fire-ship, and burnt the French admiral : seeing
her in flames, he said to his seamen, " I told you iu
the morning, that we should burn a Frenchman be
fore night; to-morrow avc will try Avhat we can do
Avith the rest." But, while hcAvas refitting his ships,
the enemy Avisely stole away, the French to Marti
nico, and the Dutch to Virginia,* Sir John Harman
being sent Avith a squadron to relieve him, Commo
dore Berry returned to England, and .served with
great honour in the channel and in the Mediterra
nean. In the second Dutch war, as it was called, though
properly speaking it was the third, he had the com-

* We are, in some measure, enabled to fix tlie date of this en
terprise by the following remarkable passage, preserved in the
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society : " On the I Sth
pf August, 1667, there was a terrible hurricane in this island, at
which time Sir John Berry, captain of the Coronation man of
war, was in the harbour with that and several other ships, of
which, one was commanded by Captain Langford, who, having
learned some of the prognostics of a tornado from a Caribbean,
perceiving them, he told Sir John and the other commanders of
it, who, depending on his intelligence, made their ships ready for
sea, and in the morning, about four of the clock, the wind
Coming very hard northerly, they put to sea, and came all back,
in four or five days time, safe to the road again. Captain Lang.
ford was ashore, and being confident of the hurricane's coming,
took such care before-hand to secure his sugars and goods in tho
store-house, that, when the hurricane had carried away the roof
of the house, all, except one hogshead of sugar, remained safe."
Low thorp's Abridgment^ vol. ii. p. 106.

10* HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
mand of the Resolution, a seventy-gun ship, in which
he was present at the famous action in South wold-
bay, on the twenty-eighth of May, 1672, In this
battle, the captain observing that his royal highness
the duke of York, then lord high-admiral of Eng
land, was very hard pressed, he left his station, and
came in to his relief, Avhere the service proved so hot,
that in less than tAvo hours he had no fewer than one
hundred and twenty men killed, as many more
wounded, and his ship scarcely able to float : upon
this he was towed out of the line, stopped his leaks,
and fell into his place again in an hour, and there did
such service, that when his Majesty came to meet
the fleet, and dined on board the lloyal Sovereign at
the Buoy in the Nore, he, of his own motive, called
for Captain Berry, and, having knighted him, said
very graciously, "As our thoughts have been now
upon honour, we will hereafter think of profit; for I
Woiild not have so brave a man a poor knight." /
In the year 1682 it AA'^as thought expedient to send
the duke of York down to Scotland, and for this pur
pose the Gloucester frigate, under the connnand of
Sir John Berry, Avas ordered to be ready : and ac
cordingly, on the twenty-eighth of April, the duke
of York embarked on board that ship. In their pas
sage Sir John observed on the third of May, Avhen
in the inouth of the Humber, as he apprehended, an
error in the pilot's conduct, though he was looked
upon as a man of great abilities in his employment.
()f this he informed the duke, and desired they might
lie to, at least for that night, Avhich the pilot op
posed ; and, being a great favourite of the duke, his
advice prevailed. But his royal highness was soon
convinced of the superiority of Sir John Berry's
jtidgment, since, in three quarters of .an hour after
wards, the ship was lost, and about three hundred
people in her, amongst Avhom were some persons of
the first rank; and the duke himself narrowly escaped
in the long boat, Sir John Berry standing" with his

OF SIR JOHN BERRY. lO*
.sword drawn in the stern of the boat to hinder
people from crowding in, which undoubtedly saved
the duke, since a very fcAV more would have overset
the long-boat,*
For the loss of this ship Sir John, according to the
rules of the navy, Avas tried by a court-martial ; but,
it appearing clearly to have happened through an
other man's fault, he was not only acquitted, but
continued still in as great favour as ever both with
the king and duke, Avho frequently consulted him as
to the management of the navy.
When a resolution was taken in 1683 to blow up
Tangiers, and a considerable fleet was sent thither
under the command of Lord Dartmouth, Sir John
Berry was made choice of to be his vice-admiral, and
had the sole command of the fleet Avhile his lordship
Avas on shore directing the blowing up of the works.
In this critical expedition Sir John gave such re
markable testimonies of his courage and conduct,
and took such care in bringing oft' all the English
and their effects, that, upon his return home, he was
* This accident happened by their striking upon the sand called
the Lemon and Ore, sixteen leagues from the mouth of the Hum
ber, Two things were very remarkable, that the duke took ex
traordinary care of Colonel John Churchill, afterwards duke of
Marlborough, and called him first into the boat. The other was,
that the mariners aboard the sinking vessel gave a loud huzza,
when they saw the duke in safety. Bishop Burnet's account of
this matter is too remarkable to be forgotten, "The duke,"
says he, " got into a boat, and took care of his dogs, and some
unknown persons, who were taken, from that earnest care of his,
to be his priests. The long-boat went off with very few in her,
though she mighT: have carried off above eighty more than she did.
One hundred and fifty persons perished, some of them men of
great quality," The Gloucester frigate vras a ship of forty guns,
there were upwards of fifty persons saved with the duke, and that
eighty more should be able to go into het long-boat, is a fact that
will gain but little credit at Wapping, Besides, the keeping the
people out was Sir John Berry's act, and, if there had been any
such circumstances of cruelty, one can scarcely believe the sailors
¦would have testified so much joy at his royal highness's escape.

104 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
made a commissioner of the navy, in which post he
continued to the day of his death.
Under the reign of King James II. he was in ai;
high favour as he could desire, the king constantly
consulting him in matters relating to the manage
ment of the fleet; and he was one of the commis
sioners called in on that great reform of the navy,
mentioned in the close of the 17th chapter, and had
the chief hand in bringing things into that ex
quisite order in which they were found when tliQ
king withdrew to France, He was not, however,
considered solely as a commissioner, and as a man
no longer fit for active employment ; for when it Avas
known that the Dutch meditated an invasion, and ^
fleet was fitted out to defend our coasts. Sir Johi^
Berry was appointed vice-admiral, and hoisted his
flag on board the Elizabeth, a third rate, the admiral,
Lord Dartmouth, being in the Resolution, and thei
rear-admiral. Lord Berkley of Stratton, first in the
Montague, and then in the Edgar, After the landing of
the prince of Orange, when Lord Dartmouth thought
fit fo leave the fleet, the sole command of it de
volved on Sir John Berry, who held it tmtil it; was
laid up.
The change of the governrnent wrought none in
the condition of our admiral. An experienced offi
cer, and a man of honour will be a welcome servant
to every prince. King William Avas one who valued
abihties, and uiiderstood them, and therefo're he often
sent for Sir John Berry to confer with him on navaV
affairs ; and once, particularly, the king engaged witli'
him in so close and earnest a conversation, that it
took up the whole night, and Sir J^ohn was not dis
missed the royal closet, until it was pretty far ad
A'anced iri the morning, Yet this favour brought
him no accession either of post or profit; lie kept;
what he had, and probably thought that sufficient,
being commissioner of the navy, governor of Deal
Castle, aud captain of an independent company.

OF SIR JOHN BERRY. |0&
We now hasten to the last scene of his life, over
which such a curtain has been drawn, as leaves it
pot in our power to let in the light. He was ordered
in the beginning of the mopth of February, I691, to
Portsmouth, to pay off some ships there ; and, while
he was employed in the discharge of this office on
board one of them, he was suddenly taken ill, and
thereupon carried on shore to Portsmouth, where, in
three or four days, it was given out that he died of
a fever; but, upon opening his body, it appeared
clearly to the physicians and surgeons who were pre
sent, that he did not die a natural death, but that
he had been dispatched out of the world by poison,
though by whom, or for what reason, never ap
peared, or at least it was never made public.
In his private life his wisdom, beneficence, inte-
frity, and unfeigned attachment to the church of
.ngland, were as conspicuous as his courage and
other military virtues in his public character : so that
he died equally lamented, by all who knew him,
either as a private gentleman or as an English admi
ral. His corpse, according to his own direction, was
carried from Portsmouth to London, and decently
interred in the chancel of Stepney church, Avhere a
noble monument is erected to his memory, all of
white marble, adorned with his bust in alabaster.
Over his head are the arms of his family ; viz. in a
field, gules, three bars, or ; and, on a white marble
^able underneath, the following inscription :
" Ne id nescias, lector, D, Johannes Berry, De-
" voniensis, dignitate equestri clarus, mari tantum
" non imperator, de rege et patria (quod et barbari
" norunt) bene meritus, magnam ob res fortiter ges-
" tas adeptus gloriam, famse .satur, post multas repor-
" tatas victorias, cum ab aliis vinci non potuit, fatis
" ce-ssit 14mo, Feb, I69I ; baptizatus 7nio. Jan.
« 1635." The lady of Sir John Berry survived him many
years, but he left no issue by her, nor, so far as I
have been able to learn, ever had any.

108 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS

ARTHUR HERBERT,
"BARON HERBERT OF TORBAY, EARL OF TORRINGTON, AND
ADMIRAL AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE
FLEET OF ENGLAND.

It is the duty of historians to report things fairly,
and to speak of men impartially, without exagger
ating their virtues, or extenuating their vice.s, by
exhibiting their characters to posterity in that light,
in which, after the best inquiry they are able to make,
they appear to themselves ; for, as water never rises
higher than its source, so it is impossible that an au
thor should do more for his reader than his talents
and his information will permit. The latter was so
inconsiderable Avhen this AVork was first written, that
it was thought more expedient not to attempt a hfe
of this noble person, than to repeat a few facts and
dates, so indifferently connected, as that it could not
be presumed they would give even the most indul
gent peruser any satisfaction.
After much pains and search, some better materials
have been found; and as almost every remarkable
transaction of this great man's life fell within the
compass of King William's reign, or at least not
much later, and is more or less allied to those trans
actions of Avhich we have been speaking, it seemed
more natural to place Avhat we have to say of him
here, than at the time of his death, Avhen they could
not fail of making an apparent breach in the order of
our history.
He was the son of Sir Edward Herbert of London,
knight, of the noble family of Herbert of Cherbery,
a branch of that of Pembroke, which suffering se
verely for the loyalty of Sir Edward, obliged his sons
to think of making their fortunes by their industry
aud merit. Arthur, the eldest, though he had a small
estate of his own, made the sea his choice, as his

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. lOT
younger brother Edward did tiie laAV ; and both at
tained the highest stations, the latter becoming chief-
justice of the king's bench, as well as the former
admiral of the fleet of England,
. Our young seaman, immediately after the resto
ration, was much taken notice of by his royal high
ness James duke of York, by whose favour he was
very early promoted to the command of one of his
Majesty's ships of war ; and, in the first Dutch war
in the reign of Charles II, he commanded the Pem
broke in the Straits. He distinguished himself there,
according to the manner of those times, in a very
high degree, as appears from the following extract
of a letter from Cadiz, dated in March 1667, which
I chuse to produce in the same plain and artless lan
guage in Avhich it was wrote, rather than hazard any
variation in the facts, by attempting to give it a better
dress, " Captain Herbert in the Pembroke is uoav in this
port, being newly returned from a fresh dispute with
a Zealand man of war, of thirty-four guns, and one
hundred and eighty men, with Avhom he fought some
days before, in sight of that bay, from tAvo in the
afternoon, till the night put an end to that day's
work. All that night the Pembroke frigate carrying
out a light for the Zealander, and the next morning,
being to the windward, fired a gun, and bore up to
re-engage her; but the Zealander, being the nimbler
sailer bore away once or twice before the A\'ind, de
clining any farther dispute, which the frigate per
ceiving, and fearing to be put to leeward of the port
by a fruitless pursuit, the wind then blowing a strong
Levant, came again for the bay, Avhich the Zealander
wanted not the confidence to boast of as a mark of
his victory. Since this, the frigate being put ashore
to wash and tallow, the Zealander made several
challenges, but went out again to sea, before the
frigate could get ready. Yesterday morning the Zea
lander coming in, the frigate, being ready, went out

lOe HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
to meet him, and passed five times upon him Avithin
pistol-shot, until the Zealander, finding the service
too hot, bore in for the bay, pursued for a long time
by the frigate, which, being unable to overtake him,
fired her chace gun, and stood out again to sea, tiie
Zealander answering her challenge Avith a friendly
salute of three guns to leeward, but yet thought it
convenierit to put into the bay, where he triumph
antly fired all his guns, leaving the Pembroke at sea
in vain attending him till the next morning. The
captain of the Zealander afterwards came ashore, en
deavouring to persuade the people tbat his main-mast
was disabled, and that he wanted shot for his guns.
In this dispute the frigate had seven men killed, and
five hurt, but none mortally, and her fore- mast some
what disabled, but Avill speedily be refitted and made
serviceable. He continued after this affair in the Straits for
about six weeks, till he had advice that Rear-admi
ral Kemptborne had sailed with his squadron for the
Straits mouth, where he took care to join him Avith
a small fleet of sixteen or seventeen merchantmen
under his convoy, in order to proceed Avith the rear-
admiral to England. They met with nothing extra
ordinary in their passage till about the middle of the
month of May, when, being off the island of Port
land, the Pembroke ran foul of the Fairfax in the
night, and sunk at once ; but Captain Herbert and
most of bis crew Avere happily saved, there being
none lost in the vessel but a few sick men, who were
not able to help themselves, and Avhom the sudden
ness of the accident, and the confusion every body
was hi, hindered from being assisted by others. After
this narrow escape. Captain Herbert "went on board
another ship of the squadron, and arrived safely at
Portsmouth. It Avas not long before he had another ship given
him, and both in that, and in the second Dutch
war, he behaved upon all occasions with great spirit

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. lo»
and resolution, receiving several wounds, and losing
the sight of one of his eyes in his country's service;
all which considered, it must seem very strange, that,
when he fell afterwards under misfortunes, his cou
rage should be disputed. In one of the last sea-fights
in the second Dutch war, he had the command of
the Cambridge, in which Sir Fretchville Hollis had
been killed in the battle of Solebay, and, as Captain
Herbert succeeded in his command, he was very near
succeeding also to the same disaster, being desperately
wounded in the action, and his ship so disabled, that,
together with the Resolution, which was in as bad a
condition, she was, by PrinceRupert, sent home to refit.
After that war was over. Captain Herbert had lei
sure to attend the court, and to sohcit the rewards
that were due to his services, in which he met with
all possible kindness from the duke of York, who,
as he had been hitherto careful of his fortunes,
thought himself obliged to assist him in his preten
sions ; so that in the year 1680 or 1681 he A\'as made
rear-admiral of the blue, and from tbat time was con
sidered as a person who had as much probability of
rising as any in the service. It was not long before
an occasion offered which justified this conjecture;
for it being found necessary to send a supply of
troops and military stores to Tangiers, then in our
hands, as also a squadron to curb the insolence of the
Algerines, Avho, notwithstanding the treaties that had
been concluded but a few years before, began again
to disturb our commerce, it was resolved, that the
command of this armament should be given to Ad
miral Herbert, who was accordingly instructed to
contribute as much as possible to the raising the
siege of Tangiers, and, when that was done, to use
his best endeavours to bring the Algerines to a sub-
inission, and to a new treaty, upon better and more
Cxplicif terms than were contained in that they had
ktely broken, which they pretended to explain in
snch a manner as to justify their piracies.

110 ' HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
In 1682, Rear-admiral Herbert sailed into the Me
diterranean with a strong squadron, and a consider-?
able number of tenders and store-ships, which arrived.
very safely under his convoy at Tangiets. He found
that fortress not a little straightened by the Moors,
by whom it was so closely blocked up, that nothing
could enter it by land. Mr, Herbert not only re
lieved the garrison by the seasonable supply tha,t he
brought of provisions and military stores, but re
solved also to restore his countrymen to liberty as
Avell as plenty, by compelling the enemy to raise the
blockade. He landed, with this view, as many sea
men out of the fleet as he could possibly spare,
formed them into a battalion, and by attacking the
Moors on one side, while the garrison made a brisk
sally, and drove them from most of their posts, on
the other, obliged them to leave the neigh bourhoocj
of the place, and to retire farther within land.
He executed the other part of his charge with re
spect to the Algerines, Avith equal spirit and success,,
destroyed some of their ships, and disposed things in
such a manner to disturb and distress that state by,
sea, as obliged the Dey to summon a divan, in which
it was resolved to enter into an immediate negociation
with the English admiral : the terms were very
speedily settled, without any of those ambiguities,
which left them pretences for breaking their treaties
when they pleased ; and, the business of his expedi
tion being happily over, he returned home safe, with
the squadron under his command, towards the latter
end of the same year.^ *
Some time after this, but whether in the reign of
King Charles II. or King James, I am not able to say,
he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral, and
was as much esteemed by the seamen, and in as high
credit at court, as any officer in the service. He
was also appointed one of the commissioners for ex
ecuting the office of lord-high-admiral of England, in
conjunction with Daniel, earl of Nottingham, Sir

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. m
Humphry Winch, Bart. Sir Thomas Meeres, Knt.
Sir Edward Hales, Bart. Henry Saville, Esq. Sir John
Chicheley, Knt, and John Lord Vaughan, on the se
venteenth of April, 1684, his name appearing in the
^mmission, after that of Sir John Chicheley, The
favours he had received from the duke of York gave
him room to expect farther preferments upon the ac
cession of that prince to the throne ; nor was he de
ceived in his expectations, since, in the beginning of
the new xeign, he was made vice-admiral of England
and master of the robes, there being at that time no
man of his rank who was more heartily attached
either to the government or to the person of that
prince. But when the scheme for repealing the test-act
came under consideration, and King James thought
fit to closet such of his officers in the army and fleet
as had seats in the House of Commons, it quickly
appeared, that Vice-admiral Herbert was none of
those complying spirits, who for the sake of private
profit would sacrifice the interest of the public. His
brother, the Lord-chief-justice Herbert, had exposed
himself to public odium by giving judgment in his
court, in favour of the king's dispensing power, upon
an action brought against Sir Edward Hales, who
had accepted an employment, without qualifying
himself for it by taking the oaths the law required;
and, though this seemed in some measure to have
done all that the king wanted,- he still persisted in his
design of having the test-act repealed, wliich, among
other extraordinary consequences, produced the dis
grace of Vice admiral Herbert, who, to that hour had
never done any thing to disoblige the king, or had
perceived the least coldness in his Majesty towards
him. We have this story at large in Bishop Burnet's
History of his own Times, Avith some inferences from
it that are very just; I shall give it the reader, there
fore, in his own AVords.
" So little regard," says that prelate, " had the chief-

112 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
justice*s nearest friends to his opinion iilthis particu
lar, that his brother, Admiral Herbert, being pressed
by the king to promise that he would vote for thfe
repeal of the test^ answered the king very plainly,
that he could not do it either in honour of consci
ence. The king said, he knew he was a man of ho*
nour, but the rest of his life did not look like a man
that had great regard to conscience. He answered
boldly, he had his faults, but they Avere such, that
other people who talked more of conscience were
guilty of the like. He was indeed a man abandoned
to luxury and vice : but though he was poor, and had
much to lose, . having places to the value of four
thousand pounds a-year, he chose to lose them all ra
ther than comply, This made much noise ; for, as
he had great reputation for his conduct in sea affairs
so he had been most passionately zealous in the king's
service, from his first setting out to that day. It ap- ,
peared by this, that no past service would be consi
dered, if men were not resolved to comply in every
thing/* The bishop bears very hard, in the beginning of
this account of the vice-admiral's behaviour, upon
that of his brother the chief-justice, as he does like
wise in many other places ; it is therefore but com
mon justice to the character of that gentleman, Avho
Avas a great laAvyer, and in private life a very generous
worthy man, to take notice, that he was very far
from being so absolute a time-server as he is fre
quentiy represented ; for the truth is, that he suffered
as well as liis brother for his regard to the public, and
there seems to be no reason that this truth should not
be as Avell known. When King James found it was
in vain to think of attaining his purposes by a parlia
ment, he placed all his hopes in what Avas certainly a
fitter instrument for answering his design, and that
was his standing army. Yet in the management of
this there AA'as some difficulty; for, being composed
of Englishmen, they shewed an inclination rather to

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 113
desert their colours than to act agaitlst their country.
To prevent this, it was resolved to make use of an
act of Parliament, by which it was made felony for
any soldier to quit his Colours, after being duly in-
listed in the king's service, in tbe time of war, either
in parts beyond the seas or in Scotland. But, to make
this law operate in England was not very consonant
to law, how much soever it might be to the king's
will in this point; therefore the Lord-chief justice
Herbert was as far from complying in this, as his bro
ther the admiral had been in that of the test , upon
which he Avas removed, and was succeeded in his high
office by Sir Robert Wright, who not long after
hanged a poor soldier upon that statute.
It is true, that Sir Edward Herbert followed the
fortunes of his master, and remained with him in
France, which shewed that Avhat he did upon the
bench, proceeded purely from conscience, and not
from any private reason of hope or fear Whatever.
But this conduct of the chief-justice, in succeeding
times, was thrown in the teeth of his brother, and ill-
natured people took occasion to suggest, that it was
very unlikely one should be faithful to King William,
while the other was excepted out of all acts of in
demnity for his adherence to King James. But let
us now quit this short digression, Avbich, however,
shews what sentiments the soundest lawyers had of a
standing army in those days, in order to return to
the conduct of Vice-admiral Herbert after he Avas re
moved from his employments, and reduced to the
.state of a private man, with no very considerable for
tune to support even that.
The small appearance there Was of his being able
to live with honour, or even with safety at home,
and his inclination to follow many persons of great
reputation, who, at that juncture, chose to retire
abroad, induced him to withdraw to Holland, whither
he was either accompanied or quickly followed by
his brother Colonel Charles Herbert, and by his cou-
VOL. HI. I

114 HISTORICAL MEMOIR*
sin Henry Herbert, Esq, whom King William after
Avards created Lord Herbert of Cherbery, Upon his
arrival at the Hague, the vice-admiral Avas exceed
ingly well received, and not long after tak^en into the
service of the States, which Avas a very prudent, and,
in its consequences, beneficial step, numbers of Eng
lish seamen following, and entering for his sake, into
the Dutch service, which convinced the States that
things Avere come to a crisis in* England, and that
the king had lost the affections of the subjects to a
strange degree, when the seamen, who, of all others,
had shewed themselves most hearty in his cause, be
gan to forsake him.
At the prince of Orange's court. Vice-admiral Her
bert was very sincerely welcomed ; he Avas known to
be a man of great weight and experience, one that
perfectly understood the state of the English fleet,
and the temper and characters of the officers who
commanded it ; so that there is no colour of reason
to wonder that he Avas treated Avith very high' re
spect, and received into the most entire confidence,
more especially as he took care to maintain his dig
nity by a very cautious and reserved behaviour, con
trary to that heat and vehemence expressed by ^me
other persons, Avho thought to make their court by
representing an attempt upon England as a thing
that might be easily accomplished ; whereas the vice-
admiral understood and spoke of it as an undertaking
that required a very considerable strength, exceed
ingly discreet management, and much deliberation.
The same prelate we have before quoted gives us,
on this occasion, a very different character of Mr.
Herbert from that Avhich he had drawn before, in
order to shew how great his own merit Avas in ma
naging a man who was altoge'ther untractable in the
hands of others, and even of the prince himslslf ; the
passage is very curious, and, therefore, the reader
shall see it in the bishop's own words: "Admiral
Herbert came over to Holland, and was received with

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. lis
a particular regard to his pride and ill-humour; for
he was on every occasion so sullen and peevish, that
it was plain he set a high value on himself, aud ex
pected the same of all others. He had got his ac
counts past, in Avhich he complained, that the king
had used him not only hardly, but unjustly. He was
a man delivered up to pride and luxury ; yet he had
a good understanding, and he had gained so great a
reputation by his steady behaviour in England, that
the prince understood that it was expected he should
use him as he himself should desire, in Avhich it was
not very easy to him to constrain himself so far as
that required.. The managing him was in a great
measure put on me ; and it was no easy thing. It
made me often reflect on the providence of God, that
makes some men instruments in great things, to
which they themselves have no sort of affection or
disposition ; for his private quarrel Avith the Lord
Dartmouth, Avho he thought had more of the king's
confidence than he himself had, was believed the
root of all the suUenness he fell under toward the
king, and of all the firmness that grew out of that."
It must appear more wonderful than any thing ob
served by our historian, if this was the real character
of the man, that the States-general and the prince
of Orange should give him the title of lieutenant-
general-admiral, and entrust him Avith the supreme
command of their fleet. It is true our author savs,
that this was not very easy to the States, or to the
prince himself, who thought it au absurd thing ; but
why did they do it then? Nothing less, says he,
Avould content Heibert. If this was so, we have
some reason to believe, that the States and the prince
of Orange had a very high opinion of his talents, or
of his interest, in taking so extraordinary a step,
merely because he would not be content without it.
But it was more probable that he was put at the
bead of the fleet, because there Avere many reasons
that made him the proptrest man for that command,
I 2

116 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
such as the nature of the design itself, his interest
among the officers of the English navy, his perfect
acquaintance Avith our coasts, his being most likely
to engage the governors of sea-port towns to come
in to the prince, and, above all, the necessity they
Avere under of having some Englishman in a high
post, to prevent the people from considering this as
a hostile invasion. Now, if we view this matter in
these lights, it is no difficult thing to see, that, of all
the English who Avere about his royal highness. Vice-
admiral Herbert was,' in every respect, the fittest man
to be entrusted with that command ; and, therefore,
if nothing else would content him, it might not pro
ceed from pride, from ambition, or ill-humour, but
from his making a right judgment of things, and
knowing that nothing could contribute so much to
the success of the enterprise ; yet,- of the tAvo, it is
infinitely more probable, that he did not insist upon
this himself, but that the States and the prince of
Orange conferred the command upon him as a thing
which they saw to be very expedient, or rather ab
solutely necessary,
, It was certainly a very extraordinary undertaking
in all respects, and will appear so, if Ave reflect that a
great army was to be embarked ; that seven hundred
transports Avere to be prepared for that embarkation ;
that provisions, ammunition, and every thing requi
site for the service, as Avell of the army as Of the
fleet, was to be procured in a short time, and with
the utmost secrecy ; all which was actually done by
the indefatigable diligence of four commissioners,
•viz. Bentinck, Dykvelt, Van Hulst, and Herbert: it
is plain, therefore, that his skill in directing what Was
requisite for the fleet Avas entirely relied on; and, if
he had been such a haughty, morose, overbearing
person, he could have hardly maintained a fair cor
respondence with his colleagues for so long a space
as they were engaged in making these preparations;
as to which, our historian tells us, that they were

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 117
two months constantly employed in giving all the
necessary orders, which they did with so little noise,
that nothing broke out all that time.
After such an instance of his capacity and inde
fatigable care, they might well expect that the rest
of his conduct would be of a piece. But what seems
farther to explain the real intention of the States and
the prince of Orange in trusting Vice-admiral Herbert,
though a stranger, with so high a command was, the
publishing his letter to the commanders of the Eng
lish fleet at the very same time with the prince of
Orange's declaration; for, if they had not placed very
strong hopes upon that, without question it had
never been published at all, and, it' they had such
hopes, this alone will sufficiently account forthegiving
him the chief command under the prince of Orange,
to whom, by the nature of his commission, he was
lieutenant-general by sea. Neither were these hopes
of influencing the English seamen slightly grounded,
since the pamphlets written in those times univer
sally agree, that the seamen had a very general
and warm aversion to Popery, disliked and despised
such of their officers as had embraced that religion,
(and were very prone in their ciipa to drink Admiral
Herbert's health ; so that these were very strong in
dications of their ill-will on one side and their good
will on the 'other.
It is however true, that this letter bad not the
effect that was expected from it, or rather had not
such an effect so soon as it was expected ; but this
was chiefly owing to unforeseen and inevitable acci
dents ; neither can any thing be affirmed about it
with much certainty: but as the letter itself incu
rious, and as it is not commonly to be met with, un
less in a French translation, it may not be disagree
able to the reader to find it in the note below; and
there is the more reason to insert it, because nothing
can have a closer relation to this noble person's me
moirs, since it must be allowed to have been the

115 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
most remarkable and most important paper that ever
fell from his pen.*
When every thing was ready, the troops were em
barked with so much speed and secrecy, that no ad
vices could be given in England that could be of
any use ; but notwithstanding this care, the fleet was
« TO ALL COMMANDER-9 OF SHIPS AND SEAMEN IN HIS
MAJESTY'S FLEET.
Gentlemen,
I HAVE little to add to what his highness has expressed in gene
ral terms, besides laying before you the dangerous way you are at
present in, where ruin or infamy must, inevitably attend you, if
you do not join with the prince in the common cause for the de
fence of your religion and liberties ; for should it please God, for
thesinsof the English nation, to suffer your arms to prevail, to what
end can your victory serve you, but to enslave you deeper, and
overthrow the true religion in which you have lived, and your
fathers died, of which 1 beg you as a friend to consider the conse
quences, and to reflect on the blot and infamy which it will bring
on you, not only now, but in all after-ages, that by your means
the Protestant religion was destroyed, and your country deprived
of its ancient liberties ; and if it pleases God to bless the prince's
endeavours with success, as I do not doubt he will, consider then
what their condition will be that oppose him in this so good a de
sign, where the greatest favour they can hope for is, their being
suffered to end their days in misery and want, detested and de
spised by all good men.
It is, therefore, for these and for many other reasons, too long
to insert here, that I, as a true Englishman, and your friend,
exhort you to join your arms to the princo for the defence of
the common cause the Protestant religion, and the liberties of
your country.
It is what I am well assured, the major and best part of the
army, as well as the nation, will do as soon as convenience is of
fered. Prevent them in so good an action while it is in your
power, and make it appear, that as the kingdom has always de*
pended on the navy for Us defence, so you will yet go further,
by making it, as much as in you lies, the protection of lier religion
aud liberties ; and then you may assure yourselves of all marks of
favour and honour, suitable to the merits of so glorious an action.
After this I ought not to add so inconsiderable a thing, as that it
will for ever engage me to be in a most particular manner.
Your faithful friend, and humble servant,
On board the Leyden, Ar, Heuberi.
in the Goree.

OF ARTHUR HERBERT, 119
obliged to return. They sailed on the nineteenth of
October, 1688, and Avere forced back into port on
the twenty-second. This was a great disappoint
ment; and, Avithout doubt, had things been managed
by a prince of less firmness, or by an admiral of less
experience, their expedition would have been lost.
It is reported that Admiral Herbert advised putting
off the business to that late season of the year, be
cause he jutlged that the winds would be more favour
able ; that the king's fleet would be less able to act ;
and that, when the enterprise was so long delayed, it
would be concluded in England lobe given over.
His serene highness came into this proposition for
the reasons before assigned, and for one as weighty
as any of them, which was more immediately known
to, and more fully comprehended by, himself, and
this was, that the season of the year for a campaign
being over, the French were not likely to make any
attempts, and conseq>?ently the States-General ran
little or no hazard by their troops being thus employ
ed at this juncture. It is on all sides acknovA'ledged,
that it was owing to reasons suggested by Admiral
Herbert, that the prince of Orange laid aside his iiir
tention of sailing northward to the Humber, Avhich
must have been attended with great inconveniences,
as no fleet could lie long with safety on that coast ;
but it is not certain whether he gave the advice,
Avhich, however, was followed, of publishing in all
the Dutch gazettes, that the fleet had been very
roughly handled by the storm ; that abundance of
horses had been thrown overboard ; that, many per
sons of distinction, and particularly Dr. Burnet, were
cast away and drowned, which had the effect that
Was expected from it, of persuading such as were
not in the secret, that the expedition was totally
overthrown, or that it must be postponed for some
months at least.
It is very certain, that this unexpected check made
many people mighty uneasy, and occasioned some

no HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
very extraordinary proposals to the prince. Among
the rest, one was, that Admiral Herbert, with a stout
squadron, should proce^ed to the English coast, and
fight the king's fleet, to which he was not at all
averse ; but the weather rendered it impracticable.
The prince of Orange, however, never altered his
intention in the least; but having given the necessary
orders for repairing the ships, and refreshing the
troops, which was soon done, the fleet sailed again
upon the first of November, and, as we have shewn
elsewhere, arrived speedily and safely on the English
coast, where, by the skill and care of Admiral Her-r
bert, the troops were very soon landed, and, by his
intelligence with sever^ persons of distinction in the
neighbourhood, amply supplied with provisions and
otlier necessaries. In a very few days after, the good
effects of the admiral's letter appeared by the coming
in of several ships, the first of which was the New
castle, lying at Plymouth, under the command of
Captain Churchill; and, the way being once broken,
the seamen declared in general for the prince ; from
^]\ which it fully appeared, hoAV much the success of
this great affair Avas owing to the valour, vigilance,
and prudence of this noble person.
On the 8th of March, 1688, King William grant
ed a commission for executing the office of lortl high
admiral to the following persons; viz, Arthur Her
bert, Esq. John, earl of Carbery, Sir Michael Wharr
ton, Sir Thomas Lee, Bart. Sir John Chichely, Knt.
Sir John Lowther, of Whitehaven, Bart, and Wil
liam Sacheverel, Esq but the last declined accept
ing that post, declaring, that, as he understood no
thing of maritime affairs, he could not accept the
salary with a safe conscience. As for the command
of the fleet, that Avas entrusted with Admiral Herbert
from the beginning, and he had hkewise the honour
of bringing over the neAV queen.
We have already given au account of his behaviour
in the business of Bantry-bay, of the motives Avhich

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 121
induced him to fight the French fleet, and of the
consequences of that action, collected as well from
the French, as our historians : but after all, perhaps
the reader will not be displeased to see the account
pubhshed by authority, drawn from the admiral's
own letter, from on boaid the Elizabeth, dated May
the second, I689, and which imported,
" That Admiral Herbert, having refitted at Milford-
HaA'en the damages which some of his ships had sus
tained by ill weather on the coast oflreland, intend
ed to go directly for Brest ; but the wind coming
easterly, which might bring the French fleet out, he
stood, oil the twenty-fourth past, over to Kingsale,
which he judged the likehest way to meet them.
" That accordingly, on the 29th, our scouts made
signal, that they discovered a fleet keeping their
wind, which made us, likewise, keep our own all
night, to hinder them from getting into Kingsale.
The thii-tieth, they heard the enemy Avas gone into
Baltimore, being forty-four sail ; whereupon ours bore
away to that place, but found there was no sign of
them. That in the evening, our scouts got sight of
them again to the westward of Cape Clear ; we steer
ed after them, and found they were got into the Ban-
try ; we lay off the bay all night, and the next morn
ing, by break of day, stood in where we found them
at anchor. That they got presently under sail, and
bore down upon our fleet in a line composed of twen
ty-eight men of Avar and five fire-ships. That when
they came Avithin musket shot of the Defiance, the
headmost of our ships, the French admiral put out
the signal of battle, which was began by them, they
firing their great and small shot very furiously on the
Defiance anti the rest, as we came in our line. That
then we made several boards to gain the Avind, or at
least to engage them closer ; but, finding that Avay
of working very disadvantageous. Admiral Herbert
stood off to sea, as well to have got our ships into a
line, as to have gained the wind of the enemy, but

132 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
found them so cautious in bearing down, that Ave
could never get an opportunity of doing it ; and in
this posture continued battering upon a stretch until
five in the afternoon, when the French admiral tack
ed from us, and stood away farther into the bay,
" That Admiral Herbei't's ship, and some of the
rest, being disabled in their rigging, Ave could not
follow them ; but Ave continued some time after be
fore the bay, and our admiral gave him a gun at part
ing. In this action. Captain Aylmer in the Portland,
Avho came in soon enough for the battle, Avith others
of the squadron mentioned, and ninety four seamen
were killed, and about two hundred and fifty Avound
ed, as appears by a survey taken after the fight ; and
our ships received little damage^ except in their sails
and rigging.
" That, as for our officers and seamen, that right
must, be done them, they behaved themselves with
all the courage and cheerfulness that could' be ex
pected from the bravest men: and that, on the other
side, without lessening the enemy, it may be said,
tbat they either wanted courage or skill to make use
of the advantage of the place, the wind, their fire-
ships, and their number, being at least double our
force, they having eighteen ships, the least of which
was as big as the Elizabeth ; and it so happened, at
tbe time of the engagement. Admiral Herbert had
Avith him but eight third rates, ten fourth rates, one
fifth rate, and two tenders'. And that the fleet de
signed to rendezvous and refit at Scilly."
As to the personal behaviour of Admiral Herbert
in this action, it was altogether unexceptionable ; he
was in the hottest of the service hiriiself, had several
of the largest of the enemy's ships upon him at a
time, notwithstanding Avhich he continued to expose
himself to encourage the seamen, sword in hand up
on the quarter deck, and to do all that lay in his
power to continue the engagement, insomuch, that
many thought, that, if the rest of the officers had

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 123
done their duty as well as he, they had given abetter
account of the French than they did : for which
some officers were called to a court martial, and
broke ; so much Avas the admiral a lover of disci-
phne. On (he fifteenth of May, when the king
dined on board his ship, he Avas pleased to express
great satisfaction in his conduct, and declared his
intention of creating him a peer, as he afterwards
did ; viz. on the twenty-ninth of the same month,
by the title of Baron Herbert of Torbay, and earl of
Torrington. The House of Commons also were
pleased to give him thanks for the service he had
done the nation, in taking the first opportunity to
fight the French iu Bantry Bay.
The reader will, \vithout doubt, be pleased to see
this matter set in the mo.st authentic light from the
journals of the house, in which it appears that, Arthur
Herbert, Esq, then Burgess for the town of Ply
mouth, in the county of Devon, being in his place,
had their thanks in consequence of an order made the
Saturday before.* * Martis 21° die Mail, primo Willielmi et Mariae.
Mr. Speaker gave Admiral Herbert the thanks of the house ac-
cording to their order of Saturday last, to the effect as follow-
eth ; viz,
" Admiral Herbert,
" This house hath taken notice of the great service you have
performed in engaging the French fleet; they do look upon it as
one of the bravest actions done in this last age, and expect it will
raise the reputation of the English valour to its ancient glory, I
do, therefore, by the command of this house, return you their
hearty thanks, for this service, and desire that you will communi.
cate the like thanks, in their name, to the officers and seamen that
served under your command, and to let them know, that this
house will have a particular regard of their merits, and take care,
as much as in them lies, to give them all due encouragement,"
Whereupon Admiral Herbert spake to the effect as followeth :
" Sir,
*' I am in some confusion at this great and unexpected honour,
aud the more, because I want words to express my sense of it.

124 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
As he was at this time possessed of all that a man
could Avell desire, the esteem of his prince, the favour
of the people, and the love of the seamen, so it is
allowed that he behaved in a manner every way wor
thy of his station, living very magnificently when in
town, and shewing a great respect for his officers
Avhen at sea, which gained him a wonderful interest
in the fleet ; to this, though some have given a sinis
ter turn, as if it was the chief cause of his acquittal
by the court martial that tried him, yet impartial
judges will hardly believe, that he could have gained
such an interest but by an extraordinary degree of
merit, and by a readiness to distinguish it in other
men, for Avhich, while it was not iu some degree cri-
The best return I think myself capable of making is, to assure
this honourable house, that, with my utmost hazard I will endea.
vour, by my future actions, to deserve it, and will not fail to
obey their commands, in acquainting the officers and seamen, who
•were with me, of the favourable acceptation, by this house,, of
their services. And, since the house have so favourable an opi.
nion of their actions, I would beg their leave to make an humble
motion, and I think it is a thing becoming the greatness of this na.
tion, and, indeed, has been the''^care of almost all nations that
have any commerce at sea ; it is, ^o assign some place and reve
nue for the support of such as are maimed in ihe service and de
fence of their country. There is no sufficient provision made at
; present in this kingdom, and indeed it is too great a charge for tha
crown, I, therefore, humbly move, it may be ordered by this
house, that an act may pass, that they may have a support and
subsistence, after they have, by wounds, been made incapable of
farther service."
Resolved, That the house will take care to make a provision
for such seamen as are, or shall be wounded in their Ma
jesties' service, and for the wives and children of such as
arc, or shall be slain therein ; and that a committee bp
appointed to consider how the same may be done.
And it was referred to Admiral Herbert, Mr, Hales, Mr, Bos.
cawen, Mr, Ashburnham, Sir AVilliam AVilliams, Mr. Garway,
Mr. Elwel, Lord Cooke, Mr. Holies, Mr. Papillon, Mr. Gwyn,
Lord Falkland, Lord Sherrard, Mr. Bickerstaff, Mr. Henry
Herbert, Mr. Edward Russel, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Thomas Fo
ley, Sir Duncan Colchester, Mr. Lcvcson Gower, Mr. P, Fo-
l?y, Sir Henry Capell, Sir Christopher .Musgrave, Mr, Sachevc.
rel, Mr, Cooke, and Sir Thornas Littleton.

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 125
ininal to affirm it, he was generally famous in the
navy. When he went down to take the command,
in the spring of the year I69O, of the confederate
fleet, his character stood as fair as any officer's could
do ; and even the Dutch, in their relations, allowj
that his conduct was very great in shifting and avoid-^
ing an engagement in pursuance of the advice of a
touncil of war, founded upon the enemy's great su
periority, till such time as he received positive orders
to fight ; and then he shewed, likewise, great judg^
ment in the disposition he made for an engagementi
We have little to add to the account we have
already given of the action off Beachy-head on the
30th of June, except that in the battle there was not
so much as one English man of Avar lost, and but one
of the Dutch ; that, iu the whole course of the retreat,
the earl of Torrington gave his orders with great pru
dence, and in such a manner as prevented the French
from making any great advantage of what they called
a victory, notwithstanding the inequality of the
fleets, and some unlucky, accidents that happened in
spite of all the precautions that could be takeui Nei
ther Avas his lordship at all discomposed, when upon
his being sent for up to town^ he found so general a
clamour raised against him, but, on the contrary,
gave a very clear account of matters before the coun
cil; insisted, that he had done all that was in his
power to do, Avhich made him easy in his mind as to
the consequences, being persuaded, that, of the two,
it was much better for him to ruin himself than to
ruin the fleet, as he absolutely must have done, ifhe
had acted otherwise than he did.
All he could say, however, had little effect at
that time : so that he was committed to the Tower,
aud commissioners were sent down to examine into
the condition of the fleet, and to make tlie necessary
enquiries for framing a charge against him, it being
held absolutely requisite to bring him to a trial, that
tlie justice of the nation might not suffer in the opi?

126 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
nion of her allies, the resentment of the Dutch having'
ri.sen so high as to threaten pulling down the house'
of Lord Dursley, who then resided at the Hague.
When the parliament met, October the second,
I69O, his Majesty was pleased to take notice in his
speech, in a very particular manner, of the disaster
that had happened off Beachy-head : and the para
graph being but short, we shall insert it ; "I can
not conclude without taking notice also how much
the honour of the nation has been exposed by the ill
conduct of my fleet in the last summer's engagement
against.the French, and I think myself so much con
cerned to see it vindicated, that I cannot rest satisfied =
till an example has been made of such as shall be
found faulty upon their examination and trial, which
was not practicable Avhile the whole fleet was abroad,
but is now put into the proper Avay of being done as
soon as may be." But, notwithstanding this, the'
proceedings against the earl of Torrington were not
very expeditious, and, therefore, he applied himself
by way of petition to the House of Peers, who took
his case into consideration; but, after having fully
debated itj left him to the ordinary course of pro
ceedings, or, in other words referred him to a court
martial. Yet, in order to the constituting of such a court,,
as we have elsewhere observed, there were some
difficulties to be got over, and those of such a nature
as demanded the attention of the legislature, in order
to effect which, a bill was brought in for vesting in
the commissioners of the admiralty the same power in
regard to granting commissions, Avhich Avas already
vested by law in the lord high admiral of England,
_ It may not be amiss to observe, that on the twen
tieth of January, 1689, the king had appointed ^ n'ew
board of admiralty, in which Thomas earl of Pem
broke and Montgomery, was first lord instead of the-
earl of Torrington, and Sir Michael Wharton Avas
left out. On the fifth of June, I690, the board Avas

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 127
again changed, and augmented from fiv^e to seven.
These were Thomas earl of Pembroke and Montgo
mery, John, earl of Carbery, Sir Thomas Lee, Bart.
Sir John Lowther, Bart, Edward Russel, Esq. Sir
Richard Onslow, Bart, and Henry Priestman, Esq.
and to this board it was that the intended act gave
the power of appointing court martials for the trial
of any officer of Avhat rank soever, as a lord high
admiral might do. When this bill came to be read
a third time in the house of peers, it occasioned
very Avarm debates, many lords being of opinion, that
it would have been better, if, instead of a new board,
his Majesty had appointed a lord high admiral, in
which case there would have been no need Avhatever
of a new law; but at length, however, it was carried by
a majority of two only ; upon which many of the lords
entered their protests for the reasons given in the
note below,*

* " Because this bill gives a power to commissioners of the ad
miralty to execute a jurisdiction, which, by the act of the thir
teenth of Charles II, entitled. An act for establishing articles and
orders for the regulating and better government of his Blajesty's
navy, ships of war, and forces by sea, we conceive they had not;
whereby the carl of Torrington may come to be tried for his life,
for facts committed several months before this power was given or
desired ; we think it reasonable that every man should be tried by
that law that was known to bo in force when the crime was com
mitted, " It is by virtue of the said act of the 13th of Charles II. that
the earl of Torrington was judged by this house not to have the pri
vilege of a peer of this realm for any offences committed against the
said act ; and there is no other law, as we conceive, by which the
said earl could have been debarred from enjoying the privilege of a
peer of this realm ; which act making uo mention of commissioners
of the admiralty, hut of a lord high admiral only, by whose autho-
rity all the powers given by that act are to be exercised, and with
out whose consent singly no sentence of death can be executed, we
think it of dangerous consequence to expound a law of this capital
nature otherwise than the literal words do import : and as we con.
ceive it without precedent to pass even explanatory laws, much
less such as have a retrospect in them in cases of life and death, so
we think it not at all necessary to make such a precedent at this

128 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
As soon as the bill had passed both houses, and had
received the royal assent, the earl of Torrington was
removed out of the Tower into tbe custody of the
marshal of the admiralty, where he had not been
lono- before he brought his case into the House of
Commons. This was done by a member's acquaint
ing the house, that this noble peer was desirous of
bemg heard at their bar in respect to the matter for
which he Avas in custody. Upon this an order was
made for his lordship's being brought thither the next
day, the serjeant at arms Avas directed to serve the
marshal of the admiralty with a copy of it, which he
did accordingly; and, November the 12th, the house
being informed, that his lordship was in the lobby,-
directed him to be brought in by the serjeant, Avith
the mace, to a chair set for him Avithin the bar on the
left-hand of the house as he came in ; and having Sat
down thereon for some time covered, and the mace
being laid upon the table, his lordship rose, and stood
at the back of the chair uncovered, and was heard
before the house ; after which his lordship withdrew^
the mace attending him.
This is all AVe meet Avith in the journal; but a
writer of those times assures n§, that his lordship
found himself so much embarrassed in the presence
of that assembly, as not to be able to express himself
as he intended ; upon which he acquainted the Com^'
times there being an undoubted legal way already established tflf
bring this earl to a trial by a lord high admiral.
"Thirdly, the judges having unanimously declared, that the
law marine was no where particularized in their books, whereby-
the power or jurisdiction of the lord high admiral tnay be ascertain.
ed, so that practice is all that we know of it; we conceive it un
precedented, and of dangerous consequence, that the jurisdiction
exerdsed by the lord high admiral should, by a lat^, be: declared to
be in the commissioners of the admiralty, whereby an iJriknown
and therefore Uiilimited power mdy be established in thettii
*' Rivers, Huntingdon, Rochester, Weymotith, Stamford,
Dartmouth, Oxford, Maccl^field, Thomas Rpffen, Crew,
Bath, Grinville, Herbert, Craven, J. Eiton, Bolton,
J, Bridgewater."

OF ARTHUR HERBERT. 121^
n5ons, that, being- accustomed ratiier to act than to
speak, he found himself at a loss for words, and there
fore desired to make use of his papers, which was
allowed him. He then took notice how early he had
entered into his country's service ; how many years
he had spent therein, and of his having spilled much
blood, as well as been deprived of his eye, in their
quarrel. He proceeded next to the loss he had sus
tained for supporting*the Protestant religion, and the
laws and hberties of England under King James II.
Last of all, he spoke of the engagement Avith the
French fleet off Beachy- Head, in respect to which he
excused his not fighting, from the want of intelli
gence, Avant of ammunition, shortness of wind, ine
quality of numbers, and, in support of what he said,
produced some letters ; but all this Avas of little or no
use to his lordship. The house remitted him to that
trial for Avhich the late act had made way, and of
which the highest expectations were raised at home
and abroad, the king being resolved not to embark for
Holland till it was all over.
Accordingly, Saturday the sixth of December,
J 690, his lordship Aveut down to Sheerness in his
yacht, the court-martial sitting there on board the
Kent: on Monday, December' 8, Sir Ralph Dela\-ai,
being in the chair as president, the commission Avas
opened and read, and other prelimiuaries adjusted;
after which the court adjourned to Wednesday the
JlOth, when the Avitn esses were heard on the part of
the crown, as well Dutch as English : bnt, notwith^
standing the loudness of the common reports, there
was very little appeared in proof, though the court
took all the pains they could to sift things to
the bottom; his lordship then made his defence iu
the manner that has been before-mentioned, insisted
largely on the superiority of the French fleet, on the
i^hjfting of the Avind, Avhich put it out of his power to
succour the Dutch, on the care taken on securing i^
retreat, and the small advai)tage th^t the enemy
\QL. III. K

130 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
reaped from their so much boasted success in this
action, Avhich had drawn upon their admiral, Count
Tourville, as many censures as upon himself, and
Avith pretty much the same reason. After mature
consideration, both of the charge, of his defence, and
of the evidence offered, the court, nemine contra-
dicente, acquitted him Avholly of any imputation what
ever, from his conduct on that occasion. To which,
Avhen required to sign it, they most steadily adhered.
It is said, that a certain Dutch rear-admiral, who
was present, expressed his resentment very Avarmly,
and it is certain, the proceedings were quickly after
printed in Dutch, with some animadversions.
On Thursday, December the eleventh, the earl of
Torrington returned to toAvn in his barge, with the
union flag flying, as bearing still the king's commis
sion of admiral and commander in chief. He re
turned to his own house, where he received the com
pliments of his friends, and the news, Avhich could
not much surprise him, that his commission was su
perseded. He was almost the only victim in that
reign, for he never received any mark of favour,
much less enjoyed any command afterwards. He
came, however, in a few days to the House of Peers,
Avhere he constantly attended for above tAventy years.
after, Avithout altering his conduct in the least, which
is a manifest proof that he Avas not governed by
ca-price, but by principle. He was always on the side
of the Crown, and very rarely in an opposition to its
ministers ; sometimes, however, he Avas, and then he
commonly protested, that the reasons of his opposi
tion might appear, and that the Avorld might not
ascribe his disagreement with men in power to pre
judice or spleen. In matters tiiat related to the navy,
he Avas generally most forAvard, and in respect to
them, the house heard him with respect and atten
tion, and upon such occasions he shewed himself
commonly a' friend to strict discipline, and a frugal
management in the navy.

OF ANTHONY HASTINGS. I3l
He raised, Avhile in employment, a considerable
fortune, upon Avhich he lived in a manner becoming
his rank, during the remainder of his life. His lord
ship was tAvice married, but never had any children ;
and at length, after having spent the latter part of his
fife in as much privacy and quiet as he had done the
fprmer scenes of it in action, he breathed his last,
April the 13th, 1716, in a good old age, leaving the
bulk of his estate to the right honourable Henry,
earl of Lincoln, merely out of respect to that noble
person's steady adherence to the same cause which
the earl of Torrington supported during his Avhole
life. These particulars, Avhich had hitherto lain scat»-
tered in a variety of authors, we have, Avith the ut-?
most diligence, gathered and digested according to
the natural order of time, that the memory of so
brave a man might not be altogether buried in ob
livion, or that the clamour, which the best of judges
thought without foundation, be as fatal to his fams
after death, as while living it was to his poAver,

ANTHONY HASTINGS
Was descended from a very noble family \yhich
derives its origin from'Robert De Hastings, the father
of William, Steward of the Household to King Henry
i. The grandson of WiUiam, who was also a Wil
liam, was among the barons summoned to parliament
by King John in the first year of his reign. This
illustrious race intermarried with the immediate de-
iscendants of sovereigns, both of England and France,
In the year 1529, George, Lord Hastings, Avas created
carl of Huntingdon. Anthony Hastings having
entered into the navy, Avas, on the 17thof April 1666
appointed first lieutenant of tlv Assurance. On the
commencejnentof the second Dutch war in 1,672, he
•was made second lieutenant of the Cambridge; in
which station he continued to serve till its conclus-

133 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
sion. In November I676, he was promoted to the
command of the Quaker ketch : and when the rup
ture Avith France Avas expected in I678, he became
again a lieutenant, being appointed to the Harwich ;
from which he Avas, on the 2d of May following, re
moved to the same station in the Royal Charles, the
ship on board which Sir John Kemptborne had hoisted
his flag as vice-admiral of the fleet destined for Chan
nel service.. The prospect of hostilities vanishing soon
afterwards, and a life of inactivity not suiting Mr.
Hastings's gallantry, he again solicited employment,
which he procured, being appointed, on the 4th of
November 1679, lieutenant of the James galley, one
of the vessels soon afterwards stationed in the Medi
terranean under Admiral Herbert. This commander,
on the 23d of August I68O, removed bim into the
Bristol; and on the 22d of April I68I, promoted him
to the command of the Sapphire, In September fol
lowing in company AA'ith the James galley, com
manded by Captain Shovel, he fell in with and cap
tured a large Algerine Corsair, called the Half-Moon,
carrying thirty-two gTins, and three hundred and
eighty men. Engagements with pirates, had always
been long and desperate. This was rendered par
ticularly obstinate from tlie lieutenant's being ati
English renegado, Avho, knew, he could exjject no
mercy. He Avas hanged immediately after the ene
my's ship Avas taken possession of. From the time
Captain Hastings quitted the command of the Ad
venture, Avhich is a period not known, he does not
appear to have been employed "till tlie very eve of the
Revolution. On the 12tli of October 1688, he Avas
appointed commander of the Woolwich, and had the
fortune to capture two of the vessels of the Dutch
armament which the fleet of Jaines, powerful as it
Avas, Avas able to intercept. Notwithstanding he had
thus faithfully adhered to the interest of his sovereign
while he retained possession of the throne, he had
patriotism sutficient to assist heartily in the revolution.

OF JOHN NEVILLE, 133
and arrangement of government, which took place
immediately on his deserting it, William was so
Avell assured of his honour and integrity, that he pro
moted him, after his accession, to the command of
the Essex, of seventy guns. In the following year
he Avas removed into the Sterling Castle, which
he commanded at the battle of Beachy Head.
The year 1691 ingloriously passed away without any
engagement, the French avoiding a second trial of
their prowes,s, in which they might probably lose the
little temporary credit they had gained the preceding
summer. The year I692 Avill ever be remembered,
by Englishmen, as the £era of one of those victories
Avhich have established, on a foundation not to be
shaken, her naval ci'edit and consequence. At the
battle of La llogue Captain Hastings commanded the
Sandwich, of ninety guns, and fell, towards the con
clusion of the first day's fight, having deservedly ac
quired, and uniformly supported the character of a
bra\'e and fuly honest man. His body was brought
a-shore at' Portsmouth, and conveyed to London for
interment.

JOHN NEVILLE
Was, as it were, by descent a naval commander,
his ancestor being Gilbert Dq Neville, a Norman, who
Avas admiral of the fleet to William, surnamed the
Conqueror. John Ne\'ille was the great-grandson of
Henry Neville, seventh Lord of AbergaA'enny ; and
going early in life to sea, Avas, in the year I673, made
lieutenant of the Ruby, a ship of fifty-four guns
taken from the French Jby Sir Thomas Allen. After
various removals he was, on the 14th of August iGi^d,
commissioned to the Crown, in which ship he sailed
for Cadiz ami tlie Mediterranean on the 26th of the
same month, under the command of Sir Roger Strick
land; and he returned to Europe with that admiral in

184 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
the beginning of the folIoAving year. On the ^5th of
September 1688, he Avas appointed to command the
Elizabeth. The preparations of the prince of Orange-
alarming all the fears of James, he adhered strenuously
to the former, AVhich is the less to be wondered at in
him, as, independently of every other consideration,
he had a strong personal attachment to Herbert, after
Avards earl of Torrington, the first and most zealou^
among the partizans of William, At the battle off
BeachyTHead he commanded the Sovereign, being
chosen by Torrington as an officer of Avhose abilities
he entertained the highest opinion, and in whose
friendship, he placed the most unlimite'd and wel^
deserved confidence, a confidence lie appears to have
merited, as Avell by his gallantry, as by the clear and
honest testimony he bore, in spite of clamour, to the
earl's prudence, ability and fortitude. The services
of Captain Neville were not confined to the duties of
a naval command, for, in the month of October l690j
following the example of the brave duke of Grafton,
he landed, as a volunteer, at Cork, Avhich Avas then
besieged by the English army under the earl of
Marlborough. He Avas present at the attack of the
breach made by Brigadier Churchill, and, as the post
of most honour and danger, marched, with the grena
diers under Lord Colchester, who led the assault. In
the month of July 1693, he A\'as promoted to be rear-
admiral of the blue ; and having hoisted his flag on
board the Neptune, sailed with a small squadron into
the North sea, to counteract any equipment the
French might make from Dunkirk. He Avas soon
recalled and sent, in the month of December follow
ing, to- the Straits under the command of Sir Fran^
eis Wheeler. He hoisted his flag on board the Royal
Oak, and narrowly escaped destruction in that dread
ful storm, on the lt)th of February, Avh en Sir Francis
perished, Avitli his ship, the Sussex, and several others
of his squadron, Neville saw the danger and used
^very means to acquaint his companions of it, but

OF JOHN NEVILLE, 135
unhappily Avith little success. He having the Straits
open, stood through them to the westward; and run
ning over to the Barbary shore, under Avhich he had
smooth water and Av^as protected from the violence of
Avind, here he continued in safety till the Aveather be
came moderate, and he Avas enabled to stand back to
Gibraltar, Avhere he received the melancholy intelli
gence of his admirafs misfortune. The shattered re
mains of the squadron being collected, it was resolved
to return to Cadiz to refit. The latter end of June
Admiral Russel arrived from England, and dispatched
a frigate into Cadiz, with orders to Mr, Neville to
join him off Cape Spartel ; Avhich he did on the 30th
of June. The fleet continued its course to the Medi
terranean. In the month of February, 1694, or early
in March, Rear-admiral Neville was detached, Avith a
strong squadron, to cruize off Cape Spartel, that he
might intercept any squadron Tourville might attempt
to send through the Straits to Brest. The French
admiral having too much caution to risk so hazardous
a measure, the cruise was fruitless. On his return, the
Avhole fleet sailed again for the Mediterranean ; and
the rear-admiral Avas detached with a squadron to
Final, to convoy from thence to Catalonia several
thousand German and Italian troops which Avere to
serve in that province. He sailed from Final on the
23d of June, and Avas met by the main fleet, under
Russel, off Toulon, Thej' proceeded together to Bar
celona, Avhere they arrived on the 19th of July. The
dilatoriness of the Spaniards proved a severe impedi
ment to the operations, .so that, notwithstanding
every possible assistance that could be rendered them
by Neville, Avho had been connected with them, as
Avell as every other aid on a larger scale that could be
afforded them by Russel, the campaign ended as dis
gracefully to them as their want of energy and spirit
could render, it. No probability existing of farther
service, the allied fleet returned to Cadiz. In the
month of October Sir George Rooke, who was

150 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
appointed to relieve Russel, arrived at Cadiz; &M
Neville having removed his flag into the Neptune
continued to serve with him in the same station he
had under his predecessor. During the ensuing sum
mer Mr. Neville was employed as commander of a
small cruising squadron stationed between Cape Clear
and Cape Finisterre for the protection of our com
merce, Avhich commerce having sustained no signal
disaster during this period, as it is a convincing proof
of the vice-ad mirars attention, so is that attention an
object of sufficient consequence and praise. In the
month of October he Avas promoted to be a vice-
admiral, and appointed commander-ii>chief in the
Mediterranean, He accordingly sailed on the 3d of
November, with a squadron of fifteen English and
Dutch ships of war, having a fleet of merchant-men
bound for Cadiz under, his conA'oy. During his
passage he met with such unfavourable weather, that
his whole fleet Avas separated and dispersed. Several
of the merchant-vessels were lost ; and the remainder,
together vi'ith the ships of war, arrived at Cadiz, at
different periods, and in a shattered state. The fleet
had scarcely sailed from England, when intelligence
was receiA^ed in England^ that the French court had
formed a project, of surprising the Spanish galleons.
This Avas to be executed by a squadron dispatched
from Europe under the command of the Sieur Pointis,
to co-operate Avith IM. Du Casse, Avho Avas already at
Hispaniola and had himself planned the expedition.
The Spaniards being at that time the allies of Eng
land, it became necessary to support, and, protect
them, A small force Avas dispatched, under Com
modore Mees, to Madeira ; and the vice-admiral Avas
directed, by secret instructions, to join it with the
Mediterranean squadron, after he had convoyed a
fleet of homcAvard bound merchant-ships to a certain
latitude. This junction being effected, the admiral
arrived safe at Barbadoes on tlie 17tii of April l6g7;
but the fleet was dispersed, though without any ill-

OF JOHN NEVILLE- tS7
Consequence attending the separation, for the greatest
part of the ships, the Dutch excepted, arrived in the
West Indies before the commander-in-chief. The
Dutch joining him afterwards, he went down to An
tigua, which he reached on fhe 3d of May. It Avas
here resolved, in a council of Avar, to proceed to Porto
Rico Avith all possible dispatch, in order to protect the
galleons. However, before the fleet could reach its
destination, intelligence AA'^as received that M. De
Pointis had sailed from Hispaniola Avith a force of
twenty-six ships of different rates. This news occa
sioned an alteration of measures ; and it Avas unani
mously agreed to proceed to Jamaica, to protect the
island, which was now thought one of the first ob
jects of the French attack. On the 15th of Ma}-,
the squadron being off the east end of the island, the
vice-admiral received information by a sloop, that a
report prevailed of the French squadron having
attacked Carthagena : in consequence of Avhich in
telligence he stayed no longer at Port Royal than was
necessary to take on board a supply of Avater. This
being done, he sailed for Carthagena, attempting to
pass through the leeward passage. Contrary Avinds
blowing from a quarter very unusual in that part of the
Avorld, retarded his progress many days, During the
interA'al a sloop came in, that left Porto Bello with the
galleons, which were fifteen in number, and Avere then
making for Jamaica to get a supply of provisions, of
Avhich they were much in want. The vice-admiral
dispatched two sloops in search of them, Avith infor
mation that he was then on the point of proceeding
to Carthagena in search of De Pointis, and shoukl
from thence soon return to Jamaica. On the 27th of
May, the allied squadron being about half channel
over in its Avay to Carthagena, got sight of De Poin
tis, Avho was on his return to Europe laden Avith plun
der. *' The vice-admiral immediately gave chace ; and
the^Warwick, one of the squadron, got so near as to
engage, one of the French ships, which being the

138 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
better sailer of the two unfortunately effected his
escape. The Warwick, hoAvever, captured a fly-boat,
on board Avhich was found plate to the value of two
hundred thousand pounds, a most unequivocal proof
of the immense treasure Avhich the French were bear
ing off. The pursuit was continued five days Avith
out effect, Avhen five of the ships, among which Avere
those of the two admirals, having sprung their top
masts and sustained damage in their sails and yards,
the vice-admiral very reluctantly discontinued a pur
suit, from which there was so little prospect of suc
cess. Disappointed in his hope of engaging the
enemy, and depriving them of their ill-acquired
Avealth, he turned his thoughts to Carthagena, Avhi
ther he resoh'ed to shape his course, to see if the
galleons Avere safe, and ifhe could render any service
to the Spaniards, in their then distressed state. The
fleet next proceeded to Hispaniola, and on its passage
thither had the good fortune, which was almost the
only instance iu which any had attended it during the
voyage, to capture several vessels and some of the
enemy's privateers, tAVO or three of which Avere of
considerable force. Three days after the fleet arriA'ed
at Hispaniola, the governor of Jamaica suggested an
expedition against Petit-Guavas ; Rear-admiral Mees
Avas accordingly detached on that service, in which
he Avas completely successful. Mr. Neville having
Avooded and watered his squadron, sailed in search oi
Mees, Avhom he joined the 50th of June. He then
steered for Jamaica, intending, to proceed to the
Havannah in quest of the galleons, of Avhich he had
as yet received no authentic information. On the
17th of July Rear-admiral Mees died, an event, which
was the less extraordinary as a most dismal mortality
prevailed both among the officers and men. On the
22d of the same month IMr. Neville, Avith the
squadron, arrived oft' the Havannah. He imme
diately made his situation and Avants known to the
governor, Avho not only peremptorily refused the fleet

OF JOHN NEVILLE. 139
admittance into the port, but denied that relief to
necessitous distress Avhich, putting every other con
sideration aside, humanity alone ought to have taught
him to administer. As an additional affront to the
honour of the British nation, when the A'ice-admiral
informed the general of the galleons, Avhich had reached
the Havannah in safety, that he was arrived there in
order to conduct and convoy them to Europe, for
Avhich purpose alone the expedition had been under
taken, the Spaniard in plain terms, excused himself
from accepting the protection offered, by returning
for answer, that he had received no instructions that
warranted him in accepting his protection. The be
haviour of the Spaniards, added to the ill-success that
appears uniformly to have attended this expedition,
brought a dejection of spirits on the vice-admiral
Avhich at last terminated in a fever. This encreased
during bis passage to Virginia, Avhither he repaired
Avith his squadron, to seek that refreshment which the
allies of his country had denied him ; although the
ships he commanded had many of them, been pur
posely equipped, and all of them dispatched to en
counter an enemy, and, what Avas much more for
midable, disease, for the special succour of those
allies, and to preserve their property from destruc
tion. The death of the vice-admiral, Avhich took
place soon after he reached Virginia, closes this
melancholy scene : a death, occasioned more by
grief than distemper. He had flattered himself that
the protection of the Spanish treasure, as it formed
the principal object of his instructions, would obli
terate the remembrance of those disappointments
Avhich he had before encountered, and which he
knew Avere fully sufficient to excite the clamour and
discontent of his countrymen. Disappointed in this,
his last hope, and reflecting, Avith heart-felt sorrow,
on the Httle service efiected by a squadron, so strong
as that put under his command, feelingly sensible of
the fruitless expenditure of his country's treasure on

149 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
this occasion, and truly commiserating the many
brave men Avho had ignobly fallen a prey to an inhos
pitable, and unwholesome climate, he sunk under
this accumulated grief, regretted by all who knew
him, as a man of courage, ability, and integrity, and
against whom the only charge the bitterest of his
enemies could with propriety make, Avas, that he
was unfortunate.

SIR FRANCIS WHEELER.
This gentleman Avas the descendant of a family of
some antiquity and very respectable possessions in
the county of Kent, HaA'ing early attached himself
to a sea-faring life, he Avas, on the 30th of April 1678,
appointed second lieutenant of the Rupert, by Vice-
admiral Herbert, who was second in command on the
Mediterranean station. On May Jth, 1679, he was
promoted by Sir J, Narborough, commander-in-chief
on that station, to be first lieutenant of the same
ship. He appears to have long continued on the
Mediterranean station, as we find him removed by
Admiral Herbert, Avho had attained the chief com
mand there, to be first lieutenant of the Bristol on
the 6th of April 1680. On the 1 1 th of September
following he was promoted, by the same admiral, to
be commander of the Nonsuch. In May 1681, while
captain of this ship, a circumstance occurred, in it
self, indeed, inconsiderable, but from the singular
consequences that attended it. The Adventure, Cap
tain Booth, Avas engaged with an Algerine corsair, who
was on the point of submitting when the appearance
of the Nonsuch, Avhich was conceived by the enemy
to be a ship of their own nation, induced a longer
and very gallant resistance, till, at the daAvn of the
following day, Captain Wheeler, having hoisted Eng
lish colours, took possession of the pirate, Avho made
not the least resistance. On the 9th of August foi-

OF SIR FRANCIS WHEELER. 141
lowing, Captain Wheeler was removed into the Kings-
fisher, a ship of the same rate, but superior force and
size. In the month of October he fell in with the
Admiral of Sally, a stout ship and commanded by a
man who behaved with a resolution worthy of a more
honourable cause than tbat in which he fought. The
engagement was obstinate ; but after it had continued
some hours the corsair struck, and had in the action
received so much damage that she sunk very soon
after Captain Wheeler had taken possession of her.
On the 25th of August 1683, he was made com
mander of the Tyger, and Avas re-commissioned to
the same A'essel on the 4th of May 1688, In Sep
tember 1688, Avhen the attack about to be made by
the prince of Orange, Avas raised from suspicion to
almost an absolute certainty. Captain Wheeler Avas
appointed, by King James, to command the Cen
turion, and, as one of the last public acts of his
sovereignty, Avas removed by the same prince, on the
l6th of November following, into the Kent, He
received the honour of knighthood about this time,
and did not long continue in the Kent, as we find
him, in the month of April, commanding, as Sir
.Francis Wheeler, the Rupert. He Avas dispatched
from Portsmouth, to join Admiral Herbert; but the
action Of Bantry Bay had taken place, and Herbert
was on his return to port before Sir Francis was clear
of the channel. He had, however, the good fortune
not to return unsuccessful, having captured a large
and valuable merchant-ship from St. Domingo, bound
to Brest. In the month of July he Avas detached by
Admiral Herbert, lately created earl of Torrington,
with twelve ships of Avar of different sizes, to look
into Brest harbour and watch the motions of the
French fleet in that port. He had the good fortune
during the short time he Avas employed on this ser
vice, to capture a French ship of war, bound Avith
dispatches from the late King James to France, and
twenty-six other A'essels, from France, bou^nd to Ire-

142 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS '
land, laden Avith stores, provisions, and ammunition,
for that prince's army.
At the battle off Beachy Head he commanded the
Albemarle of ninety guns, the tenth ship in the Bri-
tish line, and had now attained so high a character,
that, in 1692, he Avas, although a very young offi,
cer, made rear-admiral of the blue, and appointed
commander-in-chief of a squadron sent to the West
Indies, Avith a privilege, which had been for some
years disused, of wearing the union flag at his main
top-mast head as soon as he was clear of soundings.
The squadron, arrived on the 26th of January 1692-3
at Madeira, but did not reach Barbadoes till the 1st
of March, It Avas there resolved in a council of war
that Martinico should be immediately attacked ; and
information Avas, in consequence, dispatched to
General Codrington, of the arrival of the squadron,
that he mijiht collect the forces, intended to be raised
by the colonies as auxiliaries to the regular troops
sent from Europe, The fleet, having taken on board
the troops raised at Barbafloes, sailed from thence on
the ^Gth^of March, and anchored in the Cui de Sac
Marine at Martinico on the 1st of April, The
necessary dispositions for landing the troops being
made on the l6th, they were all put on shore on the
following day, and after a few inconsiderable skir
mishes with the enemy, possessed themselves of an
eminence which gave them the command of all the
adjacent country, On the following day the field-
pieces were landed, and on the 19th the enemy
hazarded a sally on some of the out- posts : they Avere,
however, driven hack with considerable loss, and in
pai-ticular that of their commanding officer. Thus
far every thing appears to ha\'e worn a favourable
aspect ; but, as is almost universally the case in ex
peditions of this nature, the troops began at this time
to grow sickly, and in so gieat a degree that, at a
'Council of Avar held on the 20th, it was resolved not
to attempt the fort, Avhich Avas a regular fortification,

OF SIR FRANCIS WHEELER. 143
but to re-embark the troops, and repair with them to
Dominica, Avhere they might get water; and where,
it Avas hoped, the mortality Avhich prevailed, might
be, in some degree, stopped. Such Avas the end of an
expedition, on the success of which the greatest ex
pectations had been formed at home, and in which
the loss by the sword did not exceed one hundred
and twenty men, while, during fhe same period, nearly
a thousand either absolutely fell miserable victims to
disease, or Avere rendered incapable of service. On
his return, Sir Francis, was almost immediately pro
moted to be rear-admiral of the red, and soon after
wards to be commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean,
a preferment which he obtained purely by his merit.
The squadron destinedfortheStraits, Avhich Avasput un-
-der his command in the month of November, consisted
of twenty ships, of war and frigates: but Sir Francis
was still the child of misfortune ; he was detained a
month by contrary Avinds and the want of stores, so
that he did not sail till the 27th of December ; and
even then is said, to have been obliged to leave be
hind two or three of his smaller ships to convoy the
store-ships and victuallers, which were destined to
attend him but were not ready to sail. On die 29th
he was joined, off Plymouth, by the Warspight and
Chatham, with about twenty merchant-ships from
the same port bound to the Straits, This passage
was very favourable and expeditious, for on the 4th
of January, the fleet had advanced as far as Cape
Finisterre; at which time Sir Francis detached the
ships bound to Oporto, Avitli a proper convoy to
attend them. Two days afterwards, having received
information that five French ships of Avar were
Cruising between the rock of Lisbon, and Cape St.
Vincent, he ordered, five third and fourth rates,
together vvith a fire-ship, to attend the Lisbon and
St. Ubes ships into those ports. After this, the fleet
being then near Cape St. Vincent, four large French
ihips were seen at the close of the evening; Sir

144 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
Francis instantiy made the signal for a proper num
ber of his ships to chace; but the French ships out
sailing those which were detached in pursuit of them,
and very foul, thick Aveather coming on, a signal was
made for the ships to discontinue the chace, in order
that they might not lose company Avith the fleet. In
consequence of the enemy's too successful flight, it
Avas immediately resolved, in a council of Avar, that
Rear-admiral Neville, in the Royal Oak, with. the
Warspight, York, Chatham, and two Dutch ships of
seventy guns each, with two fire-ships, should stand
away for Cape St, Vincent in hopes of faUing in with
the French and haA'ing cruised in that station some
days they should endeavour to join the ships of war
which were expected to return about that time, from
convoying the Lisbon and St. Ubes fleet. They Avere,
all to proceed in company for Cadiz. The admiral
arrived at Cadiz, having had the good fortune, which
appears to have been the greatest instance of it that
ever attended him through life, of carrying safe into
Cadiz one hundred and sixty-five merchant-ships
under his convoy, the whole number except one
that had sailed with him from England, Sir Francis,
having appointed the convoy which Avas to return to
England under the command of Vice-admiral Hop-
son, put to sea on the 10th of February, intend
ing to sail for the Mediterranean ; but the Avind
coming contrary, he Avas obliged to bear away
for the Bay of Bulls, Avhere he anchored, On
the 17th he sailed again, and lay 'to the same
evening off Gibraltar Avith the Aviiid at west; about
two the next morning he again made sail Avith the
Avind northerly. About seven the wind suddenly
came round to the southward, but soon flew back to
the northward again. Before eight it blew hard from
the east-north-east, accompanied Avith much thunder
and rain ; and soon increased to such a storm that
the fleet was obliged to bear, away to the southAvard.
In the course of the following night the ships of th^

OF HENRY, DUKE OF GRAFTON. J45
squadron were all dispersed ; many of them misr
taking the Bay of Gibraltar for the Straits' mouth,
were driven on shore and totally lost; others, who
escaped that species of destruction, experienced a
fate no less horrible, by foundering at sea. Among
this number was the Sussex, the admiral's ship, every
person on board of which perished, twb Moors ex
cepted. " Thus perished," says his biographer, "and
in a way which even his enemies must have la
mented, the brave, though unfortunate. Sir Fiancis
Wheeler, a man, from the undeserved clamour raised
against him, most truly entitled to universal com
passion; but that the calumny of discontented men
leaves behind it no stain. The sponge of time washes
off the temporary soil, nor suffers the smallest trace
to remain of its having ever existed. The body was
embalmed, and sent to England for interment."

HENRY, DUKE OF GRAFTON.
Henry, Duke of Grafton, the first Avho bore
that title was the natural son of King Charies II,
by Barbara Villiers, duchess of Cleveland, and was
born on the 20th of September 1 663. He was made
a peer of England in August 1672, by the titles of
Baron of Sudbury, Viscount Ipswich, and Earl cf
Euston, all in the county of Suffolk; and in Sep
tember 1675, was created Duke of Grafton, in the
county of Northampton. Discovering great propen
sity to the naval service, he went early to sea as a
volunteer under Sir John Berry ; so that, having been
on the 31st of August I68O, elected knight-com
panion of the most noble order of the garter, being
then at sea, he was obliged to be installed by his
proxy, Sir Edward Villiers, knight, afterwards Earl
Jersey, This ceremony took place on the 30th of
September following. On the 15th of December
VOL. Ill, L

lid HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
1681, he was elected, by the corporation of the "rri-
nity House, one of their elder brethren; and was ap
pointed colonel of the first regiment of foot guards!
His promising talents, and zeal to distinguish him
self, were such as to induce his royal father to de
clare him, on the 13th of January 1683-4, when he
Avas not yet twenty years old, vice-admiral of Eng
land. This office was merely honorary, and of a
civil nature, so that we are not to be surprised at
finding him appointed a private captain, as com^
mander of tbe Grafton, a third-rate of scA'enfy guns,
on the 18th of April 1683, In the same month he
Avas constituted admiral and commander-in-chief of
his Majesty's fleet in the narrow seas. On the 20th of
October 1664, he Avas sworn recorder of St, Ed-
mondsbury, in Suffolk, an honorary, and introduc
tory appointment to that more eminent one of lord'^
lieutenant of the same county, which he received on
the 6th of May 1685, He was also invested with
the otfices of remembrancer of the first-frilits, ranger
of Whittlebury-forest in Northamptonshire, and game
keeper at Newmarket, He was constituted lord
high-constable of England for the caronation of his
natural uncle, King Jaines If, When his half-
brother, Monmouth, landed in the Avest, the duke's
regiment formed a part of the army, sent down to
oppose him. His grace accompanietl them as their
colonel, and behaved with great gallantry at the ac
tion in Philips-Norton-lane, in Somersetshire, where
he had a very narroAv escape.
Soon after the landing of tlie prince of Orange,'
the duke A\'as one of the Protestant peers, then iri
London, who, in conjunction with the archbishops
of York and Canterbury, signed a petition to King
James, "that in deep sense of the miseries of war,
&c, they thought themselves bound in conscience;
and out of the duty they OAve to God, their -holy re
ligion, &c. most humbly to offer to his Majesty, that,
in' their opinions, the only visible way to preserve his

OF HENRY, DURE OF GRAFTON. 147
Mjyesty, and his kingdom Avould be the calling a par
liament regular and free in all respects." His grace,
Avith the Lord Churchill, were the first who resorted to
the standard of the prince of Orange. This they ef
fected on the 19th of November, at the time King
James was at Salisbury. The early countenance shewn
to a weak and infant cause was repaid by the prince
with his most unlimited confidence; so that when
James withdrew from Whitehall, the duke Avas disr
patched from the camp, at Henley, to take possession
of Tilbury-Fort with his regiment of foot-guards. As
a proof of the moderation of the duke's principles, and
his hope that some future alteration of conduct might
reconcile the people of England to their former sove
reign, Avhen, after the meeting of the convention it
came to be debated in theHouse of Peers, " whether,
the throne being vacant, it ought to be filled up by
a regent or a king ?" the duke was one of the forty-
nine Avho voted for a regent. The sense of his
countrymen was against him ; and, too wise to op
pose the general wish, he hesitated not, and, indeed,
he appears to have been influenced by the foregoing
considerations only, to acknowledge the prince and
princess of Orange, king and queen of Great Britain.
His example Avas immediately followed by the, duke
of Ormond, the duke of Northumberland, and others
of scarcely less honourable note. At the coronation
of his new soA'ereigns he carried the orb : and soon
afterwards returning to the naval service, after haA'
ing, more than once, been appointed admiral of the
fleet, and having held for, several years the commis
sion of vice-admiral of England, we find him in the
station of a captain as once more commander of the
Grafton, at the battle off" Beachy-Head, He distin
guished himself during this unfortunate and unequal
contest in. no less eminent a degree than might well
be expected from a man of great courage and gal
lantry. He sailed in the month of September folloAV-
ing for Cork, still holding the same station and com-
l2

148 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
"mand as before. His active spirit, and thirst of
glory led him to head the troops which were landed
at Passage on the 23d of the same month. A breach
being effected by the 28th, and the enemy shewing
no disposition to capitulate, four battalions, under
Brigadier Churchill, were ordered to stonn it. The
grenadier companies, commanded by Lord Colches
ter, ledithevan. The duke of Grafton, and several
other naval officers, inspired by his example, ac
companied them, as volunteers, on this desperate
service. The attack was too violent to leave room
for long resistance : the enemy abandoned their
works, and beat a parley, though not before the
brave and unfortunate duke had received a desperate
wound, of which he died on the ninth of October
following. As soon as the city of Cork had capitu
lated, the greatest part of the fleet returned, and the
duke was left Avith the chief command, a trust which
he did not, as has been just related, long enjoy, and
which, indeed, he was never in a condition to under
take. His corpse Avas brought to England in the
ship be had comrnanded, and buried at Euston, in
Suffolk, His grace married the Lady Isabella, only
daughter, and, at length, heiress to Henry Bennet,
earl of Ariington, viscount Thetford, &c. By this
lady he had issue one son only, Charles, earl of Eus"-
ton, born the 25th of November 1683, Avho succeeded
his father as duke of Grafton.

SIR JOHN ASHBY
Was descended from a family in a mercantile line,
which had been, for a considerable time, settled at
Lovvestoffe, in the county of Suffolk. His first ap
pointment in the navy Avas as lieutenant of the Ad
venture : this Avas in the year 1665. In 1667 he Avas
removed, in the same station, on board the Princess:

OF SIR JOHN ASHBY. 149
and in October 1668 was promoted, by the duke of
York, to the command of the Deptford ketch. In
1670 he was still farther promoted to the Advice, a
fourth rate. In 1671 he was removed into the Rain
bow; and in the following year into the Pearl, a frigate
of twenty-eight guns. In February 1 672-3, on his re
turn from Jersey, whither be had carried Sir Thomas
Morgan, newly appointed governor thereof, he fell
in with a large privateer, of equal force, belonging
to Middleburgh, An action took place; and conti
nued upwards of two hours, when the Dutchman
was completely vanquished : but the wind Avas at
that time so violent as totally to prevent the Pearl's
boats from boarding her ; Captain Ashby Avas con
sequently robbed of his prize. As some consolation
under this disappointment, he next day retook the
RubA', a ship of two hundred tons and twenty guns,
that had been captured a few days before by a Dutch
privateer off Scilly. On the 21st of June following
he was promoted, by Prince Rupert, to command
the Lyon,- as successor to Captain Fowles, Avho had
fallen in the action of the 28th of May. Early in
the year 1685, he Avas made captain of the Mon
tague ; from Avhich ship he was, on the 27th of Sep
tember in the same year, removed into the Henrietta
guard-ship ; and again, on the 6th of March follow
ing into the Mordaunt. On the 15th of September
1688 he Avas appointed to the Defiance, one of the
ships fitted for channel service, under Lord Dart
mouth, Warmly attached to the constitutional li-
lierty of his country, immediately on the revolution
taking place he became a firm adherent to William 111,
He continued to qommand the Defiance, and led the
van of the squadron, at the battle of Bantry Bay.
His gallantry was so conspicuous on this occasion,
that Avhen King William Avent to Portsmouth for tiie
special purpose of thanking all, and rewarding those
whose behaviour had been more particularly noticed,
he conferred on Captain Ashby the honour of knight-

150 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
hood ; and, as a farther token of his esteem, pre
sented him Avith a Avatch set Avith diamonds. In the
month of July following, he was promoted to be
rear-admiral of the blue, and went to sea in that sta
tion Avhen the fleet sailed under Lord Torrington :
but no action took place during the remainder of the
yeaf. In the foUoAving spring the French, elated with
the trivial appearance of advantage, that they had
recently gained, left no effort untried to fit out a fleet
so formidable as to bid defiance to the force of the
English, and pursue, at least in idea, that scheme
of conquest which Louis XIV. so chimerically
pleased himself with the hope of The fleet of France
consisted of eighty-two ships of the line, besides
frigates, fire-ships, and small vessels. The com
bined fleets of England and Holland, Avhich were
to oppose this formidable force, consisted of no
more than fifty-six ships under the chief command
of Herbert, earl of Torrington., Sir John. Ashby;
who had been raised to the rank of vice-admiral of
the red, served in that station during this engage
ment, and led the van of the earl of Torrington's
division ; but he was totally free from any part of
that censure which Avas so loudly excited by the
failure of success, and Avhich roused the indignation
and violence of party against the great but unfortunate
earl of Torrington. When the earl of Torriugton
had effected his retreat, he left the command of the
fleet witb Sir John Ashby, and repaired to London,
having first given the necessary instructions how to
act in case the French should attempt to force their
way up the Thames, There was no necessity for
this precaution, for the French, satisfied with a no-
minal triumph, retired to their own coasts, and were
seen no more in the Channel. But to have been
honoured with such a command, and at so critical
a period, is a convincing proof how high the abili
ties of Sir John were estimated both by his comman
der-in-chief, and the piiblic. ¦'It was thought neces-

•OF SIR JOHN ASHBY. 151
.-^ary, Avhen the fleet again put to sea, to invest the
chief command in three persons Avho should jointly
execute the office ; these Avere Sir Richard Haddock,
Vice-admiral Killegrew, and Sir John Ashby; they
hoisted their flag on boaixl the Royal Sovereign, But
no enemy appearing, the first and second rates Avere
sent into port in consequence of the near approach
of winter ; and the joint admirals, Avith the remain
der of the fleet, having taken on board the earl of
Marlborough and a body of land-fpices, steered for
Ireland, where they quickly reduced the city of Cork
and town of Kingsale, the two principal posts held for
King James in the southern part of that kingdom.
In the following year every exertion Avas made to re
trieve the disgrace of the preceding one, by sending
a powerful fleet to sea early in the spring. The chief
command of it was bestowed on Admiral Russel;
^nd Sir John Ashby AVas appointed to serve under
him as vice-admiral of the red. But the French, sa
tisfied with the honour they had already gained, gave
the combined fleets of England and Holland no pos
sible opportunity of r;etaliating upon them, for their
temporary triumph and much-boasted victory. Early
in the year 1692 Sir John Ashby was promoted to
be admiral of the blue; and the French court having
projected an invasion of England, in order to pro
mote the cause and interests of the late King James,
Admiral Russel put to sea on the 1 6th of May, in
order to counteract and defeat their intentions. The
two fleets met on the 19th of the same month,' an
epoch ever to be remembered as the day ou which
the French fleet were totally defeated, and a final
period put to the hopes of the exiled sovereign.
Hazy Aveather, and a calm, prevented a considerable
part of the combined fleet, Avhich was much more
numerous than that of the French, from closing with
them; so that the force actually brought into action
with tiie enemy, was considerably inferior to them.
The blue squadron in particular, never had any op-

1.M HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
portunity of engaging till six o'clock in the CA'cning,
an hour after the French line was broken. Joining
at that time in the pursuit, the squadron under Sir-
John Ashby had the merit of completing that con
fusion which the gallantry of their companions had
so successfully been the first occasion of. The pur
suit continued on the twentieth, and on the twenty-
first, several of the enemy's ships being closely pressed
by Sir John, ran, at the utmost hazard, through the
race of Alderney. It was not deemed advisable to pur
sue them, as the pilots refused to take charge of the
ships any longer if their commanders should persist
in steering: so dangerous a course. This broken rem-
nant of the French fleet made good its retreat into
St. Maloe's ; and ^heir good fortune exposed Sir John.
to much obloquy : but he had the happiness to clear
himself in the handsomest manner, from every pos
sible imputation both on his courage and his general
conduct. A few day.-^ after the action, he was de
tached, by Admiral Russel, Avith tweh'e ships of the
line and three fire-ships ; to which were added an
equal number of Dutch ships, to scour the coast of
France, and endeavour to destroy such ships of their
broken squadrons as might have taken refuge in their
inferior ports. He returned soon afterwards without
having met Avith any success, owing, merely, to the
very advantageous situation of the enemy; and what
Avas, perhaps, a still greater protection to them, a
series of storms and tempests. Certain intelligence
having been received thatxthe French vice-admiral of
the blue had got safe into St. Maloe's with twenty^
five ships besides the flag, Sir John Ashby was again
detached, with one first-rate, six second-rates, ser
ven teen third-rates, one fourthTrate, and four fire-
Ships, together with several Dutch ships ofwar. He
Avas ordered over to the coast of Fiance, and irt-
fctructed to cruisp abouj fifteen leagues north from
the west end of the Isle of pas, so that, by station
ing some of his ships nearer the shore, he might

OF SIR JOHN ASHBY. 163
intercept any of the enemy's ships that should en
deavour to pass from St. Maloe's to Brest. He re
mained on this station, as long as the weather permit
ted him, but again without success. When the parlia
ment met, the late memorable action, and its conse
quences, were among the first subjects of discussion.
On the 19th of November he was examined at the
bar of the House of Commons relative to the escape
of the French ships into St. Maloe's, and gave so sa
tisfactory an account of the proceedings of the ships
under his command both in, and after the engage
ment, that the speaker, by direction of the House,
informed him they were much pleased with his very
ingenuous behaviour. Honourably acquitted from
the A'ery unfounded charge of misconduct, he return
ed, in the ensuing spring, to his coUimand, The
office and rank of admiral of the fleet M'as again
vested in three persons, Henry Killegrew, Esq. Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, and Sir Ralph Delaval, as it had
been in the year I69O, after tbe action off Beachy
Head, Experience shewed, that however, high the
three joint commanders-in-chief might individually
stand in the opinion of the people, and howevt-r ca
pable each of them, separately, might liave been to so
extensive a charge, the office is of such a nature as
does not admit of its being divided, or executed vvith
propriety and energy by more than one person. The
possibility of shifting the charge of any supposed
misconduct from one to the other is, by that means,
totally obviated ; the nation can resort at once to the
author of its di.sgrace and misfortune; and the ad
miral-in-chief himself, while he is conscious of the
high trust vvith which he is invested, exerts, in their
utmost extent, his abilities and spirit, knowing that
the smallest failure iu his enterprise endangers, for
ever, his credit and honour. The misfortune
which marked the naval transactions of this year;
•viz. the capture of the Tm-key fleet has prevent
ed, ever since, a repetition of the same absurdity.'

154 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
Thedeath of Sir John prevented the mortification of
his hearino- the misfortune which befel his very gal
lant brother commander, Rooke, in Lagos Bay, the
news of which did not arrive till four days after his
decease. His body was interred at Portsmouth,
where he died ; but being afterwards taken up, Avas
finally buried in Lowestoff church, where a hand
some monument has been erected to his memory,
with the following inscription :
Sacred to the memory of
Sir John Ashby, Knight,
Prefect at the courts of Sandgate ;
On ¦whom, for his unshaken fidelity and approved' of
Valour, in the engagement with the French, at
Bantree Bay,
Where he gloriously fought for his king and country,
His Majesty conferred the honour of knighthood.
He afterwards gave many signal examples of his bravery
and skilfulness in naval affairs ;
By which he obtained the post of admiral and commander
In chief of the royal navy, and general of marines.
Adorned with these honours.
He exchanged earthly glory for immortality,
12th July, 1693,

EDWARD RUSSEL,
EARL OF ORFORD,
Was the son of Edward Russel, fourth son of
Francis, earl of Bedford, by Penelope his wife,
daughter of Mo.ses Hill, Esq, and widow of Sir Wil
liam Brooke, Knt, Being destined by his father for
the sea-service, he received an education suitable to
the pursuit ; and, entering at a very eariy age into
the navy as a volunteer, Avas, Avhen nineteen years
old, appointed lieutenant of the Advice ; this was in
the year 1671. On the commencement of the .se
cond Dutch war, he Avas appointed third lieutenant
of the Prince, at that 'time fitting for the flag of

OF EDWARD RUSSEL, isS
Sir Edward Spragge. On the 15 th of February, 1675,
he was appointed commander of the Reserve, and
soon afterwards sent on the Mediterranean station.
He continued there several years, but without having
an opportunity of achieving any considerable exploit.
On the 15th of December, 1677, he was removed
into the Defiance ; and, in March following, into
the Swiftsure, He was appointed, on the lOth of
August, 1680, commander of the Newcastle; and,
from the time he quitted the command of this ship,
a period not exactly known, till after the revolution,
there is a total vacancy in his naval, though not in
his political life. Soon after the accession of King
William, Mr. Russel was promoted to be admiral of
the blue squadron ; and having hoisted his flag on
board the Duke, served in that capacity under the
earl of Torrington, when he put to sea, after the bat
tle of Bantry-bay. Nothing memorable, however,
took place during the time it was prudent for it to
keep the sea. On the 1st of December he sailed for
Holland with a small squadron of five sail, but con
trary winds and stormy weather compelled him to
return. Finding the duke, and the, third rates of his,
squadron too large to trust on the Dutch coast at
that advanced season of the year, he shifted his flag
into a yacht, and sailed again on the 1 1th, with only
three fourth-rates, two frigates, and the Mary yacht.
The object of this mission was, to conduct the queen
of Spain to the Groyne; and it is thought to have
been extremely prejudicial to the interests of the
English nation, as the fleet was so long retarded by
contrary winds, that the opportunity was lost of
blocking up the Toulon squadron, a service that was
to have been executed by this fleet. Whether this
be true, is not our business to enquire. Admiral
Russel arrived in safety at Schonevelt, on the coast
of Zealand, but the queen did not embark till the
middle of January. The squadron returned to the
Downs on the 18th, and Admiral Russel removed

15« HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
into his old ship the Duke. He was detained by
contrary winds, and did not sail from Torbay till the
7th of March. After a stormy passage of nine days,
he arrived in safety at the Groyne, where, having
landed his charge, and made the detachment for Ca
diz under the command of Vice-admiral Killegrew,
he prepared to return to England, and arrived at Ply
mouth on the 25th of April, He is said, by all his^
torians who have entered into particulars, to have
commanded tbe blue squadron at the battle oft' Beachy
Head. This is a mistake; the admiral himself was ia
London at the time, and the blue squadron, was
commanded by Vice-admiral Delaval. In December
1690, Mr. Russel was appointed commander in chief
of the fleet which had then returned into port for re-
equipment against the ensuing summer. When ready
for sea, its appearance was truly formidable; it con
sisted of fifty-seven English and seventeen Dutch
ships of the line. Yet such was the delay occasioned
by contrary winds, and such was the caution of the
French, that the summer passed over in a fruitless
repetition of projected attacks on their ports, none of
which were ever attempted to be carried into execu
tion. In the following year, the eyes of all Europe
Avere turned, with the utmost anxiety, on an enter
prise which was to complete the triumph, or totally
defeat the expectations of the miserable and unfortu
nate exile, James, still styled by the French, King of
Great Britain. The preparations for war, which had
been languid, or, at least, not exceeding the ordinary
course of national contest, on a sudden assumed an
appearance of vigour worthy of the great stake for
which two nations were to contend. The appearance
of victory at Beachy Head, the promised coynte-
nance of the numerous partizans of James, who re
sided in England, the many capricious exceptions
taken by persons of the first rank to the conduct of
William, all appeared to prognosticate, and even to
ensure success. They infused additional spirit into

OF EDWARD RUSSEL. 16T
the French nation, till enthusiasm made each indivi
dual almost think himself the arbiter on whom the
fate of Europe depended. The equipment, destined
to carry into execution the projects of Louis, was
immense, was worthy a better cause, and an abler
conductor. Its force has been variously stated; some
representing it as not more than forty-four ships, while
others have swelled the account to sixty-three and
upwards. The combined fleet evidently out-numbered
them : they reckoned no less than ninety-nine sail in
their Hne of battle. Many persons contemplating the
force of the allied fleet, and considering the vast in
equality of the enemy, may attribute less merit to the
English admiral than he really deserves. Superior as
was his force, it was not possible to bring into that
part of the action, in which the French Avere first
discomfited, numbers equal eVen to those which they
put to flight. Admiral Russefs account, which has
been already given in the second volume, is wonder
fully plain and modest, as well in respect to the fleet
he commanded as the loss of the enemy. We shall,
however, add the following short and political ac
count of this ever-memorable action from the pen of
Sir John Dalrymple; and we are induced to do it in
consequence of the very strong and justificatory re
mark he makes on the character and conduct of Rus
sel, Tourville, who was in the Royal Sun, carrying
one hundred and ten guns, the finest ship in Europcj
passed all the Dutch and English ships Avhich he
found in his way, singled out Russel, and bore down
upon bim ; but by the reception which be got, be
was soon convinced of his mistake, in thinking that
an English admiral could, in consideration of any in
terest upon earth, strike to a French one: yet, though
conscious of the inferiority of his fleet, hewas ashamed
to abandon a situation which his officers in vain ad
vised him to avoid. And the rest of the admirals
and the captains, ashamed to abandon their head,
joined in the action as fast as they came up, and

158 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
maintained it, not so much hoping to gain honour,
as striving to lose as little as they could. The battle
Avent on, in different parts, Avith uncertain success,
from the vast number of the ships engaged, which
sometimes gave aid to the distressed, and at other
tinies snatched victory from those who thought they
Avere sure of it, Allemond, the Dutch admiral, who
Avas in the van, and had received orders to get round
the French fleet, in order that no part of it might
escape, attempted in vain to obey ; and a thick fog at
four in the afternoon, separated the combatants from
the view of each other,"
Signal as was the defeat of the enemy, enough had
not been done to content the minds of all. The tem
porary fury, notwithstanding the want of proper ma
terials to feed and supply it, raged with the utmost
violence against Russel. A serious scrutiny into his
conduct was commenced in parliament during the
winter, and ended highly to his honour. The" popu
lar heat wa.s, however, not to be allayed by any mea
sure short of his dismission from his command. This
took place in the spring; and Avith it he resigned
also the treasurer-ship of the navy, an office which he
had held ever since the year 1689, The ill success
of our naval operations during the summer of l693r
occasioned his recall to the service soon as ever the
fleet returned into port for the winter : and William,
as if to palliate his former dismission, appointed him,
in addition to his other trust, on the 2d of May fol
lowing, first commissioner for executing the office of
lord high-admiral. The fleet being ready, Russel
hoisted his flag, as commander in chief, on the 1st of
May, The operation to be first attempted was, an
attack on Brest ; a resolution fatal as well as disr
graceful to tiie British arms, and which ended in the
destruction of Lieutenant-general Talmash, who com
manded, by land, the forlorn hope sacrificed on this
melancholy occasion. The grand fleet, under the
command of Russel, did not sail from Spithead till

OF EDWARD RUSSEL, 159
the 6th of June. The French failing to render them
selves masters of the European seas, had turned their
efforts towards the Mediterranean, Avhere the Count
De Tourville was ordered to collect all the naval force
of Fiance. Thither Russel Avas sent Avith a fleet
composed of one hundred and thirty-six ships, eighty-
eight of which were of the line, and the admiral of
France retiring with precipitation to the harbour of
Toulon, convinced the neighbouring states of their
error, after every means had been used, with tempo
rary success, to impress them with an idea of the
naval supremacy of Louis. During the time the fleet
continued in the Mediterranean, Russel Avas attacked
by a fever, and reduced so low, that he was obhged
to leave the chief command of the fleet for a time,
Avith Vice-admiral Aylmer. But having recovered
his health towards the autumn, he resumed the com
mand, and sailed for Cadiz, Avhere he arrived on the
Sth of November, Having wintered there, he re-
tiirned to his former station the following year, where
he kept the French in awe. He convinced the na
tions of the world of the inferiority of the French
naval power, when compared to his own ; and pre
vented the detachment of any force sufficient to dis
turb the tranquillity of the European seas. He re
turned to England in the autumn, and appeared no
more in the character of a naval commander. In
1697, when King William was preparing to go to
Holland, Admiral Russel, then first commissioner of
the admiralty, was appointed one of the lords justices
during his absence, and created a peer by the title of
Baron of Shingey, Viscount Barfleur, and Earl of Or
ford, In 1669 he resigned all his employments,
and from this period, till the eighth year of Queen
Anne, he concerned himself no fartiier with public
business, than persons of his elevated rank usually
do, whether connected with the administration of
government or not, Avhich may be readily accounted
for, by recollecting that the direction of all naval af-

160 NAVAL HISTORY
fairs were confided by Queen Anne, in Prince George
of Denmark, who, immediately on her accession, was
declared lord high-admiral, a post which he conti
nued to hold till his death. On tbe Sth of Novem
ber, 1709, the earl was once more called into public
life, being appointed first commissioner for executing
the office of lord high-admiral. He was offered on
this occasion, the very honourable post of lord high-
admiral : this he positively refused taking, though
Jie expressed himself perfectly willing to accept of a
share in the direction of it. He did not long, how
ever, continue to hold the post he had accepted, for,
soon after the removal of the earl of Godolphin from
the office of lord high-treasurer, the earl of Orford
resigned his post of first commissioner of the admi
ralty, and again retired from pubhc life, till the de
cease of the queen, when he was chosen one -of the
lords justices to act till the arrival of King George I.
from Hanover, This monarch immediately appointed
him one of his privy council; and on the 13th of
October, recalled him to his former post of first com
missioner of the Admiralty, which he continued to
hold till the i6th of April, 1717, when he retired al
together from public employment. He died at his
house in Covent Garden, on the 26th of November,
1727, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He mar
ried the lady Mary, tiiird daughter of William, duke
of Bedford ; but, leaving no issue, the title became
extinct. We cannot shut up our account of this reign better
than by an abstract of the royal navy, as it stood at
the decease of King William, that the reader, by
comparing it with the abstract at the end of Chapter
XVII. may from thence discern how far, notwith;
standing so long a war, and so many other interrup
tions and misfortunes, our naval force increased in
the space of thirteen years.

OP KING WILLIAM.

161

ABSTRACT OF THE ROYAL NAVY, AS IT STOOD DECEMBES
25, iroi.

Rates.

Number.

Guns.

Men,

First

7

714

5,312

Second

14

1,276

8,824

Third

45

3,199

18,561

Fourth

63

3,253

15,329

Fifth

36

1,094

4,680

Sixth

29
194

542

1,215

10,078

53,921

Fire-ships

8

Tonnage

Romb.yessejs

13

In Dec. 1688

101,032

yachts

10

In Dec, 1701 Jjicr

158,992

ease 57,,96gi

vol. Ul.

%%

1^ NAVAL HISTORY

CHAP. XX.
Containing the Nasal History of Great Britain, from the
Accession of her Majesty Queen Anne, to the Union (f the
two Kingdomsi
W E are now come down to that reign, under which
the nation was extremely happy at home, and her re
putation carried to the greatest height abroad, A
reign that will always be remembered with honour,
and make a shining figure in our histories, as long as
histories shall last : a reign, in, the beginning of
which all party animosities Avere buried in oblivion,
and the Tories seemed as sensible of the necessity of a
Avar, as the Whigs, and as ready to cany it on ; which
was the true reason why it was prosecuted for so many
years Avith such vigour and success as had never at
tended our arms since the glorious days of Queen Eli
zabeth ; and Avhich ought therefore to convince us,
that we are never to hope for a thorough domestic
settlement, with an effectual support of our just claims
to respect and freedom of commerce abroad, until
there is a new and undissembled coalition of parties,
founded not in private views, but arising from public
spirit, and all men are taught to think that he is a
public enemy, who avows any other or narrower in
terest than that of his country.
Queen Anne succeeded to the throne on the eighth
of March, 1701-2, in the flower of her age, if we
consider her dignity, being then about thirty-eight.
She had shewn a very just moderation in her conduct
from the time of the Revolution, and knew how to
temper her relation to the state, with that Avhich she
bore to her family j of Avhich she gaA^e 3. remarkable

OF QUEEN ANNB. lfl»
instance in the latter part of her life, by procuring
the island of Sifcily for lier cousin the duke of Savoy.
_ She opened her reign by a very wise and well-con-'
sidered speech to her privy-council, in which she de*
dared, how sensible she was of the unspeakable loss
that the nation had sustained by the death of the late
king, and the burden it brought upon herself, which
nothing, she said, could encourage her to undergo,
but the great concern she had for the preservation of
the religion, laws, and liberty of her country ; and
that ho pains should be wanting on her part, to de
fend and support them, and to maintain the Pro
testant succession. She expressed plainly her opi
nion for carrying on the preparations against France,
and supporting the allies ; and, said, she would coun
tenance those who concurred with her in maintaining
the present constitution and establishment.*
In pursuance of this declaration, the queen wrote
to the States-general to assure them, that she would
follow exactly the steps of her predecessor, in the
steady maintenance of the common cause, against the
common enemy: and as a farther proof of her since
rity, she appointed the earl of Marlborough, vvhom
the late king had sent ambassador and plenipotentiary
to the States, captain-general of her forces, and gave
him a blue ribband. She likewise declared Sir George
Rooke vice-admiral of England, and Geo. Churchill,
Esq, admiral of the blue, in the room of Matthew
* It is very remarkable, that the conduct of the queen at tha
beginning of her reign was such, as gaye the highest satisfaction to
all parties ; for she avoided the error of Nero, by not either sprew.
jng up the strings of government too high, or letting them run too
low. , It had been happy for her, and for her subjects, if she had
steadily pursued this conduct through the course of her reign, in
stead of putting herself into the hands of one party first, and then
of another ; both which had very ill consequences, with respect to
her Majesty's quiet, and to the good of her subjects. This re,
flection I thopght necessary here, because, by inserting it, I shall
.avoid being obliged to say something like it, on several other oc
casions.

i64 NAVAL HISTORY
Aylmer, Esq. afterwards Lord Aylmer, whom we
have mentioned already, and of whom Ave shall have
occasion to speak very honourably liereafter. These
steps were sufficient to demonstrate the reality of the^
queen's intentions ; and therefore we have all the rea
son in the worid to believe, that her Majesty had a
very good design in placing her consort, George
Prince of Denmark, al the head of the Admiralty ;
though to do this it was found requisite to remove the
earl of Pembroke, then lord high-admiral, Avho was
actually preparing to go to sea. It is true, a large
pension was offered him ; but his lordship answered,
Avith great generosity and public spirit, that however
convenient it might be for liis private interest, yet
the accepting such a pension was inconsistent with
his principles ; and therefore, since he could not have
the honour of serving his countiy in person, he would
endeavour to do it by his example.*
The new lord high-admiral had a council appointed
him by his commission, viz. Sir George Rooke, Sir
David Mitchell, George Churchill, Esq. and Richard
Hill, Esq. who were to assist him Avith their advice,
* The advancement of the earl of Pembroke to this eminent dig
nity of lord high-admiral of England, was not owing at all to
court favour, bnt merely as I have hinted before, to the expedi
ency of laying that board aside, and lodging the power of it in a
single hand. There were few of onr nobility who could have been
competitors for siich an office, and none with justice who could be
preferred to the earl of Pembroke. He had much prudence, which
tempered great vivacity in his constitution, and zeal for tho service
of his country, which was very observable in all his actions, thougl^
he did not make so much shew of it, as others might do in words.
ile had a steadiness of mind, not to be shaken by power or titles,
and a virtue so heroic, as not either the vices of these, or of worse
times could corrupt. He shewed, on this occasion, his loyalty as
well as spirit; for though he refused a pension, yet, through thej
course of her reign, he served the queen with the same cheerfulness
and fidelity, as if he had retained his post ; and therefore, in 1708,
when Prince George of Denmark died, her Majesty restored him to
it. A full proof of her removing him at this time, from no other
motive than that of making way for her consort, who had been »e»
veral times mentioned for that high post in .the late reign.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 165
and also in the execution of his office. How far all
this was legal, has been, and, I believe, ever will re
main, very doubtful ; but at that tihie no body ques
tioned it, and therefore we shall proceed to shew what
.was done unrler it, observing, as near as may be, the
order of time in which events fell out, and thutme-
,thod in relating them, wliich is most likely to set
them in a proper point of light.*
The first expedition in the new reign, was that of
Sir John Munden, rear-admiral of the red, vvhich
Ava,^ intended for intercepting a squadron of French
ships, that were to sail from the Groyne, in order to
carry the new vice-roy of Mexico to the Spanish
West Indies. This design was concerted by the earl
of Pembroke; and Sir John was made choice of, on
account of the proofs which he had given of both
courage and conduct, as well as zeal and diligence,
in the service. He' sailed on the twelfth of May,
J 702, with eight ships of the third rate, the Salis
bury, a fourth rate, and two frigates ; when he was
at sea, he communicated his orders to his captains,
which hitherto had been absolutely secret. On the
si.Kteenth he found himself on the coast of Galicia ;
Avhereupon he sent tlie Salisbury and Dolphin to gain
intelligence, in which they failed. He then sent them
* It is not easy to find a reason why, since ths illegality of this
commission was so quickly suspected, it should afterwards lie so
long asleep, and then be revived again, as soon as complaints were
made to parliament of tho conduct of the navy. Those vpho ad
vised this commission, and those who drew it, wore certainly very
much to blame; and since this is a charge of a high nature, and
against great men, 1 think myself obliged to explain it particularly.
As King William's creating a lord high-admiral, was a benefit to
the public, so Queen Anne's commission was an injury to it. For
by appointing Prince George of Denmark a couucil, sheestablishe.i
again that evil which King William took away ; and whereas, the
powers of the lords commissioners of thj Admiralty were settlod'by
an express act of parliament, here vvas a new board established,
vested with like powers; but those unknown to the law, which
could take notice only of the lord high-ad^niral, notwithstanding
that this council of his vvas appointed by his commission.

160 NAVAL HISTORY
a second time, and they brought off a Spanish boat
and a French bark, with several prisoners, who as
serted, that tiiere Avere thirteen French ships of war,
bound from Rochelle to the Groyne ; and therefore
Sir John issued the necessary orders for keeping his
squadron between them and the shore, that he might
be the better able to intercept them. These orders
were issued on the twenty-seventh, and the very next
day he discovered fourteen sail between Cape Prior
and Cape Ortugal, close under the shore, to whom
he instantly gave chace; but they outsailed him very
much, and got into ,the Groyne before he could pos
sibly come up vvith them. These dates are settled
from the minutes of the court-martial, which will be
hereafter mentioned.
Upon this he called a council of war, wherein it
was concluded, that, since the accounts they had re-s
ceived from their prisoners agreed perfectly well, and
seemed to make it clear, that there were no less than
seventeen of the enemy's ships of war in the harbour,
which was strongly fortified, and had a narrow and
dangerous entrance, it was therefore most expedient
for them to follow the latter part of their instructions,
by which they were directed, in case they could do
nothing on the coast of Spain, to repair into the
Soundings, there to protect the trade, and to give
notice of their return to the Board of Admiralty im-s
mediately. This Sir John accordingly did, about
the middle of June ; but then the squadron being
much distressed for provisions, it was found neces-.
sary, ofl ttie twentieth of that month, to repair into
port,*

* Biirchet's Naval History, p. 613, where he observes, that
after chacing these fourteen sail into the Groyne, Sir John Mun
den called a pouncil of war, in which his captains toqk into coni
sideration ;
" 1st. The intelligence from a person lyho belonged to a French
mcrchant-ship, from Rochelle, and some Spaniards taken from tha
shore j the former affirming, that, when he came from Rochelle^

OF QUEEN ANNE. 167
The miscarriage of this design made a very great
noise : it Avas discovered that only eight of the twelve
ships that had been chaced into tiie Groyne, were
men of war, and that tiie rest were only transports :
it was also said, that Sir John Munden had called off
the Salisbury, when she was actually engaged with a
French man of 'vvar, and that he had discharged the
prisoners he had taken very precipitately. To quash
these reports, and to explain the Avhole affair to the
Avorld, which, is, to be sure, the best method in all
such cases, the high-admiral. Prince George, issued
his commission for a court-martial, for the trial of Sir
John Munden, at Avhich several persons of distinc
tion, for their own satisfaction, were present.
This court sat on board her Majesty's ship the
Queen at Spithead, on the thirteenth of July, 1702,
Avhere Avere present Sir Cloudesley Shovel, admiral of
the white, president, and the captains following ; viz.
Cole, Myngs, Leake, Greenhill, Turvill, Swanton,
Good, Mayne, Kerr, Clarke, Ward, Cooper, Bridges,
Maynard, Crow, Littleton, and Hollyman, who be
ing all sworn, and having examined the several arti
cles exhibited against Rear-admiral Munden, gave
their opinion, that he had fully cleared himself tiom
the whole matter contained in them ; and, as far as
he left there twelve ships of war in the road, ready to sail to th?
Groyne with the first fair wind ; that one of them had seventy guns,
one fifty, and all the rest sixty ; and that the Faulcon (a fourth
rate taken from us the last year) was going thither before them,
" 2d, That the Spaniards are very positive the duke of Albu
querque was at the Groyne with two thousand soldiers, and (hat
there were already in that port, three French ships of war of fifty
guns each, and twelve more expected from Rochelle ; and since
both these accounts so well agreed, and it was judged there were
seventeen ships of war in the port, that the place was so strongly
fortified, and the passage thereinto very difficult, it was unani
mously determined, that they could not be attempted therewith
any probability of success ; and that, by remaining in the station,
they could not have any prospect of doing service : so that it was
judged' proper to repair into the Soundings for protecting the
trade,"

1^3 NAVAL HISTORY
it appeared to the court, had complied with bis in-'
structions, and behaved himself with great zeal and
diligence in the service. But, notwithstanding this
acquittal, it was thought necessary* to lay himaside^
that the strictness and impartiahty of the new admi
nistration might the better appear.
Bishop Burnet indeed charges Sir John Munden
roundly with stupidity and cowardice, and blames
Sir George Rooke still more, for having recommended
such a man.f But Mr. Oldmixon, who was of the
same party with the bishop, is pleased to suggest,
that it Avas not so much for any fault he had com
mitted, but because he was not in Sir George Rooke's
* in the London Gazette, tio. 3835, ive find the following ar.
tide: " Windsor, August 9th, The queen having required the
J)roceedings, upon the trial of Sir John Munden, rear-admiral pf
Ihe red squadron, to be laid before her, and having considered all
the circumstances relating to the expedition to Corunna ; her Ma.
jesty finding thftt Sir John Munden has not done his duty pursuant
to his instructions, does not think fit to continue him in her ser
vice, and has therefore declared her pleasure, that his royal high.
ness the lord high.admiral of Fngland, should immediately dis
charge him ffom his post and command in the royal naVy, and his
toyal highness has accordingly given the necessary orders for it."
See also Sir John Munden's justification of himself in a letter toa
worthy friend, dated August 9th, 1702, in the appendix to the
first volume' of the Annals of Queen Anne.
+ This is so harsh a charge, that I find myself obliged to support
it, by citing the bishop's own words, which are these :
" Advice was sent over from Holland, of a fleet that hadsaiM
from France, and was ordered to call in At the Groyne. Munden
was recommended by Rooke, to be sent against this fleet, but
though he came up to them, with a superior force, yet he behaved
himself So ill, and So unsuccessfully, that a council of war was
ordered to sit on him. They, indeed, acquitted him ; some ex.
cusing thertiselves, by saying, that if they had condemned him, the
punishment was death; whereas, they thought his ertors flowed
from a want of sense, so that it would havebcdn hard to condemn
him for a defect of that, which nature had not given him. Those
who recommetided him to the employment, seemed to be more in
fault," But Mr, Seci'etafy Bnrchct, who was better acquainted
with all the proceedings on this aftair, than the bishop could possi
bly be, delivers his judgment in these words: " This Was a very
Unlucky accident; yet the same misfortune might have happenijtl

OF QUEEN ANNE, 169
good graces, that Sir John Munden was dismissed,*
For my own part, I am inclined to believe what the
president and council of war declared upon their
oaths, that this officer did his duty as far as he pos
sibly could, and it would be a very great satisfaction
to me, if I could account as well for every miscar
riage that I shall be obliged to relate in the course of
this work.
On the fourth of May 1 702, her Majesty declared
war against France and Spain; and I mention it, be
cause this declaration was thought necessary before
the grand fleet sailed ; the design of which, as far as
I am able to judge, has been hitherto very imperfectly
accounted for. The great A'iew of King William, for
it Avas by him the Cadiz expedition had been con
certed, was, to prevent the French from getting pos
session of the Spanish West Indies ; or at least to pre-
A-ent their keeping them long, if they did. With this
view he resolved to send a grand fleet, under the
command of the then high-admiral, the earl of Pem
broke, Avith a body of land forces under the com
mand of the. duke of Ormond, on board, tb make
themselves masters of Cadiz. By this means, and by
the help of a squadron he had sent into the West In
dies, and which was to have been followed by ano
ther, as soon as Cadiz was taken, he hoped this might
to any other good ofllcer as well as Sir John Munden, who, to do
Lim justice, had, during his long service in the fleet, behaved him.
self with zeal, courage, and fidelity ; and though himself and all
the captains in his squadron, did unanimously conclude, that at
least twelve of the fourteen ships which they chaced into the
Groyne were men of war, their number agreeing exactly with the
intelligence from several persons taken from the shore ; yet, even
in that case, it is reasonable to think, that he would have given a
very good account of this affair, could he possibly have come up
with them." Naval History.
* Oldmixon's History of England, vol, ii. It is very remark
able that though these two 'writers flatly contradict one another ;
yet they agree in having each a stroke at Sir George Rooke ; but
as their poisons are opposite, so they very happily prove antidotes
to eaoh other.

170 NAVAL HISTORY
be effected ; and he knew very well, if this could be
once done, an end Avould be put to all the French
designs, and they must be obliged to terminate the
matter, to the satisfaction, at least, of the maritime
powers. „
The scheme was undoubtedly very well laid, and
the secret surprisingly well kept ; for though the pre
paring of so great an armament could not be hidden,
yet the intent of it was so effectually concealed, that
not only France and Spain, but Portugal too, that
crown being then in alliance with France and Spain,
had equal cause to be alarmed ; which had conse
quences very favourable to the grand alliance in all
those countries, as will hereafter fully appear. In
some cases, delay does as much, as dispatch in others.
All the maritime provinces in the Spanish and French
dominions were alarmed, the Italian States were inti
midated; in short, it every where emboldened those
who were inclined to the high allies to declare, and
on the other hand heightened the fears of those who,
but for them, would have espoused the interest of
King Philip.
After the queen's accession, Sir George Rooke, as
we observed, Avas declared admiral of this fleet, vice-
admiral, and lieutenant of the Admiralty of England,
and lieutenant of the fleets and seas of this kingdom :
the duke of Ormond remained, as before, general of
the land-forces, and the Dutch having joined the fleet
Avith their squadron, which had also its quota of
troops on board, the admiral hoisted the union flagon
board the Royal Sovereign on the thirtieth of May,
1702; and on the first of June, his royal highness
the prince of Denmark dined on board the admiral,
and took a view of the fleet and army, which was
soon in a condition to sail. Besides Sir George Rooke,
there were the following flags, viz. Vice-admiral Hop-
son, who carried a red flag at the fore top-mast-head
of the Prince George ; Rear-admiral Fairbourne, who
carried the white at the mizen-top-mast-head of the

OF QUEEN ANNE. 171
St. George ; and Rear-admiral Graydon, who carried
the blue flag in the same manner in the Triumph.
There were five Dutch flags, viz. two lieutenant-ad
mirals, two vice-admirals, and a rear. The strength
of this fleet consisted in thirty English, and twenty
Dutch ships of the line, exclusive of small vessels and
tenders, Avhich made in all about I60 sail. As to the
troops, the Enghsh consisted of 9f^63, including of
ficers, and the Dutch of 4138, in all 13801,*
On the nineteenth of June, the fleet weighed from
Spithead, and came to an anchor at St, Helen's. On
the twenty-second, the two Rear-admirals, Fair-
bourne and Graydon, Avere detached with a squadron
of thirty English and Dutch ships, Avith instructions
first to look into the Groyne, and in case there were
any French ships there, to block them up ; but if not,
to cruize ten or twelve leagues N. W. off Cape Finis
terre, till they should be joined by the fleet.
On the tenth of August the fleet reached the rock
of Lisbon, where the next day they held a council of
Avar. On the twelfth they came before Cadiz, and
anchored at the distance of two leagues from the city.
Sir Thomas Smith, quarter-master-general, having
viewed and sounded the shore on the backside of the
Isle of Leon, in which Cadiz stands, and reported,
that there were A'ery convenient bays to make a d'e-
scent ; the duke of Ormond A'ehemently insisted in a
council of war, upon landing in that isle, in order to

* That this was a very great force, and that the public had rea.
son to frame sanguine expectations to themselves, as to its success,
all the world must allow : but, on the other hand, our expectations
ought never to prejudice us so far, as to resolve not to be satisfied
with a just account of their disappointment. Bishop Burnet says,
that Sir George Rooke spoke coldly of the expedition before he
sailed ; and this he tells us, to prove that Sir George intended to do
the enemy no hurt. But the mischief lies here, that Sir George sus,
pected they should do no great good, because this expedition was
pf 6, doubtful nature: for on the one hand they were enjoined to
speak to the Spaniards as friends, and at the s^me time were ordered
^g §ct against them as foe^,

172 NAVAL HISTORY
make a sudden and vigorous attack upon the town,
where the consternation was so great, that in all pro
bability the enterprise Avould have succeeded ; but se
veral of the council, especially the sea-officers, op
posing the "duke's motion, it Avas resolved, that the
army should first take the Fort of St. Catharine, and
Port St, Mary, to facilitate thereby a nearer approach
to Cadiz,
The next day the duke of Ormond sent a trumpet
Avith a letter to Don Scipio De Brancacio, the gover
nor, whom the duke had known in the Spanish ser
vice, in the last confederate Avar : but in answer to
the letter, inviting him to submit to the house of
Austria, Brancacio declared, he would acquit himself
honourably of the trust that was reposed in him by
the king.* On the fifteenth of August, the duke of
Ormond landed his forces in the Bay of Bulls, above
a mile on the left of St, Catharine's Fort, the cannon
of which fired on his men all the while, but with little
execution. The first that landed were twelve hundred
grenadiers, led by Brigadier Pallant, and the earl of
Donnegal ; they were obliged to wade to the shore,
and were all very wet when they reached it. In the
mean time Captain Jumper in the Lenox, and some
English and Dutch light frigates, kept firing on the

* The reader will be better satisfied as to this matter, if he con.
suit the collections of I^amberti, tom. ii. When the duke of Or.
mond summoned Fort St. Catharine, he declared, that if the go
vernor did not accept his terms, he should be hanged, and none of
his soldiers receive quarter. To this the governor answered with
great spirit and justice, " That if he must be hanged, it was all one
to him, whether by the duke of Ormond, or the governor of Cadiz ;
and therefore he desired leave to send to him for his orders,' which
was refused." These quick proceedings, instead of drawing the
Spaniards to declare for the house of Austria, rendered thera
averse to it. At least, this was Sir George Rooke's sentiment,
who did all he could to serve the common cause without provoking
thcpeopleof that country, whom his instructions directed him to
protect.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 173
horse that appeared near the coast, and they Avere
soon after repulsed by the English foot.*
The duke of Ormond, as soon as the troops were
landed, sent to summon Fort St. Catharine ; but the
governor replied, he had cannon mounted, with pow
der and ball sufficient to receive him. On the six
teenth the whole army marched to a camp marked oiit
for them near La Rotta, a town within a league of
the place, where they landed, from which most of
the inhabitants were fled ; but strict orders being-
given against plundering, many of them returned ;
and, had the Spaniards given due attention to the
duke's declaration, published at his first coming on the
Spanish coast, they needed not to have been in any
consternation. The duke of Ormond having left a garrison of three
hundred men in La Rotta, marched on the twentieth
of August towards Port St. Mary's. Some squadrons
of Spanish horse, about six hundred in number, fired
upon the duke's advanced guards, and killed Lieute
nant-colonel Gore's horse, amongst the dragoons, but
retired on the approach of the Enghsh grenadiers, of
whom a detachment under Colonel Pierce, of the
guards, Avere sent to take Fort St. Catharine ; Avhicli
they did, and made a hundred and twenty Spaniards
prisoners ofwar. The duke entered Port St. Mary's,
attended by most of the general officers, viz. Sir
Henry Bellasis, lieutenant-general ; the earl of Port-
more, Sir Charles O'Hara, and Baron Spaar, majors-
general ; Colonel Seymour, Colonel Lloyd, Colonel
Matthews, Colonel Hamilton, and Colonel Pallant,
now brigadiers-general : and notw'ithstanding the
strict orders the duke had issued against plunder,
* The prince of Hesse D'Armstadt was the principal mover of
this expedition. He persuaded the ministers at Vienna, London,
and the Hague, having first persuaded himself, that the Spaniards
in general were zealous for the house of Austria. The conse«
quences by no means made this good, as the duke and admiral
iouud.

174 NAVAL HISTORY
there was a very great failing in the execution of
them, for which Sir Henry Bellasis and Sir Charles
O'Hara were put under arrest. When they came to
England, Bellasis was dismissed the service ; and
though O'Hara escaped public censure, he did not
private, Mr, Methuen, her Majesty's envoy in Portugal, in
a letter to the duke of Ormond, dated August the
1st, gave this wholesome advice concerning the con
duct of the army : that the point of greatest import
ance was, to insinuate to the Spaniards, and shew by
their proceedings, that they came not as enemies to
Spain, but only to free them from France, and give
them assistance to estabhsh themselves under the go
vernment of the house of Austria, It being found
too difficult to approach Cadiz while the Spaniajds
were in possession of Matagorda fort, over against
the Puntal, it was ordered to be attacked, and a bat
tery of four pieces of cannon erected against it ; but
upon every firing, the guns sunk into the sands, and,
after a fruitless attempt, the design was given over,
and the troops ordered to embark, Avhich was done
accordingly, with an intention to make the best of
their Avay home. The Spaniards did, indeed, endea--
vour to disturb them in their retreat, but AvTth very
little success ; a detachment of English and Dutch
troops, under the command of Colonel Fox, having
quickly repulsed them, Avith the loss of a few of their
horse, who were the most forward in the attack,
which discouraged the rest so, that few or none of
our people wCre lost in getting aboard their ships,*

* The truth of the matter was, that the confederates found
Cadiz in a much better situation than they expected, themselves
worse received than they hoped, and the general oflicers so much
divided in their opinions, that a retreat was thought more advisa*
ble than any other measure in a council of war. If Sir George
Booke, before he put to sea, foresaw any of the difliculties they
ithen met with, few people at this time of day, I believe, think
such a foresight a discredit to him, either as a statesman- or an

OF QUEEN ANNE. 175
In most of our historians, the Cadiz expedition is
treated as not much to the reputation of the nation
in general, and of Sir George Rooke in particular.
As to the disorders at St, Mary's, of which avc shall
hear much more in another place, they did not at all
affect Sir George Rooke, Avho had nothing to do
with them, nor was ever charged with them. That
he did not pursue with great eagerness the burning
the ships, or destroying the place, has, indeed, been
imputed to him as an act of bad conduct. Bishop
Burnet charges him with it flatly, and says, that, be
fore he went out, he had in a manner determined not
to do the enemy much hurt, I believe this prelate
spoke as he thought; but as to Sir George, I am
thoroughly persuaded that when he went out, and
while he was out, he intended nothing more or less,
than to obey his instructions.
As to the spirit of these, we may easily guess%t it
from the passage in Mr, Methuen's letter before cited,
which very fully shews that this expedition Avas ori
ginally concerted on a supposition, that t^e Spaniards
had a natural affection for the house of Austria, and
Avould join with us in their favour against the French.
But in this it seems we Avere mistaken; and yet it was
not thought proper to make this conclusion too hastily,
especially after what passed at Port St, Mary's, which,.
considering the disposition of the nation, might be
presumed to have provoked the Spaniards to a degree
not to be appeased by all the fine words we gave
them in our manifesto. A candid reader Avill, there
fore, easily discern the true reason of Sir George's
conduct. He thought it madness to expose the lives
of the qi^een's subjects, where they might be spared
to better advantage; and, therefore, was not over
fond of burning towns, and cutting throats, to con-

admiral. As to his own conduct, he was called to an account for
it before the House of Lords, aud, as. we shall see elsewhere, de.
fended it so well, that no imputation eould be fixed upon him.

176 NAVAL HISTORY
vince the Spaniards of our hearty affection for them ;
which, however, was the language of our declarations'
and his instructions.* Mr, Oldmixon therefore con
cludes, after a candid relation of facts, very justly,
and hke a man of honour, that however the nation's
expectations might be disappointed in the Cadiz ex
pedition, yet there was nothing blameable in the
conduct, either of the duke of Ormond or Sir George
Eooke.f Foreign Avriters do the same justice to our
commanders, and even such of those authors as are
visibly in the French interest ; so that, if we decide
according to evidence, it is impossible for us to join
in that clamour, which discontented people raised
upon this occasion.^
While the admiral was intent on bringing the fleet
and forces safely home. Providence put it in his
* This is the substance of Sir George Rooke's defence before
the House of Lords, who inquired into this affair, and addressed
the queen, that the duke of Ormond and Sir George Rooke might
lay the whole transaction before them, Avhich was done in the be
ginning of the next year, and what I have ofiered in the text is,
only to avoid repetitions, A more distinct account of the inquiry
¦will afterwards be found in the memoirs of Sir George Rooke,
+ The reader will observe, that I lay hold of every oppor
tunity of doing justice to our historians, and, therefore, I hope
will believe, that whenever I differ with them, it is purely out of
respect to truth,
J The French historians say, that the prince of Hesse D'Arm
stadt, whom the emperor had appointed general and commander in
chief of such Spaniards as should manifest their fidelity to the
house of Austria, did little or no service by the violent memorials
which he published, filled with personal reproaches and warm
threats against such as adhered to King Philip, At first, how
ever, it is admitted, that the Spaniards did not shew any great zeal
for their new prince ; but after they were provoked by the barba
rities committed at the port of St. Mary, they lost all patience,
and fought with such bitterness and indignation, as is scarcely to
be expressed. The same historians say, that the duke of Ormond
and his forces, when they attacked Matagorda fort, were exposed
to a prodigious fire from the place, while they were able to form
no better battery than two field pieces, and two small mortar's,-
the ground being so swampy as not to bear heavy artillery. His*
toire Militaire, tom. iii.

OF QUEEN ANNE, l77
power to do his country a more si,gnal and effectual
service, than even the taking of Cadiz would have
been. Captain Hardy, who commanded her Majesty's
ship the Pembroke, was sent to water in Lagos Bay,
where he understood from his conversation with the
French consul, who industriously sought it in order
to boast of their good fortune, that they had lately
received great news, though he would not tell him
Avhat it was.* Soon after arrived an express from
Lisbon, with letters for the prince of Hesse and Mr,
Methuen ; vvhich, when he was informed they Avere
no longer on board the fleet, he refused to deliver,
and actually carried them back to Lisbon, In dis
course, however, he told Captain Hardy, that the
galleons, under the convoy of a French squadron,
put into Vigo' the 1 6th of September. Captain Hardy
made what haste he could with this news to the fleet,
Avith which, however, he did not meet until the 3d
of October, and even then the wind blew so hard,
that he found it impossible to speak with the admiral
till the 6th, when he informed him of what he had
heard. Upon this. Sir George called a council of war im
mediately, composed of the English and Dutch flag-
officers, by whom it was resolved to sail, as expedi
tiously as possible, to the port of Vigo, and attack
the enemy. In order to this, some small vessels were
detached to make a discovery of the enemy's force,
which was done effectually by the Kent's boat ; and
the captain understood that Mons, Chateau Renault's
squadron of French men of war, and the Spanish
galleons, were all in that harbour; but the wind
blowino' a storm, drove the fleet to the northwards
as far as Cape Finisterre, and it came not before the
* Captain Hardy, on hi? arrival in England, was presented to
the queen, who was pleased to confer the honour of knighthood
on him, in consideration of his good service, in gaining and giving
to Admiral Rooke the intelligence, which was the occasion of the
great success at Vigo, London Gazette, No, 385S.
VOt, III. N

178 NAVAL HISTORY
place till the 1 1th of October. The passage into the
harbour was not above three quarters of a mile over,
with a battery of eight brass, and twelve iron guns
on the north side, and on the south Avas a platform
of twenty brass guns, and twenty iron guns, as also
a stone fort, with a breast-work and deep trench be
fore it, ten guns mounted, and five hundred men in
it. There was, from one side of the harbour to the
other, a strong boom composed of ships'-yards and
top-masts, fastened together with three-inch rope,
very thick, and underneath with hawsers and cables.
The top-chain at each end was moored to a seventy-
gun ship, the one was called the Hope, which had
been taken from the English, and the other was
the Bourbon. Within the boom were moored five
ships, between sixty and seventy guns each, with their
broadsides fronting the entrance of the passage, so
as that they might fire at any ship that came near the
hoom, forts, and platform.
The admirals removed the flags from the great
ships into third rates, the first and second rates being
all too big to go in. Sir George Rooke went out of
the Royal Sovereign into the Somerset ; Admiral
Hopson out of the Prince George into the Torbay ;.
Admiral Fairbourne out of the St, George into the.
Essex ; and Admiral Graydon out of the Triumph,
into the Northumberland. A detachment of fifteen
English and ten Dutch men of war, Avith all their
fire-ships, frigates, and bomb-vessels, were ordered to
go upon the service.*
* It is perfectly clear from his manner of making this attack,.
that Sir George Rooke had the honour of his country as much' at
heart as any man could have ; and it is very strange, that among
so many observations, no body should take notice of the great
prudence shewn in the forming this disposition, and the courage
and alacrity of the admirals in quitting the large ships, that they
might have a share in the danger, as well as in the reputation of
this action. If it had miscarried, we should have had reflections
enough on the admiral's mistakes in this matter ; and methinks,.
it is a little hard to pass in silence this extraordinary mark of his

''of queen ANNE. 179
The duke of Ormond, to facilitate this attack,
landed on the south side of the river, at the distance
of about six miles from Vigo, two thousand five
hundred men ; then Lord Shannon, at the head of
five hundred men, attacked a stone fort at the en
trance of the harbour, and having made himself mas->-
ter of a platform of forty pieces of cannon, the
French governor, Mons. Sozel, ordered the gates of
the place to be thrown open, with a resolution to
have forced his way through the English troops.
But, though there was great bravery, yet there vv^as
but very little judgment in this action ; for his order
was no sooner obeyed, than the grenadiers entered
the place sword in hand, and forced the garrison, con^'
sisting of French and Spaniards, in number about
three hundred and fifty, to surrender prisoners of
war. This was a conquest of the last importance,
and obtained much sooner than the enemy expected,
who might otherwise have prevented it, since they
had in the neighbourhood a body of at least ten thou=-
sand men, under the command of the prince of Bra-
baufon. It was, likewise, of prodigious consequence
in respect to the fleet, »since our ships would have
been excessively galled by the fire from that platform
and fort,*
As soon, therefore, as our flag vvas seen flying from
ihe place, the ships advanced, and Vice-admiral Hop^
son,^ in the Torbay, crowding all the sail he could,
ran directly against the boom, broke it, and then the
Kent, with the rest of the squadron, English and
Dutch, entered the harbour. The enemy niade a
prodigious fire upon them, both from their ships and
conduct, and leave it to be commended, as it is, by the Dutch his
torians only; as if they alone knew how to value merit, and ve
were concerned only to lessen and traduce it,
* The French writers say, that, at the first appearance of the
doke of Ormond's grenadiers, the Spanish militia threv/ down theip
.krms and fled ; and they likewise admit, that they forced their >yay^
on the Qpening the gate, as is asserted in our accounts.,
N g

180 NAVAL HISTORY
batteries on shore, till the latter was possessed by our
grenadiers, who, seeing the execution done by their
guns on the fleet, behaved with incredible resolution.
In the mean time, one of the enemy's fire ships had
laid the Torbay on board, and would have certainly
burnt her, but that luckily the fire ship had a grea|
quantity of snuff on board, which extinguished the
flames when she came to blow up : yet the vice-ad
miral did not absolutely escape. Her fore-top-mast
was shot by the board, most of the sails were burnt
Or scorched, the fore yard consumed to a coal, the
larboard shrouds, fore and aft, burnt at the dead
eyes, several ports blown off the hinges, her larboard
side entirely scorched, one hundred and fifteen men
killed and drowned ; of Avhom about sixty jumped
overboard, as soon as they were grappled by the fire
ship. The vice-admiral, when he found her in this
condition, went on board the Monmouth, and hoist
ed his flag there.
In the mean time. Captain William Bokenham, in
the Association, a ship of ninety guns, lay with her
broadside to the battery, on the left of the harbour,
which was soon disabled ; and Captain Francis Wy*
vill in the Barfleur, a ship of the same force, was
sent to batter the fort on the other side, which was a
very dangerous and troublesome service, since th^
enemy's shot pierced the ship through and through,
and, for some time, he durst not fire a gun, because
our troops were between him and the fort ; but they
soon drove the enemy from their post, and then th?
struggle was between the French firing, and our men
endeavouring to save their .ships and the galleons. Ir^
this dispute, the Association had her main-mast shot,
two men killed, the Kent had her fore-mast shot, antj
the boatswain wounded ; the Barfleur had her main
mast shot, tvt'o men killed, and two wounded : the
Mary had her bowsprit shot.* Of the troops, there
* It is very apparent, from this account, that the action was >
extreinely warm, and that all who were concerned in it, did tlsii

OF QUEEN ANNE.

181

Were only two Heutenants and thirty men killed, and
four superior officers wounded ; a very inconsiderable
loss, considering that the enemy had fifteen French
men of war, two frigates, and a fire ship, burnt, sunk,
or taken ; as were also seventeen galleons. As for
the particulars of the enemy's loss, and of what we
gained by this great victory, they are accounted for
at the bottom of the page.*
duty and, if we consider how many attempts of the same kind failed
m the former reign, and with how small a loss this great action was
achieved, we shall be satisfied that all our admirals deserved the
highest commendations.
• FRENCH SHIPS TAKEN, BURNT, AND RUN ASHORE.

Taken by the Dutch. No. of giinj.
Le Bourbon — ,  68
LeSuperbe  70
La Sirenne —  60
Le Modere ..-,.  66
Le Voluntaire  46
Le Triton  42
342

Total, ships, 21, guns, 960

Ships burnt. No, of gun?.
LeFort  .-.76
L'Enflame  61
Le Prudent  62
LeSolide  .56
La Dauphine  . . . , 46
L'Entreprenant ..,. 22
La Choquante  8
334
Le Favori, a fire ship.
Eight advice boats.
Taken by the English, and brought
home.
Le Prompt   76
LeFirme..  72
L'Esperance   70
L'Assure   66
284
Six galleons were taken by the English, and five by the Dutch,
who sunk six. As to the wealth on board the galleons, we never.
had any exact account of it. It is certain, that the Spanish and
French ships had been twenty-five days in Vigo harbour, before
the confederates arrived there, in which time, they debarked the
best part of the plate and rich goods, and sent them up the coun
try. The galleons had on board, when they arrived, twenty mil-
lions of pieces of eight, besides merchandise, which was thoniiht
of equal value. Of tlje silver, fourteen millions were saved, of
the goods, about five. Four millions of plate were destroyed,
with ten millions of merchandise ; and about two millions in st|ver,
an£I live in goods, were brought away by ihe English and Dutch,

182 NAVAL HISTORY
This event gave a great deal of trouble to the Paris
gazetteer : when he first spoke of the misfortune he
affirmed, that all the plate Avas carried on shore, and
secured, and that we had five men of war sunk, in the
attack. Afterwards he retracted the first part of the
tale, and owned that a littie silver was taken ; but then
he added, that nine of our ships were wrecked in their
return, and all their men lost; which shews how
great an impression this loss made on those Avho had
the direction of this gazette. Father Daniel gives a
pretty fair account of this matter, and a late French
historian very candidfy owns, that, by this blow, the
naval power of France was so deeply Avounded, as
that she never recovered it during the war.
There were certain circumstances attending this
success of ours at Vigo, which heightened its lustre
not a little. Our statesmen had all along kept their
eyes upon the galleons, and had actually fitted out a
squadron on purpose to intercept them, under the
command of Sir Cloudesley Shovel. Orders, like
wise, had been sent to Sir George Rooke, by the earl
of Nottingham, Avhich never reached him ; and after
all their precautions. Sir Cloudesley Shovel's squad
ron would scarcely have been strong enough to have
undertaken so dangerous an enterprise, \ et Bishop
Burnet, not at all dazzled with the brightness of this
exploit, teUs us, that Sir George Rooke performed this
service very unwillingly, and did not make the use of
it he might have done ; in which, no doubt, he was
imposed on, since the fact, upon which he grounds it,
is certainly false,*

* If Sir George Rooke had been so negligent as the bishop
tnakes him, we should certainly have never heard of the Spanish
fleet at Vigo, at all ; for though the bishop says, that the admiral
sent to none of the ports, whereas expresses were sent to them all
from Lisbon, yet the matter of fact is clearly this, that Sir George
sent Captain Hardy to Lagos Bay, and there he met with the only
express that was sent from Lisbon ; so that here we have a charge
not only without proof, but directly in the teeth of proof.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 183
Sir Cloudesley Shovel arrived on the sixteenth of
October, as the troops were embarking, and the ad
miral left him at Vigo, with orders to see the French
men of war and tbe galleons that we had taken, and
that were in a condition to be brought' to England,
carefully rigged, and properly supplied with men.
He was, likewise, directed to burn such as could not
be brought home, and to take the best care he could
to prevent embezzlements ; anrl having appointed a
strong squadron for this service, the admiral, w^ith
the rest of the fleet, and one of the Spanish galleons,
sailed home, and arrived in the DoAvns, on the se*
venth of Noveniber, 1702, from Avhence the great
ships were, about the middle of the month, sent
round to Chatham,
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, in the space of a weeky put
the French men of war, and other prizes, into the
best condition possible ; took out all the lading from
a galleon, which was made prize by the Mary, and
brought along with him the Dartmouth,, which had
been taken from us in the last war, and Avas now
made prize by Captain Wyvil ; but as there was an
other ship of that name in the navy, this prize vvas
called the Vigo, He also took out of the French
ships that were run on s^iore, fifty brass guns, and
brought off sixty more from the forts and batteries •
after which, on the twenty-fourth of October, he set
fire to the shrps which he could not bring away. The
next day, he left Vigo, but it proving calm, he an
chored in the channel between that port and Bayonne,
Avhere he sent several prisoners on shore with a flag
of truce, and had ours returned in their stead.*
On the twenty-seventh of October, be Avas again
under sail, intending to have passed through the
* This squadron sailed from Spithead, the"29th of September,
1702, Sir George Rooke arrived in the Downs, November 7th ;
and Sir Cloudesley sailed the 25th of October, from Vigo, and ar.
rived, on the tenth of November, off ths Isle ef Wight, Sec th«
London Gazette, No. 3861.

184 NAVAL HISTORY
north channel ; but, the Avrind taking him short, he
Avas obliged to pass through that which hes to the
south, where the galleon, which was the Monmouth's '
prize, struck upon a rock, and foundered ; but there
being several frigates on each side of her, all her men
Avere saved, except two. He was the very same day
joined by the Dragon, a fifty gun ship commanded by
Captain Holyman, which had been attacked by a
French man of war of much greater force, and the
captain and twenty-five men killed ; but his lieute
nant fought her bravely and at last brought her safe
into the fleet. In their passage, they had extremely
bad Aveather, and though the Nassau had the good
fortune to make a very rich prize, which was coming
from Morlaix, yet' that vessel foundered the next
morning, and the Aveather was then so bad, that the
squadron separated, every ship shifting for itself;
though all had the good luck to get safe to England,
but in a very shattered condition.
We have now attended the grand fleet throughout
the Avhole expedition, and are next to mention what
was performed by several detachments made for par
ticular services. Among these, the sqiiadron com
manded by Captain John Leake, claims the first no
tice. On the twenty-fourth of June, 1702, he re
ceived instructions from his royal highness, to pro
ceed to Newfoundland, with a small squadron, in
order to protect the trade, annoy the enemy, and
bring the homeward bound sl\ips under his convoy.
He sailed, in pursuance of these instructions, and ar
rived in Plymouth Sound, on the twenty-second of
July, where, having gained the best intelligence he
could, as to the state of our own affairs, and of those
of the enemy, hp so effectually pursued tiie design on
which he came thither, that, by the end of October,
he found himself ready to proceed with the homeward
bound ships for England, having taken twenty-nine
sail of the^eneifiy, and burnt two. Of these, three
were laden with salt, twenty-five vvith fish, and one

OF QUEEN ANNE. 185
from Martinico with sugar and Molasses, eight of
which fell into the hands of theExeter,nine were taken
by the Medway, four by the Montague, as many by
the Litchfield, three by the Charles galley, and one
by the Reserve, Besides which, he burnt and de
stroyed all the fishing boats and stages, &c. at Tre-
passy, St, Mary's, Colonet, great anti little St, Law
rence's, and the island of St, Peter's, at tbe entrance
of Fortune Bay, being all vej:y considerable establish
ments of the French in Newfoundland, and of the
greatest importance for carrying on their fishery
there, and breeding their seamen. At the latter of
these places, there was a small fort of six guns,
which he totally demolished : after all which extra
ordinary success, be sailed home safely, though the
Aveather was bad, and arrived with the squadron un
der his command at Portsmouth, on the tenth of No
A'ember, in the same year.
In this, as in the former war, nothing gave us or
the Dutch more disturbance, than the expeditions
made from time to time by the French ships at Dun
kirk, where this year they had a small squadron un
der the command of the famous Monsieur De Pointis.
This induced his royal highness to equip a particular
squadron under the command of Commodore Beau
mont, which had orders in the latter end of the
month of June, to sail to the mouth of that port, to
keep the French ships from coming out. The States-
general had, for the same purpose, a much stronger
squadron, under the command of Rear-admiral Van-
derdussen, for reasons of great importance, as they
apprehended ; though it afterwards appeared, that
the French kept seven or eight ships there purely to
amuse us and the Dutch, and to keep us in perpetual
motion. Accgrding to the informations we had here,
the French were sometimes said to have a design of
intercepting our homeward bound ships from Sweden
and Russia ; according to others, they meditated a
descent upon Scotland ; and a great deal of pains

188 NAVAL HISTORY
and expence it cost us, to guard against both these
designs. On the other hand, the Dutch, who always piqued
themselves on having the best and earliest intelli
gence, were thoroughly satisfied, that the Dunkirk
squadron was not intended to attack us, but them ;
and that the true scheme of the French was, to make
a descent upon Zealand ; to which purpose they had
likewise information, that a body of eight thousand
land forces was assembled near Ostend. Full of ap
prehensions on this account, they reinforced their
squadron before Dunkirk, to eighteen men ofwar of
the hne, and sent Vice-admiral Evertzento command
it. This officer found himself so strictly tied up by
his instructions, that he could not afford any assist
ance to our commodore, when, in pursuance tu or
ders from, home, he sent to demand it. However,
after several months fruitless attendance, and fre
quent informations given to the earl of Nottingham,
that the French were at sea, and gone here and gone
there, it at last appeared, that Commodore Beaumont
had been all the while in the right, Avho affirmed in
his letters, that they never stirred out of the har
bour,* It may not be amiss to observe here, that, in the
beginning of 1702, died J;he famous John Du Bart,
He vvas a native of Dunkirk, as some say, though
* In all probability, the French themselves were the authors
of these pieces of false intelligence, on purpose to alarm us and our
allies, and to keep up the reputation of this formidable squadron.
Thus much, indeed, was true, that the people in Scotland were,
in a great measure, disaffected, and the French, from time to time,
promised thera assistance from Dunkirk; but the condition of
their marine was such, as did not enable them to undertalce any
thing of importance; and, indeed, the whole strength of tho Dun-
kirli squadron was altogether insufficient for performing any of
the enterprises that it was supposed to be designed for. In this,
therefore, lay the error of our ministry, that they had not proper
intelligence as to the force of that squadron, for this would have
rendered it impossible for them to have been played upon as they
¦were.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 187
Others allege that he was born at Newcastle upon
Tyne, but being carried over a child, was bred up
from his infancy in the sea service at Dunkirk.* This
is cert^, that his mother Avas an English woman,
and that he spent the first part of his life in ours and
the Dutch service ; but, having nothing but his me
rit to recommend him, he obtained very little, if any,
preferment, wbich disgusted him so much, that, up
on the breaking out of the former Avar, he entered
into the service of France and rose there to the com
mand of the Dunkirk squadron : in which post he
rendered himself sufficiently terrible to the English
and Dutch, by taking more of their ships than almost
all the other French privateers together.
He was succeeded in command by the Sieur Poin
tis, who had taken Carthagena, and whom the French,
therefore, thought it proper to reward ; though it is
certain he had not either the industry or the capacity
of his predecessor. But if we had nothing but the
instance of this year's trouble and expence, in which
no less than thirty of ours and the States-general's
ships were employed in watching tbe Dunkirk squad
ron, it would be sufficient to shew the absolute ne
cessity of keeping that port in its dismantled .situa
tion, and never permitting the French to gain by
plunder the effects of other people's industry : for it
* This Du Bart performed most of his great exploits by mere
dint of knowledge. He derived from nature a wonderful genius
for maritime aflfairs; and improved this by a steady application to
them. His perfect acquaintance with all the coasts, enabled him
to perform wonders ; because he, generally speaking, had to do
tvith men much inferior to him in this liind of skill. He was, be
sides, a most excellent seaman, and never trusted to the care of
others what it was in his power to see done himself. By this
means, he kept his ships constantly clean, and in readiness to go
to sea, whenever an opportunity offered ; and his sagacity and suc
cess placed him so high in the esteem of Louis XIV, thai he gene
rally made choice of him for the execution of the most difficult cn.
terpriscs undertaken during his reign ; such as the convoying the
prince of Conti to Polapd, and the escorting the transports fpr the
intended descent on England, in 1697.

188 NAVAL HISTORY
is impossible any slight commerce carried on there,
in times of tranquillity, can make the maritime
powers the least amends for the risk they must run;
on the breaking out of a war, should this p^rt ever
be restored, and left in that condition at a peace.*
I am now to speak of Admiral Benbow's expedition
to the "West Indies, and of his unfortunate death, the
memory of which I could, for the honour of my
country, wish should be buried in oblivion ; but since
that is impossible, I shall give the fairest and fullest
account of the matter that I am able,, having taken.
all the pains that I possibly could, to be perfectly in
formed of every circumstance relating to that affair,
and shall be particularly careful to av^oid concealing
truth on the one side, and no less attentive not te
exaggerate it on the other. We have already men
tioned the cause and the manner of Admiral Ben-
bow's putting to sea with his squadron, which con-,
sisted of two third, and eight fourth rates.
He arrived at Barbadoes on the third of November,
1701, from whence he sailed to examine the state of
the French, and of our own Leeward islands. He
found the fiTrmer in some confusion, and the latter
in so good a state of defence, that he did not look
upon himself as under any necessity of staying, and
therefore sailed to Jamaica,' There he received adr
vice of two French squadrons being arrived in the
West Indies, Avhich alarmed the inhabitants of that
island and of Barbadoes very much. After taking
care, as far as his strength would permit, of both
places, he formed a design of attacking Petit Gnavas ;
* I hint this, the rather, because some people have laid a great
stress on our commerce, by means of that port, which, they would
have us believe, turns in the main more to our advantage, than to
that of the French, It is certain, however, that such as are of
this opinion, have little acquaintance with the maxims of the
French government, or the attention that the present French mi
nistry pay to things of this nature ; there being pehaps no nation
in the world where nicer inquiries arc made into whatever regard!
commerce.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 189
but, before he could execute it, he had inteUigence
that Monsieur Ducasse was in the neighbourhood of
Hispaniola, vvith a squadron of French ships, having
an intent to settle the Assiento in favour of the
French, and to destroy the English and Dutch trade
for negroes.
Upon this he detached Rear-admiral Whetstone in
pursuit of him, and on the elev^enth of July 1702, he
sailed from Jamaica, in order to have joined the rear-
admiral : but having intelligence that Ducasse was
expected at Leogane, on the north-side of Hispa
niola, he plied for that port, before which he arrived
on the twenty-seventh. Not far from the town he
perceived several ships at anchor, and one under sail,
who sent out her boat to discover her strength,
which coming too near was taken ; from the crew of
which he learned, that there were six merchant ships
in the port, and that the ship they belonged to was
ft man of war of fifty guns, vvhich the admiral pressed
so hard, that the captain, seeing no probability of
escaping, ran the ship ashore, and blew her up. On
the twenty-eighth the admiral came before the town,
where he found a ship of about eighteen guns hauled
under their fortifications, which however did not
hinder his burning' her. The rest of the ships had
sailed before day, in order to get into a better harbour,
tuz. Cui de Sac; but some of our ships, between
them and that port took three of them, and sunk a
fourth. The admiral, after alarming Petit Guavas,
which he found it impossible to attack, sailed for
Donna Maria Bay, where he continued till the tenth
of August, when having received advice, that Mon
sieur Ducasse was sailed for Carthagena, and from
thence was to sail to ^orto-Bello, he resolved to follow
him, and accordingly sailed that day for the Spanish
coast of Santa Martha.
On the nineteenth in the evening, he discovered near
that place, ten sail of tall ships to the westward ; stand
hig towards them, he found the best part of thiem to

190 NAVAL HISTORY
be French men of war ; upon this he made the usual
signal for a line of battle, going away with an easy sail,
that his sternraost .ships might come up and join thera,
the French steering along-shore under their top-sails.
Their squadron consisted of four ships, from sixty
to seventy guns, Avith one great Dutch-built ship of
about thirty or forty; and there Avas another full of
soldiers, the rest small ones, and a sloop. Our fri
gates a-stern were a long time in coming up, and
the night advancing, the admiral steered along-side
the French ; but though he endeavoured to near
them, yet he intended not to make any attack, until'
the Defiance was got a-breast of the headmost.
Before he could reach that station, the Falmouth,
which was in the rear, attempted the Dutch ship, the
Windsor, the ship a-breastof her, as did also theDefiance;
and soon after, the rear-admiral himself was engagedj
having first received the fire of the ship which vvas
opposite to him ; but the Defiance and Windsor stood
no more than two or three broadsides, before they
luft out of gun-shot, insomuch that the two steruT
most ships of the enemy lay upon the admiral, and
galled him very much ; nor did the ships in the rear
come up to his assistance with that diligence which
might have been expected. From four o'clock until
night the fight continued, and though they then left
off firing, yet the admiral kept them company ; and
being of opinion, that it might be better for the ser
vice if he had a new line of battle, and led himself on
all tacks, he did so, and the line of battle then stood
according to the arrangement in the note,*
Ships* names, Commaaders. Guns.
* The Breda, Vice-admiral Benbow and Captain Fog- .70
The Defiance, Captain Richard Kirby  . , ,  64
The Greenwich, Captain Cooper Wade .,   ..54
The Ruby, Captain George Walton  48
The Pendennis, Captain Thomas Hudson  -, .48
Tlie Windsor, Captain John Constable  48
The Fairaouthj Captain Samuel Vincent  ...,,^4^'-

OF QUEEN ANNE. , i9i
On the twentieth at day-break, he found himself
very near tiie enemy, with only the Ruby to as
sist him, the rest of the ships lying three, four, or
five miles a-stern. They had but little wind, and
though the admiral was Avithin gun-shot of the
enemy, yet the latter was so civil as not to fire.
About two in the afternoon, the sea-breeze began to
blow, and then the enemy got into a line, making what
sail they could : and the rest of the ships not coming
up, the admiral and the Ruby plied them with chace-
guns, and kept them company all the next night.*
On the twenty-first, the admiral was on the quar
ter of the second ship of the enemy's line, within
point-blank shot ; but the Ruby being a-head of the
same ship, she fired at her, as the other ship did
likewise that was a-head of the admiral. The Breda
engaged the ship that first attacked the Ruby, anc^
plied ber so warmly, that she was forced to tow off.
The admiral would have followed her, but the Ruby
was in such a condition that he could not leave her.
During this engagement the rear-ship of the enemy's-
was a-breast of the Defiance and Windsor, but
neither of those ships fired a single shot. On the
twenty-second at day-break the Greenwich was five
leagues a-stern, though the signal for battle was
never struck night or day ; about three in the after
noon the Avind came southerly, which gave the enemy
the weather-gage. On the twenty-third the enemy
Avas six leagues a-head, and the great Dutch ship
* Hence it appears, that if the Ruby had deserted Admiral
Benbow with the rest, he could have done nothing ; but must
have been obliged to return to Jamaica, which was what his cap
tains aimed at ; and if this could have been effected, they would,
in ali probability, have carried their point, and the whole blame
would have been thrown upon the admiral; which sufficiently de
monstrates the merit of the gentleman who commanded the Ruby;
viz. the late Sir George Walton, who had, however, been tam
pered with in his turn by the other captains ; but when he came
io be sober, and to consider the matter l>etter, discharged his duty
as became iiim.

192 NAVAL HISTORY
separated from them. At ten, the enemy tacked
with the wind at E, N, E. the vice-admiral fetched
point-blank within a shot or two of them, and each
gave the other his broadside. About noon they re
covered from the enemy a small English ship, called
the Anne-galley, Avhich they had taken off the rock
of Lisbon, The Ruby being disabled, the admiral
ordered her for Port-RoyaL The rest of the squadron
now came up, and the'enemy being but two miles off,
the brave admiral Avas in hopes of doing something
at last, and therefore continued to steer after thera ;
but his ships, except the Falmouth, were soon a-stern
again; at twelve the enem^ began to separate,*
On the twenty-fouth, about two in tbe morning,
they came up Avithin call of the sternraost, there
being then very little wind. The admiral fired a
broadside Avith double-round below, and round and
partridge aloft. At three o'clock the admiral's right
leg was shattered to pieces by a chain-shot, and he
was carried down ; but he presently ordered his
cradle on the quarter-deck, and continued the fight
till day. Then appeared the ruins of the enemy's
ship of about seventy guns, her main-yard down and
shot to pieces, her fore-top-sail-yard shot away, her
mizen-mast shot by the board, all her rigging gone,
and her sides bored to pieces. The admiral soon
after discovered the enemy standing towards him
Avith a strong gale of wind. The Windsor, Penden
nis, and Greenwich, a-head of the enemy, came to
the lecAvard of the disabled ship, fired their broad
sides, passed her, and stood to the southward : then
came the Defiance, fired part of her broadside, when
the disabled ship returning about twenty guns, the
Defiance put her helm a-Aveather, and ran aAvay right
before the wind, lowered both her top-sails, and ran
* In this, all the accounts we have agree } and nothing can he
plainer than that, if these captains had now returned to their duty,,
most of Ducasse's squadron must have been tak«n.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 193
to the leeward of the Falmouth, without any regard
to the signal of battle.*
The enemy seeing the other tvv^o ships stand to the
southward, expected they would have tacked and
stood towards them, and therefore they brought their
heads to the northward. But when they saw those
ships did not tack, they immediately bore down upon
the admiral, and ran between their disabled ship and
him, and poured in all their shot, by which they
brought down his main-top-sail-yard, and shattered
his rigging very much, none of the other ships being
near him, or taking the least notice of his signals,
though Captain Fog ordered two guns to he fired at
the ships a-head, in order to put them in mind of
their duty. The French, seeing things in this con
fusion, brought to, and lay by their own disabled
ship, re-manned and took her into tow. The Breda's
rigging being much shattered, she was fbrced to lie
by till ten o'clock, and being by that time refitted,
the admiral ordered his captain to pursue the enemy,
then about three miles to the leeward, his hne of
battle signal out all the while, and Captain Fog, by
the admiral's orders, sent to the other captains, to
order them to Tieep the line, and behave like men.
Upon this Captain Kirby came on board the aflmiral,
^nd told him, "That he had better desist ; that the
French v\ ere very strong ; and that from what was
past, he might guess he could make nothing of it.f"
The brave Admiral Benbow, more surprised, at this
language than he would have been at the sight of
* It was upon full evidence of this fact, that Captain Kirby
(whom the Gazette calls Kirkby) was condemned for cowardice,
though on other occasions he had behaved well. It was generally
supposed, that hewas the author of this scheme; at least he was
charged with being so, by Wade and Constable.
+ This was deposed at the trial, and was not denied by Kirby.
After this, the officers of his own ship pressed the admiral to retire
to Jamaica, from an apprehension, that these captains, being be-
jcome desperate, might 50 over to the enemy, to which the afiiicted
admiral most unwillingly consented,
VOL. Ill,, O

194 JfAVAL HISTORY
another French squadron, sent for the rest of the
captains on board, in order to^ ask their opinion.
They obeyed him indeed, but were most of theni in
Captain Kirby 's Avay of thinking ; which satisfied the
admiral that they were not inclined to fight, and
that, as Kirby phrased it, there was nothing to be
done, though there was the fairest opportunity that had
yet offered. Our strength was, at this time, one ship
of seventy guns, one of sixty-four, one of sixty, and
three of fifty ; their masts, yards, and all things else
in as good condition as could be expected, and not
above eight men killed, except in the vice-admiral's
Own ship, nor was there any want of ammunition;^
whereas tbe enemy had now no more than four ships,
from sixty to seventy guns, and one of them disabled >
and in tow. The vice-admiral thought proper upon
this, to return to Jamaica, where he arrived with his
squadron, very weak with a fever induced by his
Avounds, and was soon after joined by Rear-admiral
Whetstone, with the ships umler his command.
As soon as he conveniently could. Vice-admiral
Benbow issued a commission to Rear-admiral Whet-
¦fitone, and several captains, to hold a court-martial
for the trial of several offenders.* On the sixth of
October, 1702, the court sat at Port- Royal, when
Captain Kirby, of the Defiance, was brought upon
ills trial. He was accused of cowardice, breach of
orders, and neglect , of duty ; vvhich crimes were
•proved upon oath, by the admiral himself, ten com
mission, and eleven warrant oflicers ; by whose evL-
(Jence it appeared that the admiral boarded Ducasse
* An account of the arraignments and trials of Colonel Richard
Kirby, Captain John Constable, Captain Cooper Wade, Captain
'Samuel Vincent, and Captain Christopher Fog, on a complaint
exhibited by the judge advocate on behalf of her Majesty, at a
court-martial held on board the Breda, in Port Royal harbour in
Jamaica, &c. for cowardice and other crimes committed by them,
in a fight at sea, on the 19th of August, 1702, for which Colonel,
*ICirby, and Captain Wade, were sentenced to be shot to death,
London, 1703^ folio.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 195
in person three times, and received a large AVound in
bis face, and another in his arm, before his leg Avas
shot off; that Kirby, after two or three broadsides,
kept always out of gun-shot, and by his behaviour
created such a fear of his desertion, as greatly dis
couraged the English in the engagement: that he
kept two or three miles a-stern all the second day,
though commanded again and again to keep his sta
tion : that the third day he did not fire a gun, though
he saw the admiral in the deepest distress, having
two or three French men ofwar upon him at a time;
and that he threatened to kill his boatswain for re
peating the admirafs command to fire. He had very
little to say for himself, and therefore was most de
servedly sentenced to be shot,
J The same d;\y Captain Constable, of the Windsor,
was tried ; his own officers vindicated him from cow
ardice, but the rest of the charge being clearly proved,
he was sentenced to be cashiered, and to be impri
soned during her Majesty's pleasure. The next day
Captain Wade was tried, and the charge being fully
proved by sixteen commission and Avarrant olficers
on board his own ship, as also, that he was drunk
during the whole time of the engagement; he,
making little or no defence, had the same sentence
with Kirby, As for Captain Hudson, he died a few
days before his trial should have come on, and thereby
avoided dying as Kirby and Wade did; for his case
was exactly the same vvith theirs.*
* This is taken from the proceedings of the court-martial,
which is referred to in the London Gazette, No. 3878, where we
have the following short account of the whole affair. "As soon
as M. Ducasse, with his squadron, appeared in sight, the admiral
immediately made a signal for battle, and attacked the enemy very
briskly, and maintained the fight for five days ; so that, if he had
been seconded by the other ships of his squadron, he would cer
tainly have taken or destroyed all the French; but four of his
ships did mt assist him ; the Ruby on the 21st was disabled, and
afterwards sent-to Port Royal, and the whole burden lay upon the
admiral and the Falmoatb; who, however, topk,a prize, beipg aa
O 3

19C. NAVAL HISTORY
Upon the twelfth, came on the trials of Captain
Vincent, commander of the Falmouth, and Captain
Fog, who was captain of the admiral's own ship the
Breda, for signing, at the persuasion of Captain
Kirby, a paper, containing an obligation on themselves
not to fight the French. The fact was clear, and the
captains themselves did not dispute it. All they of
fered was in extenuation of their offence, and amount
ed only to this, that they Avere apprehensive Kirby
Avould have deserted to the enemy, and they took
this step to prevent it. But this tale would have
hardly passed on the court-martial, if the admiral
himself had not given some weight to their excuses,
by declaring, that however they might be overseen
in subscribing that paper, yet they certainly behaved
themselves very gallantly in the fight. For the sake
of discipline, the court, however, . thought fit to sus
pend them ; and yet, to favour the captains, this
judgment was given, with a proviso that intirely took
off its edge; viz. That it should not commence till
his royal highness's pleasure should be known.
I cannot help taking notice of Secretary Burchet's
odd way of telling this story : in the first place he
conceals the names bf the criminals; out of respect,
he says, to their families, and because one of thein,
English vessel, which the enemy had formerly taken from us ; dis
abled the enemy's second ship, so that they were obl.ged to tovr
her away, and very much shattered the rest of their squadron,
which since is put into Porto Bello. The admiral on the 24th,
had his leg broken by a chain-shot, which yet, did not discourage
him from continuing the fight; yet, not being able to prevail with
his captains to concur with him in that opinion, he was obliged to
give over his design. On the 6th of October, Rear-admiral Whet. -
stone, by commission from the,, admiral, held a court-martial,
"wherein Captain Kirby, and Captain Cooper AVade, were, for
cowardice and breach of orders, condemned to be shot to death,
tut tho execution respited, f.ll her Majesty's pleasure should he
known. Captain Constable being cleared of cowardice, was, fo»
breach of orders, cashiered from her Majesty's service, and con.
demned to imprisonment, during her pleasure. Captain IIudsoB
died before the trial."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 197
but he doth not say Avhich, had behaved Avell before.
He then turns himself to Admiral Benbow, and gives
him a sort of negative character in the following
words : " Thus much may be observed as to Vice-
admiral Benbow's conduct, that although he was a
good seaman, and a gallant man, and that he was
qualified in most respects to command a squadron,
especially in the West Indies, in which part of the
world he had long experience ; yet when he found
his captains so very remiss in their duty, I think he
ought, in point of discretion, to have summoned
them ; and even that at first, on board his own ship,
and there confined them, and placed their first lieu
tenants in their rooms, Avho' would have fought well,
were it for no other reason than the hopes of being
continued in those commands, had they survived."*
This, I must confess, does not by any means satisfy
me. Admiral Benbow was no prophet : he could not
foretel that these captains would behave ill, nor could
he be sure that they did behave ill, till they had fre
quently disobeyed his signals. Part of the time he
was warmly engaged, and that could be no season for
consultation; and part of the time the weather was
fojul, and then he could not call them on board. Be
sides, he was surrounded by bad men, and thought
himself in so little capacity of punishing these people
at sea, that be retired to Jamaica, purely to be safe.
,Put it would, methinks, have suited Mr. Burchet's

* The captains who suffered, had some very great relations, and,
in all proljability, a desire of being well with them, prevented the
inserting the names of these offenders in this celebrated perform
ance. But to be so tender of them, and, in the very same breath,
to attack obliquely the character of so worthy a man as Admiral
Benbow, docs no great honour to his history. Bishop Burnet, like
wise, who is so ready on every occasion to attack the character of
Sir George Rooke, Vice-admiral Graydon, and many others of
our naval commanders, is wholly silent in respect to this business,
there being not the least trace of it in any part of his works, in
fluenced no doubt, by the same motive, that wrought so powerfully
npon Secretary Bnrchet.

198 NAVAL HISTORY
purpose better, to have gone to the bottom of this
affair, which, for any thing I can learn, the world i»
unacquainted with even yet, and therefore I think
myself obliged to publish it.
The admiral was an honest, rough seaman, and
fancied that the command was bestowed upon him for
no other reason, that that he .should serve his country :
this induced him to treat Captain Kirby, and the rest
of the gentlemen, a little briskly at Jamaica, when he
found them not quite so ready to obey his orders as
he thought was their duty ; and this it Avas that en
gaged them in the base and Avicked design, of putting
it out of his power to engage the French, presuming
that, as so many were concerned in it, they might be
able to justify themselves, and throw the blame upon
the admiral, and so they hoped to be rid of him. But
his rugged honesty baffled them; and we may guess
at the spirit of the man, by the answer he gave one
of his lieutenants, who expressed his sorrow for the
loss of his leg. " I am sorry for it too," says the
gallant Benbow; "but I had rather have lost them
both, than have seen this dishonour brought upon the
English nation. But do you hear, if another shot
should take me off, behave like brave men, and fight
it out,*"
The turn given by the French to this affair, is very
extraordinary. They tell us, that Admiral Benbow,
at the distance of twelve leagues from Santa Marthaj
Avith seven men of war, attacked M, Ducasse, wfao,
though he had but four, did not refuse to fight. The
engagement lasted five days', and on the sixth Ben
bow made all the sail he could for Jamaica. He had
a leg shattered, and died a littie while afterwards : his
ships Avere most of them in no condition to keep the
sea, more than half the crcAvs being killed. Only one
ship of M. Ducasse's squadron suffered, and he had
buttAventy men killed and wounded in the whole.
* Se? the memoirs of this brare man farther on.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 199
However, he did not care to pursue Benbow, who he
did not believe to be in so bad a condition as he really
was, and therefore he made the best of his way to
Carthagena, where he arrived in a few days, and
where his presence gave now as much joy as it had
formerly, that is, when he plundered it in conjunction
with Monsieur Pointis, given terror. This is a very
florid, and at the same time a very false account of
the affair, and from thence we may learn the value
of inquiries, since the court-martial at Jamaica, by
their proceedings, set this Avhole business in its true
light, and left us undeniable evidence, that it was not
their own bravery, but the treachery of Benbow's cap
tains, that saved the French squadron.
The reflections that he made on this unlucky busi
ness, threw the brave admiral into a deep melancholy,
whiqli soon brought him to his end ; for he died on
the 4th of November, 1702, as much regretted as he
deserved. The command of the squadron then de
volved on Captain Whetstone, Avho in this expedition
acted as rear-admiral, and of whose proceedings in the
West Indies we shall give an account in its proper
place. In the mean time, it is requisite that
Ave should follow the condemned captains home, in
order to put an end to this disagreeable narration.
They were sent from Jamaica, on board her Majesty's
ship the Bristol, and arrived at Plymouth on the l6th
of April, 1703, where, as in all the western ports,
there lay a death Avarrant for their immediate execu
tion, in order to prevent any applications in their
fiivour; and they were accordingly shot on board the
ship that brought them home, and shewed at their
death a courage and constancy of mind, which made
it evident, that their behaviour in the late engagement
did not flow from any infirmity of nature, but from
the corruption of their minds; and I hope the ex
ample of their fate will always have a proper effect on
such as are intrusted with the like commands,
I sbowld now, according to the order I have

lao NAVAL HISTORY
hitherto pursued in this work, take notice of Avhat
was transacted at home, in relation to the navy, and
particularly of what passed in parliament upon this
subject : but as tbe queen's proclamation for a thanks
giving, in which honourable mention is made of the
success at Vigo, and the thanks bestowed by the
House of Commons on Sir George Rooke for his-
conduct in that affair, Avill appear Avith greater pro
priety, when I come to the memoirs of his life ; to
avoid repetitions I shall not insist further upon them
here, I must however observe, that as, in the case
of Kirby and Wade, her Majesty shewed a strict re
gard to justice, so, Avith respect to Admiral Hopson,
she gave as lively a testimony of her just sense of
merit, for she not only conferred on him the honour
of knighthood, but was graciously pleased to settle
upon him a pension of 500/. a-year for life, witji the
reversion of 300/. a-year to his lady, in case she sur
vived him, on account of the prodigious service he
did in breaking the boom at Vigo.*
But this extraordinary mark of royal favour did not
as indeed it ought not, screen him from a strict exa
mination in the House of Lords, in conjunction vvith
Sir George Rooke, as to the miscarriage of the design
upon Cadiz; but upon the strictest review that could
be m'ade of that whole affair, there appeared so little
colour for censuring either of the admirals' actions,
that how much soever their enemies might desire it;
they were at last glad to let the matter drop. Indeed
the fleet, though it had not performed all that was
expected, had done as much as was possible for the
service of the nation, and had thereby afforded an
opportunity to our worthy minister at Lisbon, Mr.
Methuen, to draw over from his alliance with the two
* This was published in the Gazette of November 30, 1702, with
this addition, that he was introduced to the queen, when he received
the honour of knighthood, by the hand of his royal highness,
Prince George of Denmark, lord high-admiral of England. SeS
'the Complete History of Europe, for the year 1702.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 201
crowns, the King of Portugal, to the interest of the
allies, and to conclude an advantageous treaty of
commerce there.*
There had hitherto appeared very little of party-
opposition to the management of the war, and there
fore the supplies for the service of the year 1703, were
very chearfully granted, and very easily raised, which
was the reason that the fleet was much earlier at sea,
had all things provided in a better manner, at less ex-
pence to the nation, and yet sooner than they had
ever been before, which vvas one great reason why the
French never had any of those advantages they boasted
* Bishop Burnet gives this account. " A committee of the
House of Peers sat long upon the matter : they examined all the
admirals and land-officers, as well as Rooke himself, upon the
whole progress of that affair. Rooke was so well supported by
the court, and by his party in the House of Commons, that he
seemed to despise all that the lords could do ; some who under
stood sea-matters, said, that it appeared from every motion during
the expedition, that he intended to do nothing but amuse and make
a shew ; they also concluded, from the protection that the ministry
gave him, that they intended no other. He took much pains to
shew, how improper a thing a descent on Cadiz was, and how fatal
the attempt must have proved : and in doing this, he arraigned his
instructions, and the design he was sent on, with great boldness ;
and shewed little regard to the ministers, who look more pains to
tring him off, than to justify themselves. The lords of the com
mittee prepared a report, which was hard upon Rooke, and laid it
before the house; but so strong a party was made to oppose every
thing that reflected on him, that though every particular in the re
port was well proved, yet it was rejected, and a vote was carried in
his. favour, justifying his conduct," The truth of the matter is,
that as Sir George Rooke knew nothing of his orders, until he
came to execute them ; so he was absolutely free from dependanca
on any minister, and spoke what he thought with the greatest in
trepidity. The main of his defence was this, that his orders were
contradictory ; that the chief of them requin d his bringing over
the Spaniards, if possible, to the interest of the house of Austria,
and tlie rest enjoined him to sink their ships and burn the town,
which he found scarce practicable ; and if it had been more so, not
at all eligible, since at first the inhabitants did not discover any "great
enmity: and if more had been done, it could only have served to
have made the Spaniards implacable ; and after all, perhaps the
town might not have been taken.

202 NAVAL HISTORY
of so much in the former war. In the month of*
March the queen made a kind of naval promotion.
The marquis of Caermarthen was advanced ifrom being
vice-admiral of the white, to be vice-admiral of the
red; John Graydon, Esq, was made vice-admiral of
the white, John Leake, Esq. vice-admiral of the blue;
George Byng, Esq. rear-admiral of the red; Thomas
Dilkes, Esq, rear-admiral of the white, and Bazil
Beaumont, Esq. rear-adiUijral of the blue,*
The first scheme that was formed for performing
any thing remarkable at sea, was upon a foreign plan.
It was intended, that the Arch-duke Charles, who was
to take upon him the title of King of Spain, should
also marry an infanta of Portugal, and, in conse
quence of that marriage, he was to undertake some
thing of importance inimediately, Avith the assistance
however of the English and Dutch ; aud so hearty
were the latter, that they sent a squadron of men of
war, Avith nearly three thousand land-troops on board;
upon our coast, and after tossing and tumbling there
for some weeks, the project in the council of the imr
perial court was changed, the design dropt, and the
Dutch went home again.
Sir George Rooke had proposed a scheme for dis
tressing the enemy, by sailing very early into the Bay
of Biscay, where he thought, if they had any inen of
Avar without Port Louis and Rochfort, they might be
surprised and taken, or at least the commerce might
be interrupted ; and for the performance of this
scheme, he took it upon himself f About the middle
* The supplies granted this year, amounted to 3,517,957/, 7s. id.
which in those days was thought an immense sum, though we have
since seen much larger granted, without being well able to tell
.whether for peace or war. As to the promotion, it was declared
jn the Gazette of March 15, 1702, No, 3896, and was at that time
highly applauded, because it was generally conceived, that those
gentlemen were promoted purely in regard to their merit. It was
also said at that time, that Mr, Graydon was advanced on another
officer's refusing to serve in the West Indies,
+ There could not well be a greater sign of his being in earnest;

OF QUEEN ANNE, 203
of the month of April he arrived at St. Helen's, with
eighteen ships of the line, with which he was very
desirous of sailing on the intended expedition, with
out waiting for the Dutch ; but this proposition Avas
not at first accepted ; so that he remained there till
the beginning of the month of May, when he was so
ill that he kept his bed, though Bishop Burnet is so
charitable as to suggest, that he was only sick of the
expedition ; which, had it been true, was no reflection
upon him, since the execution of Avhat he proposed
depended entirely on its being done in time, and the
putting off his departure was chargeable on those who
Were vested with that authority which commanded
him.* The truth, however, was, that the admiral found
himself so ill, that he applied for leave to go to the
and, as to the nature of the proposal, it was certainly well calcu
lated for preventing the French from reaping any beneflt from their
trade with Spain, or the Spaniards from feeling any effects of
French protection. This agreed exactly with the maxim upon
which Sir George Rooke always went of treating the French as
enemies, and the Spaniards as allies. For it was his opinion, aud
he was not shy of declaring it, that it might be very practicable to
retrieve Spain, though impossible to conquer it. Let it be con
sidered, how far this was justified by the event.
* That I may not seem to charge this prelate rashly, I will pro
duce his own words : " This year things at sea, says he were ill
designed, and worse executed : the making Prince George our lord
high-admiral, proved in many instances very unhappy to the na
tion : men of bad designs imposed on him ; he understood those
matters very little, and they sheltered themselves under his namcy
to which a great submission was paid ; but the complaints rose the
higher for that ; our main fleet was ready to go out in May, but the
Dutch fleet was not yet come over ; so Rooke was sent out to alarm
the coast of France: he lingered long in port, pretending ill health ;
upon that Churchill was sent to command the fleet ; but Rooke's
^ health returned happily for him, or he thought fit to lay aside that
pretence, and went to sea, where he continued a mouth ; but in
such a station, as if Kis design had been to keep far from meeting
the French fleet, which sailed out at that time ; and to do the ene.
my no harm, not so much as to disturb their quiet, by coming near
their coasts; at last he returned without having attempted any
thing."

204 NAVAL HISTORY I
Bath, which was granted him ; and George ChurchiU,
Esq, admiral of the blue, was sent to take upon hini
the command. But he not arriving in time, and Sir
George finding himself better, put to sea, and con
tinued at sea for something more than a month; and
then finding what he suspected at tl^e Isle of Wight
to be true, that the enemy had notice of his design,
and that most of their squadrons had sailed; and
therefore perceiving that he could do the nation no
service by remaining longer on the French coast,
returned home about the middle of June, that he
might be ready to undertake any more necessary
service. When Sir George Rooke returned, he was still .so
Weak and infirm, that he asked and had leave to go
to Bath, his superiors seeing no reason to censure his
behaviour ; and therefore, as soon as he was able to
undertake it, we shall find him again in command,
and employed in a service of nmch greater import
ance. The grand fleet was commanded this year by Sir
Cloudesley Shovel.' It consisted at first of twenty-
seven ships of the line, and the admiral had under
him Rear-admiral Byng, and Sir Stafford Fairborne ;
and being afterwards reinforced with eight ships
more, these were commanded by Vice-admiral Leake,
His instructions Avere A'ery full; but all of them
might be reduced to these three heads, 'Qiz. annoying
the enemy; assisting our allies; and protecting our
trade. He waited till the middle of June for the
Dutch, and then Avas joined only by twelve ships of
the line, carrying three flags ; and it is certain, that
if the force he had vvith bini, had been better adjusted
than it was to the things he had orders to perform,
yet the time alh.wed him, which was only till the end
of September, was much too short, so that it was
really impossible for him to execute the services that
seemed to be expected. He represented this, and is
commended for it by Bishop Burnet, who had not-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 20&
withstanding, censured another admiral for the same
thing before ; however. Sir Cloudesley Shovel was
ordered to obey, and he did so, but was not able to
get clear of the land till near the middle of July, hav
ing also a fleet of upwards of two hundred and thirty
merchantmen under bis convoy.
On the twenty-fourth, he arrived off the rock of
Lisbon, where he held a council of war, in which the
rendezvous was > appointed to be held in Altea Bay.
He pursued his instructions as far as he was able, and
having secured the Turkey fleet, he intended to have
stayed .some time upon the coast of Italy, But the
Dutch admiral informed him, that both his orders
and his victuals required his thinking of a speedy re
turn ; and it was with much difficulty that Sir Cloudes
ley Shovel prevailed upon him to go to Leghorn, In
the mean time, the instructions he had to succour
the Cevennois, who were then in arms against the
French king, were found impracticable with a fleet;
and, therefore, the admiral contented himself with
doing all that could be done, Avhich was, to send the
Tartar and the Pembroke upon that coast, where they
also found it impossible to do any thing. The admi
ral then detached Captain Swanton to Tunis and Tri
poli, and sent Rear admiral Byng to Algiers lo renew
the peace with those States, and, on the twenty-se
cond of September, arrived off Altea, from whence
he soon after sailed for England,
On the twenty-seventh, in the Straits' mouth, he
met with an Algerine man of war becalmed, upon
which he immediately took her under his protection,
till all the Dutch ships were passed. In this, he cer
tainly performed tbe part of an English admiral, pre
served the reputation of our flag, did great service to
our trade, and put it out of the power of the French
to practise upon those piratical States to our disad
vantage, as they had done formerly. Having intel
ligence that a fleet of merchant ships waited for a
cpnvoy at Lisbon, he sent Sir Andrew Leake thither

20d NAVAL HISTORY
with a small squadron, who escorted them safe into
the Downs.
On the sixteenth of November, the fleet being off
the Isle of Wight, the Dutch crowded away for their
own ports, and left the admiral to steer for the
Downs, which he did ; but, before he made land.
Captain, afterwards Sir John Norris, in the Orford,
a ship of the third rate, together with the Warspight
of seventy guns, and the Litchfield of fifty, being
a-head of the fleet, gave chace to a French ship of
war, and beginning to engage about eight at night,
the dispute continued till two in the morning, when,
having lost her fore top-mast and all her sails, and
her standing and running rigging being much shat
tered, she struck. This ship came from Newfound
land, was commanded by M. De la Rue, was named
the Hazardous, and had fifty guns mounted, with
three hundred and seventy men ; but had more ports,
and was larger than any of our sixty-gun ships, so
that she was registered in the list of our royal navy.
This expedition did not reflect much honour on the
nation, and, therefore, it created some murmurs ;
but these fell where they ought ; not upon the admi
ral, who certainly did all that was in his power, but
upon those who framed the project, and gave the ad
miral his instructions, and vvho were thought to have
rather more power than talents.
But while the grand fleet was at sea, Rear-admiral
Dilkes performed a very acceptable service to his
country on the French coast. For the lord high ad
miral's council having intelligence, that a considera
ble fleet of French merchant ships, with their convoy,
were in Cancall Bay, orders were sent to the rear-
admiral, who was then at Spithead, with a small
squadron to sail immediately in pursuit of them,
Avhich he did on the twenty-second of July, On the
twenty-fourth, he ordered the captain of the Non
such, to stretch a-head of the squadron, and §tand a&
near Alderney as he could, and send his. boat

OF QUEEN ANNE. 207
a-shore to gain intelligence. On the tw^enty-fifth, he'
stood towards the Casquets for the same purpose,
and, at six in the evening, anchored off the south
west part of Jersey , from Avhence he sent Captain
Chamberlain, commander of the Spy brigantine, to
the governor, that he might obtain from him the best
intelligence he could give.
The governor sent to him Captain James Lamprier,
and Captain Thomas Pipon, who well understood
that coast, by whom being informed of a fleet of
about forty sail, plying to the whidward, on the fif
teenth, to get to Granville, the rear-admiral, upon
consultation at a council of war with the pilots, re
solved to sail immediately, though the tide fell cross
in the night, that, getting clear of the westernmost
rocks of the Minques, he might attack the enemy by
break of day ; which succeeded perfectly well ; for
the next morning, the twenty-sixth, by day-light,
perceiving the enemy at an anchor about a league to
the westv^^ard of Granville, they, upon his approacli,
got under sail, and stood in for the shore.
The rear-admiral followed them as far as the pilot
Avould venture, and found them to consist of forty-
three merchant ships, and three men of war. Being
come within four feet water more than the ship drew,
he manned all his boats, and the rest of the ships did
the same. By noon, he took fifteen sail, burnt six,
and sunk three ; the rest stood so far into a bay, be
tween Avranche and the mount of St, Michael, that,
in the judgment of the pilots, our ships could not at
tack them ; whereupon, on the twenty-seventh, in
the morning, it was resolved, at a council of war, to
go into the bay with the Hector, Mermaid, a fire-
ship, the Spy brigantine, a ship of six guns, taken
the day before from the enemy, a ketch, fitted out
as a fire-ship, and all the boats of the squadron,
wbich was performed between ten and eleven in the
morning, the rear-admiral being present, accompa
nied by Captain Fairfax, Captain Legg, and Cap-

208 NAVAL HISTORY
tain Mighells ; as also by the Captains Lamprier and
Pipon. There Avere three ships equipped for war, one of
eighteen guns, which the enemy burnt, the second
of fourteen guns, which Mr. Paul, first lieutenant of
the Kent, set on fire, who, in this service, was shot
through the lower jaw, and four men killed, and a
third of eight guns, which was brought off. Seven
teen more of the merchant ships were burnt and de
stroyed, by this second attack, so that of the whole
fleet only four escaped, by getting under the com
mand of Granville fort. The enemy, during this at
tack, sent several large shallops from Granville, but
Avitli no success, the rear-admiral having maimed a
brigantine with eighty men, and another vessel of
six guns, with forty, Avho covered all the boats.
This last vessel unfortunate].y run aground, which
obliged the rear-admiral to burn her. There were,
during the time of this action, about five thousand
of the enemy seen on shore, but they did not ad
vance near enough to do their own people any ser
vice, or ours any hurt. The queen, to testify her
kind acceptance of so cheerful and_so effectual a ser
vice, ordered gold medals to be struck on this occa
sion, and delivered to the rear-admiral and all his ofli
cers, who certainly had very well deserved them.
We are now to speak of the greatest disaster that
had happatoed within the memory of man, at least,
by the fury of the winds, I n^ean the storm which be
gan on the twenty -sixth of November, 1703, about
eleven in the evening, the wind being W, S. W. and
continued, Avith dreadful flashes of lightning, till
about seven the next morning. The Avater flowed to
a great height in Westminster Hall, and London
Bri<lge was, in a manner, stopt up with wrecks. The
mischief done in London was computed at not less
than a million, and the city of Bristol suffered da
mage to upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand
pounds. But the greatest loss fell upon our navy, of

OF. QUEEN ANNE. 209
Vvhich there perished no less than thirteen ships, up
wards of fifteen hundred seamen were drowned :*
* The following is the best account that can be given of the par
ticulars of this great loss :
1. The Reserve, a fourth rate, Captain John Anderson, Com
mander, lost at Yarmouth. The captain, the surgeon, the clerk,
and 44 men saved ; the rest of Uie crew drowned, being 175.
2. The Vanguard, a second rate, sunk in Chatham harbour.
With neither men nor guns in her.
3. The Northumberland, a third rate, Captain Greenway,
lost on the Goodwin S.inds ; all her company was lost, being 220
men, including twculy-four marines.
4. The Sterling Castle, a third rate, Captain Johnson, on
tho Goodwin Sands, 70 men, of which, four marine officers were
saved, the rest were drowned, being 206.
5. The Mary, a fourth rate, llear-admiral Beaumont, Captain
Edward Hopson, on the Goodwin Sands, the captain, and pur
ser ashore ; one man, whose name was Thomas Atkins, saved ;
the rest, to the number of 269, with the rear-admiral, drowned.
The escape of this Atkins was very remarkable. He saw the rear-
admiral, when the ship was breaking, get upon a piece of her
quarterdeck, from which he was soon washed off; and about tha
same time, Atkins was tossed by a wave into the Sterling Castle,
which sinking soon after, he was thrown the third man into her
boat, by a wave that washed him from the wreck.
6. The York, a fourth rate, Captain Smith, lost at Harwich ;
all her men saved except four. >
7. The Mortar-bomb, a fifth rate. Captain Raymond, on ths
Goodwin Sands ; all her company lost, being 65.
8. The Eagle advice boat, a sixth rate, Captain Bostock, lost
on the coast of Sussex : al! hor company, being 45, saved.
9. The Resolution, a third rate, Captain Lijle, on the coast
,t)f Sussex; all her company, being 221, saved.
10. The Litchfield prize, a fifth rate, Captain Chamberlain, on
the coast of Sussex ; all her company, being 108, saved.
11. The Newcastle, a fourth rate. Captain Carter, lost at
Spithead ; (he c;irpcntcr and 39 men were saved, and the rest, be
ing 193, drowned.
12. The Vesuvius fire-ship, a fifth rate, Captain Paddon, at
Spithead; all hor company, being 48, saved.
13. Tho Restoration, a third rate, Captain Emms, 387 men,
<jn the Gooiiwin Sands ; not one saved.
Sir Cloudesley Shovel was then in the Downs with several great
»hips, which were all in the utmost danger ; he cut his main mast
by the board, which saved the ship from running on the Galloper
of the breach, of which she was then in view. Sir Stafford Fair-
borne had his flag, as vice-admiral of the red, flying in the Asso-
VOL. III. r

210 ' NAVAL HISTORY
amongst vvhom was Basil Beaumont, Esq. rear-admiral
of the blue, who had been employed all that year in
observing the Dunkirk squadron, and had, by his
great care and conduct, preserved our merchant ships
from falling into the hands of the French privateers;
which service appeared the more considerable by the
great losses which the Dutch this year sustained. He
was, in all other respects, a man Avell qualified for the
service of his country, and what made his loss most
regretted, he died in the flower of his age, and in the
heat of the Avar. These losses, how much soever they
might affect us at home, served in some measure to
raise our reputation abroad, for orders Avere immedi
ately issued for building more ships than Avere de
stroyed ; and the queen, by several gracious boun
ties, gave such and so speedy relief to the shipwrecked
seamen, and to the distressed widows of such as were
drowned, as might have endeared her to her subjects,
if she had not already so fully possessed their hearts,
as to render any increase of affection impossible.*
cia-tion, in which he was driven first to Gottenburgh, and then to'
Copenhagen, from whence he did not get home till the next year,
The Revenge was forced from her anchors, and with much ado,
after driving some time on the coast of Holland, got into the River
RIedway; the Russel, Captain Townsend, was forced over to
Holland, and the Dorset, Captain Edward AVhitaker, after striking
thrice on the Galloper, drove a fortnight at sea, and then got safe
to the Nore. ,
* On the 12th of December, thecfueen published a proclamation
for a general fast, on Wednesday, the 19th of January following,
which was kept with wonderful strictness; in the Gazette of De
cember 16th, the lord high admiral, by an advertisement dated the
13th, gives notice, that the companies of her Majesty's ships,
which were cast away, should be paid that day month, which was
done accordingly ; and in the Gazette, No. 3978, appeared the
following order:
" Her Majesty taking into consideration, the great loss sustain
ed by the families of such, as being in her Majesty's service at sea,
perished by the late storm ; her Majesty, with the advice of her
privy.council, is pleased to order, and it is hereby ordered accord.
ingly, that the widows and families of such commission and other
officers and seamen as have perished by reason of the late storm, in

OF QUEEN ANNE, 2H
Charles, arch-duke of Austria, being declared king
of Spain, by his father, and owned as sucli by the
allies. Sir George Rooke was sent, in the month of
October, to Holland, in order to convoy his Catholic
Majesty to Lisbon. There the Dutch not being rea
dy, the admiral was forced to continue for some time,
and then the great storm occasioned a new delay; at
last he embarked, and with a joint squadron of Eng
lish and Dutch ships, and a considerable number of
transports, with land forces on board, he arrived at
Spithead on the twenty-sixth of December; he Avas
there complimented by the dukes of Somerset and
Marlborough ; on the road to Windsor, he was met
by his royal highness the prince of Denmark, and,
on his arrival, was received with all imaginable, marks
of respect by the queen, for whom he shewed greater
deference than was even expected by the English
court,* Here we will end the naval transactions in

her Majesty's service at sea, be entitled to her Majesty's bounty
in the same manner, as if they had been actually killed in fight, in
her Majesty's service at sea, according to the establishment in that
behalf. And his royal highness Prince George of Denmark, lord
high admiral, is desired to give the necessary directions herein ac
cordingly." The llonse of Commons, which was then sitting, addressed her
Majesty upon this melancholy occasion, desiring her to give imme
diate directions for repairing this loss, and to build such capital
ships as she should think fit, and promised to make good the ex-
pence at their next meeting.
* Burnet's History of his own Times, ^ol. ii. " About the end
of December," says the bishop, " the king of Spain landed at
Portsmouth, ' The duke of Somerset was sent by the queen to re
ceive him, and to bring him to an interview, which was to be at
Windsor; Prince George went and met him on the way,- and he
was treated with great magnificence; the court was very splendid
and much thronged, the queen's behaviour towards him was very
noble and obliging: the young king charmed all that were there,
he had a gravity beyond his age, tempered with much modesty, his
behaviour was, in all points, so exact, that there was not a circum-
stance, in his whole deportment, that was liable to censure; he
paid an extraordinary respect to the queen, and yet maintained a
due greatuesg in it : he had an art of seeming well pleaed with cver^
p2

«12 NAVAL HISTORY
Europe for this year, and proceed to take a view of
what passed in America, after the death of Admiral
Benbow in Jamaica.*
The command devolving upon Captain Wlletstone,
whom Mr. Benbow had appointed rear-admiral of his
squadron, he immediately put it into the best condi
tion possible for going to sea, and then cruized on
the coast of Hispaniola. On his return to Jamaica
an opportunity offered of shewing his great concern
for the interests of the colony. A fire breaking out
at Port Royal on the 9th of February, 1703, about
noon, burnt it down to the ground before night,
leaving nothing standing but the two fortifications.
In this sad distress of the inhabitants, vvhich still
•would have been much greater, if the seamen, with
thing, without so much as smiling once all the while he was at
court, which was only three daj-s : he spoke but little, and all ho
Said was judicious and obliging." Annals of Queen Anne, vol, ii,
London Gazette, No 3980. ;
* Most of our historians have placed Sir George Rooke's voyage
to Lisbon in 1703, which is what I do not understand, since he did
not leave England till the month of January, 1704, and, therefore,
I have contented myself with placing that part of his expedition
within this year, which fell out in it, and left the rest to be related
in its proper place. I shall take this opportunity of observing,
that the Arch Duke Charles was proclaimed king of Spain at Vi
enna, on the 12th of September, N. S. his journey to Portugal
being then resolved on. The choice made of Sir George Rooke to
bring him over hither, and convoy him to Lisbon, was a clear
proof that his conduct was equally approved at home and abroad.
Indeed it could not be otherwise, for every body at this time, was
satisfied that our ministry designed to place King Charles III. on
the throne of Spain, partly, by assisting the Spaniards, who should
declare for him, but chiefly by compelling the French to abandon
the cause of his rival. Now this was exactly agreeable to Sir
George Rooke's way of thinking, who was for treating the Spa
niards kindly, and fighting 6nly with the French. This being
considered, we may easily account for the making choice of Sir
George Kookc to command this fleet, though it will not be easy to
divine, why those writers bear hardest on Sir George's character,
who ara fondtst of Lord Godolphin's measures, which we have
shewn to be a thing absolutely absurd, since they thought alike,
and adopted the single plan that could so much as promise
success.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 218
great courage and industry, had not assisted in pre
serving their goods and stores, the rear-admiral pub
lished a proclamation, in which he promised to enter
tain and relieve all such as should desire it, on board
her Majesty's ships, until they could be otherwise
provided for ; which he, with great care and tender
ness, performed.
Soon after this, he sailed again on a cruize, in
hopes of meeting a considerable fleet of merchant-
•ships, which were expected from France. He spent
five weeks in search of them to no purpose ; and after
looking into Port Louis, not finding any thing there,
he stood away for Petit Guavas and Leogane. When
he arrived near this port, he divided his squadron,
because when Admiral Benbow attacked the enemy
here, their ships escaped on one side, as he entered
on the other. He, therefore, sailed westward vvith
part of his ships, and sent the rest to the south.
When these came in sight, three privateers, which
were in every respect ready for service, stood away
northward ; but the rear-admiral forcing two of them
ashore, burnt them, and the other he took. Captain
Vincent, who commanded to the southward, rowed
in the night into a place called the Cui de Sac, whtre
he found four ships, one of vA'hich he burnt, anolher
he sunk, the third, which was a consort of the pri
vateers aforementioned, he towed out, and boarded
the fourth, she was blown up by tiie accidental firing
of a grenado-shell. From this place the rear-admiral
sailed to Port de Paix, but found no shipping there;
for the befoie-mentioned privateers were all that the
enemy had in those parts, vvith which, aud five hun
dred men, they thought to have made an attempt on
the north side of Jamaica ; and in these ships were
taken one hundiM and twenty prisoners,
WhileRear-admiral Whetstone was thus employed,
they were far from forgetting the safety of the plant
ations at home. Sir George Rooke, in the month of
September, J70g, detached , froin the Mediterranean-

214 NAVAL HISTORY
Captain Hovenden Walker, in the Burford, five more
third-rates, ten transports, and four regiments on
board; for the Leeward islands ; he arrived in Barba
does in the beginning of the month of January; and
upon the coming thirtier soon after of six of our East
India ships richly laden, he, by the advice of a coun
cil ofwar, sent them home under the convoy of the
Expedition, a third rate. Captain Knapp commander,
Avho brought them safely to England. From Barba
does, Commodore Walker sailed to Antigua, where
he joined Colonel Codrington, who Avas about un
dertaking an expedition to Guadaloupe, in Avhich
Captain Walker was to assist him. They sailed from
Antigua the latter end of February ; on the 12th of
March, General Codrington landed with great part
of the forces, but was so warmly received by the
French, that they would have been able to have done
little or nothing, if Commodore "Walker had'not sent
in the Chichester, which drove the enemy from their
batteries, which our men quickly entered. The next
day, the rest of the soldiers and four hundred seamen
Avere landed, who attacked the north part of the town
with great fury, forced the enemy to abandon it, and
to retreat into the castle and fort, which they defend
ed to the 3d of April, and then, blowing them both
up, retired to the mountains. After this, our troops
ravaged all the country, burnt the town to the
ground, razed the fortifications, carried the best of
the artillerj' on board, burst the rest, and, with a very
great booty, embarked without the loss of a man.*
* There were some unlucky circumstances attended this expe
dition. In the first place, when Captain Walker arrived, the
land-forcef l>ad no powder, with which, however, they were fur
nished from the fleet. VVhen they came next to examine their
stores closely, it was found, that in a thonsand flints, there were
not fifty fit for muskets, nor had they mortars, bombs, pick-axes,
spades, or indeed any thing proper and convenient for a siege.
But we must take care'not to attribute this mismanagement either
to Commodore Walker, who commanded here, or to Sir George
Rooke, who sent him, since they both acted in obedience to orders;

OF QUEEN ANNE. 215
The French writers give adifierent account of this
affair, and, because the Enghsh thought fit to retreat,
they will neetls have it the proof of a victory on their
side. Now, as to this retreat, there were many rea
sons for it, and some, indeed, that rendered it indis
pensably necessary. General Codrington fell sick,
and was forced to return to Nevis; then Colonel
Whetham, upon vvhom the command devolved, fell
also dangerously ill, and Avas carried to Antigua.
The command of the land-forces fell next to Colonel
Willis, who, upon certain information that the French
had landed nine hundred men- on the back of the
island, called a council of war, in which it was re
solved to embark the forces; and this was accordingly
done, as I have before observed, on the 7th of May.
It must be acknowledged, that this service suffered
not a little from some disputes that happened be
tween the land and sea-officers ; Avhich is, generally
speaking, the ruin of our West India expeditions.*
As soon as the ne^'s of Vice-admiral Benbow's mis
fortune and death arrived in England, it was resolved
the commodore to those of the admiral, and the admiral receiving
his from the ministry, who ought to have considered better what
they were doing.
* The governors of our colonies have scarcely ever been able
to agree with the commanders of our squadrons, and with respect
to this very expedition, there were as warm cornplaints made
against the commodore, as ever came from the West Indies : but
he represented, that the road of Guadaloupe was excessively bad;
that he found it impossible to procure pilots ; that several of the
ships lost their anchors, the ground being foul, and the water deep,
so that some or other were daily forced out to sea ; and added to
"this, that the troops were under ex-cessive difficulties, having no
guides to conduct them, and being under the utmost want of ne.
cessaries to support them. Besides, the island was not abandoned,
till the expedition had cost us pretty dearly, as appears by the fol
lowing account of our loss. There weye killed in the first action,
one major, two captains, and six lieutenants ; and wounded, two
colonels, seven captains, and nine lieutenants ; and three ensign?
died. One hundred and fifty.four soldiers wete killed; two hun.
dred and eleven wounded ; seventy-two died; fifty-nine deserted j
and twelve were taken prisoners.

Hie NAVAL HISTORY
to send another flag-officer thither with a consider
able squafiron. This command, it is said, was offered
to Sir Stafforrl Fairborne, who refused it ; and then
it was proposed to Mr, Graydon, who, though a cer
tain prelate styles him a brutal man, made this an
swer, " That it was his duty to go where the queen
thought proper to command him, and that he knew
no difftrence of climates when he was to obey her
orders." liis instructions may be found at large iu
Burchet, and the strength he was to take with him,
consisting only of a third, a fourth, and a fifth rate;
which last provS'ed unfit for the voyage, and, there
fore, the Montague of sixty, and the Nonsuch of
fifty guns, were ordered to see him a hundred and
fifty leagues into the sea. They sailed about the
middle of March, and, on the 18th of that month,
they saw four French ships to leeward, ct^. 'two of
sixty, one of fifty, and another of forty guns. This
last, being both the smallest and sternmost, the Mon
tague, commanded by Captain WiUiam C^leveland,
bore down to, and soon after engaged her. Hereupon
the vice-adiniral made the signal for a line of battle,
and consequently for the Montague's coming'off;
but her fore-top sail being shot in pieces, the second
broadside she received from the enemy, she could not
tack so soon as otherwise might have been expected,
insomuch, that the other three French ships wore,
and bearing down to the ship that had been engaged,
each of them fired her broadside at the Montague;
but she being to windward, and the sea running high,
as the French generally fire in hopes of wounding
masts, yards, or rigging, all their shot flew oyer her,
so that she received not any considerable damage.
1 he French ships, which now made the best of their
way from ours, were foul, for they were part of the
squadron under command of Monsieur Ducasse, with
which Vice achniral Benbow engaged in the West
Indies, and (as it vvas reported) we're very rich,
I'his affair drew very heavy reproaches on the

OF QUEEN ANNE, 217
admiral, who, notwithstanding, seems to have acted
according to the best of his abilities ; and in saving
this, I am warranted by the judgment of the Admi
ralty-board, who were well acquainted with Mr.
Graydon's instructions.* He proceeded vvith all
imaginable diligence in his voyage, and arrived at
the island of Madeira on the lOih of April, 1703;
and from thence he sailed to Barbadoes, where he ar
rived on the 12th of May. The day before came a
brigantine from Guadaloupe, with advice, that Com
modore Walker vvas there, and that both seamen and
soldiers were in danger of being starved for want of
provisions. The vice-admiral thereupon applied him
self to the agent-victualler, and having furnished
himself with all the beef, pork, bread, and pease, that
could be got, he sailed on the 17th. On the 20tb,
he ran in with the fort and town of Guadaloupe, and
seeing it in ruins, he sailed instantly for Antigua,
and from thence to Nevis, where he met with the
army and squadron in the greatest distress ; and, hav
ing relieved them, he proceeded thence vvith all the
* Bishop Burnet blames the Admiralty for inserting a paragraph
in the Gazette, to justify the admiral's conduct. It is necessary
the reader should see that paragraph, which runs thus : " Ply
mouth, April 26, The Montague, Captain Cleveland, commander,
is come in here: the Nonsuch and she went from thence the 13th
of March, with Vice-admiral Graydon, in the Resolution, Cap
tain Day, in the Blackwall, the transports with Brigadier Colum
bine's regiment, store-ships, and merchants, bound to the West
Indies, and parted from them on the 26th of the same, in the lati
tude of 43 degrees. The captain says, that on the 18th of that
month, in the latitude of 47 degrees, 30 minutes, they met four
French men of war, and that he engaged the sternmost for some
time; but upon his first engaging, the vice admiral made a signal
to call him ofi", being under orders not to lose any time in his pas
sage, by chacing or speaking with any ships whatsoever; the con
trary winds having kept him here much longer than was intended,
and the service upon which he was bound very much requiring
his presence, and the regiment that was with him." The iirigle
question that arose on this subject was, whether Admiral Graydon
obeyed his orders ? And this is plainly decided by the foregoing
paragraph in the af&rmative.

218 NAVAL HISTORY
ships of war to Jamaica, where they arrived the 5th
of June, The first thing he did there was, to direct
a survey of the ships under his command ; which
proved to be very defective, not only in their hulls,
but in their masts, stores, and rigging ; and at the
same time very ill-manned. This, together with some
differences that arose between the admiral and some
of the principal persons in Jamaica, determined him
to sail home as soon as possible : and accordingly,
Jiaving left the Norwich, the Experiment, and the
Sea-Horse, Avith the Harman and Earl galley fire- ,
ships, together with two sloops, to attend the island ;
and the Colchester and Sunderland to convoy home
the latter trade, he sailed for Blewfields, and proceed
ing from thence, he fell in with Newfoundland on
the 2d of August.
In the evening of that day there arose such a fog
as had scarcely ever been seen ; for it lasted thirty
days complete, and the weather was so very dark,
that it was difficult to discover one ship from another:
this occasioned the dispersion of the fleet, which
could not be brought together again till the 3d of
September, Avhen the vice-admiral thought it proper
to consult his officers, as to the principal design of
hisvoyage. which was, the attacking the French at Pla-
eentia, and thereby forcing them to quit Newfound
land. At this council of war there Avere present, bcr
sides the vice-admiral, Rear-admiral Whetstone, and
thirteen sea-captains ; of the land-ofticers, the com
mander in chief. Colonel Rivers, six captains, and an
engineer. They took into consideration the queen's
instructions to Brigadier Columbine, then deceased,
and those to Mr. Graydon, and finding all their ships
in a very weak condition, that they were thinly man-.
ned, and most of the sailors sick, already at short
allowance, and the soldiers, through their being
forced to drink water in so cold a climate, having
their limbs benumbed, so that they were scarcely fit
for service ; five regiments reduced to one thousand

OF QUEEN ANNE, 210
and thirty-five men ; of five hundred they were to re
ceive from New England, there came but seventy,
now reduced to twenty-five, and those in a manner
disabled; and, from the best accounts, the enemy at
Placentia judged to be not only superior in number,
and consequently able to make a good resistance, but
the avenues to the place extremely difiicult, the
grounds marshy, and no planks or other materials
for mounting the guns on the batteries ; these diffi
culties and obstructions being maturely considered,
together Avith the good circumstances that the enemy
Avere in, and the assistance they might have from
their privateers, and other shipping then at Placentia,
the council ofwar were unanimously of opinion, that
to make an attempt on that place with the ships and
forces, in such a condition and at such a season of
the year, was altogether impracticable ; and, instead
>of any pw)bability of success, might tend to the dis
honour of her Majesty's arms,*
This vvas the end of Vice-admiral Graydon's unfor
tunate expedition ; in which, though it is certain, on
the one hand, that he did not do the nation any re
markable service, yet it is no less certain on the
other, that in respect to protecting the trade, and the
rest of the things in his power, he did all the service
he was able. But it was his misfortune, first to feel
the effects of other men's mistakes, and next, to be
made answerable for them. On his return, the House
of Lords entered into an inquiry into his conduct;
and, besides their former warm vote, which was more
than enough to have undone liim, they came to a
resolution of addressing her Majesty, to remove him
from all employments, for impressing servants in the
* I transcribe this from a MS. account of Admiral Graydon's
defence, in which are particular certificates as to the truth of each
of these facts, and which, I suppose, satisfied the House of Lords
as to this part of the charge ; which the admiral looked upon as
that which would aifcct him most, since here he had not executed
his orders, but avoided attacking the French,

220 NAVAL HISTORY
West Indies ; desiring her, at the same time, to direct
the attorney-general to prosecute him for that offence.
This had the desired effect : Vice-admiral Graydon,
as to service, was laid aside, and his memory has been
loaded with the foulest imputations ; though there is
great reason to believe, that he was rather unlucky
than unjust, and that he suffered for miscarriages
which it was not in his power to avoid. In order to
have a clearer idea of this, we must consider that he
justified himself as to his not fighting the French,
under his orders, which were very precise upon that
head ; and, ifhe had not obeyed them, he must have
been answerable for all the consequences before a
court-martial ; while, on the other hand, the lords, as
the supreme judicature, decided in this case on the
reason of the thing ; and because, as they thought,
the necessity of fighting ought, in his judgment, to
have superseded his orders, yet, when he pleaded ne
cessity in excuse of impressing servants, this would
not serve his turn ; but he was punished in that case
as severely for making use of his own judgment, as
for the supposed neglect of it in the other.
In all probability, the resentment of the House of
Lords against this gentleman was sharpened by their
inspecting closely into other affairs relating to the
navy; in which, it must be confessed, they found
things very indifferently managed. As, for instance,
complaints had been made to the lord high-admiral,
of bad provisions, by which the seamen were poison
ed, as well as the nation cheated ; yet a survey of the
provisions objected to was delayed for three months, ^
which gave an opportunity for making such removes
and changes, as rendered the proof of this charge
altogether impracticable. The merchants complained
that they were ill served with convoys, and that so
little care was taken of the Newcastle fleet, as occa
sioned an excessive rise of coals : the neglect of pro
viding for such seamen as were prisoners in France,
was likewise rendered very evident; asAvas the dan-

OF QUEEN ANNE, 221
ger of the island of Jamaica, and the betraying our
naval councils to the French, These were all di
gested into an address, which was presented by the
House of Lords to the queen ; to which her Majesty
was* pleased to answer, that the address consisted of
so many parts, that she could not then take notice of
them. In the general, however, she promised she
would consider of them, and give such directions as
should be proper for the safety and welfare of ths
nation, I think it necessary to observe here, that at this
time there were very warm disputes in the House of
Lords, as to the conduct of the Admiralty in the late
reign, which had been censured by the House of Com
mons, and in a great measure justified here ; so that at
this season all the strength of party Avas exerted on
both sides, and the merit of a man was less consi
dered, than the faction to which he attached himself.*
But it is time to leave so troublesome and unenter-
taining a subject, in order to return to the conduct of
the Avar, and the great things performed in the year
1704, for the service of vvhich the commons granted
upwards of four miUions ; which shews, how desirous
the nation' was of supporting the war to the utmost,
and of giving whatever was necessary for the service
of the common cause, in hopes that it would be ho
nestly and effectually laid out, for those great and
salutary purposes for which it vvas so chearfully
given. The king of Spain was very desirous of prosecuting
his voyage to Lisbon, and therefore came to Ports
mouth, and would have embarked on tlie third of
* The queen, by soft answers, endeavoured to pacify both
Houses, which indeed was the only measure left for her to pursue ;
since, if she had complied with the demands of either, it must have
inflamed both. Her prudence, therefore, in this respect, was very
conspicuous; though perhaps the best step she could have taken,
would have been to have dismissed his royal highness's council as
lord-high-admiral, and either restored the earl of Pembroke or ap
pointed commissioners.

222 NAVAL HISTORY
February, if the wind had been at all favourable. Sir
George Rooke, who was to command the fleet that
escorted him, and the land forgoes intended for his
service, did CA'cry thing that could be expected to fa
cilitate the expedition : for Avhen he found the trans
ports were ready, and that it was impossible to have
the intended number of great ships so early at sea,
he proposed sailing with a small squadron to Lisbon^
and waiting there for a reinforcement. This was a
A'ery wise, as Avell as vigorous step ; for, according to
the information our court had received of the designs
of France, they intended to have had a great naval
strength inthe Mediterranean, Avhich, if it came there
earher than our reinforcement, Avould have been able
to have shut up our small fleet, then in those parts, in
the river of Lisbon, and have intercepted all our trade
homeward-bound; whereas if, according to Sir
George's scheme, the supply arrived early enough at
Lisbon, our fleet would be so strong as to prevent the
junction of the Brest with the Toulon squadron, and
to perform other requisite services on the coast of
Spain.* In the first part of his design. Sir George Avas as
fortunate as he could wish ; for sailing on the twelfth
of February, he, after a fine j^assage, arrived with the
squadron, and all the transports, in the river of Lis
bon, on the 25th ; and after two days had been spent
in adjusting the ceremonial, his Catholic Majesty was
* This was certainly a very wise and well-judged scheme, and
is a clear and direct proof that Sir George Rooke was very desirous
of doing as much service as possible, and to lose no opportunity of
being early in action ; his going on this expedition, with the small
squadron under his command, was liable to many exceptions, if
considered in a prudential light, and with a view to the credit of
the admiral ; but Sir George disregarded these, when thc^ came
into competition with the public service, and chose rather to risk
his own character, than the nation's honour, and the prospect the
king of Spain then had of success, of which his Catholic Majesty
was cxtreroi'ly sensible, and gave upon all occasions tho most am
ple testimonies of his particular respect for Sir George Rooke, and
just acknowledgment of his services.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 223
conducted to shore by the king of Portugal, and most
of the royal family. Among other debates in relation
to this ceremony, there Avas one which deserves par
ticular notice, and that Avas in relation to our flag.
The king of Portugal desired, that, upon his coming
on board the admiral's ship in his barge of state, and
striking his standard, the English flag might be
struck at the same time ; and that when his Catholic
Majesty, vvith himself, should go off from the ship,
his standard might be hoisted, and the admiral's flag
continue struck until they were on shore. This pro
position was made from the king of Portugal, by the
king of Spain ; to which the admiral replied, that his
Majesty, so long as he should be on board, might
command the flag to be struck Avhen he pleased ; but
that whenever he left the ship, he was himself ad
miral, and obliged to execute his commission by im
mediately hoisting his flag. This, and some other
reasons, satisfied the king of Spain, as well as his
Portuguese Majesty ; so that the flag of England was
no longer struck, than the standard of Portugal.*
* We take this passage from the account published by autho
rity ; and I think I may venture to assert, that Sir George Rooke's
concern for the honour of the flag became him very well, as an
English admiral, whatever might be thought of it at home by some
English statesmen. Bishop Burnet, speaking of our treaty with
the king of Portugal, ijaentions a very extraordinary incident re
lating to this affair, which I find it necessary to transcribe. " In
this treaty, an accident happened, that had almost spoiled all : the
king of Portugal insisted on demanding the flag, and other respects
to be paid by our admiral, when he was in his ports, The earl of
Nottingham insisted it was a dishonour to England to strike, even
in another king's ports. This was not demanded of the fleet that
was sent to bring over Queen Katharine; so, though Methuen, our
ambassador, had agreed to this article, he pressed the queen not
to ratify it." — The Lord Godolphin looked on this as too incon^.i-
derabie to be insisted on; the whole affairs of Europe seemed to
turn upon this treaty, and so important a matter ought not to bq
retarded a day, for such punctilios, as a salute, or striking the
flag ; and it seemed reasonable, that every sovereign prince should
claim these acknowledgments, unless where it was otherwise stipu
lated by express treaties. The laying so much weight on such mat-

S24 NAVAL HISTORY
Two days after this, the admiral, in compliance
Avith the resolution of a council of war, sent a squa
dron of seventeen sail, to cruize off Cape Spartel;
Avhich squadron was afterwards increased to twenty-
two sail. On the 9th of March the admiral himself
put to sea, and continued cruizing for a mouth.
Rear-admiral Dilkes, who commanded the squadron
before-mentioned, on the twelfth of March in the
morning, discovered four sail of ships standing to the
N. E. He had with him three third rates, and two
fourth, viz. the Kent, Bedford, Suffolk, Antelope,
and Panther. By eleven he came up with them, and
the Panther, which Avas the headmost of ours, and
engaged them ; the Suffolk getting the wind, did the
same, as also the Antelope, and the Dutch privateer;
insomuch, that the ship of sixty guns struck, after
exchanging several broadsides. The rear-admiral
could not get his own ship in reach of them until
noon, and then engaging the commodore, which
was a ship of sixty guns, she struck to him in a httle
time, having lost half her complement of men, as the
third did soon after, Avhich was a ship of tvv^enty-four
guns; and in this action the Panther had her fore-
top-mast shot by the board, the Suffolk her main
mast, and the Antelope'fe masts and yards were
wounded. The two ships before-mentioned of sixty
guns,, were galleon men of war, one of them called
the Porta-Coili, and the other the St. Theresa, and
came from St. Sebastian's, Avith bombs, guns, iron
bars, &c, being bound for Cadiz, where, as it was
reported, they were to be fitted out for the West In
dies, the Commodore Don Diego Bicuna having a
ters, very much heightened jealousies ; and it was said, that the
earl of Nottingham, and the Tories seemed to lay hold of every thing
that could obstruct the progress of the war ; while the round pro
ceeding of the Lord Godolphin reconciled many to him." — The
friends of the earl of Godolphin need be under no concern about
this story, since it is most evident from the foregoing account of
Sir George Rooke's conduct, that the fact is false, and that the-
lionour of the English flag was never given up.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 22*
commission to command all the fleet designed thither ;
and in these ships were taken nearly seven hundreil
prisoners. The rear-admiral, by reason of bad weather did not
arrive at Lisbon till the twenty-fifth of March, and
then in going in he lost the St. Theresa, but most of
the men were saved. Sir George Rooke being also
returned, and meeting vvith orders to sail up the
Straits, prepared to execute them, though at the same
time, the admiral was extremely pressed by his Ca
tholic Majesty to undertake somewhat in his favour.
The difficulties vvith which Sir George was at this
time encompassed, were many and great. In the
first place, the reinforcement he depended on was not
arrived ; in the next, the queen's orders were posi
tive for the relief of Nice and Villa Franca ; and he
knew how great a risk he ran, in case either of those
places were taken for want of timely succour. The
design formed in favour of King Charles III, to in
vade Catalonia, and make an attempt on Barcelona,
was almost ripe for execution, and that monarch in
sisted very strenuously that the fleet should escort
this embarkation. In this thorny conjuncture the
admiral resolved to do as much as in him lay to satisfy
all parties ; and we shall hereafter see with how great
judgment he executed this resolution : in the mean
time it is necessary that we should explain the con
duct of the administration in regard to the expedition
of Sir Cloudesley Shovel.
After Sir George Rooke sailed, the court received
intelligence, tl*S,t the French were very busy in fit
ting out a great squadron at Brest, This alarmed us
very much, because it was not easy to foresee how
this force would be employed. At all events it was
thought proper to equip, vvith the utmost expedition,
a good fleet, which was put under the Command of
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, admiral of the Avhite, who had
under him Sir Stafford Fairborne, vice-admiral of the
red, and George Byng, Esq. then rear-admiral of the
VOL. III. Q

22© NAVAL HISTORY
same squadron. The admiral was instructed, if he
found the Brest squadron still in port, to send away
the trade, store-ships, and victuallers, under a proper
convoy, to Lisbon, and to remain before that port
hiniself to endeavour to ^keep in the enemy ; or, if
that was found impracticable, to burn and destroy
them if they came out. But in case he found the
Brest squadron already sailed, then he was to call a
council of war, in order to judge what strength
might be necessary to be sent to Sir George Rooke ;
and if it amounted to twenty-two ships, then he was
to sail with them himself, that our fleet might, at all
events, be stronger than that of the enemy. Sir
Cloudesley executed his instructions punctually, and
finding that a great strength was necessary in the
Mediterranean to oppose the French, he sailed thi
ther about the latter end of the month of May.
We have now seen bow and why the succours in
tended for Sir George Rooke's fleet, Avere so long de
layed, and what care was taken for their coming,
after all, in good time ; we will next therefore return
to that admiral, and give a short account of the man
ner in which he extricated himself out of the difficul
ties in which vve left him. In the first place he sig
nified to the prince of Hesse, who had the chief direc
tion of his Catholic Majesty's affairs, that if the troop.s
which were to make the attempt on Barcelona, could
be speedily embarked, he vvas content to escort them,
and togive all imaginable countenance to his Majesty's
affairs in Catalonia. In compliance with this offei-,
he sailed accordingly with the transports under his
convoy, and on the eighteenth of May he arrived be
fore the city of Barcelona. A priest and some others
surrendered themselves, and informed the prince of
Hesse, that if a few forces were landed, and a shew
made of a bombardment, they would declare for
King Charles HI, and receive him into the place.
Upon this there landed, on the nineteenth of May,
about twelve hundred marines, four hundred Dutdi

OF QUEEN ANNE. 227
foot, a Company of Catalans, ,andas many volunteers
as made up in the whole two thousand men. They
remained ashore all night; and the prince finding
nothing done, notwithstanding the Dutch had bom
barded the place with some effect, his highness him
self proposed the re-embarking the men, from an ap
prehension of their being attacked by a superior force.
The truth is, that he had great reason to abandon this
desigiias he did, since, in the first place, the go
vernor had discovered it, and had secured the chiefs
of the Austrian party ; and, in the next, the force he
had with him was not at all proportioned to such an
undertaking.* In this whole transaction one would imagine the
admiral must have been blameless, since he had done
all that could be expected from him, and did not re
tire till his highness himself thought it requisite. Yet
Bishop Burnet has given such an account of it, as I
must take the liberty of transcribing, that the public
may see how necessary it is for an historian to be free
from party. " Sir George Rooke came before Bar
celona, where the prince of Hesse D'Armstadt assured
him, there were a strong party ready to declare for
King Charles, as it was certain there was a great dis
position in many to it. But Rooke would not stay
above three days before it ; so that the motions
within the town, and the discoveries that many made
of their inclinations, had almost proved fatal to them.
He answered, his orders were positive ; he must make
towards Nice, which it was believed the French in
tended to besiege, " At this rate of writing, no man's
fame or memory can be safe. Yet, to heighten the
* There was certainly a very strong party in Barcelona for King
Charles, and if they had felt courage enough to have declared on
the first arrival of the fleet, and had marched out, and joined the
land forces as soon as they had debarked, something might hav(;
been done, but they continued consulting and intriguing, till the
governor seized their chiefs, and then they themselves advised th^
prince of Hesse not to remain any longer before the place, on ac
count pf its being equally inconvenient for him and them.
q2

328 NAVAL HISTORY
malice of this reflection, and to mislead the readei*, if
possible, still more egregiously, the bishop tells us a
long story, previously to tliis account, of the admiral's
reprimanding one of his captains very severely, for
departing from his orders,* though the intelligence
he brought, is supposed to have saved the fleet of
England, and of his avoiding the French fleet, and
joining Sir Cloudesley Shovel, All of which, to
speak in the softest terms, seems to have been without
any foundation.
The admiral landed his troops before Barcelona, on
the nineteenth of May ; it was the twenty-seventh be-*
fore they had any intelligence of the Brest squadron;
and then, instead of shunning, they chaced them ;
and on the sixteenth of June, the fleet was joined by
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with the ships under his com-
inand ;. upon which it was immediately resolved, to
proceed up the Mediterranean, in search of the French
fleet. The whole of this affair was so perfectly well
conducted, that our allies and our enemies join in
commending Sir George Rooke; and yet his memory
is in danger of suffering with posterity, merely be
cause he was esteemed a Tory. This it was that
drew upon him so many and so severe reflections, ob
* In a grand debate in the House of Lords, in 1740, this fact
happening to be touched upon by a noble peer, who was speaking
in that august assembly, the late illustrious John duke of Argyle,
rose up and said, " As for what has been mentioned in relation
to Admiral Rooke, we know, my lords, the history from which
it was taken. It is a story of Bishop Burnet's, in his History of
his own Times, and those who have sat in this house with that pre.
late must know he was a very credulous weak man. I remember
him, ray lords, in this house, and I likewise remember, that my
Lord Halifax, my Lord Somers, and his other friends inthe house,
were always in a terror when he rose up to speak, lest he shouldin.
jure their cause by some blunder. With regard to what he sayi
Sgainst Admiral Rooke, I know I have heard it from those that
were present, that the greatest part of it is a downright lie. Tha
bishop, it is well known, was no friend to that admiral,. and there
fore he easily gave credit, as he generally did in like cases, to every
malicious story he heard against him." The History and Proceed.
logs of the House of Lords^ vol. vii. >

OF QUEEN ANNE. 229.
-Bcured all the great actions he did, and forced men,
who valued themselves on their skill in writing, not
only to misrepresent, but to falsify facts, that they
might be able to cast such imputations upon him as
he never deserved.
On the twenty-first of May the admiral steered for
the isles of Hieres, but in the passage met witb a
storm^ which separated his fleet. On the twenty-
seventh they joined again, and had sight of a large
French squadron, which they rightly judged to be
sailing for Toulon ; and therefore it was resolved, in
a. council of war, to chace them thither, and if it
Avas not possible to prevent their getting into that
port, then to sail for Lisbon, in order to wait for a
re-inforcement ; which was accordingly done. On
the fourteenth of June our fleet passed through the
Straits'-mouth, and were joined two days after by Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, with his squadron off Lagos : a
council of war was then called, in order to consider
what service should be proceeded on. Several schemes
were proposed, particularly a second attack on Cadiz,
Avhich was soon found to be impracticable for want of
a sufficient number of land-forces. At this council
of war the admiral also was pleased to declare, that
he Avas limited by his instructions from attempting
any thing, without the consent of the kings of Spain
and Portugal ; which was another discouragenient to
the service, because tho,se princes could very seldom
agree on any measure ; so that, except sending some
ships to the Terceras, in order to protect the home
ward-bound Brazil fleet, there was little done, that I
can find, which ought to be considered as the un
avoidable consequence of this order.
Sir George Rooke being very sensible of the re
flections that would fall upon him, if, having so con-
, siderable a fleet under his Command, he spent the
summer in doing nothing of importance, called a
council of war on the seventeenth of July, in the
foad of Jetuan, where having declared that l|e

230 NAVAL HISTORY
thought it requisite they should resolve upon some
service or other; after a long debate it was carried
to make a sudden and vigorous attempt upon Gibral
tar, for three reasons : First, because in the condition
the place then was, there was some probability of
taking it ; which, in case it had been properly pro
vided, and there had been in it a numerous garrison,
Avould have been impossible. Secondly, because the
possession of that place Avas of infinite importance
during the present war. Thirdly, because the taking
of this place would give a lustre to the queen's arms,
and possibly dispose the Spaniards to favour the cause
of King Charles,
The fleet, in pursuance of this resolution, arrived
in the Bay of Gibraltar on the twenty-first of July,
and the marines, English and Dutch, to the number
of eighteen hundred, were landed under the com
mand of the prince of Hesse, on the Isthmus, to cut
off all communication between the town and the con
tinent. His highness having taken post there, sum
moned the governor ; who answered, that he would
defend the place to the last. On the twenty-second
the admiral at break of day, gave the signal for can
nonading the tovyn ; which was performed with such
vigour, that fifteen thousand shot was spent in five
hours; when the admiral perceiving tbat the enemy
were driven from their fortifications at the south
mole-head, and that if we Avere once possessed of
these, the town must be taken of course, he ordered
Captain Whitaker to arm all the boats, and to at
tempt to make himself master of them.
This order vvas no .sooner issued, than Captain
Hicks and Captain Jumper, who were nearest the
mole, pushed on shore with their pinnaces, and actu
ally seized the fortifications before the rest could
come up. The Spaniards seeing this, sprung a mine,
by which tvvo lieutenants and forty men Avere killed,
and about sixty more Avounded : however, they kept
possession of the great platform, till they were sub*

OF QUEEN ANNE. 231
tained by Captain Whitaker, and the seamen under
his command, who very soon made himself master of
a redoubt, between the mole and the town ; on which
the admiral sent in a letter to the governor, who on
the twenty-fourth capitulated, and the prince of Hesse
took possession of the place. I must, upon this oc
casion, observe, that as this design was contrived by
the admirals, so it vvas executed entirely by the sea
men, and therefore the whole honour, of it is due to
them, I must likewise put the reader in mind, that
nothing could have enabled the seamen to take the
place, but the cannonading of it in such a manner,
as obliged the Spaniards to quit their posts ; for the
general officers, who viewed the fortifications after
the place was in our hands, declared, that they might
have been defended by fifty men against as many
thousands. The French indeed say, in order to di
minish, as much as possible, the glory of this action,
that the Spaniards had neither garrison nor guns
there; but this is far from being true, since there
were above one hundred biass pieces mounted. After
putting as many men as could be spared into the
place, under the command of the prince of Hesse, the
fleet sailed to Tetuan, in order to take in wood and
water. While they lay here, the Dutch admiral sent a
flag-officer and six ships to Lisbon, under orders to
return home, and a promise that he would quickly
follow them. On the ninth of August they sailed
again from Gibraltar, and had sight of the French
fleet, which they resolved to engage. The latter de
chned coming- to action, and endeavoured to get
away ; but Sir George pursued them with all the sail
he could make. On the thirteenth of the same
month, which was Sunday, he came within threis
leagues of them, when they brought to with their
heads to the southward, the wind being easteriy, and
forming a line, lay in a proper posture to receive
him. They were fifty-two ships, and twenty-four

232 NAVAL HISTORY
gallies, very strong in the centre, but weaker in the;
van and rear; to supply which, most of their gallies
Avere placed in those squadrons. In the centre was
Count Thoulouse, high-admiral of France, with the
Avhite squadron ; in the van the white and blue flag,
and in the rear the blue, each admiral having his
vice and rear-admiral. Our fleet consisted of fifty-
three ships ; but the admiral ordered the Swallow
and Panther, two fourth-rates, with a fifth and a
sixth, and two fire-ships, to lie to windward of him,
that if the enemy's van should push through our line
with their gallies and fire-ships, they might give them
some diversion,
A little after ten in the morning, our fleet bor$
down in order of battle, and when they came within
half guu'shot of the enemy, the French set all their
sails at once, as if they intended to stretch a-head
and weather us; so that our admiral, after firing a
chace-gun at the French admiral to stay for him, of
wbich he took no notice, threw abroad the signal,
and began the battle, which fell very heavy on the
Royal Catherine, the St, George, and- the Shrews
bury. Abput two in the afternoon the enemy's van
^ave way to ours, and the battle ended with the day,
Avhen the enemy went away by the help of their
gallies to leeward. In the night the wind shifted to
the northward, and in the morning to the westward,
which gave the enemy the wind of us. We lay by
all day within three leagues of each other, repairing
our defects, and at night they filed and stood to
the northwards. Our fleet eiideavoured the two next
days to renew the fight, but the French avoided it,
and at last bore away.
This plainly discovers that we had the victory, not
withstanding the great advantages of the French^
which I think those who understand maritime af
fairs, will allow to be as great as ever any fleet had.
For first, their ships were bigger; they had seventeen
three-deck ships, and we had but seven. Secondly^,

OF QUEEN ANNE. 233
they had a great advantage in their weight of me
tal; for they had six hundred guns more than we.
Thirdly, they were clean ships, just come out of
port ; whereas ours had been long at sea, and had
done hard service. Fourthly, they had the assistance
of their gallies ; and how great an advantage this was,
Avill appear from hence, that about the middle of the
fight, the French admiral ordered a seventy-gun ship
to board the Monk, a sixty-gun ship of ours, com
manded by Captain Mighells; which she did, and was
beat off three times, and after every repulse she had her
Avounded men taken off, and her compliment restored
by the gallies. Fifthly, the French fleet was tho
roughly provided with ammunition ; Avhich vvas so
much wanted in ours, that several ships were towed
out of the line, because they had not either powder
or ball sufficient for a single broadside. But the skill
of the admiral, and the bravery of the officers and
seamen under his command, supplied all defects, and
enabled them to give the French so clear a proof of
their superiority over them in all respects at sea, that
they not only declined renewing the fight at present,
but avoided us ever after, and durst not venture a
battle on that element during the remainder of the
war. It may be therefore justly said, that the battle
of Malaga decided the empire of the sea, and left to
us and the Dutch an indisputed claim to the title of
Maritime Powers,
It is true, that the French, according to their old
custom, claimed the victory, Louis XIV. v/rote a
letter, affirming this to the archbishop of Paris, di
recting Te Deum to be sung on that occasion, and
afterwards published an account, which I shall give
the reader as near as may be from the Gazette, and I
shall then demonstrate, that the whole was no more
than an artifice of state,* in order to lessen the ill-
* I think it necessary to give the reader a transcript of this
let^pr, from the French king to Cardinal Nqailles, because, two

234 NAVAL HISTORY
consequences that were apprehended from the defeat ;
and therefore, it is no less injurious to the glory of
this nation, than to the honour of Sir George Rooke's
memory, to "make use of the distorted tales in this
relation, to prejudice the indubitable facts contain
ed in ours. The substance of this French account
Avas :
" That, before the fight, the admiral ordered all
the ships to make ready ; but the sea being calm, he
gave directions for the gallies to prepare to tow the
men of war off to sea. But at day-break the whole
fleet weighed by favour of a breeze that blew gently
from the land, and made towards the enemy, whom
the currents had carried out to sea. The twenty-
fourth, their fleet, in a line of battle, came up vvith
the enemy ; the Marquis De Vilette, lieutenant-
general, commanded the vanguard, having behind
him in a second line the duke of Tursis, with his own
squadron of seven gallies, and five of Spain. The
great politicians have difi"ered much about it. Bishop Burnet
says, that from the coldness of this letter, it was concluded in
England, that the French were beat ; so that, in his judgment,
this letter was the best evidence of our victory. Mr, Oldmixon
thinks just the contrary ; the reader, by perusing the letter, will
be able to judge for himself:
" Cousin,
" The fleet which I have assembled in the Mediterranean, under
the command of my son the Count De Thoulouse, admiral of
France, has not only disappointed the designs which the joint fleets
of England and Holland had upon the coasts of Catalonia, but has
also put a glorious end to the campaign, by a general engagement,
which issued wholly to my advantage, though the enemies were con-
siderably more in number; and had a favorable wind. The first efforts
¦were sustained, and repulsed with so much valour by all the oflicers
and equipage of my ships, animated by the example of their general,
that the enemies could think of nothing during the fight, which
lasted ten hours, but how to defend themselves, how to avoid being
boarded several times by my ships, and to secure themselves by a
retreat; and though the Count De Thoulouse did all he could the
two following days to come up with them, he could not bring thera
to a second engagement. This happy success obliges me to return
thanks to God, by public prayers."

OF QUEEN ANNE, 235
Count De Thoulouse commanded the centre, having
behind him the Marquis De Royes with four gallies,
and the Marquis De Langeron had the command
of the rear-guj^rd with eight French gallies, under
command of the Count De Tourville. The enemy's
van-guard was commanded by Sir Cloudesley Shovel;
the centre by Sir George Rooke ; and the rear-guard
were the Dutch ships, commanded by Vice-admiral
Callemberg. They had sixty ships of the line, many
frigates almost as large, and bomb-vessels that did
them good service. Sir Cloudesley Shovel advanced
before the Avind, separating himself from the centre;
but observing that the Marquis De Vilette endea-
A'oured to .surround him, he kept to the wind, and Sir
George Rooke seeing the danger he was in, bore
upon the king's fleet. The fight began about ten
o'clock, north and south off Malaga, ten or eleven
leagues from shore, and lasted till night. The fire
was extraordinary on both sides, and notwithstand
ing the enemy had the advantage of the wind, which
blew the smoke upon the French fleet, they always
kept as near the wind as they could, while the Count
De Thoulouse made all possible efforts to approach
them. The Marquis De Vilette had so roughly used
the van of the enemy, having obliged five of their
ships to quit their line, that he would. have entirely
put the same into disorder, had not a bomb fallen
upon his stern, and set it on fire ; which obliged him
to qiiit the line, and extinguish the fire. Another
bomb fell on the ship of the Sieurs De Belleisle, who
quitted the line to refit, as did likewise the Sieur De
Grancy, Osmont, Rouvroy, Pontac, and Roche Al
lard. The latter fought the ship of Sir Cloudesley
Shovel, of ninety guns, though he had but sixty.
The Sieur Chammeslin boarded three times a ship of
the enemy, but quitted the same, seeing she was on
fire in several places, but because of the smoke,
could not sec whether sunk. The bailiff of Lonain

236 NAVAL HISTORY
was killed with a cannon-shot, and the Sieur De Re-
lingue had a leg shot off. They were the Count Dc
Thoulouse's two seconds, and distinguished themr
selves very much, folloAving the example of their ge-?
neral. The enemy continuing to sheer off, the fight
with the van ended about five, Avith the centre about
seven, and Avith the rear towards night. The French
fleet pursued with all their hghts out; whereas the
enemy, their flag-ships excepted, had none. The
twenty-fifth the wind blowing again from the west,
the enemy sailed towards, the coast of Barbary, so
that they lost sight of them at night. The twenty-
sixth, in the morning, they were seen again about
four leagues distance, the wind having again shifted
to the east, which gave them a fair opportunity
to renew the fight, but they did not think fit to apr
proach. They were not heard of afterwards ; whercr
upon it was judged they had re-passed the Straits,
and this obliged the Count De Thoulouse to return
the twenty-seventh to Malaga, with the gallies. We
had about fifteen hundred men killed or wounded. But
we do not know the loss of the enemy, which must
be very great ; and several persons said, that two of
their ships sunk,"*
I shall mention but one objection to this account,
because I think I need not mention any more, and it
is this, that whenever the French endeavour to ac
count for their not pushing the affair farther, they in
sist on the mischief done them by the Enghsh bombs;
whereas nothing can be more certain, than that there
was not a single bomb- vessel in the English fleet. As
to the force on both sides, and the loss of each, I
shall give a particular account at the bottom of the
. page,t and having done this, I believe I need add
* See the Complete History of Europe, for 1704, p. 787. Hi?-
toire Militaire, tom, iv.
+ The English fleet, at the time of this battle, consisted of fite
divisions besides the Dutch, of which there were but eleven shiiis.

OF QUEEN* ANNE.

237

nothing to shew the folly of the French academy's
causing a medal to be struck upon this occasion, as if)
The strength of the fleet will particularly appear from the following
list, transmitted from the admiral to the queen.

3 ^

Ships Names.

¦Rojal Catherine 730 90 27 94
St. "George  630 96 43 93
Naniure  680 96 18 44
Shrewsbury  500 80 31 73
Nassau  440 70 15 26
Grafton  440 70 31 66
Monmouth  440 70 27 62
Montaj;ue  565 60 15 34
Panther  280 50 10 16
4755 682 219 508

Barfleur  710 96 6 24
Eagle  440 70 7 57
Orford  440 70 6 9
Assurance ....440 66 6 14
Warspight  4j0 70 17 44
Swiftsure  440 70 13 33
Nottingham  365 60 7 19
Tilburv  280 40 20 25
Lenoi;"'  440 70 23 78
3995 612 105 303

.. r Prince George.. 700 90 15 57
C I Boyne  500 80 14 52

!<

Newarke  500 80 15 32
. . Norfollc  500 80 15 20
¦;: I A"armouth  440 70 7 26
« f Berwick  440 70 23 24

Ships Names.

Ranelagh  535
Somerset  500
Firme  440
Triton  230
Dorsetshire . . . .500
Torbay  500
Essex  440
Kingston  365
Centurion  280

i> 3 f
a £2. 5
«B p &
a 2.
83 24 45
80 31 62
70 25 48
50 5 21
82 12 20
80 21 50
70 13 36
eo 14 46
56 10 31

3790 631 135 361
f .Kent  400 70 15 26
I Royal Oak  500 76 20 33
§ Swallow  280 50 1 3
i 5 Cambridge  500 80 11 27
"i S Bedford  440 70 12 51
« Monk  365 60 36 52
"Suffolk  440 70 13 38
« Burford  440 70 11 19
3765 540 119 249>

Total 19,385 2935 687 1632

Slain
Wounded

607
1632

Total killed and
wounded

English 2319
Dutch 400

3080 470 89 211 Total 2719
Commission officers slain ; captains. Sir Andrew Leake, and
Captain Cow : lieutenants four, and warrant officers two. Com.
mission officers wounded; Captains, Mynge, Baker, Jumper, Mig.
hells, Kirkson ; lieutenants thirteen ; warrant-officers, thirteen.
As to the French fleet, it consisted of three squadrons ; the first,
aixteen ships of the line, carrying in all, 1120 guns, and 7700
men ; the white squadron in the centre, consisting of 17 ships,
carrying 1271 guns, 8.500 men ; the blue division in the rear, con
sisting of 17 ships, which carried 1162 guns, 7625 men. In all,
353,^ guns, 24,163 men. Besides this, they had nine frigates, as
many fire-ships, 12 French and 11 Spanish gallies, with two flutes ;
in all, 92 sail. On their side was slain, a rear-admiral, five cap.
taias, six lieutenants, and fiyc sea ensigns. The Count Do Thouv

238 NAVAL HISTORY
instead of being defeated, the-^ French had gained a
victory worthy the notice of posterity.*
After the English had in vain endeavoured to renew
the fight, they repaired to Gibraltar, where they
continued eight days in order to refit ; and haviag
supplied that place to the utmost of their power with
ammunition and provision, it was thought convenient
to return to England, care being first taken to pro
vide such a squadron for the Mediterranean service
as might secure our trade, and render any designs of
the enemy abortive. On the twenty-fourth of August
the admiral sailed from Gibraltar; on the twenty-
sixth he gave orders to Sir John Leake, to take upon
him the command of the squadron that was to re
main in the Mediterranean during the winter, and
then sailed home Avith the rest, where he arrived
safely ou the twenty-fourth of September, and was
received with all exterior marks of esteem by the mi
nistry, at the same time that the populace shewed for
him an unfeigned affection.
But though Sir George Rooke had been happy
enough to beat the French under great disadvantages,
yet he was not able to bafile that spirit of envy by
which he had been so long persecuted. There was a
party that not only questioned his conduct and the
louse himself wounded in the forehead, shoulder, and thigh ; the
Count De Religues had his leg shot oflf. The Marquis De Herbault,
intendant of the fleet ; Monsieur Ducasse, commodore of a squa.
dron ; M. De Chateau Regnault ; the Count De Philipeaux ; tha
Count De Cominges ; M. De Valincourt ; the Count De Thou.
louse's secretary ; seven captains, eight lieutenants, and about one
hundred and fifty other officers were wounded ; as to the loss of
private men, it amounted, in the whole, to 3048.
* In this extraordinary medal, Spain is represented sitting, and
her arm leaning on a pillar, with victory over her head ; the legend
thus : Orw Hispanicce Securitas, i. e. The security of the Spanish
coasts. To shew how this was attained, we read in the exergue,
Anglorum et Batavorum classe fugata ad Malagam, xxir. Au.
gusti, M..DCc,ir. i. e. The English and Dutch fleet beat at Malaga,
24th of August, 1704. Gerard Vauloon, Histoire Metallique des
bays, tome ir.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 289
late victory, but were willing to sacrifice the glory of
their country, and, as far as in them laj', to propa
gate the idle stories invented by the French, as un
doubted truths, purely to gratify their own spleen ;
and this too in direct contradiction to the voice of
the nation, as appeared by the many addresses pre
sented to the queen, in vvhich the courage, conduct,
and fortune of Sir George Rooke are highly extolled.
To put this matter, however, out of doubt, and to
shew the true sense of the queen and the ministry on
this subject, it was thought proper that his royal high
ness Prince George, should introduce such officers
of the fleet, as had deserved best, to her Majesty :
and accordingly on the ninth of October he presented,
first. Sir Cloudesley Shovel, who had the honour to
kiss her Majesty's hand ; then Captain John Jennings,
commander of the St. George, upon whom her Ma
jesty was pleased to confer the honour of knighthood,
and on the, 22d or 24th of the same month, George
Byng, Esq. and Thomas Dilkes, Esq. the former
rear-admiral of the red, and the latter of the white
squadron, were hkewise knighted.
When tbe parliament came to sit, which was on
the twenty-third of October, new disputes arose, and
great pains were taken to prevent Sir George Rooke's
conduct from meeting with public approbation : this,
however, was without success ; for the House of
Commons, in their address, made use of these words :
" We beg leave to congratulate your Majesty upon
the great and glorious successes with which it has
pleased God to bless your Majesty in the entire defeat
of the united forces of Fiance and Bavaria, by the
arms of your Majesty and your allies, under the com
mand, and by the courage and conduct of the duke
of Marlborough, and in the victory obtained by your
Majesty's fleet, under the command, and by the cou
rage and conduct of Sir George Rooke." As it was
known that these expressions gave offence to many
of the warmest friends of the ministry, who thought

840 NAVAL HISTORY
there was ho comparison between the victories gainerf
at Blenheim and Malaga, the House thought fit to
express its sentiments more clearly ; and having, on
the second of November, taken into their serious
consideration the services both of the fleet and the
army, they unanimously voted, " That her Majesty
be desired to bestow her bounty upon the seamen and
land forces, who had behaved themselves so gallantly
in the late actions both by sea and land." To which
her Majesty very graciously answered, " That she
would give her directions accordingly." One would
have imagined^ that acts of so solemn a nature must
have silenced such as pretended to doubt the services
performed by the admiral and the fleet ; and yet it
hath since appeared, that some of our historians, and
many of our memoir-writers, have attempted to per
suade us, thatj notwithstanding these decisions of the
queen and parliament, the fleet did little or nothing,
and that the fight at Malaga was a drawn battle; iu
which, however, they differ from the Dutch, who
confess that it was the best fought action recorded in
history ; and that the skill of Sir George Rooke con^
vinced the French, that it was in vain any longer to
contest with the maritime powers the empire of the
sea. Before we conclude the naval transactions of this
year, it is necessary that we should again pass into the
Mediterranean, in order to take a view of the services
performed there by Sir John Leake. The Spaniards;
who were the best judges, found our possession of
Gibraltar so great a thorn in their sides, that as they
very lately prevailed on the French to hazard an en
gagement at sea, to facilitate their retaking of it, so
they afterwards demanded and obtained a squadron
of French ships, under the command of Mons. De
Pointis, to assist them in carrying on the siege. The
prince of Hesse having sent early advice of this to
Lisbon, Sir John Leake, in the beginning of the
month of October, proceeded with his squadron t^

OF QUEEN ANNE. 241
the relief of the place, and actually landed several
gunners, carpenters, and engineers, vvith a body of
four hundred marines ; but receiving intelligence, that
the French were approaching with a force much su
perior to his, he found it necessary to return again to
Lisbon. He did this with a view only to refit, and to be in
a better condition to supply and assist the garrison in
ii second expedition, for which he had very prudently
directed preparations to be made in his absence. This
enabled nim to put to sea again on the twenty-fifth of
October, and on the twenty-ninth he entered the Bay
of Gibraltar at a very critical juncture; for that very
night the enemy intended to storm the town on all
sides, and had procured two hundred boats from Ca
diz, in order to have landed three thousand men near
the new mole. But Sir John Leake entered so sud
denly, that he surprised in the bay two frigates, one
of 42^ and the other of 24 guns, a brigantine of 14,
afire-ship of] 6, a store-ship full of bombs and gra-
nadoes, two English prizes; and a Ta'rtane and ano
ther frigate of thirty guns, vvhich had just got out of
the bay, was taken by an English ship that followed
her.* The enemy, notwithstanding these discouragements,
continu'ed'the siege in expectation of a strong naval
succbuf from France, and therefore Sir John Leake
resolved to land as many men as he could spare, to
reinforce the garrison ; which he performed on the
second, third, and fourth of November, and conti
nued still on" the coast in order to alarm and distress
the enemy. On the nineteenth and twentieth, he or-
* Not only our own writers, but even the Marquis De Quincy
acknowledges the- truth of this fact : he likewise tells us of an at
tempt made by 600 men, who crawled up the mountains, and ap
peared On the back of the town ; which they would have certainly
taken, if they had been properly supported ; but he says nothiug
of the English forcing tliem over the precipice, and leaving their
mangled carcasses a melancholy mark of their own rashness, and
iheir countrymen's cowardice.
VOL. in, a

442 NAVAL HISTORY
dered his smallest frigates to go as near the shore a^
possible, and then manned all his boats, as if he in
tended a descent ; but thi^was done so slowly, and
the troops feigned such a reluctancy'to land, as gave
the Spanish general time to draw down a great body
of cavalry, which enabled the admiral to put his de
sign in execution, and to salute them in such a man
ner with his great and small arms, as made them
scamper back to their camp, with great precipitation.
The Centurion arrived on the twenty-second of No
vember, and brought in with her a French prize fron*
Martinico, very richly laden ; and, at the same time,
gave the admiral intelligence, that he had sailed as
far as was convdiient into the Bay of Cadiz, and had
discovered a very strong squadron there, which he
Apprehended would soon be in a condition to sail.
Upon this and some other intimations, Sir John
Leake resolved to put to sea, and to stand with his
fleet to the eastward of Gibraltar, that he might hd
the better able to take such measures as should be
found necessary, as well for the preservation of the
place, as for securing the succours that were expected
from Lisbon.
On the seventh of December arrived the Antelope,
with nine transports under her convoy ; and two days
afterwards the Newcastle with seven more, having
on board nearly two thousand land troops. They
escaped the French fleet very luckily ; for when they
were off Cape Spartel they had sight of Monsieur
Pointis's squadron consisting of twenty-four sail of
men of war, under Enghsh and Dutch colonrs. M
they expected to meet the confederate fleet under Sir
John Leake and Rear-admiral Vanderdussen in thosff
parts, they did then* utmost to join them ; but by
good fortune were becalmed. They put their boats,
to sea on both sides to tow the ships ; but the Eng
lish observing that the men of war stretched them-
sehi'es, and endeavoured to make a half-moon to sur
round tliem, tliey made a private signal, wbich Sir

OF QUEEN ANNE. 24S
John Leake would have understood. This spoiled
the measures of the French, who were thereby disco
vered, and put up their colours, and endeavoured to
fall upon the transports; but they escaped by means
of their oars; and the night coming on, they got
away by favour of a small breeze from the south-west.
By the arrival of these succours, the garrison was in
creased to upwards of three thousand men ; and hav
ing already obtained many advantages over the
enemy, it was no longer thought requisite to keep the
fleet, v\'hich by long service was now but in an in
different condition, either in the bay, or on the coast,
especially when it was considered that Mons. Pointis
was so near with a force equal, if not superior to that
of Sir John Leake. The prince of Hesse having ac
knowledged this to be reasonable, the admiral called
a council of war on the twenty-first of December,
and having laid before them the true state of the case,
it was unanimously resolved to sail with all conve
nient speed to Lisbon in order to refit, and to provide
further supplies for tlie garrison, in ease, as the Spa
niards gave out, they should receive such reinforce
ments from King Louis and King Philip, as would
enable them to renew the siege both by land and sea.
This resolution was as speedily executed as wisely
taken, and the fleet arrived at Lisbon in the latter
end of 1704, where we shall leave them in order to
return to what was doing at home, and the prepara
tions made for carrying on the war by sea with greater
vigour in the next year than they had been at any
time since the beginning of this dispute.
It was a common complaint at this juncture, that
we did not prosecute the war at sea with so much vi
gour as might have been expected from a nation so
powerful on that element: that the enemy's taking
our ships was a reproach on the nation, which
ought to fall under the notice of parliament. In an
swer to this, I mean in the House of Commons, itf
was said, that though the facts could not be denied,
b2

244 NAVAL HISTORY
ft
yet on the other hand it must be allowed, that the
Board of Admiralty could not do more than the sup
plies granted by parliament would enable theni ; and
that herefore, if more was expected from, more
ought to have been done for them. This vvas chiefly
said by the admirals and their friends, who were very
numerous. The house having considered the whole
aflpair with great attention, came at length, on the se
venth of November, 1704, to tbe following resolu
tions ; viz. Tbat forty thousand seamen should be al
lowed for the year 1705, including eight thousand
marines. On the ninth they resolved tbat one hun
dred thousand pounds should be allowed for the or
dinary of the navy for the same year ; and that forty
thousand pounds should be given to the office of ord
nance for the sea service, over and above the usual
provision ; and that ten thousand pounds should be
given for making a wharf and store-house at Ports
mouth. These were great and glorious provisions,
such as shewed that the people were desirous not to
spare their treasure, where the credit of the crown
and their own interest were at stake.
Yet in the latter end of this, and in the beginning
of the succeeding year, certain inquiries were made
in the House of Lords, which did as great honour to
that assembly, as they gave pain to some in the ad
ministration. A great clamour had been raised against
the prince's council, for riot giving sufficient attention
to merchants, and for having very little regard to the
resentment shewn by that house against certain per
sons, and certain proceedings. Lord Haversham's,
and some other lords warm speeches, raised a great
heat ; but before any address was made to the queen,
two committees of inquiry were appointed ; one to in
spect the books at the admiralty office, in order to
see exactly what conduct the board bad pursued, and
the other to consider what was done at sea. This
was certainly a very clear and methodical way of act
ing, and contributed to the laying open all the wrong

OF QUEEN ANNE. 245
steps that had been winked at, either on account of
private friendships, or through the prejudices of
party. In the first place, the house observed, that twenty-
two ships had been employed to cruize the whole
summer, and thej shewed, from their accounts re
turned to the admiralty-office, that they had per
formed their duty so negligently, as not to have done
more, than what three ships, commanded by active
captains, might have been justly expected to do.
They likewise complained, thai there were ten flags
in pay, three of which were not at sea; that Mr.
Churchill had not been at sea in any one year this
war ; that Mr. Graydon had been a-shore all the last
year, and that he had been employed, notwithstand-^
ing a former address for his discharge ; that Sir
James Wishavt, though a rear-admiral, had the last
year been Sir George Rooke's captain ; that Sir John
Munden, though he had not done- his duty, had a
pension of three hundred and nineteen pounds a-year,
ike. Though the queen could not be very well
pleased with an address vvhich reflected on the supine
ness of her royal consort, yet she concealed her dis
like ; an(t answered, Feb. 5, "Your address contains
many observations, vvhich I will consider particularly,
and give such directions upon them, as may be most.
for the advantage of the public service,"*
* This address of the lords was presented to the queen on the 5th
of February, 1704-.5. It is, without question, one of the most
valuable state pajiers extant, as it is a noble instance of the true
spirit of an English parliament. It shews, how inquiries may, and
ought to be conducted, and how agreeable it is to the nature of our
constitutioiji to lay before the crown, and exhibit to the people true
representations of the state of public affairs, that men may see how
the money goes, which is said to be raised for their service, and
not look upon the public as a bad steward, that receives and pays
without account. This, I will be bold to say, was the reason that
this war was carried on so much cheaper than our naval armaments
have been ever since: for, when inquiries are frequent, frauds sel
dom Imppcn ; but when these are either discouraged, made only for
fprm, or so turned as to serve the little purposes of parties, who.,.

ii& NAVAL HISTORY
Thus, between the two houses, the business of the
nation, with respect to naval affairs, was very fully
done. The lords took care to correct, or at least to
point out, what was amiss in past transactions ; and
the commons made ample provision for the thorough
supply of whatever was necessary in times to come.
Yet in doing all this, some sharp expressions escaped,
especially in the House of Peers, which certainly
flowed rather from a zeal to party, than any love to
justice; which gave such disgust to Sir George
Rooke, that, after all the honours had been paid him,
he declined any further command, as desiring that
the queen might be easy, and tbe nation well served,
rather than that any opportunities might be given him
of adding either to his reputation or estate. This is the
true state of the case, as far as I have been able to
learn ; nor can I believe, what some warm people
have ventured to assert, that the lord treasurer, Go
dolphin, procured Sir George to be laid aside, in order
to gratify the duke of Marlborough ; a suggestion
better becoming the narrow spirit of a party-writer,
than the wisdom of that great lord, or the known
calmness and equanimity of the noble duke.*
under colour of discovering the faults of a ministry, mean no moro
than to become ministers themselves ; things must go from bad to
¦worse, and a spirit of plundering insinuate itself through all public
offices. *Mr. Hornby, thereputed author of the famous " Caveat against
the Whigs," which is now become extremely scarce, gives the fol
lowing reflections on thedisgrace of this greatadmiral. '^' In 1704,"
•says he " Sir George Rooke, with a crew of cabin-boys, took the
almost impregnable fortress of Gibraltar ; so that, at the same time^
British trophies were erected eastward as far as the banks of the
Danube, and her flags were seen waving on the towers of the most
western part of Europe, where Hercules fixed his ne plus uWa...
After this, under great disadvaittages, both in the number, rates,,
and condition of his ships, and, above all, in the want of ammuni-,
tion, be so far convinced the French how unequal a match they
"Vf ere for us on the watry element, that they never after ventured to,
«quip another royal navy ; yet, how were his services undervalued
by the faction here ! Gibraltar, which was able to defy the power
«f Spain, and to baffls and waste thei^ army ia a, fruitless siege, an4

OF QUEEN ANNE. 247
In consequence of this measure, however brought
about, a sort of thorough change ensued in the ad
miralty. Sir Cloudesley Shovel was appointed rear-
admiral of England, and admiral and commander in
chief of the fleet ; Sir John Leake was appointed
vice-admiral of the white squadron, as Sir George
Byng was of the blue; Sir Thomas Dilkes, rear-
admiral of the red ; William Whetstone, Esq. rear-
admiral of the white, and Sir John Jennings, rear-ad
miral of the blue. I have thrown these debates and
promotions into the most regular order I could, for
the reader's ease and my own, that I might the sooner
return to action, and to the exploits of our sea force,
under these new commanders ; and though I have
not observed the strict rules of chronology, yet, as
the promotions wete the effect of the enquiries, I
hope the reader will be satisfied with my manner of
stating them. These formalities thus settled, let us
now proceed to the transactions of the fleet, under the
command of Sir John Leake in the Mediterranean,
V'ho shewed no less prudence and fortitude in pre-
¦vrhich is likely to continue to future ages, an honour to our arms,
and a safeguard to our commerce, was a place of no strength or
value, and the engagement at sea was celebrated with lampoons, in
stead of congratulations. Neither his actions in this war, nor ia
the last, his conduct in saving our Turkey fleet, or his courage in
destroying the French ships at La Hogue, could prevail with them
to allow him any share of skill or bravery ; so that he is to wait for
justice from impartial posterity, not only in these qualities, butin
one much more rare in this age, which he shewed in refusing to ask
a privy seal for a sum of money remaining in his hands of what had
been remitted to him ; as he had not wasted it in monstrous bowls
of punch, so he scorned to enrich himself by converting the public
treasure to his own use, but justly accounted for it. These monu
ments, in spite of envy and detraction, will remain to his honour
in the records of time, and his memory will live without the assis
tance or expence of a lumpish pile of stones, clamped up against
the walls of Westminster-abbey, as was bestowed to commemorate
the loss of some of her Majesty's ships, and the more valuable lives
of many of her subjects, for want of common care and discre.
tion."

248 NAVAL HISTORY
serving Gibraltar, than Sir George Rooke had done
courage and conduct in acquiring it. ^
The French and Spaniards, as their own ' writers
confess, were ^abstinate in their resolution of retaking
Gibraltar, cost what it vvould. The eagerness shewn
by King Philip on this occasion, had like to have
been fatal to him ; and the method he, took to regain
Gibraltar, had well nigh lost him Spain, by disgust
ing most of the nobility. Hitherto, the Marquis
Villadarias had commanded before the town, and had
done all that a man could do, in a very bad season,
with very indifferent troops. King Philip, however^.,
removed him, and sent Marshal De Tesse, a French
man, with the title of captain-general, to command
in his place ; and, at the same time, Baron De Pointis
was ordered to sail with his' squadron from Cadiz to
block up the place by sea. This being performed,
the Spaniards made no doubt of their heing quickly,
masters of the city ; and indeed the prince of Hesse
found the French general so much bettei" acquainted
with the art of war, arid so much better supplied with
all things necessary, than the Spaniard had been, that
he thought it requisite to send an express directly to
Lisbon, to desire Sir John Leake to come with all
imaginable, speed to his assistance. Sir Thomas
Dilkes was in the mean time arrived from England,
with five third rates, and a body of troops ; and these-
being embarked, Sir John sailed from Lisbon on the
sixth of March, to prevent the loss of this important
fortress. Upon the ninth of the same month, he had sight
of Cape Spartel, but not having light enough to reach
the Bay of Gibraltar, he thought proper to he by, to
prevent, his being discovered from the Spanish shore,
intending to surprise the enemy early.in the morning;
but, by bad weather, w is prevented froin making sail
so soon as he intended. , About half an hour past five,
he was within two miles of Cape Cabretta, when he
discovered only five sail making out of the bay, and

OF QUEEN ANNE. 249
a gun fired at them from Europa point; whereupon,
concluding the garrison was safe, he gave chace to
the ships, which proved to be the Magnanimous of
74 guns, the Liily of 86, the Ardent of 66, the Arro
gant of 60, and the Marquis of 56.
At first, they made for the Barbary shore; but
seeing our fleet gained upon them, they stood for the
Spanish coast : at nine o'clock Sir Thomas Dilkes, on
board her Majesty's ship Revenge, together with the
Newcastle, Antelope, Expedition, and a Dutch man
of war, got vt'ithin half gunshot of the Arrogant, and
after a very little resi-stance she struck, the Newcas
tle's boat getting first on board her. Before one
o'clock, tlie Ardent and the Marquis, with two Dutch
men of war, and the Magnanimous, Avith the Lilly,
ran a-shore a little to tlie westward of Marbella. The
former, on board which vvas the Baron De Pointis, ran
a-sliore vvith so much force, that all her masts came
by the board as soon as she struck upon the ground,.
and only her hull, from the traffril to the midships,
remained above water, which the enemy set fire to in
the n'ght, as they did to the Lily next morning.
After the engagement vvas over, our squadron got
farther from the shore, and on the twelfth looked into
Malaga road, where her Majesty's ships, the Swallow
and Leopard, chaced a French merchant-man a-shore,
of the burden of about three hundred tons, which the
enemy burnt. The rest of the enemy's ships, having
been blown from their anchors some days before Sir
John's arrival, took shelter in Malaga bay ; and soon
after hearing the report of our guns, cut their cables
and made the best of theix way to Toulon.
Upon this, Marshal De Tesse, finding it now abso
lutely in vain to continue the siege, formed a block
ade, and withdrew the rest of his troops. M. Pointis
was well received at the court of France, notwith
standing his misfortune, neither did the Marshal De
Tesse meet with any check on a,ccount of his beha
viour ; and indeed it would have been hard if he had,

S5& NAVAL HISTORY
since he had done all that man could do, there having
been thrown into Gibraltar, by the fifteenth of March,
new style, more than eight thousand bombs, and up
wards of seventy thousand cannon-shot fired, though
to very little purpose.
While these great things were doing in the Medi-^
terranean. Sir George Byng was sent with a small
Squadron of cruisers into the Soundings. He sailed.
in the latter end of January, with a large and rich
fleet of outward-bound merchant-ships. As soon aa
he had seen these safe into the sea, he disposed of
his squadron in such a manner, as he thought most
proper for securing our own trade, and for meeting
with the French privateers. Among other new re
gulations which had been the consequence of their
merchants' complaint, one was the sending a flag-
officer to have the constant direction of the cruisers;
which in this case appeared a very wise provision,
since Sir George Byng, by this disposition of his
ships, was so fortunate as to take from the enemy a
man of war of forty-four guns, twelve privateers, and
seven merchant-ships, most of which were richly la
den from the West Indies. The number of men taken
on board all these prizes was upwards of two thousand,
and of guns three-hundred thirty-four. This remark
able success made a great noise at that time ; it was
published by particular directions from the court, and
has been since thought worthy of being inserted in a
general history ; and yet there is not a word said of
the whole affair by Mr. Secretary Burchet, who must
have known all the particulars of it as well or better
than any man, which renders his omission the more
extraordinary. This gave such a blow to the French
privateers, that they scarcely ventured into the chan
nel all the year after, but chose rather to sail north
ward, in hopes of meeting with some of our ships
homeward-bound from the Baltic*
* See the Gazette, N°. 4107, Sir George took at this time tl«i
following prizer:

OF QUEEN ANNE. 26J
We are now to give an account of the exploits that
were performed by the grand fleet, which was com
manded by the famous earl of Peterborough, and Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, as joint admirals ; and the first or
ders they received, were, to proceed to the Mediter
ranean, with the force then ready, which amounted
to twenty-nine sail of line-of-battle ships, besides fri
gates, fire-ships, bombs, and other small craft. On the
1 ith of June they arrived in the rivef of Lisbon, where
they found Sir John Leake, with his squadron, in great
want of provisions ; upon which the admiral ordered
them to be supplied out of the stores brought froin
England, and that for four months whole allowance.
On the 15th of June a council of war was held,
at which were present the joint admirals. Sir Stafford
Fairborne, Sir John Leake, Sir Thomas Dilkes, and
John Norris, Esq. then captain to Sir Cloudesley
Shovel ; of the Dutch, Admiral Allemond, Vice-
admiral Wassenaer, Rear-admiral Vanderdussen, and
Rear-admiral De Jonge ; in which it was determined
to put to sea with forty-eight ships of the line, Eng
lish and Dutch, and dispose them in such a station
between Cape Spartel and the Bay of Cadiz, as might
best prevent the junction of the French squadron from
Toulon and Brest.
On the 22d of June, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with
the fleet sailed for Lisbon ; from thence he sailed to
Altea-bay, and there took in his Catholic Majesty,
who pressed the earl of Peterborough to make an iin-
niediate attempt on the city of Barcelona, and the
province of Catalonia; where he was assured the

Privateers. Guns. Men.

Privateers.

Guns.

Men.

Thetis, a man ofwar of 44 250

Sanspareil,

- 20

13.S

Pesmaria, ... 36 240

Minerve, - -

- 16

92

Philippo, ... 22 220

Marveilleux,

. 14

85

Constable, ... SO 210

Postboy, . ,

. 10

70

Voler, - . .28 210

Bonaventure, -

. 10

70

lloyal, .... 26 200

Admirable, - -

. 12

7&

Beringhen, - - - 24 160

. 1 * 1

1 _

As also seven French merchant ships most of them richly laden,
from the West Indies.

258 NAVAL HISTORY
people were well affected to him. This being agreed
to, the fleet sailed accordingly to Barcelona, and ar
rived on the 12th of August. After the troops were
debarked, there were many disputes, whether the
siege should, or should not, be undertaken; but at)
last the affirriiative carried it ; and then a proposal
was made, that the fleet should land two thousand
five hundred men, exclusive of the marines, and. that
the Dutch should land six hundred of their mert;
which was agreed to ; on condition, hovyever, that on
the first certain intelligence of the French fleet's being
at sea, both seamen and marines should embark again
immediately. It was next deliberated in a council of
war, whether the admiral's instructions, in regard to
the duke of Savoy, should be complied with or not j
and it was resolved, that as the winter season was ad-^
vancing, it Avas too late for the fleet to proceed to.
the coast of Italy : and, at the same council ofwar,.
it was determined to return to England the- first fair
wind after the 20th of September.*
On the third of September, the prince of Hesse
having formed a scheme for attacking Fort Mount-
juic, itwas put in execution; and though it cost his
highness his life, yet, through the extraordinary bra
very of the earl of Peterborough, who renewed the
attack, it was taken. This giving a happy prospect
of the reduction of the place, the gunners and eaix
* It is very clear from the original papers which have been
printed in relation to this atfair, that the admiral, from the time of
his coming before Barcelona, to the reducing of that city, did all
that was in his power for the service of King Charles ; and it like
wise appears from tho letters of the prince of Hesse to him, that he
was the person principally depended upon by his Catholic Majesty,
and to whom he constantiy applied when distressed by his wants,,
orvexed by the earl of Peterborough's humours. It is no less
clear from the same letters, that the earl of Peterborough applied
to him in like manner in all, his difficulties, and was constantly as.,
sisted and relieved ; so that one may safely assert, thkt Sii;
Cloudesley Shovel was the soul of this expedition, an^ that witW
«ut him nothing was, nor indeed eould be done.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 25*
penters demanded by hiy Lord Peterborough, were
ordered by Sir Cloudesley Shovel to be in constant
readiness to land. After this success, the siege was
pushed with great vigour ; the trenches were opened
on the ninth, and batteries raised for fifty guns and
twenty mortars. His Catholic Majesty having at
length consented to it, our bomb-vessels threw four
hundred and twelve shells into the town ; and eight
English and Dutch ships, under the command of Sir
Stafford Fairborne, being appointed to cannonade it
from the-sea, while the cannon from the batteries and
fort continued to do the like on shore, the viceroy
desired to capitulate the twenty-third, and the capitu
lation being signed the twenty-eighth, the gate' and
bastion of St. Angelo vvas delivered up the same day,
and the whole city in a few days after. The sur
render of this capital of Catalonia so strengthened
King Charles's party, that almost the whole prin
cipality submitted soon after.
All the world knov^^s, that the reduction of Bar
celona has been considered as one of the most ex
traordinary events that fell out in this, or perhaps
in any modem war ; and though we have already
many accounts of it, which seem to attribute it,
some to one thing, some to another ; yet I will be
bold to say, that nothing but the assistance given by
our fleet could possibly have reduced it. When
there wanted men to carry on the works, these were
spared from the fleet; so were carpenters and en
gineers. While our army was before the place, Cap
tain Loads was sent_to reduce Denia, and Captain
Cavendish to take Terragona, both which they ef
fected. When artillery was wanted, it vv^as landed
from the fleet, and when ammunition was wanted for
this artillery, all the twenty-four and eighteen pound
shot were landed for the supply of the batteries, ex
cept as much as would supply thirty rounds ; and
when the city was taken,, and a garrison established
ikex& by King Charles III. the fleet landed eighteen

254 NAVAL HlSTORY'
hundred bai-rels of gunpowder, eight brass dannon,
and all the three-pound shot they had.
On the first of October it was resolved in a coun
cil of war, that Sir Cloudesley Shovel should proceed
for England with the best part of the fleet ; that Sir
John Leake with a strong squadron, should be left
in the Mediterranean ; that six ships should be left
to attend the earl of Peterborough, two more remain
at Gibraltar, and a third and fourth tate be employed
at the request of his Portuguese Majesty in cruising
for the homeward-bound Brazil fleet.*

* In Order to convince the reader of the truth of what has^been
^serted, it may not be amiss to lay before him part of a letter
written by Sir Cloudesley to his royal highness the lord high-admi
ral, dated October 12, 1705, containing an account of what passed
in the last days of this siege.
*' The 17th, our battery of thirty guns was opened, and four
teen of them began to play, with very great execution, upon that
part of the wall where the breach was designed ; the earl pf Peter
borough came aboard, and represented to us the great necessity
he laboured under for want of money for subsisting the army, aud
carrying on the siege of Barcelona, and the services in Catalonia,
and, in very pressing circumstances, desired the assistance of the
fleet ; upon which our flag-officers came to the inclosed resolution .•
To lend the earl of Peterborough forty thousand dollars, out of
the contingent and short allowance-money of the fleet. The 19th,
we came to these resolutions ; viz. To remain longer before Bar
celona than was agreed on at first ; to give all the assistance in
our power, and to lay a fire-ship a-shore with two hundred bar-
rels of powder ; and a further demand being made for guns for the
batteries, wc landed fourteen more, which made up iu all seventy-
two guns, whereof thirty were twenty-four pounders that we
landed here, with their utensils and ammunition. We continu*
to bombard the town from the sea, as our small store of shells and
the weather will permit. The 20th, a demand was made for more
shot, and we called together the English flag-officers, and came to
a resolution to supply all the batteries with all the twenty-four and
tvrenty-eight pound shot, except a very small quantity, which was
accordingly done.
" The 22d, the prince of Lichenstein and the earl of Peter-
borough having desired, at the request of his Catholic Majesty,
that the town of Lerida might, for its security, be furnished with
about fifty barrels of powder, and a further supply of shot bein^
demanded for the batteries a-shore ; it was considered at a counc^

OF QUEEN ANNE. ^66
In pursuance of these resolutions. Sir Cloudesley,
with nineteen ships of the Hne, and part of the
Dutch fleet, passed the Straits on the sixteenth of
October, and arrived happily at Spithead on the
twenty-sixth of November following, after as glo
rious a sea-campaign, as either ourselves or our allies
could expect.
It is but just, in such a history as this, to mention
our losses as well as our successes : among these I
was in some doubt, whether I ought to reckon the
taking a great part of our homeward-bound Baltic
fleet, with their convoy, consisting of three men of
war, by the Dunkirk squadron, of which we have a
large account in the French historians ; I say, I was
in some doubt about this, as finding no notice taken
of it, either by Mr. Burchet or our gazettes ; but as
I am satisfied tbat the Dutch writers would not be
partial to our enemies in such a case, I find myself
obliged to relate the fact as it is stated by them.
The Count De St. Paul, after the death of the
J^mous John Du Bart, was looked upon as the best
ceaman in France, and therefore was promoted to the
command of the Dunkirk squadron, in the room of
Monsieur De Pointis. We had a squadron under the
command of Sir Thomas Dilkes, to watch that port,
and another in the Soundings ; yet M. De St. Paul
found means to get out with his squadron, consisting
of five men , of war and five privateers, and were
joined at sea by several other privateers ; on the
fiOth of October, O. S. they fell in with our Baltic
of war, and we came to the enclosed resolutions ; viz. to furnish
fifty barrels of powder for Lerida, and to send so many moro
twenty-four and eighteen pound shot a-shore, as would reduce the
. English to thirty rounds, as likewise to be farther assistant upon
^imely notice.
" The 23d, at night, our breach being made, and all things pre
pared for an attack, the town was again summoned, and they
desired to capitulate, and hostages were exchanged ; on our side,
. Brigadier Stanhope, and on the enemy's, the Marquis Pe Rirera }
and all hostilities ceased,"

258 NAVAL HISTORY
fleet, and having directed M. Du Bart, with one of*
the men of war and the privateers, to secure as many
of the English ships as possible, M. De St. Paul,
with the other three men of war, attacked the con
voy, which madp a very gallant defence, but was at
last forced to yield, and the Count D'lUiers, who
commanded after; the death of M. De St. Paul, (who
was shot in the midst of the action with a musket-
ball), carried our three men of war, and twelve mer
chant ships, into Dunkirk. I am extremely sur
prised not to find the least notice of this in any
of the memoir-writers ; but before I part with the
fact, 1 must remark a very extraordinary saying of
Louis XIV. when the news was brought him at
Versailles. The person vvho told it, thought the king received'
him very coldly, and repeated it therefore pretty loud,
¦ that there were three English men ofwar, and twelve
merchantmen, carried into Dunkirk. " Very well,'
returned the king, with a sigh ; " I wish they were
all safe in any English port, if that would restore me
M. De St. Paul." This was certainly a very noble
and generous speech, and it was by such testinionies
of respect as these, that, in the midst of his misl^r-
tunes, the French king always maintained a succes
sion of brave officers, ever ready to expose their lives
in his service.
At home we had this year a signal instance of
naval discipline, vvhich therefore deserves a place in
this work. One Captain Cross, who commanded the
Elizabeth, gave her up to the French in the Channel,
after a very slight defence. He was tried by a court-
martial on board the Triumph, on the twenty-fifth of
August, Sir George Byng being president, and hav
ing twelve captains to assist him. It appeared there, ,
that he shewed the utmost signs of fear, which in
timidated the men ; and that if he had behaved as be
ought to have done, the enemy might have been re
pulsed, and the ship saved. He offered several things

OF QUEEN ANNU. 261
in his defence, such as that his surgeon was sick,
ahd many of the men were drunk, and would not do
their duty; butj upon a full hearing, he was declared
guilty of neglect of duty, and the sentence pro
nounced upon him was, that he should be cashiered,
rendered incapable to serve her Majesty in any capa
city, forfeit all the arrears due to him, and remain a
prisoner for life.
Our trade escaped, generally speaking, better this
year, than it had done formerly ; for in the month
of November there arrived ten East India ships, that
had for some time put into Ireland : a few days after,
there came thirty West Indiamen into the Downs,
arid the very same day nineteen vessels from Baiba-
does, which were given over for lost. Yet all this
could not quiet the merchants; they still exclaimed
grievously against the lord high-admiral's council,
and things rOse to such a height, that I find in some
of the Dutch papers of that time, itwas expected the
queen would have restored the earl of Pembroke, and
that his royal highness should have been created lord
high-constable of England ; but by degrees this affair
blew over, for the prince's council were extremely
wise in one particular ; they constantly printed large
vindications of their conduct, and accounted so plau
sibly for every thing that was charged upon them,
that it was a very few only, and those too well versed
in maritime affairs, who were able to distinguish
where they were right, or where they were wrong ;
so that they never wanted a strong party for them
amongst the people; and even at this day it is very
difficult, if not altogether impracticable, to distin
guish between the complaints that were excited by a
spirit of party, and those that were really grounded
on their miscarriages or neglects.
In this year our successes had been so great both
by sea and land, and there appeared so fair a pros
pect of humbling the house of Bourbon in Flanders,
vol.. III. s

25ff NAVAL BISTORT
and of driving th§m out of Spain, that when her
Majesty thought fit to recommend the Spanish war
in a particular manner to parliament, the House of
Commons immediately voted two hundred and fifty
thousand pounds, for the prosecution of those suc
cesses ; and for the whole service of Spain, during the
succeeding year, they gave no less than seven hun
dred twenty-six thousand seven hundred and forty
pounds ; afterwards they voted for the supply of the
sea-service, for the year I706, forty thousand men,
including the marines ; they then voted one hundred
and twenty thousand pounds, for the ordinary of the
navy ; ten thousand pounds to the office of ordnance,
for the works at Pmtsirjouth, and eighteen thousanrf^
two hundred and ninety-eight pounds seventeen shil
lings one farthing, for ordnance stores and carriages,
for the eight new ship6 built to supply the loss of
3uch as had perished in the great storm.
After so generous a supply, the ministry had no
thing to consider, but how to employ it in such a man
ner, as that those, upon whom it was raised, might
be satisfied that it was laid out for their service ; and
this produced a resolution of equipping a numerous^
fleet, as early as it was possible : but it being found
by experience, that it was simply impracticable to
man the navy, as the laws then stood, both houses,
to shew their earnest desire to put maritime affairs
into the best condition possible, came to certain re
solutions, upon which a bill was brought in, that
petfectly answered its purpose for that time, and en-
.abled Sir Cloudesley Shovel to man veiy fully, and
in good time, the large fleet that vvas yitended for
the Mediterranean service.*
* The house came to those resolutions on Thursday the 14th of
March, 1706-6, and it is necessary that the reader should be made
(acquainted with thera. In few words, then, they were, 1. That
in order to man the navy for.^this year, the justices of peace, and
other civil magistrates, t)e impowered 3ad<4irected to make sea^cl^

OF QUEEN ANNE. 859
This, with the settling the terms of the Union,
were the matters which principally took up the at
tention of this session of parliament. While the
house was still sitting. Sir Edward Whitaker had
orders to assemble a squadron to convoy the duke of
Marlborough to Holland, which he did in the begin
ning of the month of April, and having seen the
yachts safe into the Maese, returned by the middle
of the month.
Before we mention the proceedings of the grand
fleet, it will be necessary to give an account of the
exploits performed by Sir John Leake whom we lately
left steering his course for the river of Lisbon, In
that passage he had the misfortune to meet with
worse weather, and more contrary winds, than was
usual in those seas, or in that season. This unfore
seen accident reduced the English squadron to some
straits for provisions ; and the Dutch, who are much
heavier sailers, to far greater. However, when they
after seamen that lay concealed. 2. That the said justices and
icivil magistrates, cause such seamen, when found, to be delivered
to such persons as should be appointed to receive them. 3. That
a penalty should be laid upon such persons as should presume to
conceal seamen. 4. That a reward be given to such persons as should
discover, and take up such hidden seamen. 5. That conductr
money be allowed. 6. That seamen being turned over from one
ship to another, should receive the wages due on the former ships.
7. That able-bodied land-men be raised, for the sea-service. To
bjing these resolutions to effect, they ordered, that the committee
fo whom the bill for the encouragement and increase of seamen,
&c. was committed, should have power to receive a clause or
clauses pursuant thereunto, and to receive a clause for discharg
ing such seamen, and other insolvent prisoners, as were in prison
for debt, and delivering them into her Majesty's service on board
the fleet. Which being passed into an act, received the royal as
sent on the nineteenth. The same day the lords addressed her
Majesty on the same subject, praying her to take it into her royal
care, and employ proper persons to consider of effectual means,
to restore the discipline of the navy, in order to be laid before the
parliament the beginning of the next session. Pursuant to which
JiET Majesty, a few days after, caused a long proclamation to be
published, for the better putting in execution the act of parliameiJt
ajipyg mentioned.
S S

2tfO NAVAL flISTORY
were oflf Cape St. Vincent, they met the Pembroke,.
Roebuck, and Falcon, , which escorted a small fleet of
victuallers, that could not have arrived moie oppor
tunely, or have been consequently more welcome.
On his coming to Lisbon, Sir John Leake had some
proposals made him by the Portuguese ministry,
which were thought altogether impracticable in the
then situation of things, and therefore Sir John
waved complying with them. In the beginning of
the month of February, came letters from the Admi
ralty, with advice of the mighty preparations that
were making in the French ports, and the resolution
that had been taken by the Spaniards to send avvay
their galleons directly from Cadiz, under a French
convoy, for the West Indies ; which Sir John was
directed to consider, and, if possible, to prevent ; of
which mighty hopes vv^ere conceived in England,
when the news was made public; Sir John being
held as able, and reputed withal as fortunate an ad
miral as any in the service, and indeed deserved to
be so reputed.*
Upon this intelligence, he called a council of war
on the sixteenth of Febraary, in which it vvas re
solved, to proceed directly with the ships then ready,
which were nine third rates, one fourth, two frigates,
two fire-ships, and one bomb-vessel, English ; six
ships of the line, one frigate, two fire-ships^, and a
bomb-vessel, Dutch ; and with these, in case the
galleons were in the harbour of Cadiz, to enter it
* This scheme of sending so great a fleet into tfie West Indies,
¦was of the last importance to the house of Rourbon ; since, with
out a supply of money, the war could not be carried on in
Europe ; as, on the other hand, there were little hopes of pre.
serving the West Indies in a due dependence upon Spain, without
furnishing them from time to time with proper supplies. If, there.
fore, wc could have taken the galleons at this time, it is most
evident, that vi-emust have disappointed both their designs, which,
as affairs then stood, would, in all probability, have obliged king
Philip to retire into France, at least for the present, and perhapsi
have put it for ever out of his power to return to Spain.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 261.
tTirectly, if wind and weather would permit, and
either take or destroy them. On the nineteenth
another council of war was held, before which was
laid a memorial of the Portuguese ministry, directed
to Mr. Methuen, in relation to the homeward-bound
Brazil fleet ; and strict instructions from the lord
high-admiral for succouring his Catholic Majesty
without delay. Upon mature deliberation, they re
mained fixed to their former resolves, with these ad
ditions only, that as soon as they had executed their
intended design on the galleons, they woyld make
such a detachment as the Portuguese desired ; and
that whenever they should be joined witb the ships
and transports from England at Gibraltar, whither
they intended to repair, they would instantly steer
their course for the coast of Catalonia.
When these resolutions were formed, and the day
fixed for the departure of our fleet. Sir John Leake
acquainted Mr. Methuen, then our ambassador at
the court of Portugal, that it would be necessary to
lay an embargo on all ships and vessels, that the
enemy might have* no intelhgence of our design;
and, upon Mr. Methuen's application, such an or
der was granted. But as there is nothing weaker,
or at least nothing more subject to disappointment
than human policy, so this point that vvas thought
so necessary to our security, proved, by an accident,
if indeed it ought to be so called, altogether unac
countable, the ruin of our design. Sir John Leake
sailed with the fleet under his command, on the
twenty-fourth of February; but, when he arrived
before fort St. Julian, the Duke De Cadaval, w^ho
commanded there, discharged first several single
guns, anti then fired the cannon of a whple bas
tion upon him. This surprised the admiral very
much, who sending to know the reason of it, the
duke pretended that it was done in pursuance of the
order of embargo, as if the court of Portugal could '
possibly intend to detain the fleet of tlie ftHies ia

S62 NAVAL HISTORY
their'harbour. This dispute hindered Sir John's sail-'
ing somewhat more than twenty-four hours, and in
the mean time tbe Portuguese, who doubted whe
ther the embargo did not extend to the fleet of the
allies, suffered' five merchant ships, two of which
Were Danes, and were supposed to have given notice
of the design, to go out of the port the next day
after the embargo was laid.
On the 27th, Sir John Leake reached Cape St.
Vincent, where he met with an easterly wind, which
decayed about noon, and it became perfectly calm.
Next morning, however, he lay fair for the galleons,
if they had come out before the wind would suffer
him to reach Cadiz. But that night he received ad
vice, that the galleons had sailed with a very hard
gale at east, on the 10th of March, N. S. the 27th
of February according to our reckoning at that time;
80 that it is plain that if he had- sailed on the 24th,
he must have met them. He was likewise informed
that they consisted of thirty-six sail, that is to say,
twenty-four galleons, and ten or twelve French pri
vateers, from forty to fifty-six guns, which were or
dered to see them safe into tbe sea. Sir John steered
after them, though with little hopes of coming up,
unless the east Avind had left them when they were
at the height of Cape St. Vincent. Next morning
he saw two sail a-head, to which tbe fleet gave chace.
About six, the Dutch Vice-admiral Wassenaer took
one of them, and, soon after, the other was taken by
the Northumberland} they proved to be Spanish
ships bound for the Canaries ; and, as they sailed
from Cadiz the day after the galleons, it was thought
needless to continue the chace any longer.
We are now to turn our eyes towards the copduct
of King Charles III. He had been left in the city
of Barcelona with a very small garrison, while the
earl of Peterborough went to conquer the kingdom
of Valentia, which he very happily accomplished,
though with an inconsiderable force. The French

OF QUEEN ANNE. 2t53
and Spaniards in the mean time were projecting the
destruction of King Charles's affairs at a single blow;
•and it must be acknowledged, that their scheme was
so well laid, that nothing but a few untoward acci
dents could possibly have disappointed it This de
sign of theirs -was to shut him up in Barcelona, which
city they intended to attack both by land and sea,
in the beginning of the month of March, when they
Jooked upon it as a thing impossible for our fleet to
have succoured him, as indeed it would have proved.
The command of the land army was committed t®
Marsha;l Tesse, but whether he really wanted activity
in his own nature, oi" was so crossed in all his under
takings by the grandees of Spain, that he could do
nothing; I ^y, which ever was the case, so it was,
that when the Count De Thoulouse was ready to sail
with the French fleet from Toulon, the Spanish army
was in no condition to forai the siege ; so that the
whole month of March was spun out iu preparations,
and the place was not invested till the beg^amiing of
April. This design was very early discovered here at
home, and advice was sent of it to Sir John Leake
before he sailed from Lisbon; but it does not appear^
that either the earl of Peterboiough or King Charles
apprehended this mischief, at least in clue time, other
wise the king would have been provided with a better
garrison, and the place have been certainly put into
a condition of making a greater resistance. After
missing his design on the galleons, the fleet under
the command of Sir Jphn Leake, repaired to Gibral
tar, where he received a letter from his Catholic Ma
jesty, entreating his immediate assistance, in terms
which suflSciently discovered the deep distress he was
in, and the concern and terror he was under.*

* The style and contents of King Charles's letter to Sir John
Leake, are so singular, that they certainly deserve the readw's
notice.:

264 NAVAL HISTORY
The king's fears were far from being ill-founded.
M. Tesse came before the place with a numerous
army, and the Count De Thoulouse landed ammuni
tion and provision sufficient for the service of an
army of thirty thousand men for two months; so
that it is very evident the French did all that could
be expected from them by sea; and if their endea
vours had been as vvell seconded on shore, the place
had undoubtedly been lost. But it so fell out, that
the Sieur De Lepara, their principal engineer, was far
enough from being a perfect master of his trade. He
made a mistake at the beginning, which lost him
eight or ten days time, and before he could correct
this, they lost him by a shot from the place. This
proved an irreparable misfortune ; for though he was
but an indifferent engineer, yet, after his death, it
« I THE KING.
" Admiral Leake,
" I am disposed to take upon me this pccasion to advise you of
the high risk this principality and my royal person is found in ;
for I make no doubt, before to-morrow, the enemy'will molest
ns. They have already blockaded me with a squadron, and their
army is nov^ almost in sight of this city, and by their quick
marches, have obtained some posts, which, if they might have
been prevented, would very much have hindered their designs.
" I am resolved, although I find myself vvith such a small gar^
rison, (as a thousand men of regular troops, and four hundred
horse, not to leave this place; for, in the present conjuncture, I
have considered, that my going hence will be the loss of the city,
and, consequently, pf all the other places which the happy success
of the last campaign hath reduced to my obedience; for which
reason, it is my opinion to risk all, and venture the casualties that
a siege is incident to, putting just trust and confidence in your
known zeal towards the great forwarding the common cause,
piaking no doubt how much you have contributed towards the
succours forwardness. I hope in a few days you will appear be,
fore this place, where your known valour and activity may meet
with a glorious success, for which I shall agaiii constitute you the
f;redit of my royal gratitude.
" Given at Barcelona, the Slst of March, 1706.
"I the KING.
f * B^ command of the king my master,
^' I|enry pe Guntei^."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 265
appeared they had not his equal, so that when they
came to make an assault on the place, they were re
pulsed with considerable loss. These circumstances
1 thought it necessary to relate, previously to our ac
count of Sir John Leake's proceedings ; and having
now shewn the errors, mistakes, and misfortunes, of
the French and Spaniards before Barcelona, we will
return to our fleet, and the measures taken for reliev
ing King Charles by raising the siege.
On the Sd of April, Commodore Price,^ with six
English, and as many more Dutch men of war, joined
Sir John Leake, who, in a council of war held on the
Gth, resolved, in obedience to King Charles's letter,
to sail immediately to Barcelona. In pursuance of
this resolution, he arrived on the 18th in Altea Bay,
and the next day had intelligence, that Sir George
Byng, with a squadron from England, was coming
up ; three days after they were joined by Commo
dore Walker with his squadron, as they had been the
day before by Sir George Byng ; and then it was de
termined to sail north of Majorca, and that each ship.
should make the best of her way without staying for
the rest. Opon the 26th, the earl of Peterborough
came off from Terragona, with aTsquadion of barks,
having fourteen hundred land-forces on board ; and,
when he came to the fleet, hoisted the union-flag on
board the Prince George, as admiral and commander
in chief. His excellency found that the council of
war had rejected his proposals, and, indeed, their re
jecting them saved the place ; since, before his arri
val. Sir George Byng, Sir John Jennings, and Admi
ral Wassenaer, had anchored in the road of Barcelona,
and by the contrivance of Sir George Byng, a consi
derable body of troops had been thrown into the
town-. On the 27th, in the afternoon, the whole fleet ai>
rived in the harbour of Barcelona, without meeting
with the least opposition ; for the Count De Thou-
JiOuse having received an exact account of the naval

268 NAVAL HISTORY
force of the allies, thought fit to sail away with the
French fleet to Toulon ; which obliged the land-army
to raise the siege with great precipitation. This re
lief app'eared the more surprising, and must have
been consequently the more grateful to King Charles,
and all his faithful subjects, since it prevented their
destruction but by a few hours, the enemy having
made all the necessary dispositions for storming the
place that very night, when, considering the extreme
weakness of the garrison, their success could scarcely
have been doubted.
Tvvo days after the arrival of the fleet, M. -De Tesse
thought fit to raise tbe siege in a very extraordinary
manner, for which our own, and the French histo
rians, profess themselves equally at a loss to account.
His army consisted still of fourteen thousand men,
the succours thrown into the place did not exceed
six thousand ; so that it was very strange he should
leave behind him a train of one hundred and six
pieces of brass cannon, forty- seven mortars, two
thousand bombs, ten thousand grenades, forty thou
sand cannon shot, two hundred barrels of musket-
shot, five thousand barrels of powder, eight thousand
swords, eighteen thousand sacks of corn, besides
flour, rye, and oats, in proportion, not only unde-
stroyed, but untouched, as if they intended it as. a
present to the besieged, by way of compensation for
the trouble they hacl given them.
Yet to me the cause of this is pretty evident ; the
marshal saw himself under the necessity of regaining
-the kingdom of Castile, by a strange sort of a march,
first into Rousillon, then round by the Pyrenees, and
so through Navarre, which constrained him to leave
his sick and wounded in his camp, with a letter re
commending them to the earl of Peterborough's cle
mency : and, I make no manner of question, that he
chose to let things remain as he did, that these help
less people might obtain the more favour ; which,
though needless, when he had to do with an Eng-

OF QUEEN ANNE. ' 267
tish general, was nevertheless humane in him. The
admiral took to himself and his ofhcers the honour
of this great exploit, which was one of the most im
portant, and withal, one of the most honourable, that
happened throughout the war. His Most Catholic
Majesty, on the other hand, was no less ready in
paying a ju§t tribute of praise and respect to his me
rit; so that, if ever there was a fact so well estabhshed
as to be out of all dispute it is this, that Barcelona
was relieved by Sir John Leake.*
* A more pregnant proof of this cannot be had, than from the
following letter of his Catholic Majesty to Sir John Leake, before
the relief of Barcelona, indeed, but which evidently shews that the
king' placed all his hopes in our naval force, and expected from
Sir John Leake alone, that it should^ be exerted for his preserva
tion. This letter, to say the truth, is so honourable to the Bri
tish arms, as well as to the very worthy man to whom it is ad.
dressed, that I thought fit to transcribe the whole, otherwise tho
last paragraph might very well have served my purpose.
« SIR,
*' It is with no small satisfaction that I have been informed,
from the earl of Peterborough's letters, of your happy arrival
upon the coast of Valentia. I doubt not, but you have heard of
the loss of Montjuic, and of the condition my town of Barcelona
is in, where 1 was wiUing to suffer myself to be besieged, and to
endure all the hardships and accidents of war, to encourage both
the garrison and my subjects, by my presence, to make a long
and vigorous defence.
" It seems, by the enemy's motions, they have already received
notice of your approach ; but, instead of thinking to retreat,
they have redoubled their efforts, and fire upon the breach, which.
will be in a condition to be stormed after to-morrow at farthest ;
and, in all appearance, they will make a desperate attempt to
tender themselves masters of this town, before the fleet can arrive
with the succours. '
" Hence you will judge of the indispensable necessity there is,
that you should do your utmost endeavours to relieve us without
loss of time, and bring the fleet directly hither, together with tho
troops, to my town of Barcelona, without stopping or disembark
ing the forces elsewhere (as some other persons may pretend to
direct you), for they can be no where so necessary as in this
town, which is at the very point pf being lost for want of relief.
Wherefore, I pray God to have you in Us holy protection, and

268 NAVAL HISTORY
The next great service that was attempted was, the
reducing Alicant; and in saihng thither, putting into
Altea Bay, the admiral received notice, that Carthar
gena was disposed to submit : upon which. Sir John
Jennings was sent to that city, who returned on the
24th of June, after leaving a garrison in the place.
But with respect to Ahcant, the governor refused to
surrender, and, therefore, itwas resolved to besiege
it by land, while it was attacked by the fleet at sea.
To facilitate this, seamen were landed from the fleet,
and SirGeorge Byng, with five ships, anchored in a
line so near the town, that he quickly dismounted all
the enemy's artillery, though the guns pointing to
wards the sea were no fewer than one hundred and
sixty. On the 28th, in the morning, it was resolved to
attack the place on all sides j and with this view Sir
John Jennings landed the marines he brought from
Carthagena. About nine in the morning, the ships
had made a breach in the round tower, at the west
end of the town, and another in the middle of the
curtain, between the mole and the easternmost basr
tion, when the landrforces marching up towards the
walls of the city, fifteen grenadiers, with an officer
and serjeant, advancing, without order so to do, to
the breach of the round tower, all the boats under
the command of Sir John Jennings, went directly to
sustain them, but before the men landed, the grena
diers were beaten back. However, the boats pro
ceeded, and all the men getting ashore, Captain
Evans of the Royal Oak mounted the breach first,
got into the town with tvvo or three of the boats'
expecting the pleasure of seeing you as soon as possible, I assure
you of my perfect esteem and acknowledgment.
" Barcelona, May 4, N. S. 1706. «' CHARLES,
" P. S- Sir, you will discern the condition we are in by our
letters, and I hope you will come as soon as possible to save us,
of which you ajone shall have the glory. For the rest, I refef
you to Mr. Stanhope's letter."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 26S
.crew; Captain Passenger of the Royal Anne followed,
and next to him Captain Watkins of the St. George,
with some seamen. Sir John Jennings, with the rest
of the seamen and forces, who were in possession of
the suburbs, moved on to support them ; who,
coming into the town, secured the posts, and made
proper dispositions until the rest got in, when Ma-
honi, retiring into the castle, left them in possession,
with the loss of but very few men ; Colonel Petit,
however, was killed in the suburbs, standing arm and
arm with Sir John Jennings, by a small shot out of
a window, as they were viewing the ground for rais
ing the battery against the wall of the town ; besides
whom there were not above thirty killed either of the
sea or land-forces ; and not more than eighty wound
ed, notwithstanding the Spaniards had a continued
communication from one house to another, and fired,
on our men from the windows and holes made for
that purpose.*
Next day. Brigadier Gorge, who commanded the
troops before, the place, summoned Count Mahoni to
surrender, which he absolutely refused to do ; but
the ships continuing to cannonade very briskly, and
a great number of bombs being thrown into their
* All that I have said with respect to the service performed by
the fleet, is fully confirmed by the author of the inquiry into the
management of the war in Spain, who gives us the following ac
count of this transaction, p. 135. " Brigadier Gorge's troops,
which were so much wanted in Castile, really contributed very
little towards the reduction of Alicant; for as the fleet, without
any assistance from the army, had made themselves masters of Car
thagena not long before, by the exemplary courage and conduct
of Sir George Byng, and Sir John Jennings; so now the squadron,
which Sir John Leake had ordered Sir George Byng to command
for that purpose, bombarded and cannonaded the' town of Alicant
with so much success, that in a few days they made two practica
ble breaches in the wall, between the east and west gates, which,
the sailors bravely stormed; and Sir George Byng being in pos
session of the place, forced open the gates to let the land-forces in,
who, having lost their engineer Petit, were uot yet even masters
of the'suburbs."

270 NAVAL HISTORY
works, the garrison, which consisted mostly of Nea
politans, compelled the governor to give up the plaee^
notwithstanding all his declarations to the contrary.
Brigadier Gorge took possession of it, and was ap
pointed governor.
It was even then much dispute(;l, whether, this
place was of any use, and whether the time and men
lost before it were not absolutely thrown away. But,
be that as it will, the conduct of Sir John Leake,
and the courage of his officers and seamen are no way
impeached thereby ; nor does it at all lessen the glory
of this action, which was one of the boldest that ever
was performed by men, that it vvas undertaken to lit
tle or no purpose.* Thus much is certain, that soon
after the taking of Alicant, King Philip's forces were
entirely driven out of Arragon, and that whole king»
dom reduced to the obedience of his competitor.
After the reduction of Alicant, Sir John Leake, in
the beginning of the month of Sepvtember, sailed to
Altea Bay, from whence he sent Sir John Jennings
with his squadron, intended for the West India ser*
vice, to refit at Lisbon. He next made the necessary
disposition for a winter squadron, which was to be
commanded by Sir George Byng, and then proceed
ed to put in execution his last orders, which were, to
reduce the islands of Ivica and Majorca. These is
lands not only belong to the crown of Spain, but}
their situation rendered them very necessary, at this
time, to the allies, as affording thiem an opportunity
of supplying the places, they had lately reduceci
with. provisions, and securing a proper retreat for
their smaller vessels, whenever it should be found ne
cessary to keep a squadron in those seas during the
winter. It does not appear, that the Spanish court
* The truth of this fully appears in a letter from Brigadier
Gorge to Sir John Leake, in which he complains of being left in
the midst of enemies, in so distressed a condition, that unless Sir
John was able to relieve him, he should find himself obliged to
abandon it.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 271
had taken any precautions for their defence, as being
entirely occupied vvith the thoughts of preserving Mi
norca, which was looked upon as the island of great
est importance, and, therefore, most of their regular
troops were there.
On the sixth of September, Sir John sailed from
Altea Bay, and, on the ninth, anchored before Ivica.
This island, which is about fourscore miles in circuit,
abounds with corn, wine, fruit, salt, &c. and the in
habitants, being a trading people, were rather inclin
ed to submit to the allies, than to remain under their
old government ; and, therefore, on the first sum
mons, they sent deputies to make their submission,
which was readily accepted, and King Charles IIL
immediately proclaimed. On the thirteenth, the fleet
sailed for Majorca, and arrived, on the fourteenth, be
fore Palma. This island, which is one of the finest
in the world, abounding with all the necessaries of
life, well planted and well peopled, and so large as
to be once accounted a kingdom, was at this time
governed by the Conde De Alcudia, who was a na
tive of the place. He was warmly in the interest of
King Philip, and when the admiral summoned him,
sent him a Spanish answer, " That he would defend
the island as long as there was a man in it," But
upon throwing three or four bombs into the place,
which did no great mischief, the inhabitants rose and
forced the viceroy to surrender. He shewed-his wis
dom, however,^ where he could not shew his courage,-
by making a very prudent capitulation.
Sir John Leake left a garrison in Porto-Pin, and
two men of war to carry off the Conde, and such
other of the inhabitants as were disaffected to King
Charles III. and on the twenty-third of the same
month he prosecuted his voyage for England. Be
fore his departure he received a letter from his Ca
tholic Majesty, who very gratefully acknowledged
the services that he had done him, and expressed the
highest satisfaction as to his conduct on all occasions.

272 NAVAL HISTORY
On the second of October Sir John passed the Straits^
and on the fourth, when he was off the south cape,
detached Sir George Byng, with the winter squad
ron, for Lisbon. On the seventeenth he arrived safe
at St. Helen's, having been separated in a storm from
the rest of the fleet, which came soon after into
Portsmouth. And thus ended as successful a sea-
campaign as is recorded in our own, or perhaps in
any other history.*
Sir Stafford Fairborne, then vice-admiral of the red,
was appointed, with a small squadron, to look into
the mouth of the river Charent, with orders also to,
destro}' such ships as the enemy might have at Roch
fort. He sailed for this purpose in the latter end of
the month of April, and after continuing at sea about
three weeks, he returned to Plymouth with a few
prizes. Soon after he received orders to sail for the
Downs, from whence he was quickly ordered over to
Flanders, to assist in taking Ostend. Arriving be
fore that place, he stood in so near the town, that
they fired upon him, which he returned; but was
soon after ordered to Newport, from whence, after
the blockade of that place was formed, he came back
to Ostend. A scheme had been contrived by some
of the land officers for destroying the little vessels be
longing to that port ; but when it came to be execut
ed, it was found wholly impracticable. The entrance
of the harbour being long, narrow, and crooked,
whatever vessel or ship attempted to go in, must in
evitably be much exposed to the platform of guns ;
so that there seemed but little hopes of attempting
any thing against the ships by sea, which lay all in a
cluster close to the quay, on the backside of the
town ; but there were letters in the camp which insi-
* Sec the London Gazette, No. 4272, in which there is a large
account of the capitulation with the viceroy of Majorca, which
shews that Sir John Leake was a very able man in the closet, as
well as the field, and knew how to treat, as well as how to act in a
rougher manner.

OF QUEEN ANNF. 273
nuated, that as soon as the trenches were opened,
the batteries raised, and some bombs thrown into the
place, the Spaniards in garrison, assisted by the sea
men and burghers, would oblige the French garrison
to yield.
On the nineteenth of June, the trenches were open
ed before the place ; 'Sir Stafford Fairborne, with his
squadron, cannonaded it by sea, and at the same time
two bomb vessels w^ere sent as near as might be, and
when they came to play did great execution. Sir
Stafford, likewise, caused all the small frigates to run
in as near the town as possible, and to discharge their
broadsides ; which they did with so little damage to
themselves, and so great hurt to the place, that the
people began to mutiny, and the governor found him
self, as he pretended, under a necessity of capitulat
ing, vvhich he did on the twenty-fifth.
Thus the city of Ostend, which had formerly held
out so many months, was taken in a week; though,
besides the Spanish garrison, Count De la Mothe
was there with a considerable body of French troops,
which he undertook should not serve again in six
months ; and as one of their own writers pleasantly
says, it had been very happy for France, if he had
for himself undertaken never to serve again. After
the surrender of Ostend, Sir Stafford Fairborne return
ed to Spithead, to assist in convoying a body of
troops that were intended for a descent.*
Before we speak of the proceedings of the grand
fleet under Sir Cloudesley Shovel, it will be requisite
* In the siege of Ost«nd, the duke of Marlborough gave signal
proofs of his personal courage ; for coming to make a visit to M,
D'Auverqucrque, he wentinto the trenches, where he stayed a con.
siderable time, and examined every thing very attentively, though
the enemy, who had slackened their tire before, renewed it with
excessive violence, as soon as they knew, by the salute of the fleet,
that his grace was come to the camp. In doing this, contrary to his
usual custom, he shewed, that when he was moro careful of his
person, it was out of respect to the service, and not for any want
«f that temper of mind, which commonly passes for heroism,
VOL. III. T

$74 NAVAL HISTORY
to say something of the intended descent which we
have just mentioned: this was a design framed upon
the representation of some French Huguenots ; parti
cularly the famous Marquis Guiscard, who was after-,
terwards engaged in a design to assassinate the queen,.
The land forces designed for this service consisted of
nearly ten thousand men. They were to be com
manded in chief by the Earl Rivers : under him by
the Lieutenant-Generals Earle and De Guiscard : the
earl of Essex, and Lord Mordaunt, eldest son to the
earl of Peterborough, were to serve in this expedition!
as major-generals. On the 10th of Augus^t, the fleet
vinder the command of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, sailed
from St. Helen's; but not being joined time enough
by the Dutch, this project proved abortive; and it
was resolved, that the fleet should proceed to Lisbon
with these forces on board, and that they should be.
employed in the service of his Catholic Majesty.
It does not appear, that after their tlisappoint-
ment in this scheme of making a descent on France,
the ministry came to any resolution as to the em
ployment of the grand fleet, or of tbe land forces on
board it ; it looks as if all things had been trusted to
the wisdom of the- admiral, Sir Cloudesley Shovel,
and of the general. The fleet was extremely late be
fore it sailed for the Mediterranean ; viz. the first of
October, and being in the Soundings on the tenth of^
the same month, the Barfleur, a second rate, sprung
a dangerous leak, which obliged the admiral to send
her home, and to take the Earl Rivers, and his prin
cipal officers, into his own ship the Association. Pro
ceeding in their voyage, they met with exceedingly
bad weather; insomuch, that when the admiral ar
rived in the river of Lisbon, he had with him but
four men of war, and fifty transports ; but he had
the good luck to find the rest of the fleet arrived be
fore him, so that he began immediately to prepare for
action, and sent two ships of Sir George Byng's
squadron to Alicant, vvith money and necessaries fo*.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 275
the army, then under the command of the earl of
Galway, which was in very great want of them.
While he was thus employed, he heard, with great
regret, of the disorders that had fallen out in the Spa
nish court and in our army. It is very hard to say, who
was, or who was not, in the right : but this is cer
tain, that in consequence of these disputes, King
Charles III. lost his interest among the Spaniards ;
and though he was once master of Madrid, he was
forced to quit it again, and his affairs began to fall
into such confusion, that the admiral at Lisbon could
.scarce tell what he had to do, or how he was to act
for his Catholic Majesty's service, and, therefore,
thought it requisite to send- Colonel Worsley to Va
lentia, in order to receive from the king himself, and
¦ the general, a certain account of their affairs, and a
true state of the services they expected from him.
While this gentleman was gone, and before the ad
miral had it in his power to take any settled resolu
tion, the king of Portugal died, which threw the
affairs of that kingdom into some confusion ; and that
could not happen without affecting us. We before
observed, that the Portuguese ministry acted in a
manner no way suitable to the strict alliance wdiich
then subsisted between our court and theirs. But
now things grew worse and worse; and whatever sen
timents the new king might be of, his ministers ven
tured to take some such steps, as were not to be
borne with patience by an admiral of Sir Cloudesley
Shovel's temper.
Upon the return of Colonel Worsley, the admiral
was apprized, by letters from the king and the earl of
Galway, that, unless he could bring Earl Rivers, and
the forces under his command, and land them so as
that they might come to their assistance, things were
likely to fail into as great confusion as they were in
the winter before, whereby all the advantages vvould
be lost which had been afterwards procured at so vast
an expence, both ,of blood and treasure, by the maii-
T 2

276 NAVAL HISTORY
time powers. These advices gave the admiral the
more concern, as he knew that the ships were so much
damaged by the rough weather which they had met
with in their passage, that it was impossible to fife
them speedily for sea ; and that, on the other hand,
the land forces were so ranch reduced by sickness.
death, and other accidents, that, instead of ten, there
were scarcely six thousand effective men- He resolved,
however, to do the best he could to comply with the
king and the general's- desire; tlie rather becausehe saw
that nothing but spirit and diligence could possibly
recover those advantages, which had been lost through
divisions and neglect of duty. He gave orders, there
fore, for repairing, with the utmost diligence, the
mischief that had been done to his ships ; directed
the transports to be victualled, and made the other '
necessary dispositions for proceeding with both the
fleet and army for the Spanish coast, and in the mean
time dispatched five men of war with a considerable
sum of money and clothes for t^ e troops, and was
on the very point of embarking the forces, when he
was restrained by an order from England, of vvhich
\ve shall say more when we come to treat of the
transactions of the ensuing year, to which it properly
belongs. In the mean time. Captain William Coney, who
commanded the Ptomney, a ship of fifty guns, hay
ing been dispatched, as we before observed, by Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, to cruise in those seas, and being
then with the Milford and Fowey, two fifth rates,
they received intelligence on the twelfth of December,
that a French ship of sixty guns, vvith thirty piece*
of fine brass cannon on board, that had been taken
ont of the ship commanded by M. De Pointis, and
which he had run ashore when he fled from Sir John
Leake, lay at anchor under the cannon of Malaga,
he resolved to go and attempt her ; which design he
put iu execution, though one of the fifth rates was ac-
ci^dentally disabled, and the other separated from him,;

OF QUEEN ANNE. 277
^d sailing directly under the cannon of the place,
cut her from her anchors, notwithstanding all the
fire they could make, and carried her safe into the
harbour of Gibraltar*,
On the twenty-sixth of the same month, he cha
ced, snd came up with another French ship, called
.he C""!! tent, that carried sixty-four guns. The cap
tain of her, instead of attempting to fight the English
ships, got as soon as he could under the cannon of a
little castle, about eight leagues vwst of Ameria,
where he crept ^s close as it was possible to the shore.
Captain Coney anchored before him, and ordered the
Milford and Fowey to do the same, the one ahead the
other astern. They plied their guns for about three
hours very briskly, and then the French ship took
fire, blew up, and was entirely destroyed, with most
of her men. This ship had been detached by M. Vii-
lars, to bring the before-mentioned «hip from Malaga.
Some time after Captain Coney took another French
ship, called the Mercury, of forty-two guns, which
the French king li'fld lent the merchants, and which,
at their expence, was fitted out as a privateer.
I should now proceed to resume the history of
affairs in tlie West Indies, but that there remains a
remarkable action or two in Europe, vvhich I think
deserve notice, and, therefore, I have set them down
here, in the close of the year, by themselves, not
finding it so easy to reduce them to any particular ser
vice. On the nineteenth of April, the Resolution, a
seventy gun ship, commanded by Captain Mordaunt,
youngest son of the earl of Peterborough, having his
father on board, and his Catholic Majesty's envoy to
the duke of Savoy, fell in with six large ships of the
enemy, in his passage to Genoa; the earl of Peterbo
rough perceiving the danger, desired that himself,
and the Spanish envoy, might be |>ut on board a small
frigate, called the Enterprise ; for as he took his bu
siness then to be negociating, not fighting, he was
willing to escape to Oneglia, if it was possible, which.

n& • NAVAL HISTORY"
according to his usual good fortune, he was lucky
enough to effect.
The Milford, a fifth rate, which we have lately
mentioned, was likewise wdth Captain Mordaunt, but
seeing the danger, ran from it, and escaped. On the
twentieth the weather proved very bad, so that tbe
Resolution was in part disabled, which gave the
enemy an opportunity of coming up with her; upon
which Captain Mordaunt, by advice of his officers,
resolved to run her ashore, having received a great
deal of damage in the engagement. About three in
the afternoon he effected this, and ran her a-ground
in a- sandy bay, within a third of a cable's length of
the land, and directly under the cannon of the castle
of Ventimiglia, belonging to the Genoese, who not
withstanding gave them not the least assistance.
About half an hour after four. Captain Mordaunt,
being disabled by a shot in his thigh, was carried on
shore, but would not retire far from his ship; and
about five the French commodore manned out all the
boats of his squadron, in order to board the Resolu
tion, under the fire of one of their seventy-gun ships,
which plied ours warmly all the while ; but the Re
solution, even in the condition she was in, gave them
such a reception, as obliged them to return to their
respective ships. On the twenty-first, about half an
hour past six in the morning, one of the enemy's ships
of eighty guns weighing her anchor, brought to un
der the Resolution's stern, and about nine o'clock, a
spring being put under the cable, she lay with her
broadside towards her, while she at the same time
looked with her head right into the shore, so that it
was not possible to bring any more guns to bear upon
the French sliip, than those of her stern-chace; aud
the others being within less than gun-shot, and the
water coming into the Resolution as high as her gun-
deck. Captain Mordaunt sent to his officers for their
opinion what was fitting to be done; and, pursuant
to their advice, he gave them directions to set her

OF <iUEEN ANNE, 279
Immecliately on fire, which they did about eleven
o'clock, after the men were all put on shore ; and by
three in the afternoon she was burnt to the water's
edge. In the month of November, a singular adventure
happened to the Lisbon packet-boat, which was taken
by a Dunkii-k privateer of consideicfble force. The
mate, who had the care of the packet, hidst when
the privateer appeared first in sight, and being soon
after killed, the captain threw over a chest of papers,
with a weight of lead, just as the enemy boarded him,
which they took for the mail, and therefore did not
make so strict a search as otherwise they would have
done. At sea they were separated from the privateer,
which gave eleven English sailors an opportunity of
rising upon fifteen Frenchmen, making themselves
masters of the vessel, and carrying her into the Texel,
where the government letters were happily found,
sewed up in an oil-skin case, and thrown into a water-
cask. We ended our last account of affairs in the
West Indies with the return of Admiral Graydon's
squadron from thence : it is now requisite that we
should enter into a detail of what passed in those
parts, from that time to the close of the year I7O6.
The complaints which had been made in almost
every session of parhament, of miscarriages and mis
demeanors in the West Indies, engaged the ministry
to make choice of Sir Wilham Whetstone to go
thither with a squadron of seven men of war, in
order to settle affairs after the ravages which they
had an account had been committed in those parts.
He sailed accordingly with the trade in the spring of
the year 170J, and arrived, on the 17th of May,
safely at Jamaica, There he soon received intelli
gence, that a stout squadron of the enemy's ships was
on the coast of Hispaniola, and that several rich ships
were speedily expected from the coast of New Spain.
Upon this, he ordered the squadron to be put in a
posture of sailing as soon as possible, and having left

280 NAVAL HISTORY
a sufficient convoy for the protection of the home*
ward-bound-fleet, he proceeded, on the 6th of June,
for the Spanish coast. «
On tbe 17th of the same month, being then,
within sight of Carthagena, he chaced a ship, which
in the night ran in among the Sambay keys, where
there are very uncertain soundings and shoal-water,
insomuch, that the Bristol, a ship of fifty guns, came
on ground, but w'as got off again with little or no
damage ; however, he came up with the French ship,.
and after two hours dispute with those that were
nearest, to her, she submitted. She had forty-six
guns mounted, and carried out with her three hun
dred and seventy men ; but buried all but one hun
dred and fifty, unless it vvere a few they had put into
prizes. She had brought six hundred and forty ne
groes from Guinea, of which two hundred and forty
died, and most of the rest were put on shore at Mar
tinico, the island of St, Thomas, and Santa Martha,.
for they had heard that a squadron of English ships
was in the West Indies, The rear-admiral plying then
to the eastward, discovered off the river Grande two
sail, close in vvith the land, one of which being forced
on shore, was burnt by her own men, being a priva
teer fitted out at Martinico, tp disturb our trade.
The coast being thus alarmed, and no prospect of
any immediate service, he returned back to Jamaica;
but appointed three of the best sailers to cruise twenty
days off Anigada, in the windward passage, for the
French in their return home, it being the usual sea
son for them to go from Petit Guavas, Port de Paix,
and other places ; but those ships joined him again
without meeting vvith any success.
On his return to Jamaica, he had intelhgence of a
rich ship bound from Carthagena to Port Lewis, and
in order to take her, he detached the Montague and
the Hector, who, though they missed their intended
prize, brought in a French .ship cf tvv^enty-four guns,
laden with sugar, indigo, and hides. Towarcis tji^

OF QUEEN ANNE. 281
latter end of the same month, the rear-admiral put to
sea, to cruise off Hispaniola, Avhere he met with such
a storm, as forced him back to Jamaica in a very dis
tressed condidon. While the ships, particularly his
own, vvere refitting, the Montaglie, a sixty-gun ship,
was sent to cruise on the coast of Hispaniola, where
he met with two French ships, one of forty-eight, the
other of thirty-six guns, and the captain bravely en
gaged them both till he lost them in the night. The
next morning he had sight of them again, and would
willingly have renewed the engagement, but his
officers and seamen were not in the humour to fight,
and so the Frenchmen escaped. The captain, whose
name Mr. Burchet hath not thought fit to transmit
to posterity, on his return to Jamaica complained to
the admiral, and brought the whole affair under the
examination of a court-martial, where it fully ap
peared, that he had done his duty to the utmost of
his power, and he was thereujion honourably ac
quitted ; but as for his officers they were broke, as
they vvell deserved, and many of his seamen
punished. The admiral, in the mean time, to repair this mis
take as far as he was able, sent tvvo fijurth rates, the
Bristol and the Folkstone, in quest of those ships ;
falling in with them and the vessels under their
convoy, they behaved very briskly in seizing the
defenceless merchant-men ; but though they had it
absolutely in their power to have fought at least, if
not to have taken the men of war, they let them slip
through their hands, with half the fleet under their
care ; for whicli scandalous neglect, the senior offi
cer, whose name is again missing in Mr. Burchet's
history, but which I have reason to believe was An
derson, came to be tried, broke, and rendered inca
pable of serving at sea.*
* Mr Oldmixon, who was the author of the " British Empire in
America," vol. ii. gives us the following account. The Bristol and
folkstone met with ten sail of merchant-men, bound from Petit

283 NAVAL HISTORY
I am very sorry that a more particular detail of
these affairs cannot be had, because the m^rit of his
tory is the bestowing just praises on worthy men, and
setting such a mark of disgrace on men of another
character as they deserve, A little after these un
lucky incidents, while the admiral was detained for
want of stores at Jamaica, the Suffolk, where his flag
was flying, by some unfortunate accident, which I
think was never accounted for, blew up in the gun
room, where most of the men were killed, and seventy
more in their hammocks were so burnt, that the
greatest part of them died. When things~were once
more put in tolerable order, he sailed for the coast of
Hispaniola, and had thoughts of stretching over again
to the Main, with a view to have sent the orders of
his Catholic Majesty, King Charles III. to the gover
nor of Carthagena; but finding this impracticable,
and himself much too weak to undertake any thing
against the French in those seas, he, returned bacljC to
Jamaica. I do not find in any of the accounts that I have
met with, that Sir William Whetstone was so much
as suspected of being in any degree wanting in his
duty ; but so it was, that through neglect of our Ad
miralty, and a mercenary spirit in some of our
governors of colonies, and captains of men of war,
things were fallen into such distraction in the West
Indies, that we >vere not either in a condition to hurt
the enemy's settlements, or so much as able to defend
our own. The truth seems to be, that the great fleets
we fitted out every year for the Mediterranean, and
the cruisers that were necessary upon our own coasts,
Guavas to France, under convoy of two French men of war, one
of four and twenty, and another of thirty guns, out of which Cap.
tain Anderson, commodore of the English, took six merchant men,
laden with sugar, cocoa, cochineal, and indigo, and brought them
to Jamaica. When he arrived, Admiral Whetstone held a court-
martial, and Captain Ander.son, with the other officers, were con
demned to lose their commissions for not engaging the French men
of war.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 283
took up so many ships, that it was scarcely possible
to supply even the reasonable demands of the West
Indies, The enemy, on the other hand, had some very sig
nal advantages ; for after Sir George Rooke had
taught them, that sea-fights were not for their ad
vantage, they had recourse to their old trade of car
rying on a piratical war ; and as they had little trade
to protect, and many good ships, they were able to
furnish out stout squadrons for this purpose. Add to
all that has been said, the great concerns they had in
the West Indies, Avhere now not only the French, but
the Spanish settlements vvere immediately under their
care, and where, as France had the free use of the
ports, so she had the direction also of the naval force
of both nations, without which she could never have
carried on the war.
The driving the English out of the Leeward-islands,
was the point the French had most in view, and hav
ing a very exact account of our condition there, the
governor of St. Domingo, M. Iberville, had orders to
assist in an attempt that vvas to be made on St. Chris
topher's. It is in truth a very difficult thing to give
a fair account of this matter, since the French maa-
nify it, and such of our writers as have taken any
notice of it, have done all they could to lessen and
disparage it. The most probable relation that I have
met vvith among manj'^, sets the affair in this light.
The Count De Chavagnac, with a small squadron of
French men of war, attacked the island of St. Chris
topher's in the month of March, where they burnt
and plundered several plantations ; but when they
came to attack the castle, they were repulsed with
loss. They vvould, however, in all jjrobability, have
carried their point at last, if the governor of Barba
does, on receiving information of vvhat had happened,
had not sent down thither a sloop, with intelligence
to the governor, that a squadron from England was
coming to his relief. This reaching the ears of the

&M TS^AVAL HISTORY
French, as it was intended it should, they embarked
in much haste, after having done a great deal of mis
chief; but, however, nothing comparable to what the
French writers say.*
But, unluckily for us, before Count De Chavagnac
sailed, Count Iberville joined him with his squadron;
so that they bad now five stout men of war, some
frigates, and twenty sloops, with which they resolved
to attack Nevis, They landed in Green- bay, in the
evening of the £2d of the same month, which
was Good-Friday ; and they pushed their operations
so briskly, that by the 24th, which was Easter-
Sunday, the inhabitants made a capitulation, by
which they promised to deliver up all their negroes,
and to procure a number of prisoners equal to that
of themselves, to be set at liberty in Europe, in con
sideration of their not being taken off the island.
Our Gazette says, that the French broke these arti
cles, by treating them barbarously, burning their
houses and sugar-works, and other actions of the like
nature. But other accounts say, that the inhabitants
could not comply with their capitulation, because the
negroes retiring into the mountains, stood on their
defence, and when attacked, killed a great number of
the French, Upon this the inhabitants came to"a
new agreement on the 6th of April, in vvhich they
undertook to deliver to the French, in less than six
months, on^ thousand four hundred negroes, or one
hundred and forty thousand pieces of eight ; upon
which the French retired, carrying off with thera
most of the effects, and a great number of negroes,
but fewer certainly than seven thousand, as a French
historian computes them, A little after this unfor-
* Father Daniel, in his Journal of the Reign of Louis XIV. p,
236,. computes the plunder of St. Christopher's at three millions of
French money, or liO,000 pounds of ours ; which is, I think, in
credible ; especially, if the French retired in some kind of conster
nation ; and that they did is pretty certain, since the Count De Cha-
vagnac was questioned about it when he returned to France,

OF QUEEN ANNE. 285
turiate accident. Commodore Ker arrived with a con
siderable force in the Leeward-islands, and having
stationed several ships according to his instructions,
he bore away with the rest for Jamaica, which was
then thought to be in danger, from the junction of
Iberville's squadron with that of Du Casse.
In the mean time Rear-admiral Whetstone sailed
with a few ships from Jamaica, in hopes of attacking
Du Casse, before he was joined by the succours he ex
pected. But this design being defeated by bad wea
ther, he returned to Jamaica about the middle of
July, and towards the latter end of the same month
was joined by Commodore Ker, with the squadron
under his command. There being now so considera
ble a force, the admiral was very desirous that some
thing should be attempted capable of effacing the
memory of past mistakes, and vvorth}^ the naval force
of the British nation. After mature deliberation, it
was resolved to proceed to Carthagena, where they
knew the galleons were, to try what effect King
Charles's letters would produce, and whether the
governor might not be wrought upon by our suc
cesses in Europe, to own him for his rightful sove
reign in America. With this view. Sir William
Whetstone and Captain Ker sailed from Jamaica on
the Sth of August, and on the 18th arrived before
Carthagena, and sent in a packet to the governor.
At first he trifled a little, and gave evasive answers ;
but when more closely pressed, he declared roundly,
that he knew no sovereign but Philip V. and that no
other he would obey. There were at that time in the
port fourteen large galleons, lying close in with the
city, and unrigged. The admiral was for attempting;
to burn them, but the pilots unanimously declared,
that any such design vvould be found impracticable,
unless we were first in possession of Bocca Chica
Castle, and the other forts ; aud even in that case, it
was very doubtful whether ships of so great a size as
theirs could get in.

285 NAVAL HISTORY
Then it was taken into consideration, what further
service might be done, and the result of this was, a
resolution to return to Jamaica: from whence, as
soon as the trade was ready, the rear admiral was to
convoy them home, and Commodore Ker to remain
behind, in order to take upon him the command of
the force left in the West Indies. This scheme wa.s
immediately put in execution, and, upon their return.
Sir William made all possible dispatch, in order to get
home in time; and accordingly, leaving the island the
latter end of October, he arrived at Plymouth on the
twenty-third of December, 1706, with the Suffolk,
Bristol, Reserve, and Vulcan fire-ship, and a fleet
of merchant-men under his convoy, having been
lauded abroad, and performed little, though no man
ill the service had shewn a greater spirit of activity,
before his being sent on this West India expedi
tion. The squadron which Commodore Ker brought into
the West Indies, consisted of six ships of the line,
three frigates, and a fire ship. With this force he
stretched over from Jamaica to the coast of Hispa
niola, from thence to the Main, where be cruised till .
the fourth of September ; and then the winds proving
northerly, he returned to Hispaniola, on the coast of
which i.'^land he held a council of war, in order to
determine whether it might not be practicable to sur
prise Port Lewis. But the pilots not being well ac
quainted with the entrance into that port, it was re
solved to proceed directly to Petit Guavas, and to gO'
to the northward of the island of Guanaua, in order
the better to prevent their design from being disco
vered. On the thirteenth of September he detached
Captain Boyce, in the Dunkirk-prize, with all the
boats in the squadron manned and armed, with or
ders to range along the bays of Leogane and Petit
Guavas, in the night, with all imaginable care and
caution, and so to dispose themselves as that they
might destroy the enemy's .ships in eitlier of those

OF QUEEN ANNE. 287
roads, and be able to return to the squadron next
morning on a signal given. But how well soever this
scheme might be laid, it miscarried through the ill
conduct of some of the ofhcers, who running in too
near the shore, alarmed the inhabitants to such a de
gree, that any farther attempt was rendered imprac
ticable. Upon this disappointment. Commodore Ker re
turned "to Jamaica, in order to refit his vessels, and
to repair the damage that he had sustained in this
fruitless expedition. But while he was thus employed,
he was attacked by a new and greater evil, occasioned
by a mortality which prevailed among the seamen,
and that to such a degree, as in a manner utterly dis
abled him from any further service. The merchants,
however, who suffered for want of ships to protect
tliem, losing abundance of sloops, laden with silver,
upon the Spanish coasts, began to complain loudly
of the commodore's conduct ; and even went so far,
as to send home an agent, who had instructions to
lay the matter before the House of Commons, where,
after a full and fair examination, this officer's beha
viour received a censure, in consequence of which he
was laid aside. In the mean time the command in
the West Indies fell into the hands of Sir John Jen
nings, who had been, as we before observed, de
tached for- that purpose, with a considerable squadron
from the Straits, But, as his proceedings belong to
the succeeding year, we must refer the reader to that
part of our history, for an account of them-*
We must, before we leave America, take notice of
a disajppointment the enemy met with in attacking
Carolind. The French had long had their eyes on our
* I thought it more expedient to take notice of this matter here,
than postpone it absolutely, till we come to speak of the proceed
ings of parliament, in the year 1707; where we shall however be
obliged to resume it, and where the reader will have a more parti.
cular account of vvhat the offences were, with which this gentleman
was charged.

288 NAVAL HISTORY
northern colonies, which vvere then in a very flourish-
ing condition; among other projects tbat M. Iber-.
ville had been furnished with, one was the attacking,
and, as far as it should be in his power, destroying
tbe province of Carolina. AVhen therefore he had
finished his designs in the Leeward-islands, he sailed
with a squadron ofsix men of war, and several trans
ports for South Carolina. He made a descent in the
neighbourhood of Charles-town, with about eight
hundred and fifty soldiers and seamen, and sent an
officer to summon the governor to surrender the city
and colony to the French king,, telling him at the
same time, that he vvould allow him but an hour to
consider of it. Sir Henry Johnson told him, that was
much too long a space, for that he did not want half
a minute to resolve on doing his duty ; and that there
fore he was at liberty to return, and tell those that
sent him, that the English were not to be frightened
with words, for they should soon find that they were
able to return blows.
, Upon this spirited answer followed an attack, in
Avhich the French met with so vigorous a resistance,
that they were glad to retreat with tbe loss of three
hundred killed, drowned, or taken ; and among the
latter ten officers ; viz. their chief commander at land;5
his lieutenant, three captains of ships, four lieute
nants, and a master, who together offered ten thou
sand pieces of eight for their ransoms. One of the
French ships having ventured to make a descent at
the distance of six miles from Charles-town, the go
vernor sent a detachment of militia to the assistajice
of the planters, who were so lucky as to make them
selves masters of. the ship, with all its crew, which
consisted of about one hundred and foi'ty men.
The French had also some designs upon New York,
of which we had so early intelligence in England,
that Lord Cornbuiy, eldest son to the eari of Cla
rendon, was sent over to take upon him the govern
ment ; and he finding all things in great confusion,

OF QUEEN ANNE. sas
and the few fortresses in that country ranniiig to ruin,
first obtained from the assembly a considerable supply
for that service, and then ordered a general embargo
to be laid, which enabled him to employ fifteen hun
dred men, in working on their fortifications ; so that
they were, in a very short time, put into a good pos
ture of defence, and all the views of the enemy dis
appointed on that side. We had not, however, as great
success in bringing home the Virginia fleet, part of
which fell into the hands of the French privateers,
and the rest were separated by a storm, which occa-
fiioned great apprehensions and uneasinesses about
them , but most of them, notwithstanding, arrived, at
last, safe in the westerii ports. The merchants, how
ever, raised loud complaints against the Admiralty,
who had now, in a great measure, lost their interest
in the House of Commons ; so that whatever charges
were brought against them, had all tbe encourage
ment that could be expected, and the merchants
were left at full liberty to produce their witnesses,
and to make out all that they could ; vvhich, though
it afforded no remedy to these mischiefs, yet it took
the weight off the ministry, and gave the nation ge
neral satisfaction, as all inquiries, strictly and impar
tially prosecuted, ever must.
We are now, according to the method hitherto
pursued in this work, to give the reader an account
of the measures taken for the supplying the service of
the succeeding year ; and this the success attending
the war, both by sea and land, enables us to do in a
very short space. The queen opened the sessions on
the* third of December, 170(5, with a most gracious
speech, wherein she took notice of what had been al
ready done, and of the reasons which obliged her to
desire, that as great dispatch as possible might be
given to the supplies ; and how much v'eight her
Majesty's recommendation had, will appear from
hence, that though they amounted to no less than
five millions . eight hundred ninety-three thousand

VOL. III. U

290 NAVAL HISTORY
three hundi'ed eighty-one pounds fifteen shillings and
three-pence three farthings, yet they were voted in
less than a week; so that the queen came on the
twenty-first to the House of Peers, and having sent
for the commons, the Speaker presented the bills,
and in his speech' ou that occasion, took notice,
*' That as the glorious victory obtained by the duke
of Marlborough, at Ramillies, was so surprising, that
the battle was fought, before it could be thought the
armies were in the field, so it was no less surprising,
that the commons had granted supplies to dier Ma
jesty before the enemy could well know that her par
hament was sitting."
The care of the public thus shewn, the House went
into the consideration of the several expeditions ex
ecuted within the compass of the preceding year ; and
after a long debate, on the twenty-seventh of Janu
ary, in relation to the method of carrying on the war
in Spain, it was carried on the question, by a majo
rity of two hundred and fifty, against one hundred
and fifty, that the several sums of money for the ex
traordinary services for the year 1706, which had
been agreed to by the house, had been advanced and
expended for the preservation of our firm ally the duke
of Savoy, for promoting the interest of King Charles
III. in Spain, against the common enemy, and for
the safety and honour of the nation. Not long after,
the house proceeded to take into consideration the
report from the committee, to whom the petition of
several proprietors of plantations in the islands of
Nevis and St, Christopher's in America, and other
merchants trading to the same, on behalf of them
selves and the other inhabitants and traders to the
said islands, was referred, and the same being read,
it was resolved, " That an humble address be pre
sented to her Majesty, that she will be pleased to ap
point such persons, as her Majesty shall think fit, to
inquire into the true state of the losses of the people
of the islands of Nevis and St, Christopher's, in order

OF QUEEN ANNE. 294
to lay the same before this house the next session of
parliament, to apply what may be convenient for the
better securing those islands, and supplying them
witb necessaries in order to a re-settlement." The said
address being presented accordingly, her Majesty was
pleased to answer, " That she was very well pleased
to find the House of Commons had so compassionate
a sense of the losses of her subjects in Nevis and St.
Christopher's; as also with the concern they shewed
upon this occasion for the plantations, which were so
justly entitled to their care, by the large returns they
made to the public ; and her Majesty would give the
necessary orders for what the house had desired in
that matter." Accordingly, her Majesty was after
wards pleased to appoint two gentlemen, of known
ability and integrity, to go to the said islands, to
procure an exact state of the losses of her subjects
ithere, in order to their being put on such a footing,
as might be best for the particular benefit of the in
habitants, and the general good of these kingdoms.
The house having had notice of the great declen
sion of our interest in, and of our lucrative trade to
Newfoundland ; the marquis of Caermarthen having
likewise acquainted them, that certain pirates had
made a great and dangerous settlement at Madagascar,
where they threatened to erect a kind of thievish re
public, httle inferior to tho.se on the coast of Barbary ;
and having offered to go himself with a small squa
dron, to put an end to this mischief while there vvas
a probability of doing it, the house appointed a com-
mjttee to take these matters into their consideration ;
who, after having thoroughly examined them, came
to the following resolutions :
" I. That a great number of pirates have settled
themselves in the island of Madagascar, from whence
they have committed many great piracies, robberies,
and depredations, very ruinous to trade, and whereby
the lives of many of her Majesty's good subjects have
been destroyed. V 2

Stdt NAVAL HISTORY
" II. That an humble address be presented to her'
Majesty, that she would be graciously pleased to take
into her royal consideration, how the said pirates may
be suppressed, and their further piracies, robberies,
and depredation?, may be effectually prevented."
Which resolutions were, on the 8th of April, ^agreed
to by the housd The same day it was resolved,
" That an humble address be presented to her Ma
jesty, that she will be graciously pleased to use her
royal endeavours to recover and preserve the ancient
possessions, trade, and fishery, in Newfoundland,"
Her Majesty received these addresses very gracir
ously, and promised that proper care should be taken
with respect to the matters contained in them : and
thus ended the proceedings of this session of par
liament, Avith which I shall conclude the events of
this winter.
We have now run through the naval transactions of
about eighteen years, in which short space there hap
pened so many things worthy of remark, and our
maritime power increased to such a degree, that it is
with no small difficulty that I have been able to bring
them into this compass. But a bare relation of events
will very little benefit ordinary readers, if they are not
attended vvith some few reflections, in order to point
out the advantages and disadvantages which befel so
ciety in consequence of these transactions. The two
wars in which we were engaged, in conjunction with
the Dutch, as they demonstrated on the one hand our
mighty power at sea, so on the other they put us to a
prodigious expence. The House of Commons, in the
year 1702, in a representation to the queen, say express
ly, that from November 1688, to March the eighth,
1701, there had been raised for the service of the war,
forty-five millions five hundred sixty-eight thousantl
seven hundred twenty-five pounds nineteen shillings
and two-pence half-penny; an immense sum indeed ! As
to the expences of Queen Anne's war, we shall take
notice of them when we come to the conclusion of it :

OF QUEFN ANNE. 2»3
at present let us observe, that one national end, with
respect to England, was, in this last war particularly,
in a great measure answered, I mean the destruction
of the French power at sea ; for after the battle of
Malaga, we hear no more of their great fleets ; and
though by this the number of their privateers was
very much increased, yet the losses of our merchants
were far less in the latter than in the former reign,
which I think was chiefly owing to a series of inqui
ries constantly carried on either in one house of par
liament or the other.
The success of our arms at sea, and the necessity
of protecting our trade, joined to the popularity of
every step taken towards the increasing our maritime
power, occasioned such measures to be pursued iu
order thereto, as annually added to its force. The
great storm in 1703, the misfortunes that so many
squadrons met with in the West Indies, our ill luck
in regard to the Dunkirk privateers, and, in short,
every other untoward accident which fell out within
this period of time, though it bore hard upon private
persons, and was injurious to our trade in general,
yet it was in the main beneficial to our marine, inas
much as it gave a handle for augmenting it, as every
thing tending thereto was well received. Hence
arose that mighty difference which, at the close of
the year 1706, appeared in the royal navy : this not
only in the number, but in the quality of the ships of
which it was composed, was greatly superior to what
it had been from the time of the revolution, or even
before it.
The economy and discipline of our marine were also
much mended, and those jealousies in a great measure
worn out, which had been very prejudicial to men of
the greatest merit, during the preceding reign, as
they certainly were in tbe latter part of this, when
they were most unfortunately revived. The great en
couragement given to the sailors, by taking the ut-
ftiost care of the sipkand wounded, exact and speedy

294 NAVAL HISTORY
paying of prize-money, and the many extraordinary
orders that from time to time were issued in their fa
vour, and are still to be met with in our Gazettes,
from whence some of them have been cited in this
work, gave a mighty spirit to our sailors, and in a
manner extinguished that prejudice wbich has since
revived against going to sea in a man ofwar. Thus,
in this respect, whatever we might do in others, the
nation certainly throve by the war; that is to say, vve
gTew constantly stronger, our fleets were more nume
rous, and better manned ; so that at the time I conclude
this chapter, we vvere much more capable of asserting
our claim to the dominion of the sea, than at the time
the war began.
If any of my readers should entertain a doubt, either
as to the truth of the facts here laid down, or the va
lidity of the judgment I have delivered upon them, I
think I need only turn him over, for satisfaction, to
foreign authors; for certainly, if they concur in sen
timent with me on this head, there ought to be no
dispute about it. But if we dip into any of the French
political writers, we shall not fail to fiutl them de
ploring the visible decay of their maritime power,
from the time of the battle of Malaga, and constantly
blaming tbe administration for not bending their
thoughts to the recovery of it so much as they ought
to have done ; which they, generally speaking, ascribe
to the vast expence of the war by land, which would
not, by any means, admit the diverting such supplies
as were necessary for the service of the sea. From .
these complaints, v\'hich are certainly well founded,
it is manifest that, on the one hand, their maritime
power declined, whilst ours increased; and, on the
other, that this declension grew so fast upon them,
that their ablest ministers thought it in vain to strug
gle, and therefore gave up all further concern for
their reputation in this respect, in a fit of despair, out
of which nothing but our inactivity or negligence
would recover them.

OF" QUEEN ATVNE. 295
To this I may add, that as the Spanish naval power
had been long decaying, so by this war it vvas totally
'destroyed : they had indeed a few gallies in the battle
of Malaga, and it may be half a dozen men ofwar in
the West Indies ; but, upon the whole, they had
such occasion for ships of force, and had so few of
them, that the assistance given them by the French,
contributed not a little to the declension of their ma
rine, as appears by the destruction of their men of
war at Vigo, which was a loss they were never able
to repair ; and tliough it be very true, that whilst
Spain vvas governed by a prince of the house of
Austria, and lived in amity with us, we vvere rather
bound to encourage and protect, than, in any way to
lessen or depress the Spanish power at sea ; yet by the
passing of the crown into the house of Bourbon, our
interest, in this respect, was entirely changed, and
the lessening their maritime strength was a com-
parative augmentation of our own ; and this I take
to be the principal reason, that through the course of
the war, France complained so much of the burden
of Spain, For though by the returns of her Plate-
fleets, and letting the French for a time share in the
trade of the South-Seas, she might repair that loss of
treasure, which the maintaining so many armies for
her service might occasion, yet the loss of that mari
time power, which was now to protect both states,
was a loss that never could be repaired, as reason in
formed all wise people then, and as vve have been
taught by experience since.
It may, perhaps, be said, that as^the Dutch were
conceded in this war as well as we, as they shared
jointly in the dangers and expences of it, so they
must have been equally gainers in respect to their
trade and maritime power. But as to this it is most
evident, that the French, according to the informa
tion they received from the most intelligent Dutch
men, take the thing to be quite otherwise, and argue
•on it to the Dutch themselves, as if it was a fact

298 NAVAL HISTORY
out of dispute, from whence they take occasion
to allege, that while the English made a pretence
of ruining the maritime power of France, they in
reality aimed at doing so much for the Dutch, in
order to secure universal trade, and the supreme
power of the sea, to themselves. How far the for
tune of war might put this in our power, I will not
say, but this I will venture to assert, and hope it will
be readily credited, that such a thing was never in
our intention. The supplanting allies is a strain of
policy common to the French, but, without partiality
I may say, unknown to Britons. We have fought
for our allies, and conquered for our aUies; nay,
we have sometimes paid our albes for fighting
in their own cause, and for their own profit ; but to
outwit our allies, especially our favourite allies the
Dutch, was, I dare say, never in our will, or in our
power. This, indeed, I must own, that in the conduct of
this war, especially to the year 1706, we had as
much the lead in councils as ever the Dutch had in
the former 'war ; for this we paid largely, and, I
think, we had a right to it, if we got any thing by it
I must also ingenuously confess, that the economy of
the Dutch greatly hurt their reputation and their trade.
Their men ofwar in the Mediterranean were always vic
tualled short, and their convoys were so weak and-ill-
provided, that for one ship which we lost, they lost five,
which begat a general notion, that we were. the safer
carriers, which certainly had a good effect : so that,
taking all things together, I doubt whether the cre
dit of the English nation abroad, or the spirits of the
people at home, were ever higher than at this period
of time.
Hence 'it was that our trade rather increased than
diminished in this last war, and that we gained so
signally by our strict intercourse with Portugal; con
cerning which I will take the liberty of running over
a few facts that are not commonly attended ,to,

OF QUEEN ANNE. WI
When the war first broke out, Portugal was allied
to the two crowns ; and with great difficulty it was
that we detached that monarch from their interest :
but the means by which we detached him, ought not
to remain a secret. In the treaty which he concluded
with Louis XIV. and his grandson, he had stipulated
that he should be protected by an annual fleet from
France ; but when he found that this could not be
complied with, and that if he performed his part of
the agreement, his coast would be left open to the
insults of the maritime powers, he saw the necessity
of changing his party, which induced him to make a
treaty with us in 1703 ; and when the French mi
nister, M, De Chateauneuff, reproached him for thus
changing sides, Don Pedro replied, with great spirit,
'' If your master had sent thirty ships of the line to
cruize between Lisbon and Setubal, I had never
quitted his alliance ; and therefore 1 would have you
let him know, that he ought to blame himself, not
me, for the consequences,"
By the treaty of commerce concluded with the
same crown by Mr. Methuen, we were prodigious
gainers ; and I will even venture to say, that this
single alliance was worth more to us, than all the
negociations in the former reign. The Portuguese
began to, feel the comfortable effects of the mines
they had discovered in Brazil, and the prodigious
cottimerce that followed thereupon with us, made
their good fortune in this respect, in a great measure
ours also; and so it has been ever since, otherwise I
know not how the expences of the war could have
been borne : for, as Dr. Davenant justly computed,
the running cash of this kingdom, at the time the
revolution happened, could not be above eighteen
millions ; at the accession of the queen we had not so
much ; but at the time of concluding the Union it
was increased again very considerably, which must be
attributed in a great measure to our Portugal trade :

298 NAVAL HISTORY
and this, as I have made it manifest, we owed en«
tirely to our superior power at sea.
As to our trade with the Spanish West Indies, by
the canal of Cadiz, it was certainly very much inter
rupted by the war at the beginning ; but afterwards
it was in a good measure restored, as well by our di
rect correspondence with Spain, after the reduction
of several provinces under the power of King Charles
III. as through Portugal, by which a very great,
though contraband, trade was carried on. We were
at the same time very great gainers by our com
merce with the Spaniards in the West Indies, as I am
satisfied from several French authors, who complain
that their colonies suffered much less from our naval
force than they did from the loss of this trade; which
is strongly confirmed by the complaints of the Ja
maica merchants against Commodore Ker, who vvas
very negligent in protecting their sloop trade, by
which they were great sufferers". The reason they
assign also for his negligence, is yet a stronger proof;
for they allege, that he would not grant them con
voys, without sharing in their profits ; and if these
had not been very considerable, they could never
have tempted an officer of his rank to run such a
risk. The same thing may be said of the complaints
of the other colonies, which, however just in them
selves, yet if they, as it is evident they did, grew
richer, more populous, and carried their trade farther
than in former times, then it is surely as evident,
that the nation in general gained considerably in this
branch ; to which I may add, that the act for giving
a bounty upon hemp imported from our plantations,
and other laws, vvere sufficient instances of the incli
nation of the ministry to promote commerce and na
vigation as far as lay in their power.
There is another remark that naturally arises upon
this subject, and that is, the mighty spirit which ap
peared amongst our merchants, and enabled them to

OF QUEEN ANNE. 2C9
carry on all their schemes with a vigour that kept a
constant circulation of money through the kingdom,
and afforded such mighty encouragement to all ma
nufactures, as have rendered the remembrance of
those times grateful in worse. Our successes abroad,
our victories by land and sea, the respect paid to us
by all the states of Europe, served to heighten and
sustain this spirit, which is at once the source and
soul of prosperity ; and a nation grows low and life
less, as soon as it is taken away.
There were, indeed, some accidental advantages
which attended the iatter part especially of this pe
riod, that have not been always visible in preceding
or succeeding times. Amongst these I reckon, in
the first place, ' an unfeigned loyalty ; for it was the
felicity of this princess, that her person Avas dear
to all her subjects; nay, even to those who ques
tioned her title : and this produced another advan
tage, which was a kind of coalition of parties, of
which I rather chuse to say something at the end of
this chapter, because, after the Union, parties broke
loose again, and threw us, as they will always do,
into the utmost confusion. At the beginning of the
war, the Tories were as heartily for it as the Whigs ;
and if they grew weary of it by degrees, it must be
acknowledged, that they might be tempted thereto
in some respects by the ill usage that they met with.
While thie duke of Marlborough was esteemed a
Tory, his services were often extenuated ; and
though the parliament gave him thanks, there was
a party that denied hiin merit. When he and the
¦treasurer went over to the Whigs, the scale turned
80 strongly in their favour, that none could be em
ployed who vvere not of this denomination ; and thus
Sir George Rooke was laid aside, immediately after
he had gained a victory, honourable in every respect,
but most honourable in this, that it was wholly owing
to the prudence and conduct of the admiral. Before the
Whigs gained this ascendancy, and both parties were

300 NAVAL HISTORY
embarked in the cause of their country, their unani
mity produced those supplies, which enabled oiir ar
mies and fleets to act as they did ; and taught the
most haughty and faithless of all powers, that bounds
might be set to its force, though not to its ambition.
The last advantage of which I shall speak was, the
public spirit of parliaments in the queen's reign.
If they gave in one sessions, they inquired in the
next ; and it is impossible to mention any remarkble
expedition within the first six years, which was not
examined and cleared up by such inquiries ; so that
the people saw and knew what they were doing,
which encouraged them to pay chearfully, at the
same time that it put them upon endeavouring to ac
quire by their industry what might maintain them
happily, notwithstanding these large, but necessary
expences. It is certainly matter of great satisfaction to me,
and must be so to every man who wishes well to his
country, that after running through a series of such
events, setting out at first with the sight of so great
a naval power as the French king had assembled,
while we struggled under many difficulties; and
when we got out of that troublesome war, found
ourselves loaded with a debt too heavy to be shaken
off in a short interval of peace ; it must, I say, be a
great satisfaction to be able, at the close of this chap
ter, to assert, that we had overcome all these diffi-
euUies; and, instead of seeing the navy o'f France
riding on our coasts, sent every year a powerful fleet
to insult theirs, superior to them, not only in the
ocean, but in the Mediterranean, forcing them, as it.
were, entirely out of the sea ; and this, not by the
thunder of our cannon, but by the distant prospect
of our flag ; as at the raising of the siege of Barce
lona, when the son of the French king, the famous
Count Thoulouse, high-admiral of France, fled from
Sir John Leake, and took shelter in thp harbour of
Toulon.

OF QUEEN ANNi:. 801
By this, we not only secured our trade in the Le
vant, and strengthened our interest with all the
Italian princes, but struck the states of Barbary with
terror, and even awed the Grand Seignior himself so
far, as to prevent his listening to any propositions
fi^om France. Such were the fruits of the increase
of our naval power, and of the manner in Avhich it
was employed ; and though some, through miscon
ception of the advantages flowing from this disposir
tion in those princes and states ; and some again,
from a perverse humour, perhaps, of objecting
against whatever carried us into a great expence, in
veighed against sending such mighty fleets into those
seas ; yet nothing can be plainer, than that while we
continued this war, such fleets were necessary ; that
they at once protected our allies, and attached them
to our interest ; and, which is of greater importance
than all the rest, that they established our reputation
for maritime force so effectually, that we feel even at
this day the happy effects of that fame which we then
acquired. Of what consequence, therefore, could
the expences of these fleets, however large, be to a
nation like this ? especially if we consider, that the
greatest part of it only shifted hands; since it is the
peculiar property of naval expences, that, though
they rise ever so high, they can hardly ever im
poverish, because they are raised on one part of the
society, and laid out with the other, and, by a na
tural circulation, must certainly very soon return into
the first hands.
It is a further satisfaction, that we can safely say
our trade flourished through the course of the war,
and our merchants were so loyal to tbe queen, and so
well affected to her government, that upon every
occasion they were ready to credit the administration
with the best part of tbat immense wealth that had
been raised under their protection. These were glo
rious times indeed, if riches, victory, and honour,
can render a nation glorious ; and for all these mighty

302 Naval history
advantages, we stood indebted to the maternal affec
tion of the queen ; the wisdom and probity of her
ministers ; the heroic courage and generous public-
spirit of the officers she employed by land and sea ;
and, above all, to the sincere union of parties amongst
us, the contempt of private advantages, and a steady
concern for the safety, reputation, and future pro
sperity of this nation.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 808

CHAP. XXI.
The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Union of the
two Kingdoms, to the End of the Reign qf her Majesty
Queen Anne.
As I propose to make the union of the two king
doms the great event from whence, in this chapter, I
shall deduce our naval history to the present times ;
and as this event in itself has had a great influence
on the uaA'al power and commerce of this nation, I
think I cannot act with greater propriety, than to
open the chapter with an impartial account of that
important transaction. This I take to be the more
necessary, because almost all historians, and writers
of memoirs, have given too much way to their passions
and prejudices, in Avhat they say about it ; and this
to so great a degree, that they not only contradict
and abuse each other, but also darken things in such
a manner, th'at even the most intelligent reader can
hardly discern the truth. As I am not conscious of
feeling in myself so much as a spark of party-heat ;
as I have some relation to, and at the same time an
equal affection for both countries, without the least
bias in favour of either, I shall endeavour to give a
clear, succinct, and fair account of this whole busi
ness ; in order to Avhich, I shall begin with the mo
tives which induced the queen's ministry to push this
matter so earnestly at that time: I shall next con
sider, the advantages proposed to each nation from
this Union, which, will consequently oblige me to
say somewhat of the persons who opposed, and the
grounds of their opposition to it; after which, I shall

904 NAVAL HI&XORT
give a very short detail of the rise, progress, conclu
sion, and consequences of it.
It had been very apparent almost to eveiy English
ministry, from the time the two kingdoms had been
united under one monarch, that something was want
ing to complete that strength and harmony, which
every reasonable man looked for from this conjunction;
neither was it long, before some able statesman per
ceived what it was that must produce this effect; and
a national union accordingly was proposed in the reign
of King James I.
It was defeated then, as great and good designs ^^rc
generally defeated, through want of public spifit.
The king was partial to his countrymen, and the
English were partial to their country. The former
thought it his duty to make all his old dependents
rich, in a manner not over justifiable ; and the last
despised the poverty of that nation to such a degree,
that they forgot how far their own poAver and riches
might suffer from such treatment.
Under King Charles I, his old hereditary subjects
departed from their duty to him, and, a potent fac
tion in England inclining the same Avay, the great
weight of these northern neighbours was soon made
but too evident, by the murder of the king, and the
destruction of the constitutions of both kingdoms.
After the restoration, the pohtics of Charles II. took
such a turn, as necessarily occasioned all thoughts of
a closer union between the two crowns to be laid
aside, it having been a maxim, during his reign, to
make use of one nation to awe the other. The un
fortunate King James II. sat too short a time on the
throne, and felt too many cares, from the time he
ascended it, to form any projects of this nature,
though othervv^ise much might hav^e been expect
ed from him ; for he was certainly a better judge
himself, of the interest of both kingdoms, than any
prince of his line. Some thoughts there were of an
union in the beginning of King William's time ; but

OF QUEEN ANNE. 805
the design was dropped from the belief, or rather the
apprehension, of its being impracticable.*
The lord high-treasurer Godolphin, one of the
ablest and most prudent ministers we ever had, saw
very soon the expediency of such a thorough na
tional union, for the public service, and the neces
sity of it for his own safety. He saw that, without
this, the Hanover succession could never take place,
the war Avith France be effectually carried on, or the
new system that he vvas then introducing, ever be
established on a firm basis. As he vvas far from af
fecting the exercise of a boundless arbitrary power,
so, to establish his influence in Scotland, he had,
through the advice of some of the statesmen of that
country, given Avay to the passing some acts of par
liament there, which enabled the people to stand
upon even ground with the English, and put it in
their power, when they were at any time crossed, to
carry things very high, and consequently to talk
much higher, f
* In the text I have given a succinct account of the several de-
^igns formed for uniting the two kingdoms. I am not ignorant
that there were other attempts of that nature ; such as in the
reign of King Charles II. in the beginning of that of King AV il.
liam ; as also in the beginning of the queen's reign : but these were
mere arts of state policy, and not founded upon any settled de
sign of really bringing it about ; and therefore, as the nature of
this work would not allow me to enter into a strict chronological
deduction of this atfair, I thought the best thing 1 could do, was
to give the reader, as far as in my power lay, a true state of the
matter, in the shortest compass possible.
+ Whatever other writers may assert, this was undoubtedly the
fact. The English parliament had recommended the succession, I
mean the procuring the Hanover succession to be settled in Scot
land, very earnestly. The parliament of Scotland, inclined to
make use of this opportunity, to get some favourable conditions
stipulated for their trade; and as quiet was at this time very neces
sary, and in the nature of the thing, perhaps, the desires of the
parliament of Scotland not altogether unreasonable, they were al
lowed to pass an act, by whicli the prerogative of the crown was
limited, and peace and war were left, not only to the approba
tion, but to the consent of parliament. This, with another act
vox. III. X

806 NAVAL HISTORY
In order to rid himself of these difficulties, the trea
surer, in conjunction with Lord Somers, formed the
scheme of the Union, vvhich they resolved should not
be a temporary expedient, but such an act as might re
move all their doubts and fears effectually, and for ever.
When they had settled this project to their own satis
faction, they took the advice of some great men of
the other kingdom, particularly the earl of Stair, a
man of vast abihties, and, in all the senses of the
word, a perfect politician. He it was who gave them
the lights they wanted ; he shewed them how, and
by what means, his countrymen might be managed ;
he pointed out such as would oppose it heartily, and
such as vvould oppose it only till they found their ac
count in desisting from that opposition. In short, he
gave both the first plan of, and the last form to this
great work, and dictated the means which made it
both plausible and practicable.
In regard to the advantages resulting from this mea
sure to both kingdoms, they were, in the judgment of
the ministry, very great ; on the side of England espe
cially, and of Scotland apparently. With regard to
the former, the benefits derived from it were real and
substantial, but some of them were such as it was
not thought proper to avow. For example, the gO'
vernment in England could never be safe, whilst
Scotland remained an independaut kingdom, at li
berty to make laws, set up trading companies, or
raise forces whenever she thought fit ; nor was the
succession safe, while the parliament of Scotland had
impowering the Scots to arm themselves, alarmed the English
House of Commons to such a degree, as to address the queen, to
order the militia of the four northern counties to be disciplined,
and to take some other steps, which had a direct tendency to
plunge the two nations in a war. The treasurer, therefore, saw
himself under the necessity of bringing about an union, to avoid
these mighty inconveniencies, and to enable him to carry on his
great scheme, of ruining the power of France ; which must cer
tainly have miscarried, if these domestic quarrels bad come to ex.
tremities.

OF QUEEN ANNE. so?
an indubitable right to depart from that measure, and
a strong party w^as actually formed in that country
for departing from it.
An entire, absolute, and uniform dominion over
Scotland, was necessary to the safety, power, and
commerce of England ; and this dominion could be
attained no other way. The danger of having princes
drawn to pursue different measures in the different
kingdoms, or to govern in England upon the maxims
of northern ministers, the mischiefs of which had
been severely felt, and thoroughly understood, from
the power of the duke of Lauderdale with King
Charles II. which lasted during life, and which,
without disputing how far it Avas right or wrong,
enabled the king to maintain his power in both coun
tries, and that too in a higher degree than vvas very
acceptable to a great part of his subjects, in either,
was yet recent,.
The other motives that were commonly insisted
upon, were these ; viz. The uniting the interests of
both kingdoms, which had often thwarted each other,
and thereby giving the united kingdoms, or, which
was the same thing, England, much greater force,
and consequently much greater weight abroad ; the
conveniency of bringing both nations under one form
of government, the seat of which must alw^aye re
main fixed in England, and consequently all advan
tages accruing to Scotland for the future, must be
drawn to, and centre there ; the extirpating the
French and Jacobite interest, where it vvas evidently
strongest, introducing the Hanover succession, se-*
curing the Protestant interest, giving one turn of
mind to all the people in the island, putting them
Under the same rulers, the same taxes, and the same
prohibitions, so as to have but one political head,
Avith a due subordination of members ; these were
considerations so high in themselves, and of such
certainty in their consequences, that the bulk of
the Eno;lish nobility and gentry Avere no sooner
X 2

308 NAVAL HISTORY
acquainted with them, than they were convinced of
their urility, and that it was not very easy to set the
purchase at too high a rate ; especially, when they
considered the mischiefs to which they had been ex
posed in former times from the want of such an
union. The ministry had a just foresight of this,
and gave themselves, therefore, very little trouble
about preparing their friends in England for the re
ception and execution of their scheme, because
they knew, that whenever it was proposed and ex
plained, it would make its own way ; and their
good sense, and right judgment in this manage
ment, Avere fully justified by the event, *
The advantages proposed to Scotland Avere, the
freeing that kingdom from all tbe grievances of which
they had so long, and so justly complained ; such as,
that their interest always gave way to that of Eng
land; that their concerns abroad vvere sacrificed, in
stead of being protected ; that, A\ath equal prejudice
to them, they Avere considered sometimes as subjects,
but mostly as foreigners ; that they were discou
raged in carrying on their trade and manufactures ;
and, in fine, continually upbraided with their po-
A'erty, while it was made an iuA'ariable. maxim of
English policy, to keep them poor. By this Union,
it was proposed to make them one nation with the
English, and to admit them to a full participation of
their liberties, privileges, and commerce ; as also to
a share in the government and legislature, and a per
petual conjunction of interests at home and abroad ;
(SO that henceforward the government of the united
kingdom would be equally in the hands of persons
of both countries, which would prevent partiality on
the one side, and take away many hardships that ^,
had hitherto been felt on the other.
In short, it was insinuated, that, for the sake of
peace and general security, the EngTish were content
to grant their neighbours, not only as good conditions
as they could well expect, but even better than they

OF QUEEN ANNE. 80J^
could reasonably desire; and that, to obtain the
friendship and assistance of Scotland, the people of
England were desirous to bury in oblivion all their
former prejudices, and to contribute, as far as lay in
their pov/er, to support and enrich the inhabitants of
the northern part of the island, and to treat them so
favourably in point of taxes, as that they should have
many and strong reasons to be very well pleased with
the exchange of nominal prerogatives, for real and
weighty advantages.
Such as opposed the Union in Scotland, were either
the friends of the Stuart family, or such as vvere, from
neglect or disappointment, discontented under that
administration. The former were in earnest con
cerned, for the dignity and independency of tbe
crown of Scotland, the honour of the nobility, and
the welfare of the people, considered by thein as a
nation having interes,ts separate from, and in some
cases opposite to, those of the English. These men,
upon their principles, heartily disliked the Union, and
had reason to dislike it.* But as for the malecontents,
* Bishop Burnet's reflections upon this subject, which he un.
derstood as well as any man, deserve the reader's notice and at
tention. " The treaty," says he, " being laid before the parlia
ment in Scotland, met with great opposition there. It was visible,
that the nobility of that kingdom suffered a great diminution by it;
for, though it was agreed, that they should enjoy all the other
privileges of the peers of England, yet the greatest of them all,
which was the voting in the House of Lords, was restrained to
sixteen, to be elected by the rest, at every new parliament; yet
there was a greater majority of the nobility that concurred in
voting for the Union, than in the other states of that kingdom.
The commissioners for the shires and boroughs were almost equally
divided, though it was evident, they were to be the chief gainers
by it; among these, the Union was agreed to, by a very small
majority: it was the nobility that< in every vote turned the scale
for the Union. They were severely reflected on by those who op
posed it ; it was said, many of them were bought ofl" to sell their
country, and their birth-right. All those who adhered inflexibly
to the Jacobite interest, opposed every step that was made, with
great vehemence ; for they saw, that the Union struck at the root
of ail their views and designs, for. a new revolution; yet these could

,310 NAVAL HISTORY
they set up pretences of an odd and extraordinary
nature, and while they pretended zeal for the govern
ment, aUeged, that Scotland would be prejudiced by
the Union ; Avhich, according to their principles, it
was impossible to prove.
There was a third party in Scotland, which must
be allowed by men of all principles, to have acted
with great candour and uprightness. These were
styled the Squadrone, and, if I might be allowed to
translate the word into political English, I should call
them Old Whigs. They had been very instrumental
in the revolution, and were cordial friends to the
government; but, from motives of state which I
shall not take upon me to explain, had been turned
out of their places, and ill enough treated during this
reign. These men, however, remained firm to their
principles, which led them to approve and promote
the Union ; and they did it with great zeal. Their
arguments were strong and conclusive, and made the
greater impression, because they were disinterested.
There Avas, as is usual in cases of the like nature, a
good deal of corruption practised ; but all this would
never have carried the point, if it had not been abet
ted by the industry and zeal of these worthy men.
The earl of Stair, Avho Avas not of their number, knew
this, and therefore advised taking them, and the
country party, into the commission for settling that
important treaty ; but his advice was followed by the
ministers only in the latter part, which, though it
not have raised or maintained so great an opposition as was now
made, if the Presbyterians had not been possessed with a jealousy,
that the consequence of this Union would be the change of church-
government among them, and that they would be swallowed up
by the church of England. This took such root in many, that no
assurances that were offered could remove their fears. It was in
fused into them, chiefly by the old duchess of Hamilton, whohad
great credit with them. And it was suggested, that she and her
son had particular views, as hoping, that if Scotland should con.
tinue a separate kingdom, the crown might come into their family,
they being the next in blood after King James's posterity."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 311
amazed the world at that time, had however the
effect he expected from it, and was one great cause
that the affair succeeded so well as it did.
I All things being thus settled, the queen, by her
commission, dated at Kensington, the 27th of Feb
ruary, 1706, in virtue of powers granted to her by an
act of parliament, passed in Scotland, appointed thirty
commissioners on the part of Scotland, and on the
10th of April following, her Majesty appointed as
many English commissioners.* This commission was
opened at the Cockpit, on the l6th of April, 1706,
William Cowper, Esq. then lord-keeper, delivering
the sense of the English commissioners, and the earl
of Seafield, lord high-chancellor of Scotland, acted in
like manner on the part of their commissioners. On
the first of May, the queen paid them a visit, and in
quired into the progress they had made.
About a month after, she did the same ; and these
instances of royal care had such an effect, that on the
2^d of July, the commissioners signed and sealed the
articles, which were presented to the queen the next
day. By these articles, which were in number twenty-
five, the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, were
united, under the title of Great Britain ; the Pro
testant succession settled ; one parhament established;
the common enjoyment of privileges and commerce
stipulated ; ships built in Scotland, admitted under
the act of navigation ; an equal distribution of cus
toms and excises fixed ; the duties upon salt regu
lated ; the land-tax adjusted in the following propor
tion; viz. that when England paid 1,997,736/. 8*. 4id.
Scotland should pay 48,000/. and so in proportion ;
and, as an equivalent for Scotland's being charged
* See the Journal of the Proceeding of the noble and honour.
able persons who acted for both nations in the Treaty of Union,
which began on the 16th of April, 1706, and was concluded on
the 22d of July following, with the Articles then agreed on in
London, 1706. The queen's commission to the lords commis.
sionier! of both kingdoms are prefixed thereto.

812 NAVAL HISTORY '
Avnth the debts of England, there was granted to the
former by the latter, the sum of 39»j085/. 105, to be
applied to the discharge of the public debts of the
kingdom of Scotland, the capital stock of the African
and India company, with interest at 5 per cent, and
for the improvement of manufactures and trade in
that part of the island. It Avas also provided, that the
monies and weights of Scotland should be the same
with those of England ; the Scots courts of justice
v/ere preserved, together vvith all hereditary offices,
and the rights and privileges of the royal boroughs ;
the representative body of Scotland was fixed at six
teen peers, and forty- five commoners, which though
small in proportion to the English peers and com
moners, yet was high in comparison of the share
borne by Scotland in ~the taxes ; the rights and pri
vileges of the rest of the peers were fully secured ; so
that, except sitting in the house, they were to enjoy
all the privileges of the peerage ; and all the laws of
either kingdom, inconsistent with the Union, were
declared null and void.*
* The advantages on the side of Scotland were such, as enabled
those who supported the Union, to say many strong things in its
favour ; for whereas, when England paid two millions by way of
land-ta.x, Scotland was to pay but forty-eight thousand pounds,
yet, in return for bearing a fortieth part of the expence, they had
the eleventh part of the legislature given them ; and fhe event has
shewn, that the power of their members in a British parliament is
not so inconsiderable as the enemies of that treaty represented it to
the parliament. There were, besides, some other strong motives
which induced the better sort of the inhabitants of Scotland to wish
well to the Union. A great part of the gentry of that kingdom,
who had been often in England, and observed the protection that
all men had from a House of Commons, and the security that it
procured against partial judges and a violent ministry, entered into
the design with great zeal. The opening a free trade, not only
with Kngland, but vvith the plantations, and the protection of the
fleet of En^and, drew in those who understood those matters, and
who saw there was no other way to make the nation rich and con
siderable. Those also who had engaged deeply in the design of
Darien, and were great losers by it, saw now an honourable way to
be reimbursed ; which made them wish well to the Union, and pr.o.«
?note it.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 313
In the next session of parliament in Scotland, the
Union was carried, though not without great debates,
and some protests. In England it went easier. In
the House of Commons, there was little or no oppo
sition ; there would have been a very warm one in
the House of Lords, but it was prevented by the wis
dom of Sir Simon Harcourt, afterwards Viscount Har
court, and lord-chancellor, who drew the act so, that it
Avould admit of no debate, but upon the general
question, whether it should, or should not pass.*
It was carried in the House of Commons by a ma
jority of 274, against I6O, and was carried up to the
House of Lords on the 1st of March, by the late earl
of Wilmington, then Spencer ComptOn, Esq ; passed
in that house by a majority of 55, to 29, and on the
6th of March the queen came, and gave her royal
assent ; upon whicli occasion her Majesty delivered
* Wc have this fact from Bishop Burnet, who lays it down in a
very clear and satisfactory manner. " When all was agreed to,"
says he, " in both houses, a bill was ordered to be brought in,
to enact it, which was prepared by Harcourt, with so particular
a contrivance, that it cut off all debates. The preamble was a
recital of the articles, as they were passed in Scotland, together
with the acts made in both parliaments, for the security of their
several churches ; and, in conclusion, there came one enacting
clause, ratifying all. This put those upon great difliculties,
who had resolved to object to several articles, and to insist on de
manding some alterations in them ; for they could not come to any
debate about them ; they could not object to the recital, it being
but bare matter of fact; and they had not strength enough to op.
pose the general enacting clause, nor was it easy to come at par
ticulars, and to offer provisos relating to them. The matter was
carried on with such zeal, that it passed through the House of
Commons, before those, who intended to oppose it, had reco
vered themselves out of the surprise under which, the form it was
drawn in, had put them. It did not stick long in the House of
Lords, for all the articles had been copiously debated there for
several days before the bill was sent up to them ; and thus this
great design, so long wished and laboured for in vain, was begun
and happily ended, within the compass of nine months. The
Union was to commence on the first of May, and till that time
the two kingdoms were still distinct, and their two parliament*
epatinupd still to sit.

814 NAVAL HISTORY
herself thus: "I consider this Union as a matter
of the greatest importance, to the wealth, strength^
and safety of the whole island; and at the same time
as a work of so much difficulty and nicety in its own
nature, that till now, all attempts which have been
made towards it, in the course of above one hundred
years, have proved ineffectual ; and therefore, I make
no doubt, but it will be remembered and spoke of
hereafter, to the honour of those Avho have been in
strumental in bringing it to such a happy'conclusion.
I desire, and expect from all my subjects, of both na
tions, that from henceforth they act with all possible
respect and kindness to one another, that so it may
appear to all the world, they have hearts disposed to
become one people ; this will be a great pleasure to
me, and wiU make us all quickly sensible of the good
effects of this Union. And I cannot but look upon
it as a particular happiness, that in my reign, so full
a provision is made for the peace and quiet of my
people, and for the security of our religion, by so firni
an establishment of the Protestant succession through
out Great Britain. Gentlemen of the House of Com
mons ; I take this occasion to remind you of making
effectual provision for the payment of the equivalent
to Scotland, Avithin the time appointed by this act,
and I am persuaded you will shew as much readiness
in this particular, as you have done in all the parts of
this great work."
It is certain, that the passing the Union was a mor
tal blow to the French ; and it is no less certain, that
the French did not exert themselves, as they might
have done, to prevent it. Yet I am far from think'
ing with Bishop Burnet, though I esteem his account
of the Union very much, that this proceeded from an
absolute inabihty, and that they did not, according to
their common practice, try the influence of their gold,
because they had it not ; I say, I do not think this,
because I apprehend I shall be able to shew the con
trary. The true reason, then, in my judgment, why

OF QUEEN ANNE. 3J5
the French were so cool in this affair, was this ; they
thought that, though the Union would destroy their
interest in Scotland. entirely, if it could be established,
yet, that the suffering that law to pass, was the like
liest way for them to defeat it : for they depended
upon a back game ; and, looking upon it as a thing
certain, that this would throw Scotland into the ut
most confusion, they projected an invasion, not with
any sincere intention of fixing the son of King James
upon the throne of Scotland, but of making use of
him to excite a civil war in that kingdom, Avhich,
they apprehended, would at least force England to
consent to the dissolution of the Union, in order to
make the people of Scotland easy.
If this had not been their scheme, Avhy did they
afterwards attempt the invasion? If want of money
had been the only reason for their not exerting their
influence, how came they by the mighty sums of
ready money, which that fruitless and foolish invasion
cost them ? I have now done with this affair of the
Union, and shall only add my opinion of it freely, which
is, that both nations have been great gainers by it,
and that neither have the least cause to complain of
it. If, on the one hand, the inhabitants' of North
Britain have not profited as njuch by it as they ex
pected, it is their own fault; for, without industry
and application to Trade, ills impossible any nation
should be great gainers by it ; and, on the other, if
the English repine at seeing so many of that nation
in civil, military, and naval employments, they are
bUnd to their own interests ; for it is plain, that by
acting in this manner, these men waste all their days
in the service of England ; whereas, if they applied
themselves to commerce and manufactures, they
might live happily in their own, and enjoy there the
greatest freedom and independency.
The war had now continued long enough to make
both sides very weary of it, and yet the French were
not sufficiently humbled, to think of peace on the

316 NAVAL' HISTORY
terms prescribed to them. On the contrary, they
found means this campaign, to bring more troops into
the field, than since the war began ; which obliged
the allies to make as formidable augmentations to
oppose them. In short, as the maritime powers bore
the largest share in the expence, and reaped the least
immediate benefit from the continuance of the war,
it was resolved to make the utmost efforts this year to
put an end to it. With this view, the duke of Marl
borough, and the English ministry, concerted several
schemes for distressing the enemy on all sides, par
ticularly in Spain, in Italy, and even in their own
country; and this, especially, by the help of the
great maritime power we then had in the Mediterra
nean.* It Avould lead us into frequent and un
necessary repetitions, if we should enter here into
a copious detail of these projects, and therefore, to
avoid such inconveniences, we will speak of each in
its tarn, and, as near as may be, in the order of time
in which they were undertaken.
In respect to the war with Spain, an opinion began
about this time to prevail in England, that it was neg
lected, chiefly because the ministry found it imprac
ticable to push this, and the war in Flanders at the
same time. The duke of Marlborough knowing how
injurious this report was to his reputation, pressed the
prosecution of the war in Spain this year, with the
utmost spirit ; the rather, because a great reinforce
ment of English and Dutch troops had been lately
sent thither : and it was very well known, that Sir
* It is very surprising, that France, after such a series of mis
fortunes, should be able to make the figure that she did this year.
The truth, however, seems to be, that the absolute power of her
government, gave her great advantages over the allies. The em
peror's consenting to the evacuation of Italy, without so much as
consulting either Great Britain or Holland, was the great source of
Kin^ Philip's success in Spain ; and whoever considers attentively
the French schemes for carrying on this campaign, will easily dis
cern, that they must have met with the like success every whew
else, if it had not been for our expedition against Toulon.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 317
Cloudesley Shovel would neglect nothing that might
contribute to the advancement of the service. The
army under the command of the earl of Galway, was
very early in the field, and promised great things;
but whether his abilities were unequal to such a com
mand, as some have suggested ; or, as others allege.
King Charles ruined his own affairs, by marching
back with a great body of troops into Catalonia ; so
it was, that about the middle of the month of April,
that nobleman found himself under the dreadful ne
cessity, at least as he imagined, of either starving, or
fighting a superior army.
Accordingly, on the 14th of April, his lordship,
with about sixteen thousand men, ventured to give
battle to the duke of Berwick, who had twenty-four
thousand, and of these nearly eight thousand horse and
dragoons, that were very fine troops. The English
and Dutch were at first victorious, and broke through
the enemy twice; but the Portuguese, it is said, be
haved very ill, or rather did not behave at all, which
gave the enemy an opportunity of flanking the Eng
lish and Dutch, of whom about ten thousand were
killed or taken prisoners. The earl of Galway retired
with the broken remains of his army, which, however,
nothing could have saved, but the timely appearance
of our fleet. Sir Cloudesley Shovel knowing the dis
tress that our army was in, thrpugh the want of almost
every thing necessary, sent Sir George Byng, with a
strong squadron to the coast of Spain for their relief.
3ir George sailed on the thirtieth of March, and
coming off Cape St, Vincent, on the fifteenth of
April; he received there the news of our defeat.
He soon after received a message from Lord Gal
way, acquainting him vvith the distress he was in, and
desiring, that whatever he brought for the use of the
army, might be carried to Tortosa, in Catalonia, to
Avhich place his lordship designed to retreat, and that,
if possible, he would save the sick and wounded men at
Denia, Gandia, and Valencia, where it was intended

318 NAVAL HISTORY
the bridges of boats, baggage, and all things that'
could be got together, should be put on-board. Ac
cordingly, he took care of the sick and wounded men,
and sent them to Tortosa, Avhere the Lord Galway
proposed to make a stand Avith the poor remains of
the army. This service employed Sir George Byng
almost the whole month of April, and then he was in
daily expectation of being joined by Sir Cloudesley
Shovel, from Lisbon, either on that part of the coast
of Spain, or at Barcelona, whither he Avas destined.
Thus all the great things that Avere hoped for, from
the augmentation of our forces in Spain, were abso
lutely disappointed ; and this, chiefly, through, the
unaccountable mismanagement of that prince, for
whose service all these expensive and hazardous ex
peditions were undertaken. Let us now turn our
eyes to Italy, where we shall find a scene much of
the same nature.
The first design that Avas formed upoh Toulon, by
the duke of Savoy, is very positiA'ely said to have been
concerted with tbe famous earl of Peterborough ; but
his royal highness, finding that nobleman had no
longer any great credit at court, he changed the
scheme entirely, and concerted by his ministers at
London a nevV one, with the duke of Marlborough.*
This, to say the truth, was the best design laid during
the war, if we except the march into Germany, which
had this advantage over it, that it was not only laid,
but executed by the duke of Marlborough. The
* This is a very dark and perplexed affair ; and, for any thing I
can perceive, most of our historians are at a loss about it. The
truth of the matter, to me, seems to be this. The duke of Savoy,
and PrinceEugene, first proposed attacking Toulon, to the earl of
Peterborough, who thereupon wrote to his court about it. Jn the
mean time the duke of Marlborough had proposed the same thing
to Count Massey abroad, and afterwards concerted the whole
scheme with that minister, and Count Briancon at London, The
duke of Savoy, however, did not think fit to acquaint the earl of
Peterborough, that his project was laid aside; and this it was, if I
conjecture right, that created all this confusion.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 819
taking Toulon, if it could have been effected, would
have destroyed for ever the maritime power of France;
rendered her utterly incapable of carrying on any
commerce with Spanish America, and have distressed
her to such a degree at home, as must have produced
an immediate peace, even upon worse terms than had
been hitherto prescribed to her. All things were soon
settled between us and the duke of Savoy ; he could
not undertake such an expedition without large sup
plies of money, and these we both promised and paid
him : yet, ev^en this would not have engaged him in
so dangerous an attempt, if we had not given him the
strongest assurances, that our fleet should constantly
attend him ; which we likewise very punctually ful
filled. The first ill omen that appeared, was, the resolution
taken by the emperor, at this juncture, when his
forces in Italy should have been employed in pro
moting our design, to make with them the conquest
of the kingdom of Naples. In vain our ministers re
presented to his Imperial Majesty the mighty things
we had done for him and his family ; the great im
portance of the present undertaking to the common
cause, and the certainty of his acquiring Naples with
out resistance after the expedition was over. In vain
were the like applications from the Dutch ; and in
vain the earl of Manchester's journey, and the queen's
let-ter to dissuade him from that ill-timed attempt,
though written in the strongest terms, and all with
her own hand. He alleged, that such assurances
had been given to his friends in Naples, that some
thing should be immediately done for their service,
that it w^as impossible for him to desist, and there
fore, notwithstanding all these applications. Count
Daun had orders to march vvith 12,000 men, part of
the troops that should have been employed in the ex
pedition against Toulon, to invade that kingdom ;
vyhich he accordingly performed.*
* Bishop Burnet, vol. ii. reflects upon this step taken by the

820 NAVAL HISTOrV
The duke of Savoy, notwithstanding this disa|)*
pointment, continued, at least in all appearance, firnt
in his resolution, and it was resolved to prosecute this
great design, with the assistance of the English fleet.
Accordingly, Sir Cloudesley Shovel having joined Sir
George Byng, near Alicant, sailed for the coast of
Italy, and on tbe 5th of June, came to an anchor be
fore Final, with a fleet of forty-three men of war, and
fifty-seven transports. Prince Eugene went thither
to confer with the admiral ; and soon after the fleet
sailed for Nice, Avhece, on the 29th of the same
month, the admiral had the honour to entertain the
duke of Savoy, Prince Eugene, mpst of the general
officers, together with the English and Dutch minis
ters, on board his own ship, the Association.*
After dinner, they held a council of war, and
therein it Avas resolved to force a passage over the
Var, in which hazardous enterprise the English ad
miral promised to assist. On the last of June, this
daring attempt was undertaken, to the great astonish
ment of the Fiench, who believed their works upon
that river to be impregnable; and so indeed they would
have proved, to any forces in the world, except Eng
lish seamen. The late gallant Sir John, then only
Captain Norris, with some British and one Dutch
man of war, sailed to the mouth of the river, and em-
emperor, very severely; and, I think, with great justice. Butthe>
emperor went yet further: for he sent such orders to Prince Eu
gene, to avoid, on all occasions, exposing his troops that were to
be employed in the Toulon expedition, as proved one great cause
of the miscarriage of the allies when they came before that city,
* Sir Cloudesley Shovel, though he was not one of the politest
officers we ever had, 'shewed a great deal of prudence and address,
in the magnificent entertainment he made upon this occasion. The
duke, when he came on board the Association, found a guard of
halberdiers, in new liveries, at the great cabin-door. At the upper
end of the table was set an armed chair, with a crimson velvet
canopy. The table consisted cf sixty covers, and every thing was
so well managed, that his royal highness could not forbear saying,
to the admiral at dinner, " If your excellency had paid me a visi.|
at Turin, I could scarcely have treated you so well,'*

OF QUEEN ANNE. 321
barking six hundred seamen, and marines, in open
boats, entered it, and advanced within musket-shot
of the enemy's works, making such a terrible fire upon
them, that their cavalry, and many of their foot,
astonished at an attack they never suspected, began
to quit their intrenchments, and could not be pre
vailed upon by their officers to return.
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, who followed Sir John Nor
ris to the place of action, no sooner saw this con
fusion, than he ordered Sir John to land with the
seamen and marines, in order to flank the enemy. This
was performed with so much spirit, and Sir John and
his seamen scampered over works, which the French
thought inaccessible, so suddenly, that the enemy,
struck Avith a panic, threw down their arms, and fled
with the utmost precipitation. The duke of Savoy
immediately pursued this advantage, and in a single
half hour passed that river, which, in the judgment of
the best officers in his army, had, without this assist
ance, proved the ne plus ultra of his expedition.*
On the 2d of July, his royal highness, and Princ©
Eugene, with the British envoy, and Sir John Norris,
dined again on board the admiral ; and after dinner,
they entered into a conference, wherein, upon ma
ture dehberation, his royal highness was pleased to
* It may not be amiss to cite, on this occasion, the words of the
dispatch received from the confederate camp, July 14, N. S. as
they are printed in the Lond, Gaz. N°. 4352. " The admiral
himself followed Sir John Norris to the place of action, and ob.
serving the disorder of the enemy, commanded him to put to laud,
and flank them in their intrenchments. His men advanced in so ^
undaunted a manner, that the enemy, fearing to be surrounded,
marched out of their works, and retired with great precipitation.
His royal highness having received from the admiral an account,
that we were in possession of the enemy's works, ordered his
troops to pass the river, which they did with so great eagerness,
that above a hundred men were driven down by the violence of the
stream, and ten of them drowned; which was all the loss we sus
tained, in forcing a pass, where we expected the most vigorous op
position." — -Thus we see this whole affair was effected by English
sailors.
VOL. in. V

822 NAVAL HISTORY
declare, that since the queen of Great Britain had
earnestly recommended to him the marching directly
to Toulon, without losing time in the siege of any
place of less importance, he was lesolved to comply
with her Majesty's proposal, and hoped for a good
conclusion of the affair, through the continuance of
her Majesty's friendship and assistance, which had en
couraged him to undertake it. The army of the al
lies consisted of about 35,000 men, all inured to hard
ships, commanded by officers of the greatest expe
rience, and of the highest reputation, supported by a
numerous fleet, commanded by an admiral of known
courage and conduct, who, upon all occasions,
shewed the utmost zeal for the service, and particu
larly in this last conference, where the duke of Savoy
having observed, that even after Toulon was taken,
himself and his army rnight find it impracticable to re
treat ; the admiral replied, *' I hope better things
from your royal fiighnes's fortune ; but, if there should
be any appearance of such an event's happening, your
highness may rely upon me, I, will take care to sup
ply a sufficient number of transports to embark all
your troops." The duke thanked him for his gene
rous offer ; told him, he depended chiefly on the as
sistance he expected from him, and that, ifhe would
repair to the island of Hieres, he should not long re
main there, before he had advice of the army's being
in the neighbourhood of Toulon, and that then he
should expect' to see the fleet in the road.*
It is impossible to describe the confusion into
which this march of the duke of Savoy threw the
* Thus far all things went well, -because all parties were agreed;
but from this very moment the business began to be clouded. The
duke of Savoy, whatever the reason was, did not make the expe
dition he might have done; for though he began his march from
the Var, on the 3d of July, yet he did not arrive before Toulon
till the LSth, But when he found it necessary to make his retreatj
he did it with much greater expedition, for though he began it on
the 12th of August, he reached the Var by the 19th of the same
month.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 32?
French. Toulon Avas not in any state of defence;
they had no troops in that part of the country; they
scarcely knew whence to bring them. They had
then in the port a better fleet than they have been
masters of since ; besides twenty-five frigates, fire
ships, and other vessels of the same size, all of which,
they Avere sensible, were in the utmost danger of be^
ing destroyed. In this distress, Louis XIV, sbevved
less presence of mind than on any other occasion in
his whole reign; for he condescended to recall the
best officer iu prance, whom he had disgraced, I
mean the Marshal Catinat, in order to consult hijn ;
and, after taking his advice, was prevailed upon, by
female intrigues, to trust the e:^ecution of an affair
of such importance to the Marshal De Tesse, whp
had so notoriously blemished the honour of the
French arms by raising the siege of Gibraltar.
To say the trpth, the zeal of his subjects contri
buted more to the preservation of tbe place, than
either the monarch's care, or the skill of his generals;
for the nqbility and gentry of the adjacent provinces,
did not content themselves with arming and marchr
ing thither their tenants and servants, but even coined
their plate, and pawned their jewels, to raise money
to pay the workmen employed in the fortifications,
which were carried on Avith such amazing alacrity,
that in three weeks tinle, the town, as well as the port,
was in a pretty good state of defence; and they had,
besides, in the neighbourhood three intrenched camps
which, however, vvas all owing to the dilatorinpss of
..the ajhes,.*
* One;need not wpn^er at iS^e surprise tlj.e French court was in,
when the design of the duke of Savoy was no longer to be doubted;
Toulon was then in such a situation, tjhat, if the duke of Savoy
had marched expeditiously, it is not easy to conceive how his en
terprise could have niiscarried. They did not begio to fortify the
,city, till he had passed the Var, aij4 H was the 7th of j^ugust,
N.S. before M. T^^sse arrived .there. Four days sponer \foul(J
^yegiycfl his royal highness possession of Toulon, without a blow,
j^nl^S tli^,Frenc.b had beco mad enough to have stpod a stprm ; afi^

324 NAVAL HISTORY
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with the fleet under hia
command, sailed for the Hieres, after having made
ail the necessary dispositions for securing a safe and
constant intercourse between the army, and the do
minions of the duke of Savoy, upon Avhich the suc
cess of the whole was then thought to depend. It
Avas the 15th of July before the siege of Toulon was
formed, and on the 17th Admiral Shovel landed, and
assisted at a council of Avar, in Avhich many demands
Avere made on the fleet for the service of the army ;
and the admiral chearfully promised all that was in
his power, Avhich he accordingly performed. One
hundred cannon were landed from the fleet for the
batteries, with two hundred rounds of powder and
shot, and a considerable number of seamen to serve
as gunners ; and cordage, nails and spikes, with all
other things Avanting for the camp, were supphed
from the ships ; so that affairs had a very good face
till the 4th of August, when early in the morning the
enemy making cTvigorons sally, forced most, if not
all the confederate troops out of their works, and took
|5ossession to the right, where they continued all day,
and upon their going oft' destroyed them, drawing
away eight or ten guns into the town ; in which ac
tion there were killed and wounded on the side of the
duke of Savoy above eight hundred men, among
Avhom were the prince of Saxe Gotha, and some offi
cers of distinction. '
This attempt being made with such superiority of
in that case, the dispute must have been over in a few hours. As
it was, the duke of Savoy found the enemy as strong as himself,
they had six thousand men in the town, and twenty-four thousand
in the neighbourhood of it. The very moment the allies arrived,
the generals diflfered, his royal highness sent orders to Prince Eu
gene, to possess himself of Mount St. Ann, which he refused to do,
because, as I have observed, the emperor had ordered him not to
expose his troops. Foul weather, too, prevented the fleet from
lauding artillery and ammunition ; in all this time the enemy's
forces were increasing, since the allies flever had it in their poweir
to invest Toulon.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 325
numbers, it put the troops under great apprehensions,
and the generals Avere of opinion, that it would not
be proper to carry on the siege, since, Avhile the duke
of Savoy's army decreased, the enemy continually
gathered strength, insomuch that, on the sixth of
August, his royal highness desired the admiral would
immediately embark the sick and wounded, and with
draw the cannon, in order to his raising the siege,
Avhich from this time Avas turned only to a cannona
ding and bombardment. His royal highness also in
formed him, that he proposed to decamp the 10th in
the morning, and desired that the fleet might accom
pany the army as far as the Var ; which being done,
It was proposed to carry the duke. Prince Eugene^
and the troops which could be spared for service in
that country, on board the fleet to Spain : but since
there was not any thing determined in this affair, the
admiral soon after shaped his course down the Straits,
as we shall see hereafter. *
The very day the army began to" march, the fleet
drew as near the place as possible, and five bomb-
vessels, supported by the lightest frigates, and all the
boats of the men of war, under the command of Rear-
* Many reasons were assigned for the raising this siege ; I shall
mention only a few. It was said, that Sir Cloudesley Shovel dis
gusted the duke of Savoy, by detaining the payment of his subsi.
dies, which were due on his, passing the Var. I apprehend, how
ever, this fact could not be tru«, since the admiral sailed the next
day ; and therefore, he must either have paid the money, or his
Toyal highness would not have stirred a foot further. Bishop
Burnet saj's, that the duke was afraid of getting to Toulon before
the fleet, as in that case, he would have wanted provisions ; all
our Gazettes contradict this, and say, that if he had arrived there
sooner, he must have taken the place, and all the French maga
zines, I think there are three substantial reasons which cannot be
disputed, and which sufficiently account for the failing of this design.
First, the want of twelve thousand Imperialists, which as 1 have
said, were sent to Naples, Secondly, the disagreement between
his royal highness, and Prince Eugene. Thirdly, the treacherous
correspondence held by the Countess of Soissons, sister-in-law to
the prince, and the duke's near relation, of which we hAve an ac
count in the Lond. Gaz, N°. 4368.

b20 Naval liisToil^
admlfai Dilkes, advanced into the creek of fort ^t
Lewis, and notwithstanding a prodigious fire frotn the
j3lace, bombarded the town and harbour from noort
till five the next tnorning, and this with all the suc-^
cess that could be expected. By this mearis the land--
army had time to quit their camp at La Villette,
vvhich they did in flve columns in great safety, the
enemy having something else tb do than to pursue
them : and as to any attempts aftervvards, his royal
highnes.'i put them pretty much out of their power,
by marching, in two days, as far as in his approach
to the place he had marched in six. This disastrous
end had the famous siege of Toulon, from whence the
confederates hoped, and the French feared so much.
To speak impartially, one tnay safely set the faults
of both generals against each other. If the duke of
Savoy had arrived a week sooner, he had carried his
point : and if, on the other hand. Marshal Tesse had
understood his business, as well as Marshal Catinat,
his royal highness had returned without an army.
After all, this business, though it miscarried in the
main, prpved of great service to the allies, and had
hiany happy consequences, wbich perhaps ought to
balance the expence of it; for besides the gre^t
damage the French sustained in their shipping ; the
burning and destroying of eight of their capital ships;
the blowing up several rnagazines ; the burning of
above One hundred and Sixty houses in Toulon, and
the devastations committed in Provence by both ar
mies, to the value of thirty millions of French livres;
this enterprise, which struck a greater terror through
out all France, than had been known there during
the whole reign of Louis XlV, brought these further
advantages to the common cause, that it caused a
great diversion of the enemies forces, whereby their
army in Germany was weakened, th6 duke of Or-1
lean s's progress, after the battle of Aimanza, retardecl
in Spain ; the succouring of Naples prevented ; anci
the conquests of the allies in Italy secured.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 827
I must observe further, that as no prince in the
world knew better than the duke of Savoy how to fe-
pair faults, and recover past miscarriages; so he gave
on this occasion a noble proof of his high spirit, and
great presence of mind, by in\'esting the important
fortress of Suza, vvhich surrendered at discretion, on
the 24th of September, and thereby gave him an
open passage into Dauphine, at the same time that it
enabled him to shut the French effectually out of his
dominions. Our admiral, not a little chagrined at the miscar
riage of an expedition upon which he had^set his
heart, after having assigned Sir Thomas Dilkes a
squadron of thirteen sail, for the Mediterranean ser
vice, sailed with the rest of the fleet from Gibraltar.
On the 23d of October, he had ninety fathom water
in the Soundings, in the afternoon he brought the
fleet to and lay by. At six in the evening he made
sail again, and stood away under his courses, whence
it is presumed, he believed that he saw the light of
Scilly ; soon after which he made signals of~danger,
as several other ships did. Sir George Byng, who
was then within less than half a mile to the wind
ward of himj saw the breaches of the sea, and soon
after the rocks, called the Bishop and his Clerks,
upon which the admiral, struck (though, according
to some. Sir Cloudesley struck upon the Gilston
rock, and not upon the Bishop and his Clerks'), and
in two minutes there was nothing more of him, or
his §hip seen.
Besides the Association, the Eagle, Captain Robert
Hancock, of seventy guns, and the Romney, Captain
William Coney, of fifty, guns, perished : the Fire
brand fire-ship was lost likewise; but Captain Piercy,
who commanded her, and most of the company were
saved; the Phoenix fire-ship, commanded by Captain
Sansom, , ran ashore, but was happily got off again. >
The Royal Anne,- in which Sir George Byng bore his
flag, was saved by the presence of mind of the

S28 NAVAL HISTORY
officers and men, Avho in a minute's*time set her top
sails, when she Avas within a ship's length of the
rocks. Lord Dursley, in the St. George, ran as great
hazard, and was saved by mere accident; he struck
on the same rocks with Sir Cloudesley, and that wave
Avhich beat out the admiral's lights, set his ship
afloat. The day after this unhappy accident, some
countiy fellows took up Sir Cloudesley Shovel's
body, stripped him, and buried him in the sand ; but
the boats crew of the Salisbury, and the Antelope,
having discovered it, dug him up again, put his
corpse on board the Salisbury, by whom it was
brought home to Plymouth, on the 28th of October,
conveyed thence to London, and buried with great
Solemnity in Westminster-abbey, where a magnificent
tomb vvas soon after erected to his memory.*
Rear-admiral Dilkes, with the squadron appointed
for the Mediterranean service, sailed from Gibraltar
on the 5th of October, in order to have escorted a
convoy of troops, and provisions from Italy to Cata
lonia. But when he was some leagues westward of
^Barcelona, he received several expresses, desiring
that he would enter that port, his Catholic Majesty
having some matters of great consequence to com
municate to him. The admiral accordingly repaired
thither, and found that the principal point in view
with his Catholic Majesty w^as, the reduction of the
island of Sardinia, and the defence of the Catalonian
coasts. The proposition made by his Majesty, not
being consistent with the orders which Sir Thomas
Dilkes had already received, he found himself under
a necessity of waving, in the best manner he could,
* 'We shall have occasion to speak, hereafter, more at large of
this unfortunate event, when we come to the memoirs of this
admiral. There were nearly nine hundred persons on board the
Association when she was lost, and not a soul escaped. The
Chaplain happened to go on board another ship that morning, in
order to administer the sacrament to some dying people, and by
this means his life was saved.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 329
complying with what his Catholic Majesty desired,
and since the care of the embarkation in Italy, was
Earticularly recommended to him, by his instructions,
e sailed from Barcelona on the second of November;
but meeting with hard gales of wind, his squadron
was separated, and could not join again before the
14th, when, being off Cape Corsica, he received a
letter from the King of Spain, which contained an
account of the loss of Lerida, and of the great danger
of Tortosa and Terragond,
He arrived at Leghorn on the IQth of November,
but met in the road Avith so terrible a storm, that
almost every ship in his squadron suffered by it. At
his arrival he dethanded a salute of seventeen guns,
AVhich was refused him : upon this, he wrote to her
Majesty's minister at tbe court of the grand duke,
who complained of the disrespect. The secretary of
state sent him soon after an answer, importing, that
the castle of Leghorn never saluted an;^ flag under
the degree of a vice-admiral ; and therefore Sir
Thomas Dilkes, being a rear-admiral only, had no
right to expect it ; and as to the number of guns.
Sir Cloudesley Shovel was content with eleven, and
returned the same number. On the first of Decem
ber, this dispute being adjusted, he was invited on
shore, and died a few days afterwards of a fever,
caused, as most people imagined, by an Italian din
ner. Upon his decease, the command devolved on Cap
tain Jasper Hicks, who was the senior officer, and
who sailed from Leghorn to the coast of Genoa, Avliere
embarking the troops at Vado, a little town to the
Avestward of Savona, he escorted them safely to
Spain, and then proceeded with his squadron to Lis
bon, Avhere he received orders to put it in the best
condition he could, against the arrival of Sir John
Leake, who was coming, with the title of admiral and
commander in chief, from England. It may not be
amiss to observe, that this year the enemy had a con^

830 NAVAL HISTORY
siderable force in the Mediterranean, which relieved
their party in the island of Minorca, and did other
services in those parts; but it was in a manner by
Stealth, and in the absence of our fleet, which, as
the reader has seen, was then before Toulon, I shall
conclude this subject, with observing, that how ill
soever our affairs went in Spain, it was owing intirely
to the disputes amongst our land-officers, and the
mischiefs and miscarriages induced thereby; for, at
sea, all things went well ; our fleets and squadrons did
all that could be expected from them, and it seemed
to be our misfortune, that it was not in their power
to do all that vv'as to be done.
If it had, we should certainly have carried our
point, and King Philip, notwithstanding all the great
succours that he received from his grandfather, would
have been obliged to quit his pretensions to Spain
and the Indies.* But, as Bishop Burnet has ^hewri, ^
the Austrian politics, at this juncture, fell in with '
the French ; and yet we continued to serve that
august house, not only at the expence of our inter
est, but, as it vvere in spite of their teeth.f
* It is true, many, indeed most of the ancient nobility, adhered
steadily to King Philip ; but still, partly from the misuiiderstand-
irtg between the kingdoms and principalities which compose the
Spanish monarchy, the feuds amongst the grandees, and the insi
nuations of some politicians, that as they became Bourbonites only
to prevent the dismembering the dominions of their crown, they
might turn Austrians again if they found this the only way of com
passing their end ; there was a strong party for King Charles III.
who, by the assistance of the maritime powers, might have been
placed and kept upon the throne, at least for a considerable time,
f As this is a very extraordinary assertion, I think myself
obliged to cite Bishop Burnet's own words, " The court of
France, finding they could not prevail on the Kiog of Sweden,
made a public application to the Pope for his mediating a peace.
They offered the dominions in Italy to King Charles ; to the States,
a barrier in the Netherlands, and a compensation to the Duke of
Savoy, for the waste made in his country ; provided that, on those
Conditions, King Philip should keep Spain, and the AVest Indies.
It was thought the court of Vienna wished this project might be
entertained J but the other allies were so disgusted at it, that they

OF QUEEN ANI^E. 831
Before I return to the consideration of affairs nearer
home, it Avill be proper to say something as to a se
cret treaty between the queen of Great Britain, and
King Charles III, of Spain, because that was the real
source of some very great events which afterwards
happened, though there is very little mention made
of this treaty in any of our histories, Mr, Stanhope,
afterwards Earl Stanhope, and a great minister here,
then rimnaged her Majesty's affairs with King Charles.
He, representing the zeal Avith which Great Britain
had always supported his Catholic Majesty, and the
immense expence she had been at, in order to establish
him on the throne of his ancestors, prevailed on him,
partly out of gratitude, and partly from a sense of
the necessity he lay under of depending still on our
protection, to conclude secretly a treaty of commerce,
extremely favourable for the subjects of Britain, and
which, in case that prince had been firmly established
oil the throne of Spain, must quickly have reimbursed
the nation all she had laid out for the service of his
Catholic Majesty. -
By it, the English alone Avere entrusted with the
Barbary trade, and were to import into all the mari
time places in Spain, such kind of goods from thence
as should appear to them proper, and without paying
any higher duty, than if those goods were actually
the growth and inerchandi.se of Great Britain. The
English merchants residing in Spain, were to give
security for their duties, and were to pay them six
months after the goods were landed and sold, A new
book of rates vvas to be established by English and
Spanish commissioners, which was not to be altered,
and all merchandises tbat were omitted therein, vvere
to pay seven per cent, ad valorem, according to the
invoice. These advantages were in themselves very
made no steps towards it. The court of Vienna did what they
could to confound the designs of this campaign, for they ordered a
detachment of twelve thousand men to march from the army into
Lombardy, to the kingdom of Naples, &c,"

332 NAVAL HISTORY
great ; but there were still greater secured by a sepa
rate article, in which it was mutually agreed, that
the Avhole commerce of the Spanish West Indies
should be carried on by a joint company of Spanish
and British merchants : but, because this could not
be immediately carried into execution, since Spain
and the Indies were then in the hands of King Philip,
it was further stipulated, as far as King Charles could
consent, that her Britannic Majesty should, for the
present, trade freely in all the ports of the West In
dies, with ten ships, each of the burden of five hun
dred tons, under the escort of as many ships of war
as her Majesty should think proper. France was to
be for ever excluded from this commerce ; and if, at
any time afterwards, either of the contracting parties
should depart from this agreement, then they were to
forfeit all the advantages granted them by this treaty;
which was signed the 10th of July, 1.707, by the mi
nisters of his Catholic Majesty, and Mr. Stanhope.*
The person who was entrusted to carry this import
ant treaty to London, embarked, for the greater ex
pedition, on board a small vessel bound fpr Genoa,
* Some people have affected to doubt, whether there ever was
such a treaty as this ; but that was only at a time when there was a
necessity of keeping it secret. Doctor Swift, who wrote the Con.
ductof the Allies, and who had as good lights as any writer of that
time, says a little disingenuously : " Our trade with Spain was re-
ferred the same way ; but this they will pretend to be of no conse
quence, because that kingdom was to be under the house of
Austria, and we have already made a treaty with King Charles. I
have, indeed, heard of a treaty made by Mr. Stanhope with that
prince, for settling our commerce with Spain : but, whatever it
were, there was another between us and Holland, which went hand
in hand with it. I mean that of the barrier, wherein a clause was
inserted, by which all advantages proposed for Britain, are to be in
common with Holland." Swift's Miscellanies, vol. iJ\. The ob-
servation I would make is, that the fact here laid dovwi is by no
means true ; the barrier treaty, and this with Spain, coujd not be
carried on together, since the one was signed the lOth of July,
1707, and the other on the 29th of October, 1709, As to the
treaty itself, the inquisitive reader may, if he pleases, consult Lam-
bcrti, vol, iv.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 833
which vessel was unluckily taken by a French priva
teer. The express, as is usual in such cases, threw
his mail overboard ; but the French captain promising
a considerable reward, in case it could be recovered,
a negro slave undertook to dive, and bring it up;
which he performed, and it was immediately trans
mitted to the Marquis De Torci, the French king's
minister for foreign affairs, who took care to send a
copy of it, very speedily, to the Hague, where it
made a great impression on the States-general, though
they did not think fit to complain of it, but contented
themselves with giving, as far as they were able, such
a turn to the war, as might render it beneficial to
themselves ; and ever after assisted his Catholic Ma
jesty but coolly, and no farther than they were ob
liged by treaty.
It was afterwards converted into a reason for con
cluding a negociation, very favourable to their trade,
with the Dutch, wherein, among other things, it was
agreed that, whatever advantages we should obtain
from Spain, the Dutch should enjoy the like ; which
treaty, if it was ever intended should be fairly exe
cuted, would have been very injurious to us, since,
while we bore the Avhole burden of the war, it would
have taken from us all hopes of recompence after a
peace, for to share the Spanish trade with the Dutch
by treaty, was very little better than agreeing to
give it up to them in a short space of time.
This secret negociation had still farther conse
quences, since it gave the French an opportunity of
suggesting, in a separate treaty, that article upon
which the South Sea company is founded, and with
out the assistance of which, the intelligent part of
mankind know very well the peace of Utrecht could
never have been made, or the public debts brought
into that situation in which we now find them. From
these remarks on secret" treaties, let us return now to
the c^en operations of the war,
At the time that our fleets were every where supe-

834 NAVAL HISTORY
rior to those of the enemy, our trade suffered in al
most all parts of the world, by their small squadrons
of men of war, as well as privateers. This, though
it fell heavily upon us, was a plain proof of the weak'
ness of tbe French power ; since it never can be con
ceived that so haughty a prince as Louis-XIV. would
have stooped to this piratical way of carrying on the
war, if he could have maintained it in a manner more
honourable. Sir Thomas Hardy, who had commanded a squa
dron in the Soundings a year before, and who had
this year been employed on the coast of Ireland, to
protect the East India fleet, was, in the beginning of
the month of July, ordered to escort tlie Lisbon
trade. Sir Thomas, pursuant to this order, sailed
with the squadron under his command, and the out
ward-bound merchant-men. But being several times
forced back by contraiy winds, it wa^ the 27th of
August, 1707, before they got ninety-three leagues
off the Lizard. About half an hour after two that
afternoon, Paptain Kirktown, in the Defiance, AVho
was in tbe rear of the fleet, made the signal of seeing
six sail, which being also seen about three, right a»
stern from the mast-head of the Kent, Sir Thomas
Hardy brought to for the rear, that were a great way
off, and spread very much, to come up with the body
of the fleet, consisting in all, of above two hundred
saiL*
* Sir Thomas's orders were dated the 2d of July, 1707, and by
them he was directed to convoy all the outward-bound ships that
were ready to sail, and see them safe about 12,0 leagues beyond the
Land's end, and then to detach with them some men of war, ui)der
the command of Captain Kirktown ; and himself, with the rest of
the ships under his Command, to cruize in' such station, or stations,
as should be thought, upon advising with the several captains with
him, the most proper for meeting with, and protecting the home
ward-bound Lisbon trade. This order further directed, that in
case Sir Thomas Hardy should, in his passage from Spithead into
the Soundings, get sight of the squadron of French ships (which
had been lately seen off the Lizard), he was forthwith to detacli
jCa^it^in KirliLtowH frpm Ijim on his voyage to Wsbon, 3S befoy?

OF QUEEN ANNE. 835.
Between three and four o'clock. Sir Thomas Hardy
perceiving that the six sail came up Avith him a-pace,
notwithstanding it was Uttle wind, and thereby judg
ing they might be seekers, made the signal for the
ships tbat vvere to continue with him, to chace to
Avindward, and also chaced himself with them, both
to prevent these six sail from taking some of the
heavy sailers, and to try to come up with them, in
case they were enemies. About five, the six sail were
seen from the Kent's deck, making all the sail they
could before the wind after the fleets Soon after,
they shortened sail and brought to, to speak with
one another ; whereupon, Sir Thomas Hardy believ
ing them to be the French squadron mentioned in
his orders, made the signal for the Lisbon fleet to
part, whUst he, with his own squadron, continued
to chace to windward the enemy, who had formed
themselves in a line of battle. About six, the six
sail bore away, and stood to the eastward of him,
and he, with his squadron, tacked after them, and
continued the chace till near seven o'clock; but then
considering that it was almost night, that the six sail
were then hauled to, and almost in the wind's eye,
he saw no probabihty of coming up with, or keeping
sight of them, it being little wind ; and, therefore, he
made the signal for the captains with him, to advise
Xvith them according to his orders. The result of this
consultation, which was signed by fourteen captains,
was, that Sir Thomas Hardy should leave off chace ;
and, left the enemy, supposed to be Xjuai Trouin's
squadron, of whose strength he vvas informed by a
letter from the Admiralty, dated the 8th of July, 1707,
should pass by him in the night, and fall upon the
trade, which could not be protected by the convoys
directed ; and he, with the rest of the ships under his command, to
give chace to, and use his utmost endeavours to come up with, and
take and destroy the said ships of the enemy ; but if he found that
lie could not come up with them, he was to cruize in the Souadiugs,
as before directed.

S36 NAVAL HISTORY
directed to be left with them, all the captains unani
mously agreed, that it Avas for her Majesty's service,
to bear away, and keep company with the Lisbon
fleet, till they got 120 leagues at least from the
Land's-end, according to his royal highness's order.
Sir Thomas Hardy complied with their advice, and
saw all the fleet safe as far as he was directed. But,
upon the complaint of some merchants, surmising
that Sir Thomas Hardy had not chaced the six. sail
of French men of war, a court-martial was ordered to
examine his conduct therein. This court, having
sifted every circumstance of this affair, and heard the
principal officers of the squadron upon their oaths,
declared their opinion to be, tbat Sir Thomas Hardy
had complied with his royal highness the lord high-
admiral's orders, both with regard to the chacing the
enemy, and also the protecting the trade ; and ac
cordingly, the court did acquit the said Sir Thomas
Hardy, from the charge brought against him. There
never was, perhaps, a more just sentence than this,
or pronounced upon fuller evidence, and yet Sir
Thomas Hardy had his conduct canvassed afterwards
in every place Avhere it was possible to call it in
question ; which, in spite of all the prejudices that
prevailed at that time, turned very much to his ad
vantage ; for he not only escaped alb censure, but
continued to be employed, and acquired greater
honour from the clearing up this charge, than he
could have done by barely convoying the fleet, if no
such accident had happened.*
* The president of this council of war, was Sir John Leake, Knt.
rice admiral of the white. It was held on board her Majesty's ship
the Albemarle, October 10, 1707, in Portsmouth harbour ; and
the captains who, with the president signed his acquittal, were
Hovendon Walker, Henry Lumley, Stephen Martin, T. Meads,
Henry Gore, Charles Stewart, J. Paul. After this, the proceed.
ings were laid before the Queen in council, where all was heard
over again, but nothing appeared which could any way impeach
the honour of Sir Thomas Ha^dy, or the officers who acquitted
him ; however, to oblige tlie merchants, the sentence was trans-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 337
Towards the latter end of April, a large fleet of
ships bound for Portugal, and the West Indies, and
making in all a fleet of fifty-five sail, had a convoy
appointed them, consisting of three men of war, the
Royal Oak of 76 guns. Captain Baron Wylde, com
mander arid commodore; the Grafton, of 70 guns.
Captain Edward Acton ; the Hampton-Court, of 70
guns, Captain George Clements. They sailed on the
first of May, from the Downs, and fell in, on the
second, vvith the Dunkirk squadron, commanded by
M. Forbin, consisting of ten men of war, a frigate,
and four privateers. The commodore drew five of
the stoutest merchant-ships into the line, and fought
bravely two hours and a half; but then, Captain Ac
ton being killed, and his ship taken, and the Hamp
ton-Court soon sharing the same fate, after having
sunk the Salisbury, then in the hands of the French,
by her side, the commodore thought proper to shift
for himself as well as he could, which it was not very
easy for him to do, as he was immediately attacked
by three of the largest French men of war, and had
eleven feet Avater in his hold. He disengaged him
self, notwithstanding, and with great difficulty ran
on shore near Dungenesse, from whence he soon got
off', and brought his ship into the Downs. But while
the men of war w^ere thus engaged, the lightest of
the enemies frigates, and their privateers, took one
and twenty of our merchant-ships, and carried them,
with .the two men ofwar, into Dunkirk.
mitted to the Admiralty, and there it was examined before his royal
highness the lord high-admiral, and the following flag.oilicers,
Admiral Churchill, Sir Stafford Fairborne, Sir John Leake, Sir
George Hyng, Sir Jolm Norris, and Sir James Wishart, who all
approved the sentence of the court-martial, and gave their opinion
under their hands. One would have imagined, that here the thing
must have ended, but it did not ; for as soon as the House of Com
mons sat, a motion vvas made, that Sir Thomas Hardy should at.
tend ; which he did, and gave so clear an account of his conduct,
tliat the very members who had promised to support the complaint,
desired it might be dismissed.
VOL. Ill, Z

338 NAVAL HISTORY
The most extraordinary thing that happened in
this engagement, was the conduct of a midshipman,
on board the Hampton-Court, who, while the enemy
were employed in plundering the ship, conveyed
Captain Clements, who was mortally wounded in
the belly, into the long-boat, into which himself, and
seven of the sailors crept through the port-holes, and
concealed themselves, as well as they could. The
enemy, in the mean time, driving with the flood,'
Avhen they thought themselves at a sufficient dis
tance, they fell to their oars, and had the good for
tune to get into Rye harbour on the third of May,
This affair made a very great noise, the merchants
affirming, that there was time enough for the Ad
miralty to have acquainted Commodore Wylde, that
the Dunkirk squadron was at sea; which, in all
probability, might have enabled him to have escaped
this misfortune.*
The French, according to their usual custom, mag
nified this success of theirs excessively; for they as
serted, that besides- the three men of war, there was a
frigate of forty guns sent to strengthen the convoy,-
and that the fleet of merchant-men consisted of four
score sail, of which they took twenty-two, and made
1200 prisoners. In Forbin's memoirs, Ave have some
Very extraordinary circumstances ; such as, that he
engaged the commodore himself, and killed him vvith
a musket-shot through a port-hole, while he was
giving his orders sword in hand, between decks, and
afterwards made himself master of his ship ; in vvhich,
* These facts depend upon the representations made by the mer-
cTiants to parliament, in the ensuing session, and the answer to that
representation, by the council of the lord high-admiral, in his
royal highness's name. It is, I think, not a little improbable, that
the Admiralty should have any treacherous design ; but there is
nothing more likely, than that some under officers of that board,
might send copies of letters, orders for convoys, and such like pa-
pers, at the hazard of their necks ; as the very same year Gregg
did from the secretary's office, for which he suffered at Tyburu,
and people very unjustly aspersed his master.

OF QUteEN ANNE. 339
V
as vve have seen, there is not one word of truth ; and
all that can be said in excuse of the French relation
is, that M. Forbin mistook the Hampton-Court for
the commodore.
All the French relations, however, do us the justice
to own, that our captains behaved extremely well,
and that their victory cost them very dear. The
French king-, as soon as he had advice of this enjraee-
ment, promoted M. Forbin to the rank of chef d'es-
cadre, and gave bim hkewise the title of count, which
he soon after merited by an extraordinary exploit, of
which we are next to give an account,
The Russia fleet being this year very numerous, and
very richly laden, Sir Benjamin Ayloffe, being then
governor, and some other principal merchants, ap
plied themselves to the Admiralty, in order to know
what convoy they might expect, and particularly
took notice of the apprehensions they were under,
from the Dunkirk squadron ; they Avere told, that
they should have one fourth, and two fifth rates,
with which they were very much dissatisfied. To
make them in some measure easy, Sir William Whet
stone had orders to convoy them beyond the islands
of Shetland. Accordingly the fleet, consisting of
about fifty merchant^nen, sailed, and Avere actually
convoyed, as far as his instructions directed, by Ad
miral Whetstone, Avho left them about three weeks
before they were taken, to proceed on' their voyage,
under their proper convoy.
Some time after, Captain Haddock, who com
manded, made a signal of his seeing eleven sail of the
enemy's ships, vvhich some of the fleet not regarding,
but trusting to their good sailing, fifteen of them fell
into the enemy's hand, off the island of Kildine, on
the coast of Lapland, on the 1 1th of July ; and the
rest of the fleet, consisting of about forty ships, vvith
their conVoy of three men of war, by the favour of a
hard gale, and a thick fog, got into Archangel.* The
* One Captain NenyoM, commander of the ship Nenyon and

840 NAVAL HISTORY
accounts vve have of this affair are remarkably dark
and embarrassed, which were calculated, probably, to
justify the conduct of the prince's council, and Ad
miral Whetstone, who were much complained of;
but the French accounts are clearer, though a little
exaggerated. According to them, M. Forbin sailed again from
Dunkirk, on the last of May, with the same squa
dron ; and on the 1 1th of July, perceiving the Eng
lish fleet, he immediately fell in with them, took nine
teen sail; but being too far from any port of France,
to think of carrying them in with safety, he first
unloaded, and then burnt them. In the memoirs
Avhich go under his name, the matter is carried still
farther; for he asserts, that he took twenty, of which
he burnt fifteen : that, aftervvards, he took four more,
and when they got into the harbour of Kildine, he
likewise took four, and burnt eighteen; but he agrees,
that soon after, he destroyed all his prizes, and com
putes the value of the goods hfe preserved at 1,200,000
livres. I suspect there is some confusion and mistake in
these accounts, because I find, that, on the first of
August following, he destroyed the Dutch homeward-
bound fleet from Archangel ; and as Father Daniel
Benjamin, made oath before the House of Lords, that, on or about
the 9th of July, 1707, his ship, with eleven or twelve others, were
unfortunately taken in their voyage to Archangel, by the Cheva
lier Forbin's squadron, consisting of seven French ships of war;
that his ship was the first taken, and he was immediately carried
on board Forbin, who demanded of him, what number of ships
for convoy the English, bound for Archangel, had with them. He
answered, twelve sail ; to which Forbin replied, he spake what
was false ; for there were only three ships of war, convoy to fhe
English fleet : Forbin then declaring, that he knew Admiral
Whetstone with his squadron, came no fiirther than the isle of
Shetland, and then returned back again. This made a great noise,
and the more so, because Admiral Whetstone was a man not be
loved, and people were very desirous of fixing an imputation upon
him, in order to get him laid aside : but it docs not appear, thatin,
this instance they carried their point.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 341
computes the ships taken, and burnt, in both enter
prises, at forty sail, I am inclined to think him nearer
the truth than any of the rest. On the return of the
Dunkirk squadron, Count Forbin received orders to
join that vvhich had been fitted out from Brest, under
the command of M. Du Guai Trouin, which he ac
cordingly did, on the eighth of October.
In the latter end of August, there was a great fleet
ready for Lisbon, having on board provisions, mili
tary stores, and upwards of a thousand horses, for
the king of Portugal's service. The merchants were
extremely uneasy on the head of a convoy. They
observed, that so many ships had been taken in per
forming the voyage to Portugal, that it not only
affected the commerce, but the reputation of this
kingdom, and obliged the Portuguese to send their
orders for corn, even against their will, into Holland;
for this reason, they earnestly insisted, that such a
convoy might be given them, upon this occasion, as
shoukl effectually secure so great a fleet, for there
were no fewer than one hundred and thirty merchant
men, and thereby recover our credit at Lisbon ; and,
in consequence of it, our corn-trade, which had been
in a great measure diverted into other hands for the
tvvo last years.
These representations were by no means pleasing
to the Admiralty, where Admiral Churchill, the duke
of Marlborough's brother, commonly expressed the
sense of his royal highness's council, and thereby
drew on himself the merchants displeasure in the
highest degree. He told them, upon this occasion,
that they should be furnished with as speedy and as
strong a' convoy as could possibly be provided for
them ; yet it so fell out, that it was the twenty-fourth
of September before this convoy vvas ready to sail.
It consisted of the Ciimberland, Captain Richard
Edwards, of eighty guns ; the Devonshire of the same
force; the Royal Oak, of seventy-six; the Chester
and Ruby, each of fifty guns. But, to say the truth,

343 NAVAL HISTORY
the Chester and Ruby were, properly speaking, the
convoy ; for the other three ships vvere only to see
the ships fifty leagues beyond Scilly, The fleet did
not sail till the ninth of ()ctober, and on the tenth,
they fell in with the joint fleet of Count Forbin and
M. Du Guai Trouin, ofTthe Lizard.
The French were at "least twelve sail of line-of-
battle ships. The convoy disposed themselves in a
line, and thereby gave the merchant ships an oppor
tunity of escaping. M. Du Guai attacked the Clum-
berland, about twelve at noon, and with the assist
ance of two other ships, after an obstinate dispute,
carried her; the Devonshire defended herself, for a
long time against seven, and till evening against five
French ships ; but then, by some accident, which will
remain for ever unknown, took fire, and blew up ;
two only, out of nine hundred men escaped; the
Royal Oak made a vigorous resistance, and having
set the French ship, which attacked her, and w^as
commanded by M. De Bernois, on fire, got safe into
Kingsale harbour; the Count De Forbin took the
Chester, and Messieurs De Courserat and De Nes
mond took the Ruby. As for the Lisbon fleet, they
very prudently saved themselves during the engage
ment; but the French made a prodigious boasting of
the men of war they had taken, though the dispute
was so very unequal, and though in effect the con
voy did all that could be expected from them, by
securing the merchants at their own expence.
It is certain, that misfortunes like these are great
enough in themselves; and, therefore, there is no
need of exaggerating them, either at the time they
happen, or in such works as are written on subjects
Avhich oblige their authors to transmit accounts of
them to posterity. Yet something of this sort there
seems to be, in the following passage from Bishop
Burnet, which I transcribe in his own words, and at
large, that I may not be suspected of partiality. "A
convoy of five ships of the line of battle, was sent to

OF QUEEN ANNE. 343
Portugal to guard a great fleet of merchant ships, and
they were ordered to sail, as if it had been by con
cert, at a time when a squadron from Dunkirk had
joined another from Brest, and lay in the way wait
ing for them. Some advertisements vvere brought to
the Admiraltj^ of this conjunction ; but they were not
believed. When the French set upon them, the con
voy did their part very gallantly, though the enemy
Avere three to one ; one of the ships was blown up,
three of them were taken, so that only one of them
escaped, much shattered. But they had fought so
long, that most of the merchantmen had time to get
away, and sailed on, not being pursued, and so got
safe to Lisbon p''
In order to demonstrate the absolute injustice of this
suggestion, I shall only observe, that it appears from
all the French writers, that the junction of the Dun
kirk and Brest squadrons happened in the afternoon
of the Sth ; that the Lisbon fleet sailed from Ply
mouth on the 9th, and that the engagement hap
pened on the 10th, before noon; so that any intel
ligence could be given to the Admiralty, of the
junction of the French squadrons, time enough to
have prevented this unlucky accident, is a thing,
that, to every candid reader, even at this distance of
time, must appear perfectly incredible.
But, in the midst of so many discouragements, the
nation was not altogether deprived of good fortune,
even in respect to these little disputes ; for at the
very close of the year, Captain Haddock, in her
IVIajesly's ship the Ludlow-Castle, got sight, off the
long sand, of two frigates, which proved to be the
Nightingale and Squirrel, formerly her Majesty's
ships, but taken by the French, and now fitted out
from Dunkirk as privateers, and each of them having
as many men as the Ludlow-Castle, They both lay
by till he came within gun-shot of them ; but then
made sail from him before' the wind. At eleven at
night, he came up with the Nightingale, and tool?'

844 NAVAL HISTORY
her, and as soon as the captain of the Squirrel per
ceived it, he crowded sail and stood away. The
captain of the Nightingale was one Thomas Smith,
who had formerly commanded a sloop in her Ma
jesty's service, and was broke at a court-mai-tial for
irregular practices : Captain Haddock, vvho died
lately an admiral, and Avho commanded the squadron
in the Mediterranean, immediately before the last
Avar, carried in his prize to Hull, from whence he
thought fit to send up all the English who were on
boarcl the Nightingale; viz. Captain Thomas Smith,
who commanded the ship ; Charles Aislaby, heute
nant ; Mr. Harwood, vvho acted as a midshipman;
an Irish priest, and an English sailor, who vvere im
mediately committed close prisoners for high-treason,
and a prosecution, by the attorney-general, directed
against them.*
About the same time, arrived the welcome news of
our success in Newfotindiand, Avhere Captain Jolm
Underdown, commander of her Majesty's ship the
Falkland, having received advice on the twenty-fifth
of July, that the enemy had many ships employed in
the fishery, in several harbours to the northward, our
commanders of ships, merchants, and inhabitants,
petitioned him to endeavour the destroying of them,
and by that means to encourage and protect the Bri
tish trade in those places. In pursuance of which
representations, on the twenty -sixth of July, Captain
Underdown set sail from St. John's, having taken
Major Lloyd, Avho desired to be employed in the
expedition, vvith twenty of his company, on board
the Falkland, and twenty more of the same com-
* The making examples of these sort of men, is a thing of ab,
solute necessity in time of war ; and 1 very much doubt, whether
it is not a false kind of pity, ever to let them escape. This Smith,
and one Captain Rigby, who fled from hence for an infamous
crime, did us prodigious mischief, by their serving the French
during that war ; and yet, when Rigby was taken, lie was suffered
to get away.

¦ OF QUEEN ANNE. 845
pany, on board the Nonsuch. On the twenty- seventh,
they came before Bonavis, and finding there no ap
pearance of an enemy, the commodore ordered Cap
tain Hughes upon that station, to sail Avith him.
On the second of August, they stood into the Bay
of Blanche, till they came off" Fleur-de-lis Harbour.
Major Lloyd was immediately sent into the harbour
in the commodore's pinnace, and the lieutenant of
the Falkland, in the pinnace belonging to the Non
such, -in order to make what discoveries they were
able. They found there vv^ere several stages, and
other necessaries for the fishery, to which they set
fire, and afterwards they returned without any loss
sustained, on board the men of war. By six the
next morning they doubled the cape, and saw a ship,
which, upon the brisk exchange of a few shot,
struck; the commodore sent his boats aboard, and
found her to be from St. Maloe's, carrying about
three hundred and sixty tons, thirty guns, and one
hundred and ten men, called the Duke of Orleans.
In another arm of the bay, named Equiilette, was
another large ship ; but the place being rocky, and
the water shallow, it Avas impossible for either the
Falkland or Nonsuch to come near her; whereupon,
the Medway's prize was ordered to go as close in as
she could, with safety ; and, at the same time. Cap
tain Carlton, Major Lloyd, and the lieutenant of
the Falkland, in boats well manned and armed, were
directed to land upon the island under which she lay.
This was executed with so good efiiect, that the
enemy, after having fired several broadsides, being-
no longer able to keep the deck, against our small
shot from the shore, struck. This ship vvas of the
force of twenty guns, and fourscore men, belonging
also to St, Malo. Having, here received information,
that about three leagues to the northward, in La
Couche, there Avere two shij)s, one of thirty-two
guns, and the other of twenty-six, both of St. Malo;
the con.modoreigave Captain Hughes directions to

346 NAVAL HISTORY
burn the last prize, and afterwards to join him at La
Couche, himself in the Falkland, with the Nonsuch,
making the best of their way thither.
The fifth, in the afternoon, they came into La
Couche, where they found the two ships in readiness
for saihng. The enemy fired several broadsides at
them, which as soon as our men of war returned, they
set their ships on fire, and left them, going over to
the next harbour, called Carouse, in which, the com
modore had received intelligence, that there were
four ships. He immediately weighed, and stood for
that harbour, and about eight o'clock at night was
joined by the Medway's prize; but there being very
little wind at S. W, and much difficulty in getting
out, it was about six the next morning before he got
off the harbour's mouth. The commodore sent in
his boat, but found the enemy had escaped, having,
by the advantage of little wind, and the great num
ber of men and boats, cut and towed out. The
British ships stood to the northward, and saw several
vessels, to Avhich they gave chace ; about five in the
afternoon they came oflf the harbour of St. Julian,
Avhere they discovered a ship, and having lost sight
of the vessels they had pursued, stood in for the har
bour, and came to an anchor in twenty-six fathom
water. The place Avhere the ship was hauled in,
being very narrow and shoally, the commodore or
dered the Medway's prize to go as near as possibly
she could. The enemy fired two guns, but it was
not thought fit to attack ber till the morning. Ac
cordingly, on the sixth of August, at four of the
clock, Captain Carleton, Major Lloyd, and Lieute
nant Eagle went in, with all their boats well manned
and armed, and immediately landing, drove the
enemy from their posts, avIio were likewise on shore.
Our men took their posts, and went aboard their
ship, Avhere they found the enemy had laid several
trains of powder, in order to blow her up ; which
being seasonably discovered, she was preserved, and

OF QUEEN ANNE. 347
by noon they towed her out to sea. But the British
pilots being unacquainted with the coast, and the
commodore thinking it not proper to go farther to
the northward, it was resolved to sail back to Carouse,
and there remain till they were joined by the Duke
of Orleans prize, which was left at Grand Canarie,
with a lieutenant and sixty men.
In the way to Carouse, it was thought fit to look
into Petit Maistre, where they destroyed great num
bers of boats and stages, with vast quantities offish
and oil; about seven at night, they came lo an an
chor in Carouse harbour, and moored. On the 12th
and 13th, it blew a hard gale at S. W. Having de
stroyed the fishery at Petit Maistre, and the duke of
Orleans prize being come to La Couche, on the 14th,
by four in the morning, they weighed and stood out
to sea, taking her vvith them, and steered for St,
John's harbour, where the Falkland and Nonsuch,
with the two prizes, arrived the 17th of the same
month, having before given the Medway's prize or
ders to sail to Trinity.*
We ought novv, according to the metliod that
has been generally observed, to speak of the pro
ceedings in the West Indies ; but, as vvhat vvas
done there this year, is so strictly connected with
what happened in the following, that it is scarcely
possible to divide them, without destroying the per
spicuity of both relations ; I shall defer saying any
thing of the events that fell out in that part of the
world, till I come to speak of them in their proper
place; that is, after having accounted for the naval
proceedings in the succeeding year. I the rather in-
* The damage the enemy received, was as follows. Two ships
taken, one of thirty guns, and 110 men ; and another qf twenty
guns, and 100 men ; one ship taken and burnt, of twenty guns,
and eighty men. Two ships burnt by the enemy, one of 32, and
another of 26 guns ; 228 fishing boats burnt ; 470 boats and shal
lops, that were not employed in the fishery this season, burnt ; 23
stages burnt ; 23 train vats burnt ; 77,280 quintals of fish dastroy^
ed; 1568 hogsheads of train oil destroyed.

84a NAVAL HISTORY
cline to make this small breach in my usual method,
because I am under a necessity of speaking more
largely than in other places, of what was done in par
liament this year, in reference to the navy, for this
Aveighty reason ; viz. that the strict enquiries made
by both houses into matters of such consequence, not
only demonstrate the vigour of our constitution at
that time, but afford, perhaps, the very best prece
dents for reviving such enquiries, that are to be met
Avithin our history.
The first parliament of Great Britain, metupoji the
§3d of October, when the eyes, not only of this king
dom, but of all Europe, were fixed upon them. The
earliest thing they did was, to make choice of John
Smith, Esq. for their speaker: and the next, in the
House of Commons was, to vote an address of thanks
to the queen, for her most gracious speech made to
them on the sixth of November, to vvhich day they had
adjourned. In the Jlouse of Lords, it went other
wise ; instead of their usual address, their lordships
proceeded to a direct consideration of the state of the
kingdom, in which very Avarm debates arose, in re
gard to the navy especially. As to this, it was affirm
ed, " That the lord high admiral's name was abused
by such as were entrusted Avith the management of
his authority: that the council of his royal highness
studied nothing but how to render their places profit
able to themselves and their creatures, though at the
expence of the nation; that it vvas visible, their own
haughtiness, together with the treachery, corruption, .
and carelessness of their depesidants were the true
sources of those mischiefs vvhich befel our merchants,
and discredited the most glorious reign in the British
annals. But, though reason and experience ought
to have convinced these men of their own incapa
city, yet they had, Avith a brutish obstinacy, per
sisted in the pursuit of their own measures, haugh
tily rejecting the advice of the merchants, when
offered in time, and saucily contemning their com-

OF QUEEN ANNE. .^49
plaints, when sufferers by the very errors they had
predicted." This produced the appointing of a committee, in
which this matter might be resumed, upon the iptli
of December, at which her Majesty was present.
The sheriffs of London, who were Benjamin Green,
Esq. and Sir Charles Peers, Knt. presented a peti
tion, signed by two hundred of the most eminent
merchants of the city of London, setting forth the
great losses they had lately sustained at sea, for want
of convoys and cruisers ; and praying, that some re
medy might be speedily applied, that the trade of the
nation might not be entirely destroyed.
The house went as heartily into this matter as the
sufferers could desire, and appointed the 26th to hear
the merchants further, in a grand committee, where
they vvere permitted to make a regular charge, and
encouraged to exhibit their evidence. In the course
of this enquiry, it fully appeared to their lordships,
that many ships of war were not fitted out to sea,
but lay in port neglected, and in great decay. That
conAi-oys had been often flatly denied the merchants,
and that, when they vvere promised, they were so
long delayed, that the merchants lost their mar
kets, were put to great charges, and, where they
had perishable goods, suffered great damage in them.
The cruisers were not ordered to proper stations in
the channel ; and, when convoys Avere appointed, and
ready to put to*sea, they had not their sailing orders
sent them till the enemies privateer squadrons were
laid in their way, and vvith superior force prepared to
fall on them ; which had often happened.
- Many advertisements, by which these misfortunes
might have been prevented, had been offered to the
Admiralty ; which had not only been neglected by
them, but those who offered them, had been ill-
treated for doing so. To carry these things as far as
possible, they caused an exact report to be drawn of
their proceedings ; sent it to the Admiralty-office ; re-

350 NAVAL HISTORY
ceived the best answer that could be given from thence|
heard the merchants by way of reply to this, digested
the Avhole into a second report, and, together with
an address Suitable to a matter of such mighty conse
quence, laid it before het Majesty, on the first of^
March, 1707, and expressed themselves thereupon,
in terms it would be extremely injurious to deprive
the reader of the pleasure of reading, considering the
strict connection it has with the subject of this Avork,
the true spirit of patriotism that appears therein, and
the excellent example afforded thereby ; and, there
fore, I have placed it at the bottom of the page.*
* I shall cite here only their lordships' ccinclusioti, after setting
forth the grievances complained , of by the merchants, the answer
by the Admiralty, and the merchants' replication.
" May il please your Majesty, ,
" We having thus performed, what we take ourselves to be in
dispensably obliged to, cannot doubt but it will be graciously ac*
cepted by your Majesty, as coming from most dutiful subjects,
who sincerely wish they may never hate occasion hereafter td
make addresses to your Majesty, but to congratulate your suc-
cessef, or to return humble acknowledgments for the blessiiigj
of your reign.
" We beseech your Majesty to believe, that none of your sub.
jects do exceed us in true respect to his royal highness the lord
high admiral. His great personal virtues require it, and his near
relation to your Majesty makes it our duty. Arid as we do not
mean that any thing in this address should in the least reflect upon
him, so we are very well assured, his rOyal highness will never
suffer other persons to protect themselves under his name, from a
just pursuit of such faults or neglects, as immediately tend to the
ruin of trade, and the destruption of Britain.
" There cannot be a plainer proof, that some persons employed
by the lord high admiral, have made the worst use imaginable of
the trust he honours them with, than in their presuming to lay
such an answer before the House of Lords in his name.
" For, not to take notice of the many things which in fhe second
report have been already laid before your Majesty, throughout the
whole paper, there is not the least hopes given, that, for the fu
ture, any better care shall be taken of the trade ; on the contrary,
the whole turn of the answer seems to be intended for exposing
the complaints of the merchants, rather than pitying their losses.
We are sure, nothing can be more remote from the goodness and

OF QUEEN ANNE. ?tbX
Her Majesty received this address very graciously,
and promised to pay all the regard thereto, that the
nature of the thing, and the respect due to the advice
of the hereditary council of her kingdoms deserved.
The House of Commons, also, went into a grand
committee on the affairs of the navy, of which Sir
Richard Onslow was chairman ; they heard with
great attention all the merchants had to say, and care
fully examined all the evidence they could produce ;
and though there were some people who endeavoured
to stop the mouths of the merchants, when they ran
out into invidious characters of those officers by whom
they thought themselves wronged, yet the majority
of the house were inclined to hear their sentiments,
and encouraged them to go on. Both lords and com
mons concurred in carrying to the throne, such com
plaints as appeared to be well-founded; and, with
this view, their lordships, on the 7th of February,
addressed the queen to lay aside Captain Ker,* aud,
compassion of the lord high admiral's temper, and the tender re-
"gard he has always shewn for your Majesty's subjects, i^;.
" May it please yoUir Majesty,
" It isa most undoubted maxim, that the honour, security, and
wealth of this kingdom, does depend upori the protection and en
couragement of trade, and the improving, and right managing its,
naval strength. Other nations, who were formerly great and pow
erful at sea, have, by negligence and mismanagement, lost their
trade, and have seen their maritime power entirely ruined. There
fore, we do, in the most earnest manner, beseech your Majesty,
that the sea affairs may always be your first, and most peculiar
care. We humbly hope, that it shall be your Majesty's chief and
constant instruction to all who shall have the honour to be employ
ed in your councils, and in the administration of affairs, that they
be continually intent and watchful in what concerns the trade and
fleet : and that every one of thera may be made to know, it is his
particular charge, to take care that the seamen be encouraged, the
trade protected, discipline restored, and a new spirit and vigour
put into the whole administration of the navy."
* The House of Lords, in their address, inform her Majesty,
that a complaint had been lodged before them, by Mr. Thomas
Wood, in behalf of himself, and divers other Jamaica merchants,
against Captain William ^er, late commander of a squadron of her

352 NAVAL HISTORY
on the 26th of the same month, the House of Corn-
Majesty's ships at that island, for refusing to grant convoys for
their shijis to the Spanish coast of America ; and in particular,
that the said Mr. Thomas Wood had offered to the said Captain
Ker, the sum of six hundred pounds as a gratuity, if he would
order one of her Majesty's men of war, under his command, to go
as convoy to the Neptune sloop, and Martha galley, loaden with
woollen and other goods of her Majesty's subjects. That the said
Captain Ker, at that time, seemed pleas<^d with the proposal, and
said the Windsor should be the ship ; and ordered Mr. Wood to
make what dispatcWhe could, in getting the galley and sloop ready.
On which encouragement, he got them ready to sail, and bought
three hundred negroes to put on board them, and then acquainted
Captain Ker therewith, and with the great charge he was at in
maintaining the negroes, and his fear of sickness. Captain Ker
then said, he feared he could not spare a man of war ; but the
next day, sent Mr. Tudor Trevor, captain of the Windsor, to
acquaint Mr. Wood, that Captain Ker said, he thought Mr.
Wood could not have offered less than two thousand, or, at least,
fifteen hundred pounds. WhereupoiU, Mr. Wood declared, the
sum was so great, that the trade could not bear it, and so the sloop
and galley proceeded on the voyage without convoy ; and, in their
return, the sloop, loaded with great wealth, being pursued by
French privateers, and having no convoy, and crowding too much
sail to get from the enemy, was unhappily overset and lost. The
said Mr. Thomas Wood, also, made another complaint, that, upon
a further application to the said Mr. Ker, for a convoy for three
sloops, bound for the said Spanish coasts, he promised to give the
Experiment man of war, commanded by Captain Bowler, as a
convoy ; for which the said Mr. AVood agreed to give eight hund
red pounds, four hundred pounds part whereof, was paid the said
Bowler, and the other four hundred pounds was made payable by
note to one Mr. Herbert, for the use of Mr. Ker, whicli note was
sent in a letter to Mr. Ker, and by him put into Mr. Herbert's
hands. And, besides that, as a farther encouragement for allow
ing the said convoy, Mr. Ker had an adventure of fifteen hundred
pounds in the said sloops, without advancing any money. To this
complaint, Mr. Ker put in his answer, and both parties were fully
heard by themselves, and their witnesses ; and, upon the whole
matter, the house eame to this following resolution : " That fhe
said complaint of the said Mr. Wood, against the said Captain Ker,
as well in relation fo the Neptune and Martha galley, as also in
relation to the other three sloops, that went under the convoy of
the Experiment man of war, hath been fully made out, and proved,
to the s4tisfaction of this house."
The queen gave only a general answer to this address, but did not
say positively that she would comply with it.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 85»
mons presented an address of the same nature, against
the same person,*
These warm proceedings had a proper effect ; they
convinced such as sat at the Admiralty-board, that it
was dangerous to treat British merchants vvith con
tempt; as, on the other band, it taught the officers
to know, that having friends at the board, or being
tried, where no evidence could reach them, would
not always secure them from punishment,"!" On the
complaint of the merchants, however, against Sir
Thomas Hardy, though prosecuted with great heat,
both houses concurred to vindicate him, which was
sufficient to encourage the officers of the navy to do
their duty; since, where they could prove they had
done this, it was most clear they ran no hazard ; but,

* On the 26th of February, upon the report of Sir Richard
Onslow, from the committee of the whole house, the commons
came to three resolutions against Commodore Ker ; to which they
added a fourth: viz. " That an humble address be presented to
her Majesty, laying before her the said resolutions, and humbly de-
siring, that her Majesty will be pleased not to employ the said
Captain Ker in her Majesty's service, for the future.'' This ad
dress having been presented to the queen, ten days after, her Ma
jesty declared that she would comply with it.
+ Upon a fair computation, made about this lime, of the los»
of ships at sea, since i:he beginning of this war, it was found, that
the loss the French had sustained in their shipping, far exceeded
that of Great Britain, since we had only thirty men of war taken,
or destroyed, and one thousand one hundred forty-six merchant
ships taken, of which three hundred were re-taken. Whereas,
we had either taken or destroyed, eighty of their ships of war,
and tak<en or burnt one thousand three hundred forty-six of their
merchantmen, including those destroyed in the West Indies, By
way of supplement to this list, it may not be amiss to take notice,
that it appeared, from the lord high admiral's answer to the re
port of theHousQ of Peers, that there were one hundred seventy-
five of the enemy's privateers taken, as also the re-captures by her
Majesty's ships of war, from the fourth of May, 1702, to the 1st
of December, 1707, were one hundred twenty-eight*; which
amounted, by appraisement, to above the sum of 82,975/, and
the re-captures, by privateers, within that time, 38,055/, both
which sums amount to 121,030/. exclusive of customs.
VOL,, III, A A

854 NAVAL HISTORY
if pursued by clamour, were sure to come off with
reputation,* As the season for action was noAv coining on, the
lord high admiral made the following promotions;
Sir John Leake was declared admiral of the white,
and admiral and coinmander-in-chief of her Majesty's
fleet; Sir George Byng, admiral of the blue; Sir
John Jennings, vice-admiral of the red ; Sir John
Norris, vice-admiral of the white; the Lord Dursley,
vice-admiral of the blue ; Sir Edward Whitaker, rear-
admiral of the red ; and John Baker, Esq, rear-admi
ral of the white. Some alterations were likewise made
in his royal highness's council.
An act passed for regulating convoys, and cruLsers;
and a further term of fourteen years and a half was
granted to the East India Company, in consideration
of their advancing 1,200,000/. for the public service,
there being granted in the whole, for the year 1708,
no less than 5,933,6571- 17*. 4d. a supply unheard of
in former times. Of this, upwards of 2,300,000/,
were intended for the service of the fleet, and great
tilings were expected, especially, since all parts of
the island seemed heartily united in one interest ; and
the carrying on the war, humbling France, and exalt
ing the house of Austria, were every where considered
as the great objects of our care ; as being essentially
necessary to the welfare of the nation.
* Upon a complaint to the House of Lords, of a master of a
Canary ship, that Sir Thomas Hardy had refused to convoy him
from Plymouth, their lordships ordered Sir Thomas to attend tha
house, who directed him to attend the committee. The latter took
occasion to examine, likewise, the papers relating to his trial ;
and, after they had read them, the^ next day, Sir Thomas Hardy,
with two merchants, and the master of the Canary ship, were
.called in before their lordships; Sir ThomaS liaving shewed his
orders, to warrant his refusal of convoy, lie'-^vas ordered to with
draw ; and soon after. Captain Philips, deputy usher of the black
rod, came out to Sir Thomas, and told him, that their lordships
found he had fully justified himself, and done his duty in every
respect ; and, therefore, that he was discharged from atiy further
attendance upon that committee.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 355
But, before our projects were thoroughly adjusted,
the French actually played off one of theirs; which
put us into great confusion, and had hke to have had
much worse consequences. This was, the attempt
upon Scotland, in favour of the Chevalier De St.
George ; which was the Nomme de Guerre, they
were pleased to give the person, whom the queen soon
after distinguished by the name of the Pretender.
The design is said to have been carried on with great
secrecy ; but this must be understood only of the
French court; for it vv^as sufficiently known, and
talked of in Scotland, long before itwas undertaken.
I do not think, that so idle an expedition demands, in
a work of this nature, a very crirical explanation, and,
therefore, I shall content myself with saying, that it
ought to be reckoned amongst the number of those
affronts, of which the French have never been sparing
to this nation, and was chiefly designed to shew
how much, in spite of all the power of the allies,
Louis XIV. Avas able to alarm and distract us.
The troops intended for this attempt, Avere about
eleven or twelve battalions, under the command of
the Marquis De Gace, afterwards styled the Marshal
De Matignon. The fleet consisted of but eight men
of war, which vvas commanded by the Count De
Forbin, who is said to have disliked the design, be
cause, very probably, he knew the bottom of it; for it
is very certain, the French never intended to land,
and refused the chevalier to set him on shore, though
he would have gone with his own servants. The.
true scheme of the French king was, to create a di-
A'ersion, and, if possible, raise a rebellion in Scotland,
that, by means of trials and executions, the queen
and her ministry might be sufficiently embarrassed at
home, and have the less leisure to prosecute their
views abroad ; and, from these motiv^es, he ordered
his ministers in all foreign courts to talk in very mag
nificent terms of the succours he ga,ve to the king
A A S

856 NAVAL HISTORY
of England, as he thought fit to call him, that, on
the rebound, they might make the louder noise in
Britain, and induce us to believe our danger the
greater, and mo.re inevitable.
In this respect, the French poUtics had their ef
fect ; for, on General Cadogau's sending over an ex
press, disclosing the Avhole design, the queen, by Mr,
Secretary Boyle, acquainted the House of Commons
therewith, on the fourth of March, and received a
very loyal address from them, as well as from the
lords ; but the apprehensions expressed here, and in
Holland) had such an effect upon the monied inte
rest, that it occasioned a prodigious run upon the
bank, and disturbed our foreign remittances so much,
that all thinking people were at this time convinced
of the great risk a nation runs, that engages in a
foreign war, Avhile heavily loaded with debts at home.
Our public securities fell surprisingly, and tlwngs
Avould have fallen into downright confusion, if the
fright had not been quickly over.
This was owing to the care of the Admiralty, who,
with remarkable diligence, fitted out a fleet of
twenty-four men of war, with which Sir George
Byng and Lord Dursley sailed for the French coast,
on the twenty-seventh of February, without diminish
ing the convoy of the Lisbon fleet ; which,, when we
nad time to consider it, appeared prodigious, and
sufficiently convinced the French, that a real inva
sion was not at all their bnsiness.* On Sir George
* The run upon the bank so much alarmed the exchequer, that
all ways and means possible were concerted, to put an immediate
stop to it; In order to which, the lord high.treasurer not onlyal-
Sowed «ix, instead of three per cent, for all the money circulating
by their bills, but also supplied them with large sums of money
out of his private fortune, as the dukes of Marlborough,"-Nevf.
castle, Somerset, and other noblemen also did ; which, with fhe
callhig in of twenty per cent, upon their capital, brought all
things right again sooner than could have been expected. On the
twentieth of March the House of Commons came to a resolutioji;

OF QUEEN ANNE. 3&7
Byng's anchoring before Gravelin, the French offi
cers laid aside their embarkation ; but, upon express
orders from court, were obliged to resume it, and on
the sixth of March actually sailed out of Dunkirk;
but oeing taken short by contrary winds, came to an
anchor till the eighth, and then continued their voy
age for Scotland.
Sir George Byng pursued them with a fleet of forty
ships of the line, besides frigates and fire-ships. He
afterwards detaclied Rear-admiral Baker, with a small
squadron, to convoy the troops that were sent from
Ostend, and prosecuted his expedition with the rest.
On the thirteenth of March, the Fiench were disco
vered in tbe Frith of Edinburgh, where they made
signals, but to no purpose, and then steered a N. E.
course, as if they intended to have gone to St. An
drews. Sir George Byng followed them, and took
tiie Salisbury, an English prize, then in their service,
with several persons of quality on boarJ ; finding it
was altogether impossible to come up with the
enemy, he returned with the fleet to Leith, where
he continued till he received advice of Count Forbin's
getting back to Dunkirk, and then proceeded to the
Downs, pursuant to the orders he received from the
ministry, from whence he soon came to London,
Avhere he vvas most graciously received by the queen
his sovereign, and by his royal highness Prince George
of Denmark !
One would have imagined, tbat this apparent suc
cess must have satisfied every body ; and that, after
defeating so extraordinary a scheme, as at that time
this vvas allowed to be, and restoring public credit, as
it were,^in an instant, there should have been an uni
versal tribute of applause paid to the admiral, by all
degrees of people. Yet, this was so far from falling
that whoever designedly endeavoured to destroy, or lessen the pub
Uc credit, especially at a time when the kingdom was threatened
with an invasion, was guilty of a high crime and misdemeanour^
and tf as an enemy to her Majesty and her kingdoms.

y>"

358 NAVAL HISTORY
out, that Sir George Byng had scarce set his foot in
London before it was whispered, tbat the parliament
would inquire into his conduct; which took rise from
a very foolish persuasion, that having once had sight
of the enemy's fleet, he might, if he pleased, have
taken every ship as vvell as the Salisbury.
The truth of the matter was, that the French hav
ing amused the Jacobites in Scotland, with a pro
posal about besieging the castle of Edinburgh, Sir
George Byng Avas particularly instructed to use all
means for peventing that, by hindering the French
from landing in the neighbourhood. This he effec
tually did, and, by doing it, answered the principal
end for which he was sent. But the same malicious
people, who first propagated this story, invented also
another; 'cw, that Sir George was hindered from
taking the French fleet, by his ships being foul ;
which actually produced an inquiry in the House of
Commons, and an address to the queen, to direct,
that an account might be laid before them of the
number of ships that went on the expedition vvith Sir
George Byng, and when the same were cleaned.
That done, they resolved tbat the thanks of the house
should be given to the prince, as lord high admiral,
for his great care in expeditiously setting forth so
great a number of ships, whereby the fleet under Sir
George Byng was enabled to prevent the intended
invasion. This M'as a very wise and well-concerted measure,
since it fully satisfied the world of the falsehood of
those reports, and at the same time gave great satis
faction to the queen, and her royal consort, the prince
of Denmark, vvho had both testified an unusual con
cern in relation to the report of the House of Lords,
Avhich they conceived affected his royal highness's
character, as lord high-admiral ; and therefore,' to
give this message of thanks a better grace, and make
it more acceptable, the utmost care Avas taken in the
choice of those vvho were appointed to carry it.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 85^
Thus ended this affair of the invasion, which made
so much nojse at that time, and which has beea
handed down in so many different lights to posterity.
An affair, indeed, which speaks the true policy of
France, and shews how artfully she can serve her own
ends, and with hosv great readiness she betrays, and
gives up to destruction, such as are simple enough
to trust her. But, through the wisdom of the British
ministry, joined to the cunning of some of the no
bility of Scotland, wfio were taken into custody upon
this occasion, and who, it is generally thought, ga.ve
such hghts as enabled the government to take these
effectual methods ; the latter part of the French
scheme proved as abortive as the first ; all the pri
soners being soon after set at liberty, and every thing
being done to satisfy and quiet the people of that
coimtiy. The great point that the ministry had in view this
year, was, to put the affairs of his Catholic Majesty into
better order, and to repair, as far as it was possible,
the many unlucky consequences of the fatal battle
of Aimanza. Sir John Leake, who commanded the
grand fleet, was so early at sea, that on the twenty-
seventh of Marcli he arrived at Lisbon; having, in
his way thither, seen the merchant ships bound to
Virginia and the Canaries, with their respective con
voys, well into the sea, and taken care for the se
curity of others designed to the ports of Portugak
Here he found the ships that had been left with Cap
tain Hicks, which were fourteen of the third rate,
besides small frigates, and bomb-vessels; and at a
council of war it was resolved, that, as soon as the
transports were ready to receive the horse on board,
the fleet should proceed to Vado, and that such of
the ships ofwar as could not be got ready by that
time, should follow to Barcelona, where there would
be orders left how they should farther proceed. But,
as, for the Dutch ships, they were all separated in
bad weather, between England and Lisbon. It was

SCO NAVAL HISTORY
also determined, at the desire of the king of Portu
gal, to appoint the Warspight, Rupert, and Triton,
to cruize of the Tercera, or Azores islands, for the
security of his Majesty's fleet expected from Brazil ;
nor Avas there any care omitted to guard the Straits'
mouth lest otherwise our trade should suffer by the
enemy's cruisers or privateers. The procuring trans
port ships, and putting them in a condition for receiv
ing the horse, took up a considerable time ; but,
on the twenty-third of April, the admiral was ready
to sail with as many as could carry fifteen hundred,
Avith one second rate, twelve third rates, two fourths,
a fire-ship, bomb-vessels, &c. together with twelve
ships of the fine of battle of the States General ;
and, upon advice from Colonel Elliot, governor of
Gibraltar, and from other hands, that some French
ships ofwar were seen cruising off the Straits' mouth;
one third, and one fourth rate, and another of the
Dutch ships of war, were appointed to strengtheii
those bpfore ordered to ply up and down in that
station. The admiral sailed from the river of Lisbon^ on the
twenty-eighth of April, and, in his passage up the
Straits, he, on the eleventh of May, being about
twelve leagues from Alicant, had sight of several ves
sels, which he took for fishing-boats. But he had a
better account of them the next day, for having de
tached before some light frigates from Barcelona, to
give notice of the approach of his fleet, one of them
bad the good luck to take a French frigate of twenty-
four guns, and thereby obtained an account of the
convoy that was expected. Upon this, the captains
of our frigates made the necessary dispositions for in
tercepting them. The next day, the French convoy
appeared in sight, consisting of three men of war,
one of forty-four, another of forty, and the third of
thirty-two guns, with ninety settees and tartanes
laden with wheat, hariey, and oil, for the use of the
fiuke of Orleans' afmy, and boupd for Peniscola, nea?

OF QUEEN ANNE, 361-
the mouth of the Ebro, The British frigates bore
down immediately upon the enemy's men of war,
and these abandoning their barks, and endeavour
ing to make their escape, came in view of the con
federate fleet, which, seeing seven men of war, con
cluded they Avere enemies, and thereupon the admiral
made a signal to give them chace. But as the great
ships could not follow them near the coast, the
French made their escape in the night. The vice-
admiral of the white, vvho sailed on the left with
his division, perceiving the barks near the coast,
sent his long-boats and small-ships, and took several
of them. The next morning they saw some of them
dispersed, which were likewise secured by the long
boats : and some barks of Catalonia coming out of
their harbours at the same time, to have a share in
the booty ; sixty-nine of them were taken, and the
rest dispersed,*
On the fifteenth of May, the admiral arrived at Bar
celona, where he was joined by several of our ships,
and complimented by the king of Spain, on his late
success ; his Catholic Majesty took this opportunity
of desiring a squadron might be left under his direc
tion at Barcelona, while the fleet crossed to Italy,
to bring over the reinforcements that he expected,
and the queen of Spain, vvho, it was thought, was,
by this time, arrived at Genoa. He signified also his
* This might have proved an afiliir very considerable in its con
sequences, if fhe duke of Orleans, who commanded the army of
King Philip, had npt been one of the first generals of the age ;
but he foreseeing that this accident might happen, had pro-
Tided against it, by ordering a great quantity of oats and beans
which had been laid up for the use of the cavalry, to be employed
in making bread, till his army could be better supplied. This cap
ture, however, proved of the utmost service to King Charles, a»
jt enabled his array, after it was once formed, to take the fiel(j
some weeks sooner than it could otherwise have done; aud the rea«
diness with which the admiral caused the cargoes of his prizes t<»
be sent to the king's magazines, suificieptly proves the public spiri|.
of Sir Johti Leake, and the great concern he had for this service.

362 NAVAL HISTORY
desire, that the provisions lately taken might be laid
up in his magazines, which were but indifferently
furnished ; that care might be taken for reducing
Sardinia as soon as possible, and that, whenever the
service would permit, such dispositions might be
made, as would contribute to the conquest of Sicily,.
Avhich kingdom he judged might be recovered by the
forces that were then under Count Daun, and the
care of the then viceroy of Naples,
As to the provisions, the admiral ordered that they
should be disposed of, as the king required ; but with
respect to his other demands, the admiral thought
it necessary to call a council of war, to determine
which should be executed, since it appeared absoi
lutely impracticable to undertake them all. At this
council were present, besides himself, Sir John Nori
ris. Sir Edward Whitaker, Sir Thomas Hardy, and
two of the English captains ; as also Baron WasseT
naer, and two of the Dutch. It was there, after
mature deliberation, determined to leave with the
king two-third rates, one fourth, and one fifth rate
of ours, and two ships of the States-General, and
with the rest of the fleet, to proceed forthwith to the
port of Vado, in order to the transporting the horse
and foot from thence to Barcelona, as also her Ma
jesty the queen of Spain if she should be ready when
the fleet arrived.
The admiral sailed in pursuance of this resolution,
and on the 29th of May safely anchored before Vado;
but finding nothing in readiness, he sent Sir Thoinas
Hardy to wait on the queen of Spain at Milan, where
he arrived the 18th of June, and was received with
aU possible marks of respect and esteem. Upon his
pressing instances, her Majesty consented to set out
immediately for Genoa, where she arrived on the first
of July, embarked on the second, and arrived hap
pily at Mataro on the 14th.*
* As it was certainly known, that King Philip's consort contri-
Jiuted not a littie to fix the S|)aaiards firmly to the king her hus-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 36^>^
After having conducted the queen, witb all ima
ginable respect to Barcelona, the admiral thought
next of the reduction of Sardinia, vvhich he performed
almost as soon as he arrived. He appeared before
Cagliarion the first of August, and having summoned
it, the marquis of Jamaica, who commanded there
for King Philip, declared his resolution of holding
out to the last extremity. Upon this, the admiral
ordered the place to be bombarded all that night, and
the next morning Major-general Wills landed about.
1800 men, and made the necessary dispositions for
attacking the city ; but the Spanish governor, believ
ing himself now at the last extremity, saved them any
further trouble by coming to a speedy capitulation.
The reduction of this island vvas of equal advantage
to the common cause, and to that of King Charles ;
for it gave great security to our navigation, and
enabled his Catholic Majesty to supply himself from
thence, as often as he had occasion, with corn and
other provisions.*
The admiral had scarcely completed the conquest
of this island, before his assistance was required for
band's interest ; it was resolved the year before, to fix. upon a wife
for King Charles, and, accordingly, fhe Princess Elizabeth Chris
tiana of Wolfenbutlle was chosen. She lived many years after her
hcisband, and was motherto theempress queen of Hungary. Before
her marriage, her Imperial Majesty was a Protestant, nor did she
change her religion, till she had advised with the liUtheran clergy,
who declared, that she might hope for salvation in the church of
Rome. * This island lies to the north of Corsica, from which it is di-
Tided by a small and shallow arm of the sea. It has on the east, '
the sea of Sicily ; on the west, the Mediterranean ; on the south,
the coast of Africa from which it is not distant above fifty leagues.
It is divided into two parts by the rivers Credo and Lirso, and is
extremely fruitful in corn, oil, honey, and all the necessaries of
life. As soon as the English fleet appeared, the clergy declared
unanimously for King Charles ; and the admiral had the satisfac
tion of seeing the new viceroy he carried "over, established in the
peaceable possession of his government in the space of a week, and
without the loss of so much as aman. The reader will find fhe ca
pitulations at large, in the Complete Hist, of Europe, for 17U8.

864 NAVAL HISTORY
the reducing another; and therefore sailing from
Cagliari the 18th of August, he arrived before Port
Mahon-on the 25th ; but not finding Lieutenant-ge
neral Stanhope, afterwards Earl Stanhope, and Secre
tary of State, he sent two ships of the third rate to
Majorca, to hasten the embarkation of those which
were to be furnished from that island. These returned
the ] st of September with some settees laden with
military stores for the army ; nor was it more than
two days, before the Milford, and three Dutch ships
of war, arrived with the lieutenant-general, being fol
lowed by five third rates, convoy to fifteen transports,
that had on board them the land forces. Where
upon a council of war was held of the sea officers,
and it was resolved, that the ships which Avere to re
turn to Great Britain, should leave behind them, to
assist in the attempt, all the marines, above the mid
dle complement of each of them, and that the squa
dron of English and Dutch, designed to be continued
abroad vvith Sir Edward Whitaker, should remain at
Port Mahon, to assist with their marines and seamen
in the reduction of that place, so long as the lieute
nant-general should desire it ; due regard being had
to the season of the year, the time their provisions
might last, auxl the transporting from Naples to Bar
celona, four thousand of the emperor's troops for the
service of his Catholic Majesty. It was also resolved,
that the English ships should spare the forces as much
bread as they could, and both they and the Dutch
all their cannon-shot, except what might be neces
sary for their own defence ; and that, when every
thing should be landed, which was necessary for the
siege, the admiral should proceed to England, with
one second rate, and six thirds of ours, and eight
Dutch ships of the line ; but some time after this, he
sent home two English and two Dutch ships ofwar,
Avith the empty transports of both nations, in order
to their being discharged.' The siege was carried on
Avith such vigour, that, by the end of October, the

OF QUEEN ANNE. 865
place surrendered, and the garrison, consisting of
about ^ thousand men, marched out, and were after
Avards transported on board our vessels, some to
France, and others to Spain, according to the arti
cles of the capitulation.*
Before this conquest of Port Mahon, Fort Fornelle,
which had beneath it a harbour little less considerable,
though less known than Port Mahon, had submitted
to the obedience of King Cliarle^s. This service Avas
owing to Captain Butler, and Captain Fairborne,
who battered that fort, Avith the two ships under their
command, till they obliged it to surrender. Tbe
place was naturally strong, and was, besides, tole
rably fortified ; having four bastions, and twelve
pieces of brass cannon : yet, it cost but four hours
time, and the loss of six men killed, and twelve
wounded. They found in the garrison, a hundred
cannon, three thousand barrels of powder, and all
things necessary for a good defence.
Some little time after, the general sent a detach
ment of about a hundred Spaniards, Avith three hun
dred or more of the Marquis Pisaro's regiment, to
Citadella, the chief town of the island on the west
side thereof. Sir Edward Whitaker dispatched two
ships ofwar thither ; vvhich place put them to no great
trouble, for the garrison, immediately surrendering,
were made prisoners of war, consisting of a hundred
French, and as many Spaniards. Being thus pos
sessed of this important island, we had thereby the
advantage of an excellent harbour, which, during the
* The troops under the command of General Stanhope, consisted
of no more than two thousand six hundred men, which were landed
at Port Mahon, on the 14th of October. They were not able to
batter the place till the 28th, and, two days after, it surrendered ;
about fifty men >vere killed and wounded in the siege, and among
the former, Captain Stanhope of the Milford, brother to the ge-
heral, a yoiing gentleman of great hopes, and who had distin.
guished himself remarkably upon this occasion, Burchet's Naval
History, Burnet's History of his own Times, vol. ii.

866 NAVAL HISTORY
Avar, was exceedingly useful to us in the cleaning and
refitting such of our ships as were employecF in the
Mediterranean ; and not only magazines of stores
were lodged there for that purpose, but such officers
appointed to reside on the place, as Avere judged re
quisite, and a vast expence saved thereby to the
nation.* But it is now time we should return to the fleet,
Avhich, as we observed, sailed under the command of
Sir John Leake for England, the sixth of September,
Hjs excellency, on his arrival at Gibraltar, being
there informed, that four French men of war had
taken some of our merchant ships, running, as they
called it, without convoy, near Cape Spartel, and
carried them into Cadiz ; he thought proper to leave
a small squadron, consisting of two third rates, one
fourth, and a fifth, to cruize in that station, in order
to prevent such accidents for the future, and theti
* The reduction of the island of Minorca, was so considerable a
service, that all imaginable pains were taken to make the British
nation sensible thereof, by giving an exact relation of that wholft
proceeding in the Gazette ; and after General Stanhope had trans
mitted an account of the conquest of the whole island, the earl of
Sunderland, then principal Secretary of State, wrote the following
letter to his excellency upon that subject :
"" Sir,
" I received on Monday the favour of yours of the 30th Sep.
tember, N, S, by Captain Moyser, with tlie welcome news of your
taking Port Mahon ; which though it came at the same time as the
news of taking of Lisle yet was not at all lessened by it ; every
body looking upon our being in possession of Port Mahon, as of
the last consequence to the carrying on the war in Spain, besides
the other advantages, if wc are wise, we may reap from it, both in
war and peace. I cannot express to you the sense the queen, and
every body here, have of your zeal and conduct, in this affair, to
"which this very important success is so mucli owing. I heaxfily
condole with you for the loss of your brother, which, indeed, is
a public loss to us all, he was so deserving a young man. I must
not omit telling you, the queen does entirely approve of your
leaving an English garrison in Port Mahon, for the reasons you
mention, though some of them must be kept secret. Her Majesty
dothapptove also of the governor you have named, Sec."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 867
pursued his voyage to England, where he arrived safely
at St. 'Helen's, on the 19th of October, having met
in the Soundings Avith the squadron cruising chere
under the command of Lord Dursley, afterwards
Earl Berkley, and for some time at the head of. the
Admiralty, Sir Edvyard Whitaker had now the sole command
of the squadron left for the Mediterranean service,
and was consequently exposed to all the difficulties
which usually happen to officers under different or
ders. On one side, he was bound to regulate his
conduct by the instructions left him by Sir John
Leake; on the other, he vvas continually solicited by
King Charles, to undertake this or that expedition
for his service. The chief thing the imperial court
had at this time in view, Avas, the reduction of the
island of Sicily, an enterprise not to be undertaken,
but in conjunction with our fleet ; and as it afterwards
proved, not then neither; for Avhen Sir Edward had
disposed of every thing in the best manner possible,
for the supporting this design, the viceroy of Naples
declared, there were such discontents in that king
dom, as would not allow him to send any troops
from thence; but, if Sir Edward Whitaker vvould
furnish him with a small squadron, he was ready to
undertake the reduction of the places on the coast of
Tuscany, which brlonged to the crown of Spain.
In compliance with this request, the Defiance, and
the York, with the Terrible bomb-vessel, were sent
into the road of Piombino ; but the Germans, as
usual, were so backward in their preparations, that
it was necessary to continue a month longer in those
seas ; to very little purpose, at least with respect to
either of the designs before- mentioned : but, in re
gard to a dispute that then subsisted between his ho
liness and the imperial court, and wbich had almost
risen into a war, it had a better effect ; for our chac
ing some of the Pope's gallies, and threatening to
bombard Civita Vecchia, contributed not a httle to

368 NAVAL HISTORY
bring down the pontiff's haughty stomach, and in
clined him to an accommodation upon terms accept
able to the imperial court.
All this time. Sir Edward W^hitaker himself Avas at
Leghorn, attending the motions of the Geiman
troops, where he unexpectedly received a letter from
King Charles III, of a very extraordinary nature.
His Majesty acquainted him therein, that the enemy
had not only besieged the city of Denia, in Valencia,
but had threatened also to attack Alicant, in which
they were to be supported by a French fleet of fifteen
ships of the line. For these reasons, and to prevent
his being surrounded in Catalonia, his Majesty ear
nestly intreated him not to pass the Straits, as by Sir
John Leake's instructions hewas required to do, but
to remain upon the coast of Spain ; assuring him, if
he did otherwise, he would charge upon him all the
misfortunes that might happen to his affairs. General
Stanhope also wrote much to the same purpose ; upon
vvhich it was resolved, in a council of war, to pro
ceed immediately to Vado, to take on board there a
reinforcement of German foot, for the service of King
Charles, and then sail directly for Barcelona.
In pursuance of this design. Sir Edward Whitaker
left Leghorn on the 27th of November, and having
executed it very successfully, arrived safely at Bar
celona. There the king acquainted him by letter,
that, according to what had been agreed on, at a
council of war held in his royal presence, the most
considerable service the squadron under his command
could do, at that juncture was, to return to Italy,
and convoy the troops fiom thence designed for Ca
talonia ; but withal, recommended to him not only the
convoying the transports, with corn from Majorca,
and their being afterwards sent to Sardinia, for a fur
ther supply, and for horses to mount their cavalry,
but that, when he should be on the coast of Italy, he
Avould appoint such ships as Cardinal Grimani might
desire, to secure the passage of the Pharo of Messina,

OF QUEEN ANNE, SQ9
which might conduce to the more speedy accommo
dation of affairs that were negociating at Rome,
Hereupon it was agreed, that the Dutch ships
should proceed directly to Majorca, and convoy the
transports to Barcelona, and from thence to Cagliari,
as soon as they should be unladen, while the rest of
the squadron made the best of their way to Leghorn,
Avhere arriving, they met with very bad weather ; but
here they had advice, that matters were accommocjated
at Rome, the Pope having owned Charles III, king of
Spain ; and from the Marquis De Prie, that three
thousand effective men should be ready to embark at
Naples, as soon as they arrived there. These nego
ciations took up the remaining part of the winter, and
therefore, here we are to put an end to our accoun|;
of Sir Edward Whitaker's squadron, the proceedings
of which we shall resume, when we come to speak
of the naval transactions of the ensuing year.
The squadron appointed to cruise in the Soundings,
was commanded this year by Lord Dursley, who was
very fortunate in protecting our trade, but not alto
gether so happy in chacing the French ships that ap
peared from time to time upon our coast, which was
intirely owing to the foulness of his ships, and to the
cleanness of theirs. In the middle of the summer,
a resolution was taken, to make a descent on, or at
least to alarm, the coast of France; and Sir George
Byng as admiral, and Lord Dursley as vice-admiral,
of the blue, were appointed to command the fleet
destined for that purpose, and Lieutenant-general
Erie had the command of the land-forces. Many
things were given out with relation to this expedition,
the true design of which was disturbing the Fiench
naval armaments on their coasts, and obliging the
French court to march great bodies of men to protect
their maritime towns, which necessarily occasioned
the diminishing of their aiTny in Flanders. Ou the
27th of July, the fleet, with the transports, having
the troops on board vvhich were intended for the d^
vol. Ill, B B

S7ft NAVAL HISTORY
scent, sailed from Spithead, and came the next day
to an anchor off Deal, The 29th, they stood over to
the coast of Picardy, as well to alarm as to amuse the
enemy, dnd to be ready for further orders. The first
of August the fleet sailed again, and anchored the
next day in the Bay of Boulogne, where they made a
feint of landing their troops ; the third, they stood in
pretty nigh the shore, to observe the condition of the
enemy The fourth they weighed ; but anchored
again about noon in the Bay of Estaples. , *-
Here a detachment of troops were. actually landed;
but the project on shore, vvhich the descent was to
have countenanced, being by this time laid aside, an
express brought new orders from England, upon
Avhich the troops were re-embarked. The seventh,
they stood over again to the coast of England, and,
being joined hy several more transports in Dover road,
arrived the 1 1th in the Bay of La Hogue, The 12th,
it was designed to have landed the troops ; but, upon
viewing the coast, they found so many of the enemy's
forces brought together, to oppose a descent, and so
many forts and batteries on shore, that it was judged
impracticable. The 14th, the fleet sailed again to the
westward ; but, the wmd coming about the next da}',
they altered their course, and lay before Cherbourg,
but found no prospect of doing any thing there. The
same day, the Lord Dursley, in the Oxford, with
six other men of war, and frigates, sailed to the west-
v/ard to crufse in the Soundings. The 17th, the rest
of the fleet returned to the Bay of La Hogue ; but
the men growing sickly, and provisions faUing
short. Sir George Byng returned to Spithead on
the 28th.
When the squadron under Lord Dursley had been
victualled, and refitted, at Plymouth, he sailed from
thence on the twenty-eighth of September, with five
ships of war, and vvas joined the next day by the
Haiiipshire, which had taken a small French priva
teer. His. lordship took another himself, of twenty^

OF QUEEN ANNE, 871
ft)ut guns, belonging to St. Malo, which had done a
great deal of mischief On the seventh of Novem
ber his lordship returned to Plymouth, and soon after,
the Hampshire brought in a privateer of sixteen guns,
and a rich merchantman bound to the West Indies ;
the Salisbury likewise brought in two prizes, and,
through the great vigilance of this noble com.mauder,
the whole coast was very thoroughly protected.
In the middle of December, his lordship having
cleaned his ship, put to sea again with his squadron,
and, on the twenty-ninth, saw two ships, which
chaced him ; but when they came near, they bore
away, and then his lordship returned the compliment,
by chacing them with all the sail he could make, and
at last came within gun-shot, Avhen the commander
lightened them by throwing many things overboard,
and so they escaped ; which gave great concern to
his lordship, the one being a sixty, the other a
fifty-gun ship ; so that, after a short . cruize, he re
turned with his squadron to Plymouth, without being
able to make any other prize than a French fishing-
vessel from the Banks of Newfoundland.
This indefatigable diligence of his lordship, though
it vvas not attended with any extraordinary succes.s,
gave great satisfaction to the merchants, as it hin
dered the French privateers from venturing near our
coasts, as they had done for many years before, to
the inexpressible damage of our trade, as well as to
the prejudice of our reputation as a maritime power.
It was, therefore, justly resolved, to give his lord
ship an extraordinary mark of her Majesty's favour,
by promoting him to the rank of vice-admiral of the
white ; and though this was somewhat retarded by
the death of'his royal highness the lord high-admiral,
yet it took place in the spring of the succeeding
year, ,
Before we part with this subject, in order to ac
count, as vve have, promised to do, for what happened
this year in the West Indies, it is requisite to speak
BBS

372 NAVAL HISTORY
of the passage of the queen of Portugal on board our
fleet to Lisbon. Her Majesty Avas styled, before ber
marriage, the x'\rch-duchess Mary-Anne of Austria,
daughter to the Emperor Leopold, and sister to the
Emperor Joseph. This marriage was thought to be
highly advantageous to the common cause, and was
therefore very grateful to our court, who readily of^
fered to send her Majesty to Lisbon on board a Bri
tish squadron. In the beginning of the month of
September she set out for Holland, where Rear-admi
ral Baker attended, vvith a small squadron, to bring
her over, which he accordingly did on the twenty-
fifth of that month, and, landed her at Portsmouth,
where she stayed some days at the house of Thomas
Ridge, Esq. and the queen, being then at Windsor,
sent instantly the duke of Grafton to compliment her
Majesty on her part, as his royal highness the prince
of Denmark did the Lord Delawar. On the sixth of
October, about three in the afternoon, the queen of
Portugal went on board the Royal Anne, Avhere her
Majesty was received by Sir George Byng, and, on
her going off, the governor saluted her with all the
cannon of the place ; and the next morning at seven
o'clock, the fleet weighed and put to sea, when the
cannon of the town were again discharged.
Sir George Byng proceeded with a fair wind, and,
after a quick ami easy passage, brought her Majesty
safely into the river of Lisbon, on the sixteenth of
the same month. The king, with several magnifi
cent barges, went on board the Royal Anne to wel
come the queen ; and, returning from thence, their
Majesries landed at the bridge of the palace, under a
magnificent triumphal arch, from whence they pro
ceeded through a vast croud of people to the royal
chapel, where they received the nuptial benedicrion,
and heard Te Deum sung. His Majesty conducted
the queen to her apartment, and they supped in pub
lic with the infantas. There were great rejoicings
upon this occasion, and fire-works and illuminations

OF QUEEN ANNE. 37»
for three nights together, The queen having gene
rously expressed her great satisfaction as to the en
tertainment she had receiyetl during her stay in Eng
land, undoubtedly the king was very liberal in his
magnificent presents to the admiral and others vvho
conducted her. The arrival of the queen was attend
ed vvith some other circumstances, which increased the
joy of the people ; for, on the twelfth, four ships
from Brazil came into the river, and reported, that
the rest of that so-long-expected fleet Avere near the
coast,* Several other ships came in afterwards, so
that, out of about a hundred sail, there were but
thirty or forty wanting, which were detained by con
trary Avinds, The cargo was rich, and there was a
good quantity of gold in specie aboard,t
Sir George, the very next day after his arrival, had
intelligence that some French ships of considerable
force had been seen upon the coast, vvhich were sup
posed to be waiting for the rest of the homeward-
bound Brazil fleet. Upon this, he immediately sailed
in quest of them, though without success, except
that the news of being at sea forced them to retire,
and thereby secured the safe arrival in port of the
remaining thirty-four ships, whicli dropped in by de
grees. About the middle of November, Sir George
received orders to proceed to Port Mahon, to winter
* This fleet is said to have been the richest that ever arrived in
the river of Lisbon, as we have remarked in the text, having on
board ten thousand acobas of gold, each aroba weighing thirty-
two pounds weight, and a great quantity of diamonds, besides mer
chandise, and was valued, in the whole, at fifty-two million^ of
crusadocs. + Colonel Godfrey, who had married the dulie of Marlborough's
sister, was sent to Portsmouth, <o defray theejcpences of the queen
of Portugal's household, while she continued there, and accord
ingly he kept eight tables all that tin^e. Her Majesty, in testi
mony of her grateful sgnse of the honou^-s paid her by our court,
made a present to the duke of Grafton of a diamond ring, worth
twelve thousand crowns, and gave Admiral Byng her picture, set
with diamonds, to a yefy great value. Her passage was remark.
ably happy, as she was not above ten days at sea. Mercure His
torique et Politique, tome. xlv.

P74 NAVAL HISTORY
there, and to leave Sir John Jennings at Lisbon with
a small squadron. , But before he left that river, he
received the queen's instructions to Avear the Union
flag in the Mediterranean, He sailed On the 27th
of December, with six ships of the hne, two fire-
ships, and three store-ships or tenders, leaving direc
tions with Sir John Jennings, to appoint the first
ships he should have clean, to guard the mouth of
the Straits ; and having sent two- third rates, two
fourths, and a fifth a-head of him to Alicant, to as
sure the governor of the castle there of his assistance,
he arrived himself about the height of Cape Palos
the third of January, when standing in for Alicant,
the wind came off from the land so fresh, at N.N.W,
that he could not fetch the bay, so that he bore away
to Port Mahon ; but when he had got within four
leagues of that place, which was on the fifth, the
Avind carne to the north, and N, N, E. blowing ex
tremely hard, with much snow; and the next day
it was so very tempestuous, that it separated most of
the squadron, forcing him almost as high as Sardinia;
but on the twelfth, he got into Port Mahon, where
he found most of the squ^ron.
When we last mentioned the exploits of the Eng
lish navy in America, vve gave an account of thq
arrival there of Sir John Jennings, Avho commanded
in these parts from October 1706, to'^January 1707,
without having it in his power to perform any thing
, very remarkable. He was succeeded in his command
by Commodore Wager, who arrived at Jamaica in
the summer of the year 1707, and disposed all things
in such a manner, that the designs of the enemy
were rendered absolutely abortive; the sevef'al Eng^
lish settlements were thoroughly protected, and such
convoys granted the merchants, as put the trade of
that part of the world into a much better conditipil
than it had been since the breaking out of the war;
all which was very honourably acknowledged, by the
planters and merchants.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 375
In the beginning of the year 1708, that part of
the world was much alarmed with the news of M,
Du Casse's arrival, with a French squadron of great
force, and which, it was supposed, had some design
upon the island of Jamaica. This apprehension,
however, soon went over, upon the Commodore's
receiving certain intelligence, that Du Casse was
sailed for the Havannah, in order to conduct home
the galleons. It is certain, that under his convoy they
might have been absolutely safe, since he had double
the strength of the English fleetin those seas ; and,
therefore, vve may very well admire, that Commo
dore Wager should even form a design upon these
treasure-ships, and much more that he should suc
ceed in it, in spite of all the care and vigilance of
M. Du Casse, at once the most able and most active
sea-officer then in the French service.
Such as knew the disposition of the late Sir Charles
Wager will readily acquit me of flattery, when I
venture to give this character of him : that he was
an officer who valued his reputation as much, and
his fortune as httle, as any man that ever was in the
British service. Avarice, therefore, had no share in
this project of his, vvhich was grounded only in a
desire of doing his duty, and restoring the reputa
tion of the British arms, which had not been a little
sunk in that part of the world, especially by the covet
ousness, and cowardly proceedings of some of our
commanders. The commodore understood perfectly
the route of the galleons;, he knew that they were
to sail from Porto-Bello to Carthagena, and from
thence to the Havannah, and, as he was very sen
sible that it was to no purpose to attempt them after
they had joined Du Casse, he w^as resolved to try if it
Ayas not possible to intercept them in their passage
from Porto-Bello to Carthagpn^,
With this view he sent Captain Humphrey Pudner,
in the Severne, to watch the enemy's motions in
Porto-Bello, from vvhom he received advice, on the

878 NAVAL HISTORY
23d of May, that, on the 19th, the galleons were
sailed. The commodore had then with him the Ex
pedition, Kingston, Portland, and Vulture fire-ship,-
and cruised to the 27th, in expectarion of the galleons,
but not meeting with themj the commodore began to
fear they had intelligence of his being on the coast,
and were gone for the Havannah,^
On the 28th of May, about noon, the galleons, in
all seventeen sail, were discerned from his top-mast
head, and at the same rime they discovered him ;
but, despising so small a force, resolved to proceed:
He chaced them till evening, when they, finding
they could not weather the Baru, a smalL island
Avhich lay in their passage tO Carthagena, resolved to
dispute the matter there, and stretching therefore to
the northward vvith an easy sail, they drew as well
as they could into a line of battle. The admiral,
Avho wore a white pennant at the main-top-mast
head, in the centre ; the vice-admiral, with the same
pennant at the fore- top-mast-head, in the rear ; and
the rearradmiral, who bore the pennant on the mizen-
top-mast-head, in the van, about half a mile from
each other, there being other ships between them.
Of the seventeen, tvvo were sloops, and one a
brigantine, Avhich stood in for the land ; two others
of them were French ships, which, running away,
had no share in the action ; the rest Spaniards. The
commodore instantly made his disposition ; he re
solved to attack the admiral himself, gave instruc-
* This was an affair of prodigious consequence ; for, first, the
galleons had not i;eturned to Europe for several years, and conse.^
quently were extravagantly rich. This very squadron that was at.,
tacked by Commodore Wager, had on board forty .eight miUions,
of pieces of eight. The Spaniards and French depended entirely
upon this supply, their cash and credit being absolutely worn ontj
«o that their mint-bills were at thirty and forty per cent, discount..
It was for these reasons, that care was taken to send so strong a
French squadron into the AVest Indies, and under the command
too of an officer, " who, besides his high reputation hi every other'
see pect, was the best acquainted of any mau with tho^e teas.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 377
tions to Captain Simon Bridges, who commanded
the Kingston, to engage the vice-admiral, and sent
his boat to the Portland, commanded by Captain
Edward Windsor, with orders to attack the rear-
admiral, and as there was no immediate occasion for
the tire-ship, she plied to the windward.
The sun was just setting when Commodore Wager
came up with the admiral, and then, beginning to
engage, in about an hour and half's time (it being
dark) she blew up, not Avithout great danger to the
Expedition, from the splinters and planks which fell
on board her, on fire, and the great heat of the blast.
Hereupon the commodore put abroad his signal-
lights, for keeping company, and endeavoured to
continue sight of some of the enemy's ships ; but
finding, after this accident, they began to separate,
and discovering but one, which vvas the rear-admiral,
he made sail after her, and coming up about ten
o'clock, when he could not judge which way her
head lay, it being very dark, he happened to fire his
broadside, at least many guns, into her stern, which
did so much damage, that it seemed to disable her
from making sail, and being then to leeward, he
tacking on the Spaniard, got to windward of him,
and the Kingston and Portland, which had, by
reason of the darkness of the night, or the blowing
up of the Spanish admiral, which made it very thick
thereabouts, lost sight of the other ships, following
his lights soon after, came up with him, and assisted
in taking the rear-admiral, who called for quarter
about tv^'o in the morning. On board of this ship he
sent his boats to bring to him the chief officers, and
before the rising of the sun, he saw one large ship on
his weather-bow, and three sail upon the weather-
quarter, three or four leagues off ours, lying then
with their heads to the north, the wind being at N, E.
an easy gale. Then he put out the signal for the
Kingston and Portland to chace to windward, not
"being able himself to make sail, being much disabled;,

37tl NAVAL HISTORY
and, as he had a great part of his men hi the prize,*
so were there no less than three hundred Spanish?
prisoners on board his own ship.
On Sunday the 30th, the wind being from the
N, E. to N. N. W. and but little of it, the Kingston
and Portland bad left off chace ; but he made the
signal for continuing it, which they did, and ran
him out of sight, the fire-ship still continuing witb
him, and he having lain by some time, not only to
put the prize in a condition of saihng, but to refit his
own rigging, made sail eastward on the Slst, when
the Kingston and Portland joined him, and gave him
an account, that the ship they chaced was the vice-
admiral ; to which, as they said, they came so near
as to fire their broadsides into her ; but were so far
advanced towards the Salmadinas, a shoal off Car
thagena, that they were forced to tack and leave
her. This gave the commodore great uneasiness, and
determined him to call the captains ofthese ships to
account ; but, in the mean time, he sent them orders
to take or destroy a galleon of forty guns, which he
understood, by a Swedish ship that had been trading
at Baru, had taken shelter in that island.
She vvas just coming out of port as the Kingston
and Portland appeared ; upon Avhich her crew ran
hef a-shore, set her on fire, and blew her up, so that
nothing could be got out of her, as our captains
affirmed, and this, as it appeared to the commodore^
afterwards, was true. On the 2d of June, the com
modore finding his provisions and water short, the
Avind contrary, and nothing more to be done in those
parts, resolved to set the Spanish prisoners a shore, ac
cording to their request, on the island of Baru, and then
proceed for Jamaica; vvhich he performed accordingly,
and the Spanish rear-admiial retained, as long as he
lived, a grateful sense of the commodore's civility.*
On the Sth of July, the Expedition, Kingston, and
* According to the account given to the commodore by these
prisoners, of the strength and value of the squadron, and wliicb

OF QUEEN ANNE, , ^79
Vulture fire-ship, brought the prize safe into Port-
Royal harbour, where the commodore soon after ar
rived. He found, at his return, the new act of par
liament for the distribution of prizes ; and though he
had before permitted the sailors to plunder as they
thoi^ght fit, when the prize vvas taken, yet now he
appointed agents, in obedience to that act of parlia
ment, and ordered Captain Long to deliver up nearly
thirty thousand pounds worth of silver and effects,
that he bad-taken between decks, in order to satisfy
the sailors of the uprightness of his intentions. He
likewise took care to dispatch proper intelligence to
England, that ships might be fitted out to cruise for
the galleons that had escaped ; and, on the 23d of
July, he held a court-martial on the two captains
who had behaved so indifferently in the late engage
ment,* seems to deserve more credit than any others, the admiral, called
the St. Joseph, carried sixty-four guns, and had six hundred men,
of whom seventeen only were saved, and had on board about seven
millions in gold and silver ; the vice-admiral mounted sixty-four
guns, and had between four and five hundred men, with about six
millions ; the rear-admiral mounted forty-four guns, but carried
eleven more in her hold, and had only thirteen chests of pieces of
eight, and fourteen sous of silver, the rest of the galleons were, for
the most part, loaded with cocoa. It is very remarkable, that in
all the action, the commodore had but two men killed, and nine
wounded, I shall take this opportunity of adding a succinct ac
count, of a gallant exploit performed by an English officer, a little
before the taking of the galleons. Captain Colebay, commander
of a privateer sloop, of about an hundred men, meeting with four
teen sail of brigantines and sloops, laden with valuable goods, go
ing from the galleons at Porto Bello, to Panama, under convoy of
a guard sloop, bravely fought the guard sloop, and took her and
six more. The Spaniards offered the captain one hundred and
eighty thousand pieces of eight for the ransom of the sloop, which
he, refused,
* In the London Gazette, No. 4476, we have the following
account of the proceedings of this court martial :
M a court martial held on board her Majesty's ship Expedition,
at Port Royal, in Jamaica, the 23d of July, 170S.
Present. — Charles AVager, Esq, commander in chief of a
squadron of her Majesty's ships in the West Indies, Puesident ;

389 NAVAL HISTORY
A few days after, the commodore received a com
mission, appointing him rear-admiral of the blue,
Avhich bore date before his taking of the galleon; and.
Captain Barrow Harris, of the Assistance; Captain Tudor Tre.
vor, of the AVindsor, Captain Humphry Pudner, of the Severne;
Captain Stephen Hutchins, of the Scarborough ; Captain Henry
Long, of the Expedition ; Captain Abraham Tudor, of the Dol.
phin. All duly sworn, according to an act of parliament.
Captain Simon Bridges, commander of her Majesty's ship ths
Kingston, was tried for not having performed his duty in a late ac
tion with the Spanish galleons, on the coast of Carthagena, in New
Spain, on the 28th, 'iQth, and 30th of May last; and it did ap.
pear by evidence upon oath, that the said Captain Simon Bridges,
through misconduct, did not use his utmost endeavours to engage,
and take fhe enemy, on the 28fh of May last, at night; and that
he did too negligently pursue fhe chace of the Spanish vice-admi.
ral, the 29th and 3(Jth : and that he left off chace, when within
gun-shot of the said ship, doubting the pilot's knowledge, and
bearing near the shoal, called Salmadinas, though the pilot offered
to carry the ship within the said shoal, after the said vice-admiral ;
hut no want of personal courage being alleged against him, this
court does only find him guilty of the breach of part of the 12th,'
and part of the 14th articles of war, and for the said offence, do
dismiss him, the said Captain Simon Bridges, from being captain of
her Majesty's ship Kingston,
Captain Edward Windsor, commander of her Majesty's ship the
Portland, being tried for not doing his duty, in a tate action with
the Spanish galleons, on fhe coast of Carthagena, in New Spain,'
on the 28th, 29th, and 30ih of May last ; it did appear, by evi.1
depce upon oath, that the said Captain Edward Windsor was slack
in his duty, by not bearing so near the enemy as to keep sight of
some of them, when they were engaged on the 28th at night ; that
npon chacing the enemy next day, by signal from the commodore,
he left off chace, and bore down to the Kingston in the evening,'
when he ought not to have done so ; and that on the 30th, when
the Kingston and Portland chaced the vice-admiral of the galleo'^s,'
near the Salmadinas, he shortened sail before he caine up with the
said ship, so far as he might have done ; but it appears, that he
was led into these mistakes through want of judgment, and having
too great a regard to Captain Bridges, of the Kingston, as a senior
officer. This court having duly considered the whole matter, do
find him guilty of the breach of some part of the 12tb, and part of the
14th articles of war, and for the said offence, do dismiss him, th»
said Captain Edward Windsor, from being captain of her Majesty'*
ship Portland,

OF QUEEN ANNE, 381
therefore, as Mr. Lediard very justly observes, ought
not to be considered as a rew^ard for that action ; in
which hght, however, many other writers have plac
ed it. Captain John Edwards arriving at Jamaica,
with the Monmouth, a third rate, the Jersey, a fourth,
and the Roebuck, a fifth rate, brought the rear-ad
miral orders, to send home with him, the Expedition,
Windsor, Assistance, Dolphin, Dunkirk's prize, and
Vulture fire-ship, with Avhich he complied; and by
the latter end of September, they all sailed for Eng
land, the Dunkirk's prize excepted, which frigate, not
being in a condition to be trusted home in the win
ter, the rear-admiral sent her out on a short cruize,
with the Monmouth, the ship in which he was to
hoist his flag, under the command of his first lieu
tenant, when in the Expedition, Captain Purvis ; and
they brought in tvvo French merchant ships, one of
one hundred, the other of one hundred and fifty tons,
laden with wine, brandy, and other goods, from Ro
chelle to Petit Guavas ; but cruising soon after, on
the north side of Hispaniola, the Dunkirk's prize
chaced a French ship, until she ran on shore near Port
Francoise, and following her too near, the pilot not
being well acquainted, she struck upon a ledge of
rocks, where, being a very weak ship, she soon
bulged ; Captain Purvis, with some of his men, got
npon a small key, or uninhabited island, within shot
¦of the French ship; and though she had fourteen
.guns, and sixty men, and fired smartly upon them,
yet having his own boats, witb a canoe he had taken,
and having made a stage, from whence he was ready
to attack them, the French demanded quarter, and
-surrendered the ship, upon agreement, that her com
mander and men should be put on shore ; and with
this ship Captain Purvis arrived at Jamaica, with all
his company, except twenty-one, who refused to
assist in the attempt, believing it altogether impossi
ble to succeed therein.
Upon intelligence ^ent the rear-admiral from the

332 NAVAL HISTORY
Admiralty, that Mi Du Guai Trouin was sailed -with
a strong squadron, which it vvas believed might be
intended to execute some design upon the island of
Jamaica, a council ofwar was held on the 1st of De
cember, 1708, where were present, besides Rear-ad
miral Wager, Captain Trevor, of the Kingston ; Cap*
tain Pudner, of the Severne; Captain Hutchins, of
the Portland; Captain Vernon, of the Jersey; Cap
tain Charles Hardy, of the Roebuck; and it being
judged, that, if they made such an attempt, it would
be against the harbour of Port Royal, it was. deter
mined, that all her Majesty's ships there, except such
as it might be necessary to send to windward, for in
telligence, or on any other extraordinary occasion;
should be drawn up in a line, at the entrance of the
said harbour, so as that, with the assistance of the
fort, they m'ight in the best manner possible defend
it, and most annoy the enemy. The 1 8th of January,
another council of war vvas called, and since the let
ter of advice before mentioned was dated almost six
months before, it was considered, whether the squa
dron should be kept any longer together, since the
enemies ships had not appeared; in which it was at
length determined, they ought to be employed on
necessary services. Thus we have brought the pro^
ceedings in the West Indies down to the close of this
year, and, according to the method hitherto pursued^
we are novv to return home, and to give an account
of such remarkable events there, as have relation to
the affairs of the navy.
On the 27th of October, a court-martial was held
on board the Royal Anne, at Spithead, for the trials
of Captain Richard Edwards, of the Cumberland ;
Captain John Balchen, of the Chester ; and Captain-
Baron Wild of the Royal Oak; the two first for
losing their ships, and the last for breaking the line,
disobeying his commanding officer's orders, .and neg
lect of duty. After a strict examination of witnesses,'
and free liberty given to the persons accused to make

OF QUEEN ANNE-, 36*
their defence, and to produce whatever testimonies
were in their power. Captain Edwards was most
honourably acquitted, and declared to have done his
duty, in every respect, both as captain and commo
dore; and Captain John Balchen was also acquitted;
but Captain Baron Wild being found guilty of neg
lect of duty, and disobeying orders, was not only
cashiered, but declared incapable of ever serving in
the royal navy.
On the 28th of October, died his royal highness.
George Prince of Denmark, lord high-admiral of
England, and her British Majesty's consort, at Ken
sington, of an asthma. He was born in 1653 ; mar
ried to her Majesty the 28th of July, 1683; and on
tbe 13th of November, 1708, he was interred in the
abbey-church of Westminster, at ten in the evening.
At this hour, the ordnance on the platform, and on
board all the ships in the harbour of Portsmouth, were
fired, a minute after each other, which lasted for some
hours ; and the next morning the Union flag vvas
hoisted again, which had been taken down on the
news of his royal highness's death. Her Majesty wa»
pleased to keep the Admiralty in her own bauds,
for about three weeks ; and, on the 25 th of Novem
ber, she appointed Thomas earl of Pembroke lord
high-admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, to the
great satisfaction of the whole nation.*
* Bishop Burnet gives this account of the matter: " In the end
of October, George prince of Denmark died, in the fifty-sixth
year of his age, after he had been twenty five years and some.
months married to the queen : he was asthraatical, which grew on
him with his years ; for some time he was considered as a dying
man, but the last year of his life he seemed to recover a better
state of health. The queen had been, ducing the whole course of
her marriage, an extraordinary tender and affectionate wife ; and
in all his illness, which lasted some years, she would never leave his
bed, but sometimes sat up half the night in the bed by him, with
such care and concern, that she was looked on, very deservedly, as
a pa'ttern in this respect. This prince had shewed himself brave in
war, both in Denmark and Ireland : his temper was mild and gen-
tie : be had made a good progress in mathematics ; he had travellecS

384 NAVAL HISTORY
The new parliament meeting on the 18th of No^
vember, and having chosen Sir Richard Onslow,
Bart, for their speaker, the lord high-chancellor, in a
speech from the throne, recommended a provision for
the navy, and especially for the building of new shipsy
and fortifying our ports. On the 6th of December^
the House of Commons addressed, for an account of
the number of men, that might be wanting to than
her Majesty's navy, for the year 1709; which was
promised, and upon this, accounts being laid before
the house, they agreed to it immediately, and voted
the same number of men, vvith the same allowance,
and the same sum for the ordinary use of the navy,
as had been givpn the year before; but soon after,
the commons thought fit to appoint a committee to
enquire into the number of ships employed as cruisers
and convoys ; as also to discover the true reasons of
the great increase of the navy debt ; and on their re
port, they came to a resolution on the 24th of March,
" That an address be presented to her Majesty, to de-»
sire that she would be pleased to give directions to the
proper officers, to lay before the house, an account of
all the sums of money granted, or voted, since her
Majesty's accession to the crown, and how far the
same had proved deficient," At the same time, they
ordered the commissioners of the navy to lay before
them the causes of the increase of the debt of the
navy. But, to this address, it seems, the ministry
did not think fit her Majesty should give any answer ;^
so the affair dropped for that time. It is certain, and
indeed it was very natural, this conduct of the court
gave great offence ; yet the commons were so hearty
in the prosecution of the war, that, with their usual
liberality, they gave for the service of the year 1709,
no less a sum than 6,457,830/.
There were also in this session some other things
through France, Italy, and Germany, and knew much more than
he could well express ; for he spoke acquired languages ill and un-
gracefiilly,"

OF QUEE^ ANNB. 885
done for promoting trade and the plantations, such as
a grant of 103,203/. for the relief of the inhabitants
of St. Nevis, and St. Christopher's, and a vote in
favour of the trade to Africa ; but the most remark
able was, the joint address of both houses, that her
Majesty would be pleased not to conclude any peace
AVith the French king, unless he consented to demoT
lish the fortifications and harbour of Dunkirk; which
jf)oint being accordingly insisted upon in the conferen
ces at the Hague, with M. De Torci, for settiing the
preliminaries of a general peace ; and tbat ministei*
shewing greater reluctance to consent to this, than to
any other of the articles, alleging, that his master
bought, and paid for this town and port, besides lay^
ing out immense sums upon it since ; Avhich so pro
voked Prince Eugene, that he could not help telling
the French ministers, with great warmth, that he
Avondered they should spend so many words about it,
and that they ought rather to admire the generosity
©f a princess, who, having it in her power to pre
scribe them harder terms, and force them to deliver
t.hat, with what other places she pleased, and revive
many pretensions of the crown of England, gave an
unparalleled example of her moderation. This had
such an effect, that the point was immediately giveiji
up, and the following article makes the seventeenth
of the preliminaries they, agreed on :
"His Most Christian Majesty promises, to cause
all the fortifications of the town of Dunkirk, the har-»
hour, and Rysbanck, and others depending on the
same, without any exception, to be demolished at his
own charges ; so that one half of the fortifications be
demolished, and one half of the harbour filled up
within two months, and the other half of the said for
tifications razed, and the other half of tiie said har
bour filled up in two other months, the whole to the
j^tisfaction of the queen of Great Britain, and the
Lords the States-general of the United Provinces;
and it shallnever be allowed to re-establish the said

380 NAVAL HISTORY y
fortifications, or render the harbour navigable, di
rectly or indirectly."
I have taken particular notice of this, in order to
shew how unanimous all parties in this nation have
ever been, as to their sentiments on this head ; for it
was Lord Somers who moved this affair in the upper
house; and therefore, the measure ought to be con
sidered as a direct proof of the disposition of the
Whig ministry, as the inserting a like clause in the
treaty of Utrecht, plainly shews the sense of Tory
ministers ; whence I conclude, that theie must be a
total revolution of parties in this country, before
there can arise a set of men capable of weakening this
part of our security, in any respect, by consenting to,
or even conniving at the restoring this port, so fatal
to the commerce of the two maritime pow^ers. To
these points, I shall add the inquiry into the conduct
of the ministry in the late invasion, which was justi
fied by the resolutions of the House of Commons, and
the diligence of the Admiralty commended.
Before we proceed to the operations of the year
1709, it may not be amiss to take, notice of a great
naval promotion made by her Majesty, for this rea
son, because it was one of the noblest testimonies of
her Majesty's concern and regard towards such of
her subjects as had served with extraordinary dili
gence and activity at sea; for the post of rear-admi*
ral of Great Britain having been vacant since the
death of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, her Majesty, of her
mere grace and favour, without the interposition of
any of her ministers, bestowed it on Sir John Leake,
with this remarkable compliment, "That she vvas
put in mind of it, by the voice of the people."
Early in the spring, Lord Dursley, vvho commanded
in the Soundings, was at sea with his squadron, and
took several prizes from tbe French ; and on the 22d
of February, his lordship having only with him th§
Kent, Plymouth, Monk, and Litchfield, fell in Avith
eleven sail twelve leagues from Spilly, This hap»

OF QUEEN ANNE, 387
«ened about three in the morning, and their lights
being seen, his lordship made the signal for wearing,
Avhich was obeyed, though not w'ithout imminent
danger of falling amongst the enemy ; for this proved
to be M, Du Guai Trouin's squadron. However,
through the darkness of the weather, his lordship
missed them; and then stretching away for Plyr
mouth. Captain Stuart of the Dartmouth, whom his
lordship had sent in a little before Avith a prize, in
formed him, that he had been chaced by njne large
ships oft' the Lizard, and that they were the same, in
his judgment, which bad fallen in with, and engaged
Captain Toilet in his passage from Ireland. This af
fair baviijg made a great noise, and dbing extraor-
,dinary honour to the bravery of our English officers,
I. shall give a particular account of it from the capV
tain's own papers.
On the 25th of February, Captain Toilet, in the
Assurance, of 70 guns, with the Sunderland, of 60,
. Hampghire and Anglesea, of 50 guns each, sailed
from Corke, and being joined by the Assistance, a 50
gun ship, as also vvith the trade from Kingsale, con
tinued his voyage for England. On the second of
March, about five in the morning, being then eight
leagues S. S. W. of the Lizard, he saw four sail stand
ing after him. About seven, they came within ran-
xlom shat 5 whereupon he made the signal for draw
ing into a line of battle, and another for the merchant
men to bear away as they best could for their own
security ; sonie of theni, with the Anglesea and the
-Sunderland; having' before lost company. About
eight, the enemy bore down in a line, and when they
were come vyithin musket shot, they hoisted French
Colours. The French commodore, who was in a ship of 70
guns Or upwards, carne ranging along the larboard
side of the Assurance, and fell aboard her, so that
'•they engaged yard-arm and yard-arm, for the space
of almost half an hour ; "during whichj the Frenchr
c c 2

388 NAVAL HISTORY
man plied Captain Toilet so warmly with small shot,
as to cut off most of his marines and seamen that were
quartered on deck. They then put off, and fell on
board again on the lee-side of the Assurance, first
ranging on her bow, and then on her quarter, while
she fired her upper deck, and part of her lower deck
guns, with such vigour, that she obliged the enemy
to sheer off, and stand away a-head towards the mer
chantmen. The three other ships, which were of 40
or 50 guns, then came ranging along- side the As
surance, firing several broadsides into her, and after
that bore away as the former. The damage she re
ceived was very great ; her sides were shot through
and through in many places ; her shrouds and back
stays cut to pieces, as hkewise her main and false
stay ; which, if not timely seen, had occasioned the
loss of her mast. Her fore-sail and fore- top-sail were
torn to pieces ; her best bower cut away ; one of the
flukes of the spare anchor shot off, and her small
hower, by the enemies boarding, drove through her
I)ow. All possible dispatch was made in fitting her
rigging, which, with the bending of a new fore-sail,
and fore-top-sail, took up some time. After this the
ships of war all bore down, to secure what merchant
ships they could,, expecting to have engaged the
enemy again ; but they declined it. The captain of
the Assurance, who had been four months sick, and
Jiad been carried upon deck in a chair, was wounded ;
the first lieutenant was shot in the leg, which being
dressed, he then returned to his charge upon deck ;
the second lieutenant was killed, as were several
Erench officers, whom they brought from Ireland ;
but more of the latter were w^ounded. In the whole,
the Assurance had five and twenty killed, and threfs.
and fifty wounded, and some of these died of their
wounds ; for the enemy making their chief attempt
on her, she had been severely treated ; the Hamp
shire had only two killed, and eleven wounded ; tbfi
Assistance eight killed, and one and twenty wounded,

OF QUEEN ANNE. 889
among the latter was Captain Tudor, her commander,
who died afterwards of bis wounds.
M. Du Guai Trouin, who commanded the French
squadron, had abundance of men killed and AVounded,
and took only five merchantmen, which it was be
lieved he sent into Brest. In the memoirs, which go
under his name, it is acknowledged, that our officers
did their duty extremely well ; that not only his own
ship vvas very roughly handled by Captain Toilet, but
also, that the Amazon, and the Glory, that Avere
Avith him, met the hke reception from the Hampshire
and the Assistance. As to the five prizes, he says,
that two of them were sent to St. Maloe's, one got
into Calais, and the other two foundered on the Eng
lish coast*
Lord Dursley, on the 20th of March, ordered
three ships to cruise off Brest, to gain intelligence,
and in the mean time the Salisbury took a French
West India ship, richly laden ; but the most valuable
part of her effects were immediately taken out, be
cause she proved so leaky, that it was suspected she
might founder at sea. On the 29tb, his lordship had
orders to see the Lisbon fleet of merchantmen safe
into the sea ; but his lordship having received certain
intelligence, that M. Du Guai Trouin was then cruis
ing at the distance of about thirty-five leagues from
Scilly, his lordship proposed to leave the trade and
transports, under the protection of some Dutch men
of war that were expected from Portsmouth^ and re
solved to go himself in search of the enemy ; but
these Dutch ships of war not arriving in time, his
lordship thought it better to comply with his orders.
He accordingly escorted the Lisbon fleet as far as he
was directed, and had scarcely parted from them, on
the 9th of April, before he discovered the Achilles,
Commanded by M. Du Guai Trouin, and the Glory,
who, the day before, had taken the Bristol man of
Avar, a fifty-gun ship ; his lordship immediately gave
them chace, recovered the Bristol, vvhich, b^' a shot

800 NAVAL HISTORY
in her bread-roOm, Sunk afterwards ; but all tlie fneff^
except twenty, were saved; The Achilles, much
shattered, escaped by her swift sailing, but the Le
Gloire, a French man ofwar of 44 gitns and 312 men
was taken ; his lonlship having about Seventy men
killed and wOunded in the action. On the 26th of
Aprilj two small ships were taken, and on the 7th of
May, a privateer, carrying 14 guns, and 100 men ;
but the provisions through all the ships then growing
very short, his lordship found it necessary to return
to Plymouth on the 13th^ with his squadron, which
Consisted at that tinie of one third and seven fourth
.rateSj and there received the unwelcome news, that
her Majesty's ship the Sweepstakes, of 32 guns, had
been taken by tvvo French privateers, each of which
Vas of greatei' force than that frigate*
To balance this piece of ill riews^ there arrived;
about the same time* advice, that four French men
bf vykr had attacked some New England ships, laden
with masts, under the convoy of Captain Walter
Ryddel, in the Falmouth, a ship of 50 guns, about
twenty-four leagues from Scilly. This happened on
the 18th of May, and the French commodore, a
sixty gun ship attempting to board the Falmouth*
Captain Ryddel saved him the trouble,' by filling his
head-sails, and laying her On board under her bolt-
feprit, directly athwart her hawser, and at the same
time raked her fore and aft with his cannon, * The
enemy continued in this posture about an hour and
halfj duri'ng which time he entered many men, but
they were repulsedi However, the number of meti
pn board her being much greater than those in the
Falmouth, it occasioned various turns : but at length
he thought fit to retire* having first cut all tl]^ la.-
niards of the Falmouth's fore and mizen shfouds; be
lieving it might prevent her following to rescue tM,
convoys, which the enemy stood after. Notwith.^
iBtanding this, Captain Ryddel made sail after him
*V!th such diligence, as enabled him, notwithstand^

OF QUEEN ANNE. 391
ihg the bad condition he Avas in, to preserve them all,
and to bring them safe into Plymouth. In this ac
tion the Falmouth had thirteen men killed, and fifty-
six wounded. The captain himself was wounded in
"the right leg, and had several other hurts ; and the
second lieutenant, and Mr. Lawson, a volunteer, vvere
shot through the body ; the Falmouth had twenty
thousand pounds, New England money, on board
her at the time of the engagement.
On the very same day, application being made to
his excellency Thomas earl of Wharton, then lord-
lieutenant of Ireland, signifying that two French
.privateers had entered Bantry Bay, and surprised the
Ruth of London, a West India ship, supposed to be
worth 25,000/. at least ; his lordship ordered Captain
Camock, inthe Speedwell, then in the harbour^ of
Kingsale, to proceed immediately in quest of the said
privateers and their prize. He accordingly sailed di
rectly for Beer-haven, at the very entrance of which
he met one of the privateers and the prize, making
the best of flieir way to France. The prize was im
mediately retaken, on board which the captain put
his lieutenant with forty men, and then continued
the chace all night ; but finding the privateer had
given him the shp, he, the next morning, entered
Bantry Bay, and took the other privateer, with thirty
men on board, most of them Irish, wdiom he sent to
the prison of Corke, in order to their being tiied for
high treason. Three weeks afterwards, the same alert
officer had the good luck to surprise a French priva
teer of twelve guns and ninety men, on the very
point of taking three merchantmen, richly laden, all
of whom he brought safe into the port of London
derry. ¦ It is now time to return to the proceedings of Sir
George Byng, whom we left in the harbour of Port
Mahon, where he was extremely distressed for want of
naval stores, which were on board the Arrogant, a
ship that had been missing from his arrival in that

§9i NAVAL HISTOliY
harboUf, in quest of which he detached ships ta Ma-«
jorca, and to the port of Cagliari in Sardinia ; and at
the same time dispatched orders to Sir Edward Whit
aker, who was still on the coast of Italy, to join him
with his squadron, in case the emperor's troops, that
were designed for Catalonia, were not as yet ready.
All the month of February* 1709* was spent in
tedious expectations; but at last, about the middle
of March, Sir Edward Whitaker arrived, with
3500 men, in transports under his convoy* to the
great joy of Sir George Byng and General Stanhope,
ivho had long waited for these forces, in order to at
tempt something for the relief of Alicant, then be-»
sieged by an army of 12,000 men, and for the safety
of vvhich. King Charles had expressed unusual con
cern. As this city and castle had been taken, as we
before have shewn* by the remarkable valour of the
British seamen; as the present siege of it Avas one of
the most remarkable actions in this age ; and as the
attempt made for its relief cannot well be understood
without it ; I shall take the liberty of giving a suc
cinct account of the vvhole affair, from the time the
place was invested, to its surrender.
Alicant is a city and port, commanded by a
strong castle, standing on a rock, at a small distance
from the sea, and about sixty-eight miles .south from
the capital city of Valencia. There was in it a pretty
good garrison, under the command of Major-general
Richards, which made an obstinate defence against a
Very numerous army of the enemy, with a very large
train of heavy artillery, and excellently supplied vvith
ammunition. At last, the city being absolutely un
tenable, the garrison resolved to retire into the castle,
which had hitherto been esteemed impregnable. They
sunk three cisterns in the solid rock, and then, with
incredible labour filled them vVith water. The troops
that retired into it, AVere Sir Charies Hotham's regi
ment, and that of Colonel Sibourg, generally called
the French regiment, because it was composed of re-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 393
ftlgfees. After some progress made in this second
siege, the French saw that it was impossible to do
any great matter in the usual Avay, and therefore,
contrary to all expectation, resolved upon a Avork
excessively laborious, and, in all outward appearance,
impracticable ; which vvas that of mining through
the solid rock, in order to blow up the castle and its
garrison into the air together. At first Major-general
Richards, and all the officers in the place, looked
upon the enemy's scheme as a thing utterly impossi
ble to be accomplished, and were secretly well pleased
Avith their undertaking, in hopes it would give time
for our fleet to come to their relief; yet, this did not
hinder them from doing all that lay in their power to
incommode the workmen, and, at last to countermine
them. The besiegers, however, wrought so incessantly,
and brought such numbers of peasants to assist them
in their labours, that they having, in about twelve
weeks time, finished the works thought proper for this
service, by very experienced engineers, and charged
them with 1500 barrels of powder, several large beams,
iron bars, and crows, and other utensils of destruc-'
tion, summoned the castle to surrender, March 20th,
most solemnly assuring a safe and honourable convoy
to Barcelona, with bag and baggage for every person
in it, if they submitted within three days, and pre
vented the ruin of the castle; but threatened other
wise, no mercy should be shewn, if any might acci
dentally escape the blow : and, to demonstrate the
reality of their design, they desired the garrison
might depute three, or more engineers, with other
gentlemen of competent skill, to A'iew their works,
and make a faithful report of what they saw. Ac
cordingly, two field officers weut to the mine, and
were allowed the liberty of making vvhat scrutiny they
pleased ; upon which they told the governor, that, if
their judgment failed them not, the explosion vvould
Carry up the whole castle to the easternmost batterv^

894 NAVAL HISTORY
unless it took vent in their own countermine, or vein'l
but) at least, they conceived it would carry away the
sea-battery, the lodging-rooms in the castle-close,
some of the chambers cut for soldiers barracksj
and, they very much feared, niigiit affect the great
cistern. A grand council of war was called upon this ; the
French message delivered, and the engineers made
their report; the besieged acknowledged their want'
of water ; but believing the fleet might be sensible of
their distress-, and consequently under some concern
for their relief, their unanimous resolution was, to
commit themselves to the providence of God, and,
Avhatever fate attended them, to stand the springing
of the mine. The French general, and Spanish offi
cers, expressed the utmost concern at this answer^
and the second night of the three allowed, sent to di
vert them from what they called) and it is very likely
thought, inexcusable obstinacy, offering the same
honourable articles as before, even upon that late
compliance ; but these still Avere rejected by the be
sieged. The fatal third night . approaching, and uo
fleet seen, the French sent their last summons, and
withal an assurance, that their mine was primed, and
should be sprung by six o'clock the next morning ;
and though, as they saw, all hope and prospect of
relief was vain, yet there was room for safety still,
and the terms already proposed vvere in their power to
accept. The besieged persisted in their adherence to
the result of their first council, and the .French met
their usual answer again ; therefore, as a prologue to
their intended tragedy, they ordered all the inhabi
tants of that quarter to withdraw from their houses
before five o'clock the ensuing morning. The be
sieged, in the mean time, kept a general guard, de
voting themselves to their metlitations. The Major-
general, ("olonel Sibourg, and Lieutenant-colonel
Thornicroft, of Sir Charles Hotham's regiment, sat
together in the governor's usual lodging- room j other

6f QUEEN ANNE. S95
bracers cantoned themselves as their tempers inclined
them, to pass the melancholy night.
At length, day appearing, the governor was in
formed, that the inhabitants were flying in crowds to
the westernmost part of tiie town. The governor, at
tended by the abovementioned gentlemen, and about
five or six other officers, vv^ent to the west battery, to
inform himself better. After he had remained there
about a quarter of an hourj Lieutenant- colonel Thor
nicroft desired him to remove* as being unable to do
any service there ; he and Colonel Sibourg both an
swered, that no danger was to be apprehended there,
more than in any other place; and that there they
would wait the event. The lieutenant-colonel re
mained, because his superiors did, and other officers
imitated the same example : but the hour of five be
ing now considerably past, the corporal's guard cried
out, that the train vvas fired, observing some smoke
from the lighted matches, and other combustible
matter near it, from whence the same ascended to
the centinels above. The governor and field-otficers
were then urged to retreat* but refused.
The mine at last blew up ; the rock opened and
shut; the whole mountain felt the convulsion; the
governor and fiekl-ofiicers, with their company, ten
-guns, and two mortars, vvere buried in the abyss 5
the walls of the castle shook, part of the great cistern
fellj another cistern almost closed* and the rock shut
a hian to his neck in its cliff* Avho lived many hours
in that aflhcting posture. About thirty-six centinels
and women were swalloAv^ed in different quarters*
whose dying groans were heardj some of them after
the fourth mournful day. Many bouses of the town
were overwhelmed in their ruin.s, and the castle suf
fered much ; but* that it wears any form at all, was
owing to the vent vvhich the explosion forced through
the veins of the rock, and the countermine. After
the loss of the chief oflficers, the government fell of
course to Lieutenant-colonel Dalbeume, rather as t

398 NAVAL HISTORY
apprehend D'Albou, of Sibourg's regiment, who drew
out a detachment from the whole garrison, and with
it made a desperate sally, to shew how little he was
moved at their thunder. The bombs from the castie
played on the town more violently, and the shot
galled every corner of their streets ; which marks of
their resentment they continued till the arrival of our
fleet, which they had expected so long.
The Spanish and French historians speak of thii*
action with all imaginable regard to the gallant de
fence made by the besieged. The Spanish army was
commanded by the Chevalier D'Asfeldt, who was then
in the French service, and looked upon as the very
best officer they ever sent to King Phihp. He was
an excellent engineer,' saw at once what was to be
done, and having formed his plan, pursued it steadily,
and accomplished it generally. Under him com
manded Don Pedro Ronquillo, a Spanish general of
distinguished merit. D'Asfeldt contrived and di
rected the mine, Ronquillo raised and defended the
entrenchments between the castle and the sea. Both
punctually performed their parts, though both were
difficult D'Asfeldt was very strict and austere; the
Spaniards, even of his own party, thought him cruel;
yet, upon this occasion, he not only shewed himself
generous, but humane. He used every argument
possible to persuade Major-general Richards* to spare
himself and his brave garrison, and deplored their loss
Avith tenderness and affection. The Spaniards mag
nified their heroic conduct, and called the ruined
castle, the monument of English courage.
On the 5th of April, about eight o'clock in the
morning. Sir Edward Whitaker's squadron, arrived,
* This Major-general Richards, though an Englishman, was an
officer in the King of Spain's service, and of the Romish religion ;
the foreign Gazettes mention him with respect, by the name of
Don Juan Ricardo ; there perished, besides the officers mentioned
in the text, five captains, three lieutenants, forty-two soldiers, all
tlie miners, and about thirty peasants.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 397
and attempted the relief of the castle ; his ships were
the Defiance, Northumberland, Essex, York, and
Dunkirk, The last went within the line, as drawing
less water than the other, in three and a half fathom ;
then laying her broadside to the east part of the town,
began to cannonade a battery of four guns, and two
others raised under the hill, each mounted with two
guns, and from the mole-head, a forty-two pounder.
The wind having blown fresh the night before, and
an unhappy swell rolling in from the eastward at
eleven, the great ships were obliged to weigh their
anchors, making out of cannon-shot. The Dunkirk
having much of her rigging damaged, and her small
bower cut, between one and two, fell fast a-stern,
lying exposed to the enemy's shot, bombs, and car
casses, till three in the afternoon, at which time, by
winding the right way, she with much difficulty got
off. The weather continuing very bad till the 7th,
and it not being known to what extremities the gar
rison rnight be reduced, and the enemy increasing
considerably in strength, the general sent a flag of
truce a-shore, with proposals for surrendering the
castle; which being agreed to, and onr men em
barked, the Admiral (Sir George Byng) proceeded
Avith the troops towards Barcelona, having detached
some ships to cruize for the Turkey fleet ; others, with
transports for corn to Barbary ; and the Suffolk,
Humber, and Ipswich, which he left to clean at Port
Mahon, were under orders to proceed to Genoa and
Final, in order to embarking and transporting the
German troops from those places to Catalonia.
In his way to Barcelona he landed General Stan
hope, with the troops, at Tarragona, and returning
with the garrison of the castle of Ahcant to Port
Mahon, joined some. other ships to those he first in
tended for Genoa and Final, aud sent them thither
under the command of Sir Edward Whitaker ; but
directed him first to proceed to Leghorn, for a sup
ply of provisions, which was at this time very rnucji

398 NAVAL HISTORY
wanted. The few ships he had with him at Por|
Mahon, he was cleaning as fast as possible, that so
they might cruize against the enemy, who had taken
the Faulcon, a ship of thirty-two guns, off Cape De
Gat, in her passage to Lisbon, from whence he had
ordered Sir John Jennings to join him, with the ships
under his command, who was off Gibraltar the 2 Ist
of May, with sixteen men ofwar, English and Dutch,
and about forty transports, laden with corn, as also
provisions and stores for the fleet in the Mediterra
nean, and arrived at Port Mahon the 2>ith; from
whence he guarded the corn ships to Barcelona, and
was joined the Sth of June by Sir George Byng, with
the rest of the English and Dutch men of war ; and
there Sir Edward Whitaker arrived with his squadron
from Italy, and above two thousand recruits for the
army in Catalonia.
A council of war being held, it was determined,
4;hat since the king of Spain, as the posture of his
affairs then stood, could not come to any resolution
relating to the fleet's a.ssisting in the reduction of
those parts of Spain, still in the possession of the
enemy, the admiral should sail to a station ten leagues
south of Cape Toulon, not only for intercepting the
enemy's trade, but to alarm them all that might be ;
but since it was necessary that a squadron should be
on the coast of Portugal, Sir John Jennings was sent
thither with one ship of the second rate, four of the
..third, five of the fourth, and three of the fifth.
Sir George Byng arrived before Toulon the 2 Ist of
June, in vvhich harbour he saw only eight ships rigged,
.and one large man ofwar on the careen, the rest be
ing disarmed ; which satisfied him, that the informar
tions he had formerly received were true, that the
enemy did not intend, in fact were not able, to bring-
out any fleet that yeai- ; but vvere resolved to content
themselves with sending abroad small squadrons to
protect their corn- fleets. After having thus insulted
Xoulon, he in a shoit time retuj-ned to Bai-ceiopa ro^c}^

OF QUEEN ANNE, 39»-
Avhere he found most of the ships arrived from the
services upon which he had sent tiiem; and some of
them, particularly the Centurion and Dunkirk, had
been so fortunate as to make a great many prizes.
The court of Spain was, at the instance of Cardinal
Grimani, very desirous to have the reduction of
Sicily attempted, and vvas informed by General Stan
hope, that it vvas her Majesty's pleasure, that part of
the fleet should assist in the design upon Cadiz ; but
the Dutch ships having been separated in bad wea
ther, and ours being too few to answer these and
many other services the court proposed, he suspended
for some time the coming to any resolution, being
every day in expectation of the ships of the States-^
general. But at length, that the service might not suffer
through delay, the admiral formed a disposition of her
Majesty's ships, and appointed Sir Edward Whitaker
for the service of Sicily, while he himself designed to
proceed on the other with General Stanhope. The
26th of July, the court of Spain having notice of the
enemies penetrating into the Lampourdan, with in
tention, as they apprehended, to besiege Girone; and
there being a want of ships to protect the coasts of
Catalonia, and hinder the enemies having supplies by
sea, as also a squadron to bring over the prizes laden
with corn from Porto Farina, whicli they were in
great want of in that principality, and some ships to
go to Italy, for money to subsist the troops; the
court seemed to lay aside the design on Sicily, and the
admiral sent five ships for the vessels laden with corn,
which have been before mentioned.
The warmth, impatience, and irresolution of. the
court at Barcelona, obliged the admirals to drop both
these great designs ; for, without regard to what had
been resolved, or even for what themselves bad de^
manded before, they were continually desiring some
thing new to be done for them, without ever con^
ijdering, that it was impossible our ships cgnld

40O NAVAL HISTORY
perform one service, Avithout neglecting another.
Thus, upon an apprehension that the enemy would
attack Girone, the Enghsh ships were desired to in
tercept their subsistence. Soon after, tiiey were dis
tressed for want of provisions themselves, and then
the most necessary thing that could be done was, to
send for the prizes laden w^ith corn from Porto Fa
rina. By the time this was resolved on, money
grew scarce, and then his Catholic Majesty hoped
that the English ships would go and' fetch it imme
diately from Italy, The manner in which these de
mands were made, and the apprehensions that the
officers were under of complaints being sent home,
induced them to comply with every thing, as far as
was in their power ; so that of necessity, as the most
distant and least practicable, the expedition against
Sicily was laid aside. Our admirals, however, still
flattered themselves that something might be done at
Cadiz, where it was known the people were in want
of bread, and were, besides, highly discontented Avith
the French government,*
On the 27th of July, the Dutch squadron arrived
from Leghorn, upon which Sir George Byng called a
council ofwar, and laid before them the queen's or
ders, the desires of his Catholic Majesty, and the
project formed by themselves for attempting Cadiz ;
but the commander in chief of the Dutch ships ex
cused himself from any share in it ; declaring, that
they were Aqctualled only till the end of August,
which disabled- him from undertaking any service
* It was a great misfortune to Ring Charles, that he had no
body about him capable of giving him good advice, or of coqsi.
dering what was fit to be undertaken in the situation his affairs
were in. This single mistake at grasping at every thing, when
scarcely any thing was in his pov/er, proved the ruin of all his un.
dertakings ; though, as this history fully shews, our sca-officers
did for him all he could expect, and more a great deal than the
officers of any other nation would have done, as is evident from
" The Impartial Inquiry into the Management of the War witl^
Spain," and all the histories of those times.

OF QUEEN ANNB. 401
Ibeyond the 20th of that month. On the 28th of the
month last mentioned, three English men of war, the
Nassau, Ludlow Castle, and Antelope, sailed for Bar
celona, having on board a great sum of money, for
the service of his Catholic Majesty. It was then
agreed, that Sir George Byng should proceed to Ca
diz, and the Dutch ships be employed in other ser
vices ; which, however, Could not be executed ; and,
therefore. Sir George Byng resolved to return home
to England, having taken, on board the fleet, General
Stanhopcj with Colonel Harrison's regiment of foot,
and a Spanish regiment of dragoons, Avhom he landed
safely at Gibraltar on the Slst. On the 25th of Sep
tember he sailed for England, arriving at St, Helen's,
in the Royal Anne, vivitb the Torbay, Chichester,
Colchester, and Antelope, and a small prize taken by
the Chichester, in her way frOm Gibraltar, on the
15th of October,
Sir Edward Whitaker was left with a pretty strong
squadron in the Mediterranean, where, in the Bay of
Roses, he discovered the grand cohvoy intended for
the French forces in the Lampourdan, which con
sisted of forty large vessels laden with corn and other
provisions, of vvhich he took thirty, and hindered
the rest from putting to sea; by this the enemy
Avas greatly distressed, and King Charles's army so
happily supplied with provisions, as to be able to
keep the field, which, otherwise, they could not have
done,* And having thus attended our fleets in the
Mediterranean, as long as they vvere employed in any
considerable service, we shall now return to the ex
ploits performed in the Soundings by Lord Dursley,
with the squadron under his command.
* I find this put in a much strongei' light by some Dutch writers,
who tell us, that Admiral Whitaker, with fifteen sail of men of
war, entered the Bay of Roses, and destroyed fifty French ships,
laden with corn. They add, that the admiral was itlclined to assist
his Catholic Majesty in reducing Roses, which would hate left Hie
euemy without a sea-port in Catalonia ; but his advice was not fol
lowed, which was much to the prejudice of King Charles's aflairs.
A'^OL. III. D D

40a NAVAL HISTORY
Sir George Byng, in his return from the Medi
terranean, having obtained an exact detail of the
strength, station, and designs, of M. Du Guai Trouin,
sent an account of it to the lord high-admiral, who
immediately dispatched it to the Lord Dursley, just
returned from cruizing for a corn fleet, vvhich the
French expected from the Baltic. His lordship's in
structions vvere, to give the enemy all the disturb
ance he could, and to take particular care of the West
India trade, the intercepting of which, was the ser
vice that was principally designed by M, Du Guai
Trouin. On the Sth of October, his lordship sailed
from Plymouth, with one third-rate, and two fourths,
having before detached Captain Vincent with six
sliips, to secure the West India fleet; and soon after,
his lordship joined that detachment, by which he
effectually prevented the French from succeeding, in
their design. On the last of October, his lordship
being then off Scilly, took a large French ship* from
Guadaloupe, and a small privateer. Three weeks
after, he met vvith the Barbadoes fleet, and having
sufficiently strengthened their convoy, detached tvvo
frigates for intelligence, into the road of Brest, that
he might be the better enabled to undertake further
service. While his lordship was thus employed, there hap
pened, in the latter end of November, such an acci
dent to one of the ships of his squadron, as very welt
deserves our notice. Captain Hughes in the Win
chester, chaced' a ship, which proved to be a Dutch
privateer, whose commander being required to strike,
he, instead of paying that respect due to the flag of
England, fired both great and small shot into him ;
* According to Some accounts, this was a very considerabltf
prize ; no less than a- ship of forty guns, with a cargo worth aff
hundred thousand pouuds,^ Indeed, this lord took so many, and*.
so rich prizes, that I do not wonder some of our writers grew
¦wcury of setting them down; for I observe, that sometimes' activtr'
•jiicers are not the greatest farouritosf

OF QUEEN ANNE. 4oa
but) being answered in the same manner* after an
obstinate dispute, though it was very Avell known
that the Winchester was an English ship of war, the
commanding officer was killed, and between thirty
and forty of the Dutch seamen.
His lordship being then vice-admii-al of the red,
detached, on the grh of December, Captain Hartnol,
in the Restauration, with four other ships, to cruize
fifteen or twenty leagues west of Scilly, to protect
some East India ships, and their convoys, from Ire- .
land ; and, on the 2d of January, was going from
Plymouth, Avith seven clean frigates to relieve them ;
but being ordered to proceed part of the way with Sir
John Norris towards Lisbon, his lordship, after com
plying with this order, remained in his appointed sta
tion till he was forced from it by foul weather; vvhich,
however, gave him an opportunity of taking a French
privateer of twenty guns, and retaking the St. Peter
of Dublin, a rich ship, of vvhich the enemy had made
themselves masters, off Cape Clear. His lordship.
Considering that the East India trade were not yet
arrived from Ireland, appointed three ships of his
squadron to see them safe from thence.
On the 21st of February, the Kent brought into
Plymouth a small privateerj and a French merchant-
ship ; as the Restauration, and August did the next
day four more, which were bound from Nantz to
Martinico; and not many days after, his lordship ap
pointed the Restautatipn and August, to see two
East India ships well into the sea; but, by contrary
winds, they were forced back again. The lOth of
March, the. Montague took a privateer of ten guns,
and his lordship having seen the East India ships,
and those bound to the Lsle of May, a hundred and
fifty leagues from Scilly, returned to Plymouth the
9th of May ; seven days after which, the Lyon, Col
chester, and Litchfield, brought in four prizes, tvvo
of them privateers, the others merchant-ships ; when
his lordship leaving the squadron, came to towp^
» o 2

404 NAVAL HISTORY
after having acquired as much reputation as it AvaS
possible for an officer to do in that difficult station,
and where many had lost the credit for which they
had toiled many years.
Before I proceed to the events in the West Indies,
I shall take notice of some accidents that happened
in our naval affairs, and which seem to have escaped
the attention of most, if not all our historians. In
the first place, I am to observe, that in the latter end
of June, her Majesty's ship the Fowey, of thirty-two
guns, was taken in the Mediterranean, by. tvvo French
men of war of greater strength. On the 23d of Sep
tember, Captain Hanway, in her Majesty's ship the
Plymouth, of sixty guns, arrived at Plymouth with
a French man of war, which he had taken on the
20th. Captain Hanway was bound to Plymouth, in
order to repair some damages he had received ; and
about seven leagues N. W. by N, from the Dead-
man, he saw this ship, and chaced her two hours
before he came up with her; as soon as he came
near enough to engage, he fired upon her with
great vigour, and after a sharp action, which lasted
above an hour, he obliged her to surrender. The
French ship was called L'Adriad, and had been fitted
out from Dunkirk, commanded by the Sieur Jacques
Cashard, having forty guns mounted, but had ports
for forty- eight, and two hundred and sixty men on
board ; several of the men belonging to the Ply
mouth being sick on shore, Captain Hanway could
make use of no more guns in this action than the
enemy's ship had mounted. The captain of the French
vessel, Avith fourteen other officers and se^amen, Avere
killed in the engagement, and sixty Avounded; of the
Plymouth's company, the captain of a company of
marines on board, and seven men, were killed, and
sixteen wounded.
In the latter end of the month of October, the
West India fleet, being about one hundred and fifty
leagues off" the Lizard, met with a violent storm, by

OF QUEEN ANNE. 40&
which they were separated from five ships of war,
appointed for their convoy ; the Newcastle, which
Was one of them, being so shattered, that she lost her
main-mast, and with much difficulty got to Fal
mouth ; soon after, the Hampshire and the Glouces
ter were attacked by the squadron of M. Du Guai
Trouin, and made a gallant defence, notwithstanding
the great inequality of force; Avhich, however, gaA'e
the ships under their convoy an opportunity to escape.
At last, after seven hours fight, the Gloucester, a
sixty-gun ship, and just rebuilt, was taken ; but the
Hampshire obliged the en emy to sheer off j and in a
very shattered condition got into Baltimore. On
Christmas Day, the Solebay man of war, with eight
merchant-ships under her convoy, bound to Lynn in
Norfolk, vvere unfortunately lost upon Boston-Knock,
anti only two boats full of men saved out of all the
ships. From these disagreeable accidents, let us now
return to the conduct of Admiral Wager in the West
Indies. As this adniiral had always been extremely careful
of the trade in that part of the world, so, in the spring
of the year ITOfl, he sent Captain Hutchins in the
Portland, to protect the trading sloops that were go
ing to Porto }idlo. All the latter part of the month
qf April, Captain Hutchins lay in the Bastimentos ;
froni whence he descried four large ships, two of
fifty, and two of thirty guns, in the harbours of Porto
Bello. The two largest, as he vvas informed by the
private traders, were the Coventry, a fourth-rate,
taken from us by the French, and the Minion, both
from Guinea. ()n the 1st of May he had intelligence
tbat they sailed the evening before; upon which he
stood to the northward till the 3d, when he gained
sight, qf them about eight in the morning. At noon,
he discovered their hulls very plain, and they being
tq windward, hove down to him, firing some guns as
they parsed by ; soon after Avhich they wore, as if
they designed to engage in the evening, but did not.

406 NAVAL HISTORY
It was littie wind, and about six o'clock he tackpd
upon them, and keeping sight all night, near eight
in the morning he came up within pistol-shot of the.
Minion, but was obliged to fight her to leeward, be
cause he could not possibly carry out his lee-guns,
though the ships of the enemy did. The Coventry,
after he had been warmly engaged, got pn his lee-
bow, and firing very smartly at his masts, did them
no little damage ; but he being not willing to be di-^
verted from the Minion, plied her very smartly, nor
could she get from him, until they shot his main-top
sail-yard in tvvo, Avhen both of them shot a-head, he
creeping after them as fast as possible in that crippled
condition; in the meanwhile, splicing his rigging,
bending new sails, and repairing other damages in
the best manner he could.
About four in the morning, a boat was perceived
going from the Minion to the Coventry, so tbat he
believed he had much disabled the former, and that
by the frequent passing of the boat between them,
she vvas sending the best part of her loading on board
the other. By ten at night he had completed all his
work, and the next morning was ready for a second
encounter ; but it proving little wind, he could not
come up with them until the 6th, when, before seven
in the morning, he was close in vvith the Coventry,
which ship hauled up her main-sail, and lay by for
him. Coming nearer to her* it Avas observed she had
tnany small-shot men, so that he durst not clap her
on board as he had designed, but plied her Avith his
guns ; in the mean time, he received but little da
mage from the Minion. Between eleven and twelve,
he brought the Coventry's main-mast by the board,
and then her fire w^as much lessened ; however, con-^
tinning to do what they could, at half an hour past
twelve she struck; the first captain being killed/'the
second wounded, and a great slaughter made among
the men, many of them being those vvho belonged to
the Minion; whereas' of Ours there were but nine.

OF QUEEN ANNE, 407
killed, and twelve Avounded, most of whom reco
vered ; and in the prize, there were about twenty
thousand pieces of eight, great part whereof were
found among the French seamen.
Rear-admiral Wager, upon the pressing solicitation
of the merchants, sent the Severn and Scarborough
to England, to convoy home the trade, because they
were but Aveakly manned, and according to the orders
he had from the lord high-admiral, Avhen any ships
under his command Avere so reduced by sickness, as
to have no more men on board than Avere necessary
to navigate the ship, these ships vvere to be sent home;
and the reason of this was, that by an act of parlia
ment which passed soon after Commodore Ker's af
fair, our admirals vvere absolutely restrained from
pressing men on any account in the West Indies ; so
that, in truth, there was nothing left for an admiral
to do in such a case, but to send home ships that
were of no further use. All the time the rear-admiral
continued in this station, he took care to keep a suf
ficient number of ships to cruize upon the enemy, and
to protect our trade, which they did vvith all the suc
cess that could be wished or expected. But in the
autumn, our admiral was ordered home ; and accord
ingly he left the few men of war that were stationed
on the coast of Jamaica under the command of Cap
tain Tudor Trevor, who was soon after relieved by
Captain Span, As for the reaivadmiral, he had a safe
and speedy A'oyage home, vvhere he was received on
his coming from St, Helen's, in the month of No
vember, vvith all the respect imaginable; the letters
from the West Indies having, contrary to custom, done
the greatest honour to the vigilance of our navy
in those parts, while under his direction; vvhich is a
clear confutation of a modern maxim at a certain
board, that it is impossible to satisfy the merchants
at home, or the planters abroad.
Before I close this account of our affairs in Ameri
ca, it is necessary I should say something of a niisfor-

408 NAVAL HISTORY
tune that befel us in Newfoundland ; and the rather,
because none of our historians have been particular
about it, for which reason, I am obliged to take what
I have to relate, entirely upon the credit of a French
writer. The Sieur De Saintovide, the king's lieute
nant at Placentia, took the fort of St. John on the
east side of Newfoundland, by scalade, in which
action the governor was wounded, and made prisoner,
as were the soldiers of the garrison, consisting of
about a hundred men. This, my author says, happen
ed on the 1st of January, 1709, and the next day he
inforfns us, that the fort at the mouth of the harbour,
built oh a rock, and extremely well fortified, surren
dered also, and the garrison, consisting of sixty men,
were made prisoners of war. This affair must have
been attended with very bad consequences for the;
present; but, as we shall see, these av ere not only
remedied in the succeeding year, but the French
settlements, in their turn, were, in a manner, totally
destroyed. But it is novv tinie for us to return home,
and to conclude the history of this year with a short
account of the alterations made with respect to th^
management of naval affairs,
The earl of Pembroke, finding the sole care and
direction of the fleet a load too heavy for him to
bear, though he had discharged his office of lord
high-admiral in every respect tq the general content
of all parties, very prudently and virtuously resolved
to lay it down, A great deal of pains were taken to
divert his lordship from this resolution, but to no
purpose; he thought the business might be better
done by one who had greater experience in maritim^
affairs; and thereupon, this high office vvas offered
to that gallant sea-ofiicer the earl of Orford, who
absolutely refused it, though he was willing to accept
a share in the direction of the Admiralty, lier Ma
jesty, therefore, in the beginning of the month qf
November, thought proper to direct a commission,
whereby she constituted and apppinte4 Eclward eavl

OF QUEEN ANNE. 409
of Orford, Sir John Leake, Sir George Byng, George
Dodington, and Paul Methuen, Esqrs. commissioners,
for executing the office of lord high-admiral of Great
Britain and Ireland, in the room of the earl of Pem
broke, on whom the queen bestowed a yearly pen
sion of three thousand pounds per annum, payable
out of the revenue of the Post-office, in consideration
of his eminent services.
Soon after thVs alteration, there followed a promo
tion; viz. on the 12th of November, 1709, her Ma
jesty being pleased to appoint a gentleman who had
been long laid aside; viz. Matthew Aylmer, Esq,
admiral and commander-in-chief of her Majesty's
fleet ; the Lord Dursley vice-admiral ; and Charles
. Wager, Esq. rear-admiral of the red. Sir John Jen-
pings admiral ; Sir Edward Whitaker vice-admiral
pf the white. And, Sir John Nprris, admiral ; and
John Baker, Esq, vice-admiral of the blue.
The parliament met, and the queen laid before
them the proceedings of the last year, and directed
an account of the expences of the government, both
ciyil and military, to be sent them from the respec
tive offices. The business of Dr. Sacheverel took up
the best part of the session ; but it happened luckil}',
that the supplies vvere first granted, amounting in the
whole to six millions one hundred and eighty-four
thousand one hundred and .sixty-six pounds seven
shillings ; in order to the raising of which, a lottery
was established, of one million five hundred thousand
pounds, of vvhich six hundied thousand pounds were
subscribed on the 20th of January, being the first
day the books were opened, and all the rest in less
than six weeks.* This was sufficient to shew the
'* These immense grants of parliament struclt the French pro.
digiously ; for while their credit was low, or in a~manner quite
'gone, ours was in its zenith. And, without question, if ever our
credit should fail, either in respect to money, or the reputiftion
of our government, the French will gain as great an ascpndancy
over us, as we then had over them ; this we mention as a point

410 NAVAL HISTORY
strength of public credit at that time, as also the
disposition of the commons, to continue the war till
the ends of it were answered; but, after Sacheverel's
trial, it was soon perceived, that this ardour began
to abate, vvhich we find attributed by our historians
to many different causes.
The chief, however, seems to have been the ma
nagement of the French king, who, by pubhshing
• to all the world the mighty offers of peace that he
had made to the allies, and dressing up in the
strongest colours the hard conditions which the al
lies would have imposed upon him, and with which
he declared he would have complied, if they had not
appeared impossible, and calculated rather to prevent,
than promote the re-establishment of the tranquillity
of Europe. By these representations, he raised great
compassion among the neutral powers, excited chvi-
sioiis among the allies, and caused great jealousies
and heart-burnings, both here and in Holland. This
did not hinder our ministry from pursuing their for
mer schemes, and endeavouring to restore a martial
spirit, by the success of their designs on all sides ;
and as they had hitherto found their conduct most
liable to be attacked on the subject of the war in
Spain, they took all im.aginable care to issue very
early the sums granted for that service, which amount
ed to about a million ; but it vvas resolved, since
there was no immediate occasion for great fleets in
the Mediterranean, to recall Sir Edward Whitaker,
and to leave Admiral Baker, with a small squadron,
to protect the trade, and obey the orders of King
Charles IIL*

worthy of strict consideration here, because in France it is but too
Well understood already.
* As I have been hitherto very particular in relation to the war
in Spain, which we certainly carried on with great vigour, though
under infinite disadvantages, I shdll here lay before the reader, at
ence, the several sums granted for this service ; ~

OF QUEEN ANNE. 411
Matthew Aylmer, Esq, admiral of the fleet, being
in the Soundings Avith a considerable force, saw all
"the several fleets of our outward-bound merchant
men safe into the sea, and having sent them forward
on their respective voyages, upon the 27th of July,
he remained cruizing for two days afterwards, about
sixty-eight leagues S, W, by W, from the Lizard.
On the 29th at noon, he discovered thirteen sail N.E,
of him. He ordered the Kent, Assurance, and York,
to chace a-head, and followed Avith the rest of the
ships under his command ; but the weather proving
hazy, he could not discover next morning more than
one merchant ship. He received advice, however,
before noon, that the Assurance had made prize of
one of the enemy's vessels, upon vvhich he imme
diately sent his boat to bring the master of her on
board him ; which Avas accordingly done.
This Frenchman informed the admiral, that the
ships he had seen the day before, Avere fourteen mer -
chantmen, bound for the Banks of Newfoundland,
and Martinico, under convoy of the Superbe, a French
man of war of fifty-six guns, and the Concord of
thirty : that the former, having seen them into the
sea, vvas to cruize in the Soundings, and the latter
to proceed to Guinea; and that, on their perceiving the
English fleet, the Concord bore away with the mer
chantmen under his convoy. Soon after this the
Kent, commanded by Captain Robert Johnson, came
iip with, and engaged . the Superbe, for the ^pace of
£. s. d.
In 1703  215,692 2 0
1704  320,481 il 0
1705  476,727 15 10
1706  726,740 15 10
' 1707  S§8,322 11 10
1708:  1,248,956 12 2|
1709  1,217,083 0 4
1710  1,276,035 16 2
6,480,040 S 2|

412 NAVAL HISTORY
an hour, when she struck; in which action Captain
Johnson behaved like a gallant officer, and an expe
rienced seaman ; for, as he attacked the French ship
Avithout waiting for other ships, so she was take^n by
Iim without any assistance, although she had a greater
number of men than the Kent, Both of them were
very much shattered in the fight; but so good a
sailer was the Superbe, that, had she not been three
months off the ground, she would in all probability
have escaped. This ship had taken several valuable
prizes from us before, and our cruisers had often
chaced her without success; but falling thus into our
possession, she was registered in the British navy,
being a very beautiful vessel, and not above eighteen
months old.
Sir Edward Whitaker was at Port Mahon vvith his
squadron, when he received the order before-men
tioned, and sailing from thence on the 27th of March,
he arrived at Lisbon on the 4th of April, with three
ships of the third rate, where he made some stay,
in order to take the homeward-bound inerchaptqien
under his protection; and then saihng qn the 29th
of that month, be arrived safely on tbe 1st of Jiuie
Avith our own, and the Dutch and Portugal fleets,
and their convoys, in our channeL As for Vice-
admiral Baker, having conducted the transports to
the several ports to vvhich they vvere bound, he, in
his return to Barcelona, got sight, off the Farq of
Messina, of four large ships, with several settees
under their convoy ; this was on tbe 2d of May, and
he chaced them with all the diligence possible. The
next morning Captain Masters, in the Fame came up
with, and took one of the ships, and soon after Cap
tain Cleveland, in the Suffolk, took another, called
Le Galliard, of fifty-six guns; but the remaining
tvvo, vvhich were gallies, escaped, with most of the
settees. The vice-admiral having seen the transports
safe into Barcelona, and having received advice, that
Sir John Norris, with a squadron under his com-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 419
mand, was at Terragona, and that he was come to
command in the Mediterranean, resolved to join him as
soon as possible, in order to execute any orders he
brought Avith him from England, or to contribute,
as far as in his power lay, to the support of King
Charles's affairs, which were novv in a more flourish
ing condition than they had been for some years past.
We vvill take notice next of Admiral Norris's instruc
tions, and of what, in pursuance of them, he per
formed durmg the time he commanded in these
parts. Tbe grand fleet designed for this year's service in
the Mediterranean, sailed from Plymouth on the 12th
of January, under the command of Sir John Norris,
who having seen the Virginia, and other merchant
men bound to the West Indies, safe into the sea, ar
rived at Port Mahon on the 13th of March, where
he was joined by Sir Edward Whitaker, and a Dutch
rear-admiral. Immediately after his arrival, he de
tached three English, and two Dutch men of war,
Vith the public money, recruits, and ammunition, to
Barcelona, in order to receive his Catholic Majesty's
commands. While the admiral remained here, he
had the mortification of hearing, that two of our men
of war had been taken by the French ; with this al
leviating circumstance, however, that both officers
and men had behaved bravely, and that the misfor
tune was entirely owing to the enemy's having a su
perior force.
Not long after, he received more welcome intel
ligence; viz. that two of our ships had taken a French
man of war of sixty guns, called the Moor, a very
fine ship, and which was afterwards registered in the
list of our royal navy. After making the necessary
dispositions for the many services that were required
from the fleet, Sir John sailed on the 7th of April,
from Port Mahon, and arrived on the 1 1th at Barce
lona. There he w^as informed by the king of Spain,
that the enemy had a design, either upon Sardinia

414 NAVAL HISTORY
or Naples, and that tl-e Duke De Tursis, a (jenoefee
nobleman, who commanded a fleet of gallies for the
service of King Philip, was at sea, in order to exe
cute this enterprise. His Majesty likewise informed
him, that he was in great want of the German suc
cours* that were promised him from Italy. The ad
miral resolved to do his best towards answering both
these demands of his Cathohc Majesty, and having
first landed the viceroy in Sardinia, Avhere he found
all things quiet, he proceeded to the coast of Italyj
in order to embark the succours before^mentioned.
On the 6th of May, Sir John Norris arrived at Leg
horn, and having there provided for the security of
our Levant trade, which was much disturbed by
Monsieur De L'Aigle ; he sailed froin thence to Vado
Bay, where, while the Germans were embarking, he
had intelligence, that the Italian gallies had actually
taken on board a body of upwards of tvvo thousand
men, in order to make a descent on the island of
Sardinia. Upon this. Sir John Norris called a council of
warj and in-pdrsuance of the resolutions taken there,
he, on the 1st of June detached four men of war to
convoy the transports to Barcelona ; he likewise de
tached five English and four Dutch men of war^ to
Cruize in the height of Toulon, for a convoy .which
the French expected from the Levant. The same
day he sailed with the rest of the confederate fleety
W'ith two imperial regiments, to go to the assistance
of Sardinia, upon certain advice* that the Duke De
Tursis Avas''sailed Avith his gaUies, and, aS we obr
served before, some land-forces on board, to invade
that islandi The 2d they came before La Bastida, irt
Corsica, and saw a little French merchant ship
Coming from the Archipelago, which, upon the ap
proach of our fleet, retired under the cannon of that
place; upon this. Admiral Norris sent some boats
Avhich brought away the ship, but the men made
their escape on shore. A bark coming from the

OF QUEEN ANNE, 416
shore, brought the admiral advice, that the Duke
De Tursis, having continued some days at Porto
Vecchio, was sailed to Bonifacio, with a design to
execute his intended enterprise against Sardinia ;
whereupon they sailed again ; on the 5th came into
the Bay of Terra Nova, in Sardinia, wherein they
found four tartanes of the enemy, which had landed
there four hundred men, and sixty officers, under
the command of the Count De Castillo. They took
in the evening of the same day, those four ships,
and understanding by the prisoners, that the count,
with his forces, was but two miles off upon that
shore, the admirals resolved to land some forces to
attack them, wbich was accordingly done. They
marched directly to Terra Nova, where the enemy
were posted ; but the Count De Castillo seeing it
was in vain for him to offer any resistance, surren
dered at discretion ; so that they took four hundred
and fifty soldiers prisoners, Avith sixty-three officers,
and several persons of quality, natives of Sardinia ;¦
who, being disaffected to the German government,
had joined the enemy, or had gone with the Count
De Castillo in this expedition, in hopes that their
interest w^ould occasion an insurrection in favour of
King Philip V.
Their enterprise having succeeded beyond expec
tation, and there being no danger of any rebellion
on that side, the troops returned on board, the 7th,
and the admirals resolved to go in quest of the Duke
De Tursis, Avho, according to the report of the pri
soners, was sailed to another bay, on the opposite
Side of the island, to land the rest of his forces. On
the Sth, they came, by favour of a fresh gale* into
the canal of Bonifacio, where they were informed,
by a Neapolitan felucca, that the Duke De Tursis,
Was sailed the night before from thence, with inten
tion to retire into the Gulf of Ajazzio, in Corsica ;
whereupon they made all the sail they could, in hopes
of coming up with him in that bay ; but in the

418 NAVAL HISTORY
morning of the 9th, when they came into thfe sam^j
they Were informed that the Duke De Tursis, fore
seeing they would pursue him, Avas sailed thence thd
night before, with his gallies, having left in this
gulf eight large barks* with five hundred soldiers on
board, and the greatest part of his ammunition, ar
tillery, and provisions, in hopes that they would not
take them in a neutral place.
But Sir John Norris thought fit to seize them, and
signified to the republic of Genoa, that the queen of
Great Britain, his mistress, could not but express on
all occasions, the highest resentment against them,
for having permitted the Duke De Tursis, one of
their subjects, to make, in their dominions, such an
armament designed against one of the kingdoms be
longing to the king of Spain her ally; and that,
looking upon their permission or connivance as a
breach of their neutrality, he would attack the queen's
enemies in all their harbours. The Genoese gover
nor, to whom these representations were made, an
swered with as much submission as could be expected ;
promised that he would not supply the Duke De
Tursis, or any that belonged to him, with provisions ;
and most earnestly requested, that the admiral would
not land any troops upon the island. The admiral
having considered his request, and being sensible that*
it would be to very little purpose to attempt following
the enemy into the mountains, thought proper to
grant it, and thereupon proceeded immediately for Bar
celona, Avhere he arrived on the 18th of June; and
the king of Spain desiring that part of the troops
might be landed in Valencia, and that the fleet might
be as soon as possible at Terragona, it was resolved
to sail thither directly, and to leave orders for Vice-
admiral Baker to follow ; which orders, he punctually
obeyed. The inhabitants of the Cevennes having given the
king of France a great deal of disturbance, and hav
ing numbers of their countrymen in foreign service,

OF QUEEN ANNE, 411
it was proposed to the British ministry, that notwith-r
standing the miscarriage of former attempts, some
thing should be again undertaken in their favour;
and to enforce this advice, it was observed, that the
Camisars, then in arms, were within fifteen leagues of
Montpelier, and that it was possible to land our
troops at Port Cette, within a single league of that
city. Upon this, the ministry themselves, conceiv
ing such aii expedition might disconcert the enemies'
designs in Spain, or at, least facihtate King Charles's
enterprises in Catalonia, resolved to send a gentleman
to Spain, thoroughly instructed as to the whole of
this affair, with orders to propose it to General Stan
hope, and Sir John Norris, upon whose approbation,
and the consent of the king of Spain, the design was
to be immediately put in execution, by the fleet then
on the coast of Catalonia. It must be allowed, that
this project vvas very well formed; and, according to
the best information that I have been able to obtain,
if our troops had' actually fixed themselves for three
days at Cette, we might, with the assistance of the
duke of Savoy, have given the French king more
trouble than he had ever met with from any of our
projects during the war. For his own subjects, then
jn arms against him, were a bold, daring, hardy
people, and, with a very little encouragement from us,
would have formed an army of twenty or thirty thour
sand men, to whom all the French exiles, in every
part of Europe, would have resorted ; and, as among
them there were many experienced officers, it is not
easy to conceive, Avhat consequences this affair might
have had, or to what extent the flamp plight have
fpread. On the arrival of this gentleman from Englan(^,
General Stanhope, who was a very enterprising offi
cer, eagerly embraced the scheme, and prevailed upon
King Charle.'S to permit a body of troops, though in
deed it was but a very small one, to embark on board
the fleet. This resolution being taken, was commu.-
•yoL, i^i. i: E

418 NAVAL HISTORY
nicated to Sir John Norris, who, on the 6th of July,
held a great council ofwar, in which it was resolved,
to send an express to the duke of Savoy, and to em
bark the forces immediately, that an aftair of such
importance might not suffer by delay. The com
mand of these troops, which consisted of no more
than the regiment of Colonel Stanhope, and three
hundred men from Port Mahon, was given to Major-
general Seissan, a native of Languecloc, and a very
good officer. 'ITie fleet sailed from 13arcelona on the
9th, and arrived before Cette on the 19th, The next
morning, by break of day, the troops, Avhich were
but seven hundred men, and who had landed the
evening before, without any opposition, marched di
rectly towards the town. Sir John Norris appointed
some ships to batter the fort at the mole-head, upon
which the inhabitants retired to the church, and soon
after both town and fort surrendered ; as in the
evening of the next day did the town of Agde; so
that now vve had firm footing in the enemy's country:
and this expedition had a more promising appearance
than any that had been hitherto undertaken against
France ; our only misfortune was, that there were so
few men spared for so important a design.
On the 17th, Major-general Seissan received ad
vice, that the duke of Roquelaure was advancing
with four hundred dragoons, and four thousand mi
litia, to ford the lake, and re-possess Cette ; upon
which the major-general thought proper to leave a
hundred and forty men to secure the bridge of Agde,
and marched with the rest of the forces to oppose the
enemy ; writing at the same time to the Admirals
Norris and Sommelsdyke, to desire them to send all
the boats of the fleet, vvith as many men as they
could spare, into the Etang or Lake, to attack the
enemy in their passage through the same ; which vvas
done accordingly. The duke of Roquelaure, seeing
his design prevented by these precautions, returned
tp Mezc^ -and the .admirals aud genera,! detached »

OF QUEEN ANNE. 41£>
major, with a hundred and fifty men to reinforce the
detachment left to secure the bridge of Agde; but,
at the same time advice came, that this important
post had been abandoned upon a false alarm. Ne
vertheless, it was resolved to prevent the enemy, and
to return to Agde with shallops by sea, in order to
regain that post; but the very moment that this
was to be executed, a strong wind happened to rise,
which obliged them to abandon that design, and di
rect all their care to secure Cette.
In short, the Duke De Noailles, arrived at Agde,
the same day that they were to return thither. They
began then to think of the defence of the mountain
of Cette, and postetl there the few troops they had in
the vineyards, surrounded with a slight wall ; but witlj
orders to retire, yet not before the arrival of the
enemy. The ofiicer, vvho commanded fifty men, did
not rightly apprehend this order, or else he was sur
prised; for scarcely had a few French dragoons fired
upon our men, before they surrendered to them at dis
cretion. The other troops retired in disorder, though
the necessary dispositions had been made to support
them in their retreat, and the several officers did all
that could be expected from their courage and expe
rience to rally the tfoops. While these were re- em
barking on the ] 7th, a captain was left in the fort,
with fifty men to cover the retreat. It vvas not acces
sible, but on the side of the mole, and was defended
by two pieces of cannon in the place that leads to it;
and besides, the enemy had no boats. The shallops
were just by the fort the whole morning; but Admi
ral Norris had no sooner put off to go on board his
ship, but the enemy sent word to the captain, that
ifhe did not immediately surrender the fort, he must
expect no quarter. Whereupon the officer let down
the bridge, and surrendered at discretion, even before
the troops were re-embarked. The Dulce De Roque^'
Jaure sent them back the captain who had so ill de-
fendied the fort, in exchange for a burgher who had
P li' g

420 NAVAL HISTORY
been released before; but the captain was set a-shorc
again, and told, that since he had been so complai
sant to De Roquelaure, as to deliver up the fort
to him, it was but reasonable he should be near the
duke's person, and treated according to his merit.
Thus ended an expedition, from which much was
expected, and which had no other good eff'ect, ex
cept obliging the enemy to recall a considerable body
of their troops from Roussillon ; in doing this the
Duke De Noailles made a very remarkable march, of
Avhich the French have boasted excessively. Sir
John Norris having re-embarked the forces, sailed
on the 19th, and shewed himself off Toulon and
Marseilles ; some days after, he stood into the road
of Hieres, where he discovered a French fly-boat, car
rying fifty guns, under three forts, upon the island
of Port Croix; upon which he instantly detached
some English and Dutch frigates, under the com
mand of Captain Stepney, to attack both the ship
and the fortresses. This was performed with great
vigour, and in a short time the ship was abandoned,
and the lowest of the three forts ; upon this our boats
rowed hastily to board the ves.sel, into which our
men bad scarcely entered, before the ship, by a train
laid for that purpose by the enemy, was blown up,
and thirty-five of our people either killed or wounded.
This misfortune was soon followed by another; for
our ships that were cruising off Toulon, being dis
tressed for water, sailed to an adjacent island for a
supply, and in the mean time a great corn fleet, for
Avhich they Avere waiting, took that opportunity to
enter the port of Toulon,
On the 14th of August, Sir John Norris returned
to Port Mahon, where he received the welcome news
of the great victory of Sarragossa, He then expected
to have sailed on an expedition for'''the service of
his Catholic Majesty ; but was disappointed, partly
through some delay made by the troops in embarking,
.'and partly by the haste the Dutch were in to return

OF QUEEN ANNE. 421
home ; so that, finding it impracticable to do any
further service for the present, he. ordered most of bis
ships to be cleaned ; which being performed, he sailed
On the 50th of October from Port Mahon, and on fhe
'6tli of November be took three French ships from
Newfoundland, After this, he secured the Turkey
fleet, and then attempted to annoy the enemy in the
Bay of Roses, where he met with such a storm, as
drove the Resolution on shore, on the coast of Cata
lonia, near to Barcelona, where she vvas lost, not
Avithstanding all imaginable care to prevent it, and
the rest of the fleet vvas forced into the harbour of
Port Mahon.
His Catholic Majesty's affairs had by this time
taken a new and unfavourable turn, and therefore
bis Majesty wrote in pressing terms to Sir John Nor
ris, in order to engage him to sail over to the Italian
coast, to bring, with the utmost expedition, such
troops as could be spared from thence for his service.
Sir John sailed from Barcelona, and arrived on the
19th of March in the Bay of Vado j on the 22d fol
lowing, the Severne, Lion, and Lime, made the sig
nal of seeing four ships ; upon which the admiral or-
tlered the Nassau and Exeter to give them chace, and
upon hearing a great firing of guns, detached the
Daitmouth and Winchelsea to their assistance. On
the 27lh, the Severne and Lime came into the road,
and Captain Pudner, who commanded the former,
gave Sir John Norris an account, that, in conjunc
tion with the Lion and Lime, he had, the day be
fore, engaged four French ships, from sixty to forty
guns, for above two hours, and then the French
crowded all the sail they could, and made away ; the
Severne, being disabled, returned with the Lime into
Vado road; but Captain Galfridus Walpole, Avho
commanded tiie Lion, continued the chace, though
he had his right arm shot away, about forty men
killed and Avounded, and his ship much torn by the
enemy's shot. The Exeter, commanded by Captain

•ini NAVAL HISTORY
Rayniond, came up with one of the Frenchrtien, and,
after a brisk engagement of above two hours, took
her ; but he was so disabled, that he vvas forced to
let her go again. She proved to be the Pembroke,;
which had been taken from us a year before, that was,
Avhile iu our service, a sixty-gun ship J but at this
time she mounted no more than fifty.
Sir John having given the necessary directions for
embarking the troops on board an hundred and
twenty transports, in order to escort them to Barce
lona, received advice, while he was waiting for a wind,
that Sir John Jennings was arrived at Port Mahon, in
order to cornmand in the Mediterranean. We have
already, contrary to our usual method, carried this
part of the history beyond the bounds of the year
1710, which Avas occasioned by a desire of preserving
perspicuity, which otherwise could not have been so
Avell done ; and, for the same reason, vve shall pro
ceed Avith Sir John Norris's conduct, though it will
carry us almost to the close of the year I7H : Avhich,
however, is better than breaking the thread of the
' narration, to resume it again at a great distance of
time ; and this, too, when all that can be said about
it will fall within a very narrow compass, /
He sailed from Vado for Port Mahon, in April ;
but was forced l/y a storm into the road of Arasio,
Avhere, with great difficulty, he procured forage for
the horses, and where he lay wind-bound till the 4th
of May, and then proceeded to Barcelona, arrived
there, and landed the troops on the Sth, where, hav
ing consulted with the duke of Argyle, and taken
care to send a strong squadron to Genoa for the pub
lic moneyj he thought next of proceeding home with
the Turkey trade; and, with that view, ordered Cap
tain Cornwall to escort them to Gibraltar, or Lisbon,
and there wait for his arrival. This being performed,
he followed them as soon as the king of Spain's affairs
Avould permit; and sailing v\'ith them under his con
voy, from Lisbon on the 15th of September, he arrive<l

OF QUEEN ANNE, 423
with them off the Isle of Wight the Sth of October,
1711, Avith four ships of the third rate, seven of the
fourth, three of the fifth, ' two bomb-vessels, two
store-shi[)s, and an hospital ship ; and from thence
held on his course to the Downs, leaving the com
mand of the fleet that continued in the Mediterranean
to Sir John Jennings, of whose proceedings we shall
speak in their proper place ; but, at present, it is re
quisite that we should give an account, as w^e pro
mised, of the expedition set on foot for restoring our
affairs in Newfoundland,
The check vve had received the year before, had
given the ministry great disquiet. They found them
selves, at this juncture, in a very critical situation,
and were therefore under a kind of necessity of pro
viding against any new clamours, which they were
sensible vvould be set up, in case the French were not
effectually rooted out in a place which so nearly af
fected our merchants, and upon which their com
merce with Spain, Portugal, and Italy, so much de
pended. In order, therefore, to provide in the best
manner possible for so important an undertaking, they
made choice of two officers of great worth and expe
rience, one of them to command the squadron, the
other the land forces that were to be put on board it.
The former was Captain George Martin, and the lat
ter, Solonel Francis Nicholson, who vvas sent to
Boston in New England, in order to provide eveiy
thing necessary for the expedition, and to draw to
gether such forces as could be spared from that co
lony, so that they might be able to embark as soon
as the squadron should arrive.
This squadron consisted of the Dragon, a fifty-gun
ship, commanded by Captain George Martin ; the
Falmouth, of fifty guns, by Captain Walter Ryddel ;
the Leostoff, of thirty-two guns, by Captain George
Gordon; the Feversham, of thirty-six guns, by Cap
tain Robert Paston, and the Star bomb-ketch, by
Captain Thomas Rochfort ; to which vvas afterwards

424 , NAVAL HISTORY
added, the Chester, a fifty-gun ship, comttianded by
Captain Thomas Matthews. Captain Martin arriv
ing in New England, found all things properly ad
justed for the execution of this enterprise against the
French settlement^ AVithout delay ; in consequence of
Avhich, he proceeded from Nantasket road the 18th
of September, with the DragOn, Falmouth, Leostoftj
Feversham, and Star bomb-vessel, the Provence gal
ley, two hospital-ships, thirty-one transports^ and twO
thousand land forces, having sent the Chester before^
to endeavour to intercept any supplies which the
enemy might attempt to send to Port-Royal, inNova
Scotia ; and on the 24tb, in the afternoon, he an
chored at the entrance of the harbour. A council of
War was called, and, pursuant to vvhat vvas agreed, the
small embarkations and boats were gotten ready to
teceive the men, and put them on shore.*
Things being in this situation, on the 25th of Sep
tember, about six in the morning. Colonel Vetch,
and Colonel Reading, with fifty men each, together
with Mr. Forbes, the engineer, went on shore to A'ievv
the ground for landing the troops ; and soon after
Colonel. Nicholson himself, with a body of men, ac
tually landed ; the enemy firing at the boats in which
they were, from their batteries of cannon and mor
tars, but with no great success. Colonel Vetch,
[With five hundred on the north side, so lined the
shore, as that he protected the landing of the cannon,
* This expedition, which was one of tbe most fortunate that we
had undertaken in this part of the world, owed its success in a
great measure to the conduct of Colonel Francis Nicholson, who
maintained a perfect agreement with Commodore Martin, and the^
rest of the sea officers, who, on their part, omitted nothing that
•Was dematided for the use of the troops, and supported them
Tery cordially upon all occasions, with their boalsand men. Ano.;
ther thing that contributed not a little to this happy event was, the
troops being seasoned that were sent upon this expedition, and
having officers well acquainted, not only with their duty, but with
the Climate, and situation of places ; which, in afiairs of this na.
ture, are circiimetaqccs of the utmoiit consequence.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 42a
kmrnunition, and stores, and the mortar being fixed
on board the bomb-vessel, she driving up with the
tide of flood, Avithin cannon shot of the fort, both
that day and the next, bombarded the enemy therein,
which did in a great measure induce them to capitu
late, sooner than otherwise they would have done :
not but that they were very much galled in the at
tempts mfide on them, and the warm fire from the
artillery on shore; but on the 28th, 29th, and 30th,
the bomb-vessel was not able to throw any shells, by
reason of hard gales of wind.*
At a council ofwar, held on the 1st of October,
two letters, Avhich vvere received from Monsieur Su-
bercase, directed to Colonel Nicholson, were taken
into consideration, together with the answers vvhich
he had made thereunto ; and the preliminaries being
agreed on, the governor marching out of the fort,
with the garrison,"!" our troops took possession of it
* It may not be amiss to remark here, that this place, now
Annapolis, has a very fine bason, capable of holding a large fleet ;
that it/commands a valuable country, which settled, would prove
a cover and protection to New England ; and that it was at this
juncture a nest of French privateers, and thence styled their
American Dunkirk. These circumstances shew the value of this
conquest. + This capitulation is worth the reader's notice, inasjnuch as it
contains the terms upon which we were put in possession of thei
province of Acadia, as the French call it, or, as we style it, the
province of Nova Scotia. The articles were,
1. That the garrison shall march out with their arms and baggage,
driims beating, and colours flying.
2. That there shall be a sufficient number of ships and provisions'
to transport the said garrison to Rochelle, or Rochfort, by the
shortest passage ; where they shall be furnished with passports for
their return.
3. Thatl, Colotiel Nicholson, may take out six guns, and two
mortars, such as I shall think fit.
4. That the officers shall carry out all their effects of what sort
soever ; except they do agree to the selling of them, the payment of
which to be bona fide.
5. That the inliabitants, within cailtiou shot of the fort of Port.
Royal, shall remain upon their estates, with their corn, cattle,
and furniture, during two years, in case they are not desirous to

426 NAVAL HISTORY
soon after, with drums beating, and colours flying ;
where hoisting the Union flag, they, in honour of her
Majesty, called the place Annapolis Royal ; and a
sufhcient number of men being left therein, the ships
and troops proceeded to New England as soon as all
things necessary vvere settled ; from whence Captain
Martin departed, not long after, in order to put in
execution the remaining part of his instructions, and
prepare for his return to England.
These vvere not all the misfortunes that befel the
French in this part of the world, for our men of war
and privateers took this year near fifty of their ships.
The Portland and the Valeur took, in their passage
go before ; they taking fhe oaths of allegiance and fidelity to her
sacred Majesty of Great Britain.-
6. That a vessel be provided for the privateers belonging to the
islands of America, for their transportation thither.
7. That those that are desirous to go for Placentia, in New-
foundland, shall have leave by the nearest passage.
8. That the Canadians, or those that are desirous to go thither,
may, during the space of one year.
9. That the effiBcts, ornaments, utensils of the chapel and hos
pital, shall be delivered to the almoner.
10. I promise to deliver the fort of Port Royal into the hands of
Francis Nicholson, Esq. for the queen of Great Britain, &c,
¦within three days after the ratification of this present treaty ; with
all the effects belonging- to the king, as guns, mortars, bombs,
1)alls, powder, and all other small arras.
11. 1 will discover, upon my faith, all the mines, fougasses,
and casemates.
13. 'All the articles of this present treaty shall be executed upon
-good faith, without difficulty, and signed by each other, at her
Majesty of Great Britain's camp, before Port-Royal fort, the se-
cond day of October, in the ninth year of her Majesty's reign,
annoque Domini 1710. Francis Nicholson, SUBEIICASE,
Memorandum. The general declared, that within cannon shot
of Poft-Royal, in the fifth article aforesaid, is to be understood,
three English miles round the fort, to bo henceforward called An
napolis Royal ; and the inhabitants within the said three miles to
have the benefit of that articlo, AVhich persons, male and female,
comprehended in the said article, according to a list of their names
given in to the general by Mr. Allen, amount to four hundred and
eighty, one persons.

OF QUEEN. ANNE, 427
to Newfoundland, two very rich prizes, value tliirty
thousand pounds. But not long after, the Valeur was
surprised in harbour, and taken by the French, and
in the month of August, Captain John Aldred, in the
Rochester ; Captain Humphrey Pudner, in the Se
verne ; and Captain George Purvis, in the Portland ;
visited all the French harbours on the north side of
Newfoundland, and in a manner totally destroyed
them. Of all these transactions, however, the accu
rate Father Daniel says not one word ; and, indeed,
as to the latter part of this relation, Mr. Burchet is
silent also, though it was certainly of v^ry great
consequence to the trade and interest of Great Bri
tain.* We are now to return home, in order to take no
tice of what happened here, relating to the affairs of
the navy ; and as these are commonly influenced by
a total change in the ministry, it may not be amiss to
observe, that, in the beginning of thenionth of Au
gust, the earl of Godolphin was removed from being-
lord high-treasurer, and that high office-was put into
commission. This great change vvas quickly followed
by others of the same nature; for, about si.x weeks
after, Edward earl of Orford having resigned his
place of first lord-commissioner of the Admiralty, the
queen appointed Sir John Leake, Sir George Byng,
George Doddington, Esq. Paul Methuen, Esq. and
* AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXECUTION DONE BY THIS
SQUADRON.
Harbours Names. French Ships Names. Bfen. Guns. Tons,
La Couche  La Comlesse D'Evereux. . . . 75
Ditto  ,  1 .a Coiironne  70
Carouze  , . Le Marquis Du liay  20
Ditto  Le Compte De Boiirt'pos  120
Ditto  l.'Aiglo JVoire  70
Petit Maitre ..,. . . Franfois Hciire  ,  80
Great St. .Tulieii ..Fmiiyois De la Paix  120
tittle St. Julien. . . .St. Pa-rre  90
Ditto    30
All the fish, oil, stages, vatts, boats, fishing tackle, &c. of the
aboTe-mentioned ships fell into our hands, and were cither taken
or destroyed by us. And the two ships which escaped, left even
their ai^hors aad cables, and so-mc of their sails behind.

16

200 taken.

14

200 burnV.

28

<J00 taken.

J13

400 burnt.

12

200 taken.

18

2o0 taken.

30

400 taken.

20

290 escaped.

12

 ditto.

428 NAVAL HISTORY
John Aislabie, Esq. lords-commissioners for execut
ing the office of lord high admiral of Great Britain.
But this commission did not continue long in this
situation, for in the month of December, Sir James
Wishart, and George Clarke, Esq. were appointed
lords-commissioners of the Admiralty, in the room of
George Doddington, and Paul Methuen, Esqrs.
The new parliament met pn the 25th of November,
and, on the 27th, the commons chose William Brom^
ley, Esq. of Worcestershire, for their Speaker. The
queen, in her speech from the throne, recommended
the carrying on the war in very pathetic terms, and
the commons, in their address, promised her Majesty
to take proper care of it. Accordingly, on the 5th
of December, they voted 40,000 men for the sea ser
vice, for the year 1711, and 120,000/. for the ordi
nary of the navy; on the 10th of February they
voted, that the sum of 5,130,539/. 5s. 6d. he granted
for payment of the debts of the navy, and for ser*
vices performed by them on account of land forces
to Michaelmas 1710, exclusive of the register- office ;
and, on the 20th of the said month, they resolved
that 103,303/. 1 Is. 4>d. he granted for the use of such
proprietors, or inhabitants only, of Nevis and St.
Christopher's, who were sufferers by the French in
vasion, and who have settled, or shall resettle their
plantations in the said islands. I do not well knovv,
whether I ought to add, as an instance of the care of
parliament in respect to our commerce, that this year
an act was passed for incorporating a company to
carry on a trade to the South Seas. While these re
gulations vvere making by the legislature, her Majesty
took care to provide for action ; and in consequence
thereof, appointed Sir John Leake, rear-admiral of
Great-Britain, to be admiral and commander iu chief
of her fleet, in the room of Matthew Aylmer, Esq.
at the same time she appointed Sir Thomas Hardy
rear-admiral of the blue ; and some time after Sir
George Bvng vvas made admiral of the white. These

, OF QUEEN ANNE. 429
necessary circumstances premised, we may now pro
ceed to the naval operations of the next year.
The grand fleet under the command of Sir John
Leake, had very little to do. It was intended for the
defence of our coast, and for keeping the enemy in
awe, which was very effectually performed ; for the
French king, from the many misfortunes he had met
with, was utterly incapable of equipping any capital
ships; and therefore, contenting him.self with send
ing out, as he had done for some years past, small
squadrons to annoy our trade, he seemed no longer
to look on France as a maritime power. Sir Thomas
Hardy, rear-admiral of the blue, was sent with a
strong squadron, consisting of four fourth rates, two
fifth, and two sixths, to block up the port of Dun
kirk. On the 21st of May he arrived before that
port, into whicli he forced two privateers of twenty
guns each, and a dogger which carried eight ; and this
notwithstanding the enemy's' fire from the plat-form
at the pier-head. While he vvas in this situation, he
discovered in the bason four sixty-gun ships, and two
smaller vessels, all unrigged, and had certain infor
mation of a small squadron that was fitting there for
the sea ; after which he cruised as carefully as h^
could, as well for that, as for the convoy from Bre-
tagne; but both, notwithstanding all his vigilance,
escaped him.
On the 27th of June, an English man of war,
called the Advice, commanded by Kenneth, Lord
DufFus, was attacked in Yarmouth Roads, by several
French privateers. His lordship engaged them vvith
great bravery, and did not give up his ship, which
was a fourth rate of forty-six guns, till all his sails
were torn to pieces, not a brace or bowling left, the
shrouds cut away, two thirds of his men killed and
wounded, and his lordship had five balls in his body.
The eight privateers that took him, brought the ship
with great triumph into Dunkirk, where they most
inhumanly stripped both othcers and private men of

430 NAVAL HISTORY
their wearing apparel, and, but for the kindness of
the inhabitants, had left them in a manner naked.
Such vvas the brutal behaviour of these barbarous
plunderers, and to such we must remain exposed, if
that infamous nest of pirates, /lestroyed for the com
mon safety of mankind, shall ever, through the
weakness of our councils, be -settled or fortified
again. On the Sth of August, Sir Thomas Hardy being in
Yarmouth Roads, with his squadron, received orders
to proceed as far northwards as the islands of Ork
ney, in order to secure the Russia trade, and to send
some ships that were with him to the Downs; the
Admiralty having received certain intelligence, that
M. De Saus, a French officer, had actually got to
sea from Dunkirk, vvith four large ships; viz. one
of fifty guns, one of twenty-eight, one of twenty-six,
and one of twenty-four : in pursuance of these or
ders. Sir Thomas saw the Russia fleet, vvhich was
remarkably rich that year, as far as Shetland ; and
then sending them forward with a proper convoy, he
returned to the Downs, where he received orders to
proceed westward, in quest of M. Du Casse. While
our ships were thus employed, a misfortune befel us
upon our own coast; forM. DeSaus, with his privateers^
fell in with our Virginia fleet which consisted of"
twenty-two sail, two of which were forced a-shore,
four escaped, and all the rest were taken.
As soon as the news of this was carried to_ Eng
land, orders were sent to pursue the French squadron,
and to prevent, if possible, their getting back to Dun
kirk ; but the Sieur Saus found means to rid himself
of these attendants, though they were once within
sight of him, and carried six of his prizes into Dun
kirk, leaving the rest at Boulogne, Calais, and other
ports on the coast. Our cruisers and privateers re
paired, in, some degree, this misfortune, by the de
predations they committed on the coasts of France,
irom whence they brought a great number of spiall

OF QUEEN ANNE. 431
prizes, which, if they did not turn much to our be
nefit, were, however, a great prejudice to France,
since most of them were laden with corn, and other
provisions, of vvhich at that juncture the people vvere
in great need. But it is now time to return to the
proceedings of our squadrons in the Mediterranean,
where, as we have before shewn. Sir John Jennings
commanded in chief, with a numerous fleet, of whose
designs we shall now speak particularly, as they
were the last that were formed during this war in
those parts.
The affairs of King Charles had suffered so severely
since the battle lost at Villa Viciosa, that even his
best friends almost despaired of retrieving them. It
was, however, resolved to send thither a large naval
force, to assist in whatever measures might be
thought proper, either for restoring his hopes, or
providing for the safety of his person. The duke of
Argyle commanded the English troops, with circum
stances equally honourable to himself, and shameful
to those who suffered so many brave men to fall
under such heavy misfortunes. The army was but
thin ; and well it might be so, since General Stan
hope had been besieged, and taken, with eight bat
talions, and as many squadrons, a few months before,
in the miserable hamlet of Brihuega. But this was
not all ; the regiments, thin as they vvere, were also
ragged and starving, having no credit but what his
grace procured for them, who soon brought things
into better order, and his very little army under good
discipline. In short, he appeared there, w^hat he
appeared every vvhere, not only a brave man and an
active officer"; not barely a great general, or an able
statesman, but a friend to mankind, and a lover of
his country. He fed the hungry, he clothed the
naked, he stopped desertion ; not by severities, but
by convincing his soldiers that they could be used no
where so well; insomuch that when Sir John Jen
nings arrived at Barcelona vvith his fleet, in the lat-

432 NAVAL HISTORY
ter end of March, he found things on the mending
hand. After performing some few necessary services,
it was resolved, that the fleet should cruise off Toulon,
in order to intercept the supplies which the enemy
expected from Languedoc, and their corn-fleet from
the Levant. ' While he was in this station, he re
ceived orders from England, to return immediately
to the coast of Catalonia, that he might be ready to
carry the king of Spain to Genoa, or where else he
should desire ; his Majesty, by the death of his bro
ther, the Emperor Joseph, being lately become sole
heir of all the dominions of the house of Austria.
He was hkewise directed to afford all the assistance
possible to the kingdom of Naples, in case any com
motion should happen there at this juncture ; and'
accordingly he repaired to Barcelona, to consult his
Majesty and the duke of Argyle, as to the properest
method of executing these orders, having first de
tached two men of war of the third, one of the fourth,
and one of the fifth rate, to cruise on the coast of
Naples, with orders to assist the subjects of the house
of Austria, if any attempts should be made for re
ducing the garrisons of Orbitello, or Piombino.
On his arrival there, he found the king not at all
inclined to quit Catalonia, till such time as he had
advice of his being elected emperor, in which he was
promised all the assistance that could be afforded
him by the high allies ; and, on the other hand, he
found his Majesty equally unwilhng to part with this
fleet, upon which all his hopes depended. Sir John
Jennings contented himself, therefpre, vvith sailing
from Barcelona, on the ISth of July, for Port Mahon,
where he arrived on the 18th, having first of all prO'^
mised the king of Spain, to return assoon as the ships
were refitted, and he had taken in a proper supply of
provisions, which began to grow very scarce; and
this promise he exactly performed by the 26th, when
we find him again in the road of Barcelona, with one
second, five third, and one fourth rate, besides sevej},

OF QUEEN ANNE. 433
Dutch men of war, under the command of Vice-
admiral Peiterson, having ten other ships, most of
the line, abroad on necessary service. When these
had joined him he took the king of Spain on board,
having then a fleet of twenty-four ships of war, and
landed him in ten days time at Genoa; from whence
the admiral sailed to Leghorn, being in great want
of cables and other stores, in order to procure such
as the place vvould afford ; and while he was there,
two of our captains brought in two rich prizes from
the Levant.
His excellency continued in that port to the 2d of
November, when he sailed for Vado Bay, and hav
ing embarked the forces that were ready to proceed
for Catalonia, he sent them under the protection of
five men of war and two fire-ships, to Barcelona,
under the command of Captain Swanton, with whose
squadron, and three Dutch ships of war, the admiral
sailed as far westward as Cape Roses ; and was then
to repair to Port Mahon, vvhere Captain Swanton
was ordered to join him, as soon as he had seen the
transports in safety, that the admiral might be able
to make a detachment for protecting the coasts of
Portugal; as also some ships to cruise in the Straits'
mouth, for the security of our trade. When the
admiral had made the island of Minorca, the wind
blew excessively hard from the north-east, which
obliged him to come to an anchor on the north side
of the island, where most of the ships sails blew away
from their yards ; but he got, however, the next day
into Port Mahon. On his arrival he was informed,
by the captains of two ships he found there, that
they had heard a great firing of guns all the night
before ; upon which he sent the Chatham and AVin-
chelsea, the next morning, to see what they could
discover; who soon brought an account, that the
Dutch vice-admiral, with his squadron, vvas in the
offing, together with four British ships.
These ships of purs were the Hampton-Court, com*
VOL, III, F F

434 NAVAL HISTORY
manded by Captain Mighells; the Sterling-Castle,
the Nottingham, the Charles galley, and the Lynn,
which came from the coast of Catalonia, and in their
passage had fallen in with tvvo French meri of war,
the Thoulouse, and the Trident, each of fifty guns,
and four hundred men. The Hampton-Court came
up with the first of them, and engaged her two hours,
to whose commander, by the time the Stirling-Castle
was within musket*shot, which was about ten at
night, she struck; but by the advantage of little
winds, the Trident got away with her oars. The
Hampton-Court's masts being much wounded in the
fight, they, by the. violence of the weather, came
next day all by the board, so that she was tovved
into port by the Sterling-Castle. The first captain
of the Thoulouse, was M. Grand Pre, and the second
captain Rigby, an Englishman, who had formerly
bore command in our fleet. From the former of
them the admiral accepted his parole of honour for
six months ; but the latter he detained, although M.
Grand Pre assured him he was naturalized in France,
and was become a Roman Catholic ; but some way
or other he found means to escape, and it was be
lieved he got on board a ship bound for Genoa,
which lay in the harbour of Mahon. About the
same time, the Restoration, a ship of seventy guns,
Avas lost on the back side of the Mallora, off Leg
horn, but all her officers and men were saved ; nor
did it fall out better with a settee, that had on board
to the value of four thousand crowns, wliich she wasr
bringing from one of the ports of Corsica.
The French having at present no fleet in f^e Me
diterranean, the admiral was at liberty to employ his
ships in such a manner, as might best answer the
purpose of protecting Catalonia, and incommoding
the enemy ; which he accordingly did, till towards
the end of the year he received advice, that the
French were busy at Toulon, in fitting out a consir
derable force, which was to put to sea in the spring,

6f QUEEN ANNE. 485
of which the admiral took all the care he could to
bie particularly informed, and at last received a cer
tain account, that this squadron was to consist of
eleven or twelve ships, of which eight were of the
line, and three or four were frigates ; that they were
to proceed first to Cadiz, and from thence to the
West Indies. Upon this, the admiral, on the 21st of
February, held a council of war, in which, upon a
strict examination, it was found, that the ships under
his command, could not put to sea till supplied with
provisions from Italy ; and therefore a frigate was
dispatched to Vice-admiral Baker, then at Lisbon,
with this intelligence, that he might strengthen the
convoy of the store-ships and victuallers sent from
thence, and at the same time it was resolved, that
as soon as the English and Dutch ships arrived from
Italy, the admiral should cruise between Port Mahon
and Cape De Gatt, not only for the protection of the
convoy, but in order to intercept the enemy.
This necessary supply of provisions, and naval
stores, arriving safe at Port Mahon, and the admiral
having intelligence from all sides, of the great naval
preparations of the enemy, it vvas determined in a
council ofwar, held on the 1 1th of March, to put to
sea with one second, three third, two fifth rate, and
two fire ships of ours, and nine ships of the States-
General, and to cruise ten or twelve leagues from
Cape Toulon, until more certain advice of the enemy
could be bad. Captain Walpole, in the Lion, joining
the fleet from Genoa, and informing them, that he
had seen in his passage nine tall ships to the N. W.
of the island of Minorca ; it was resolved in a coun
cil ofwar, held on the 23d of March, to proceed to
the southward of Majorca and Ivica, in order to in
tercept the enemy, if it was possible, between that
and Cape St. Martin, in their passage down the
Straits. Obtaining, however, no further intelligence,
he came to an anchor on the first of April off the
island of Formentara, from whence he sent two clean
F F 2

438 NAVAL HISTORY
ships to look into the bays of Denea, Xabea, and
Altea, as also into Alicant road ; and in case they
brought Him no advice, it was determined to sail im
mediately to Barcelona. This was accordingly done,
and on his arrival there, and hearing nothing of the
French, he sent a clean frigate to look into the har
bour of Toulon, in order to discover what they were
doing there, with a resolution, upon the return of
that ship, to proceed to Port Mahon, there to re-
victual, and then to stand over to the Italian coast,
in order to bring from thence a new supply of troops
to Catalonia.
We are now to proceed to an account of what was
done this jear in the West Indies, where, when we
spoke last of affairs in those parts, we left Commo
dore Littleton with a strong squadron under his com
mand. This gentleman was extremely well qualified
for the station ; he had all the abilities and experi
ence that could be wished for in a sea-officer, and yet
was as ready to ask, and receive advice, as if he had
neither. On his first arrival in those parts, which was
in the month of November, 1710, he took all the
care that was possible, to obtain proper intelligence of
the motions of the galleons, which were still at Car
thagena ; and at the same time he neglected nothing
that the merchants thought requisite, either for the
security of their trade in those parts, or for the safe
convoy of such ships as from time to time were sent
home ; so that, during his stay at Jamaica, there
were few or no complaints, but every body studied
to mind his own business, and to discharge, when
called upon, his duty in the public service.
The desire of taking the galleons, vvas what prin
cipally occupied the thoughts of the commodore, and
as he vvas frequently perplexed with false intelligence,
he stationed the Nonsuch and the Roebuck, on the
Spanish coast, giving orders to Captain Hardy, who
commanded the former,- to dispatch the Roebuck to
Jamaica, vvith any certain intelligence he could ob-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 437
tain, either as to the time when it was proposed the
galleons should sail, or the strength of the convoy
that was to accompany them. These orders were
faithfully executed, though very little intelligence,
except that the gafleons had as yet no convoy, could,
for many months, be procured.
In May, 1711, the commodore received an account
from the masters of some vessels from Madeira, that
M. Du Casse, with a squadron under his command,
had been seen from that island. Soon after, a Spanish
sloop was taken, in which was a letter from the
governor of Carthagena, expressing his hopes, that
M. Du Casse vvould shortly arrive vvith seven sail of
stout ships, in order to convoy the galleons. Upon
this, the commodore immediately sent an advice-boat
to recall the Nonsuch, and, in the mean time, began
to prepare for an expedition, resolving not to lose
this opportunity of attacking the French squadron,
and having a chance for making prize of some of the
galleons. The Jersej^, commanded by Captain Vernon, was
then cruizing to the Avindvvard of Jamaica, and hav
ing taken a Fiench ship belonging to the port of
Brest, which carried thirty guns, and one hundred
and twenty men, he carried her into Jamaica, on the
23d of May. The captain of this vessel informed the
commodore, that he had been trading on the coast
of New Spain, from whence, proceeding to Port
Lewis, in Hispaniola, where he put on shore the
money he had taken, he was sailing from thence to
Petit Guavas, in order to take in there a cargo for
France, when he fell into tbe hands of Captain Ver
non. He added, that he sailed from Port Lewis on
the 20th, in company with M. Du Casse, who was
gone for Carthagena, and that his squadron consisted
of one ship of seventy-four guns, another of sixty,
one of fifty, one of twenty-four, and one of twenty ;
but Captain Hardy arriving on the 27tb, assured Mr.
Littleton, that two ships of the French squadron, one

438 NAVAL HISTORY
of which vvas the Gloucester, of fifty guns, formerly
taken from us, and another of forty-four, arrived at
Carthagena, ten days before, and waited for M. Du,
Casse, who designed, as soon as the galleons could be
ready, to sail with them for the Havannah, and from
thence to Cadiz.
Upon this. Captain Veijion was sent over to the
coast of New Spain ; and returning on the 4th of
July, reported, that on the 28th of June, he had
looked into the port of Carthagena, where he saw;
twelve ships, six rigged, and six unrigged, and five
sloops ; the six ships that were rigged, he informed
the commodore, were the St. Michael, of seventyr
four guns; the Hercules, of sixty ; the Griffin, of
fifty ; two small frigates, and the vice-admiral of the
galleons, which carried sixty guns : and that, of the
ships that were unrigged, there weve two at the up
per end of the harbour, preparing for sea, one of
which he believed to be the Minion, of fifty guns,
and another of forty, the rest he took to be trading
vessels. Upon the 15th of July, the commodore sailed
with one third rate, four fourth rates, and a sloop fo^'
Carthagena; and arriving on the coast of New
Spain on the 26th, he discovered five ships to thg
leeward, which he Chaced into Boca Chica, at the
entrance of Carthagena harbour. Upon this, he
stood off to sea the greatest part of the night; but
stretching in to the shore next rnorning, chaced' four
ships, and about six came up with the vice-admiral
of the galleons, and a Spanish merchant ship ; and
as M. Du Casse had taken most of tfie money out of
the galleon, having some suspicion of the command
ing officer on board her ; so vvas this vety carraclc
the same which had escaped from Mr. Wager, as hath
been before related ; and coming froiii Carthagena,
in compariy with some French ships of war, it hap-r
pened she was separated from them, and believing-
<3ur ships to be those wjth M. Pu Cass?, as her com*

OF QUEEN ANNE. 439
mander said, lay by the greatest part of the day, and
when Mr. Littleton came near, hoisted Spanish co
lours, and a flag at the fore-top-mast-head, so that
between five and six at night, the Sahsbury's prize,
commanded by Captain Robert Harland, engaged
her ; soon after which, the Salisbury, commanded by
Captain Francis Hosier, did the same.*
The commodore being within pistol shot, was just
going to fire into her when they struck their colours ;
and the Jersey, going after one of the merchant ships,
took her ; the Nonsuch chacing the other, she es
caped in the night. The vice-admiral of the galleons,
being wounded by a small shot, died soon after. M.
Du' Casse had taken most of the money out of the
galleon, except what was found in some boxes which
belonged to private persons. She had sixty brass
guns mounted, and three hundred and twenty-five
men ; and the ship which the Jersey took, was a ves
sel belonging to the merchants, of about four hun
dred tons, and twenty-six guns, laden for the most
part vvith cocoa and wool. The prisoners, by the de=-
scription given to them of the ships which were seen
by the commodore, the day he came off Carthagena,
assured him, they were those with M, Du Casse, and
that he had been out of Carthagena but tvvo daj's,
being separated from the Spanish vice-adm,iral, aud
nine merchant ships, the day after he came out ; and
since Mr. Littleton was well assured that he intended
to touch at the Havannah, it was determined to cruize
a little to the leeward of Point Pedro shoals, as the
most proper place for intercepting*them, until such
time as further intelligence could be gained from
Captain Hook, of the Jamaica sloop, who was sent
over to the coast with some Spanish prisoners.
* It is of consequence where we can come at such distinct rela
tions as this is, for the use of young officers, to whom they are ac
ceptable. It would be of service, and indeed cf great service, if a
distinct and clear narrative of every expedition, drawn, or at least
signed by the commanding ofiicer, was deposited in the Admiralt^^
as vvell as a Sea Journal.

44© NAVAL HISTORY
About this time the French formed a very memora
ble design of attacking the Leeward Islands, and this,
with the natural strength of their own colonies ; for
which purpose they assembled, in tbe month of May
and June, about tvvo thousand men in Martinico ;
these they embarked on board the following vessels,
•ciz. a large ship of thirty-six guns, a hag-boat of
twenty-four guns, two merchant ships, and nine pri^
vateer sloops. They put to sea on the 10th of June,
with an intent to land on the island of Antigua ; but
they were scarcely clear of their own island, before
they met with her Majesty's ship the Newcastle com
manded by Captain Bourn, who attacked them so
briskly, that, notwithstanding it was a calm, and
they lay in such a manner, as that it was impossible
for him to bring his broadside to bear upon them ;
yet, after an action of three hours, in which the
French lost sixty-four men, he obliged them to re
linquish their enterprise, and to take the opportunity
of the first little breeze that sprung up, to return into
one of the ports of their own islands.
Unwilling, however, absolutely to abandon their
design, they refitted their vessels, and beat up for
volunteers, and) on the 16th, landed nearly fifteen
hundred men on the island of Montserrat ; they de
barked these troops about twelve at night, and be
gan to plunder the adjacent country ; but being in
formed that Captain Bourvi sailed from thence that
very day, and was expected again the next, they em
barked in such a hurry, that they left fifteen or
twenty of their men behind them, who were made
prisoners by the inhabitants of the island, and thus
ended this project, through the courage and conduct
of this worthy commander. The French, however,
did not escape totally unchastised for this mischief,'
for Captain Lisle, in her Majesty's ship the Diamond,
having notice of their situation, and suspecting that
some of their transports vvould very soon put to sea,
he kept cruizing, together with the Panther, and ano-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 441
ther of her Majesty's ships, at a small distance from
the coast, and in a short time took three of them,
besides other prizes so that the enemy were effectually
cured of their inclinations to make descents for this
year. To return now to Commodore Littleton, who
having sent away the homeward-bound trade in the
month of August, under the convoy of the Nonsuch,
returned again to his cruizing station, in the latter
end of the same month. He had not been long at
sea, before the captain of the Medw^ay's prize, whom
he had sent to Blewfields-bay in Jamaica, brought him
advice, that the master of a trading vessel had lately
made oath before Lord Archibald Hamilton, then
governor of Jamaica, that eighteen French men of
war, having a large number of transports vvith sol
diers under their convoy, arrived lately at Martinico,
from whence, it was believed, they would very
speedily sail, to make an attempt upon Jamaica. This
intelligence induced the commodore to sail instantly
back to the island, where the governor assured him,
there was not a word of truth in the story. This
accident, however, had a very ill effect, since at that
very instant M. Du Casse, with his squadron, got
safe into the Havannah, which he could not possibly
have done, if the commodore had kept his station.
It may be believed, that this disappointment gave
him infinite disturbance, but it did not, however,
hinder his cruizing for some time off the Havannah,
in hopes of repairing this disaster ; in which he did
not succeed.
Upon his return to Jamaica, he found the Thetis, a
French man ofwar, lately taken, arrived from New
England; and soon after Captain Lestock, in the
Weymouth, from the same place, Avith a small priva
teer, which he had taken on the coast of Porto Rico,
in his passage. There were at this time many mer
chant ships ready to sail home, with vvhom the com
modore sent the Anglesea, Fowey, and Scarborough ;

444 NAVAL HISTORY
the last-mentioned ship had been taken from the
French by the two former, upon the coast of
Guinea, where not long before, the French had
taken her from us. Thus ended the operations of
the naval campaign for this year in the West In
dies. But, before we leave America, it is necessary
that we should enter into a circumstantial account
of that famous expedition agaijist the French set-r
tlements in Canada, which makes so great a figure
in the French histories, and pn which we find so
many reflections made in our own ; the subject
indeed is both intricate and unpleasant, neverthe
less it is ejftremely necessary to set it in a clear
light; since, notwithstanding its miscarriage, through
a concurrence of unforeseen, as well as unlucky ac
cidents, it was certainly one of the best intended, and
very far from being one of the worst contrived de
signs that was set on foot during this war, and,
therefore, we hope the reader vvill not think an im
partial relation of the whole affair unworthy of his at-;
tention. The disturbance given us by the French in North
America, and the apprehensions our colonies were
under, from the strength of their settlements in Ca-?
nada, have been so often mentioned, that I think I
need not insist upon them here : I shall content my-r
self, therefore, with observing, that the earl of Go
dolphin had often expressed a strong desire of at
tempting something of consequence in this part of
the world, that might exalt our own character, and
humble the haughtiness of the enemy. Sir Hovenden
Walker informs us, that he was consulted by that
great minister, in reference to this design ; yet I very
much doubt, whether the vvhole of it was then com
municated tp him, since it is very certain, that it was
not either he, or General Hill, who were to have been
employed in the expedition, as it was then intended ;
but Sir Thomas Hardy was to have commanded the

OF QUEEN ANNE, 443
fleet, and the land forces vvere to have been under
General Macartney. It has been remarked by Bishop
Burnet, and some other writers, that the whole of
thi§ design was concerted without any application to,
or consent of parliament ; and this, that prelate says,
was the more inexcusable, because it was contrived
and carried into execution, at a time when the par
liament vvas sitting. *
The force of this objection, I must confess, I do
not see ; for if expeditions of such a nature, vvith all
the estimates of expences necessary for rendering
them effectual, were to be laid before parliament be
fore they could be undertaken, I think it must be
obvious to every intelirgent reader, that this would
afford such an opportunity of opposing designs of
this nature at home, and making all the world ac
quainted with them abroad, that it would be after
wards seldom advisable to execute them. But
there is another remark made by Mr. Burchet,
which appears to have a better foundation. He
says, that this design was industriously concealed
from the lords of the Admiralty, as long as it was
possible, and that at last they were trusted only with
the executive part, and not at all vvith the direction ;
* The Bishop's account runs thus : " An expedition was de
signed by sea, fpr taking Quebec and Placentia, and, for that end,
five thousand men were brought from Flanders. Hill, who was
brother to the favourite, had the command. There was a strong
squadron of men of war ordered to secure the transport fleet; they
were furnished from hence with provisions, only for three months ;
but they designed to take in a second supply at New England. A
commissioner of the victualling then told me, he could not guess
what made them to be sent out so ill furnished, for they had stores
lying on their hands for a full supply."— Mr. Oldmixon writes
with less resentment; he attributes this project originally to Go
vernor Nicholson, and I believe with truth ; he says, the four In.
dian chiefs, who were brought over hither, and presented to the
queen, solicited it strongly ; and, in fine, that it had been certainly
a very good ])roject, if it had fallen into good hands. But, he in-
sinuiites, that it was made a job ; the contrary of which, I think,
Will appear by the citation in the next note.

444 NAVAL HISTORY
for otherwise, he thinks, it must have been impossible
that such large ships should have been ordered for an
expedition into the river of St. Lawrence, which was
well known to their lordships to be so hazardous a
navigation, and for which, therefore, ships bf such a
burden were altogether unfit.*
This remark, I say, has greater weight with me,
because it plainly proves, that how right soever the
intention of a ministry may be, in endeavouring to
preserve an absolute secrecy as to designs of this
sort; yet, in case of any miscarriage, their conduct
will be always liable to great imputations, where
they avoid communicating their councils to such

* How far the following account of this matter, taken from a
letter of Mr. Secretary St. ' John's, to Sir Hovenden Walker^
dated April 17, 1711, will obviate even this objection, I must
leave to the reader ; with this observation, however, that if the
sentiments contained in it were not sincere, the writer must have
been the greatest dissembler in the world. — " The Humber and
Devonshire will proceed with you ; of those which are ordered to
cruize in the Soundings, it will not, I doubt, be possible for you
to be joined by any. The lords of the Admiralty, you find, look
on these additional ships as given you for the expedition, and it is
fit they should do so ; but when you are got far enough into the
sea, you are to send back two of the ten sail, and if you find any
of the eight first, appointed to compose your squadron, not fit for
the voyage, as the Torbay is reported not to be, you may, in such
case, send home the ship which is unfit, taking which you shall
like best of the two additional ships in lieu of her. The messenger
who Lrings this packet, is ordered to stay till dispatched back again
by Mr. Hill and yourself. I must tell you, that I find her Ma*
jesty extremely impatient to hear you are sailed, and concerned lest
you should lose the advantage of this easterly wind. I hope,
therefore, by the return of the messenger, yon will inform me
exactly when you shall be ready to proceed. I have nothing more
to add, but to recommend all possible expedition to you, upon
which, morally and probably speaking, your success entirely de
pends. That you may have a prosperous voyage, and be, together
with Mr. Hill, the instruments of doing so much honour, and
bringing so much advantage to your country, as are proposed by
the attempt you arc ordered to make, is the liearty prayers of,
" Sir, yours, &c."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 445
branches of the administration, as seem to have a
right to regulate and direct them.*
In respect to this design upon Quebec, it seems to
have been principally under the direction of the Lord
Viscount Bolingbroke, then Mr. Secretary St. John,
by whose interest, I suppose, Sir Hovenden Walker,
rear-admiral of the white, was appointed to command
in chief, and General Hill, vvho was brother to Lady
Masham, was likewise appointed commander of about
five thousand land-forces, tbat were to be employed
in this design. As it was the first, and, indeed, the
only great undertaking of the new ministry, I cannot
believe but that they were in earnest, and really in
hopes of raising their reputation, by giving an extra
ordinary blow to the French power in those parts ;
which I conceive must evidently appear, if we con
sider the great force employed for this purpose, and
which will be best made known to the reader, by
giving him, in a note,f Sir Hovenden Walker's line

* One may fairly collect from thiS, that the ministers who con
certed this scheme, were not only thoroughly in earnest, but also
extremely sanguine in respect to its success, otherwise they would
never have taken this method ; and surely there was nothing crirai.
nal in desiring to recover Canada out of the hands of the French,
or in proposing, for the protection and security of our own colo
nies, to drive them entirely out of North America, which was the
avowed design of this enterprise, and would have been a signal
benefit to Great Britain.
Ships. Commanders. Men. Guns.
+ Torbay  Captain Moody, 500 80
Monmouth  Mitchell, 400 70
Sunderland   Gore, 365 60
Diamond  Lisle, 190 40
Devonshire  Arris, 520 80
Edgar   Sir Hovenden Walker, "1 . . „ _„
Captain Soans, /
Humber  CuUiford,'' 520 80
Montague  Walton, 365 60
Kingston  Winder, 365 60
Swiftsure  Cooper, 400 70
Daukirk ,.  Butler, 365 60

¦446 l^AVAL HISTORY
of battle, as we find it in the appendix to his own
account. The instructions given by her ISIajesty to Sir Ho-
Venden Walker, required him, as soon as the general
and troops vvere embarked, to proceed lo Boston di
rectly, without touching at any place whatsoever ;
and, if he°judged it convenient, he was to detach, in
his passage, a ship of war, with the artillery, stores,
clothes, and other necessarfes, to New York ; but, if
he found this inexpedient, he was to send them from
Boston. On his arrival at that place, he was to take
the Leopard and Sapphire under his command, and in
case tbe general thought it necessary, he was to assist
him in exchanging the garrison of Annapolis Royal,
and in transporting the old garrison, with stores,
back to New England. He was, when at Boston,
to take under his care all transport vessels, ketches,
hoys, boats, and other necessaries, provided in New
England ; and as soon as the forces from hence, and
those raised there, should be on board, he was to sail
vvith them all into the river of St. Lawrence, up to
Quebec, in order to attack that place ; and being ar
rived, to make a proper disposition of the ships for
that purpose, as well of such as might be fit to em
ploy before the town, as others ; upon consulting with
the general, to pass that place, and proceed up the
river towards the lake, not only to prevent any com
munication vvith Quebec, but to protect the canoes
and boats, with the forces from New York ; to which
end, he vvas empowered to convert some of the small
vessels sent from hence, or New England, into fri
gates, suitable to the navigation of the upper part of
Together with the Bedford-Galley frigate. Basilisk and Granada
bombs, with the Experiment, the bombs telider.
There were, besides, thirty-three transports, with the regiments
of Brigadier Hill, Colonel Windress, Colonel Clayton, Colonel
Kane, Lieutenant-general Seymour, Colonel Disney, Colonel
Kirk, and a battalion of marines, under the command of Colonel
Charles Churchill, making in all upwards of five thousand men,
and eight transports and tenders belonging to the train.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 447
the river, and to man and arm them accordingly.
At New England, or elsewhere, he was to assist the
general with vessels and boats proper for landing the
forces, and embarking them again, but more espe
cially upon his arrival at Quebec, or for transporting
them from place to place. He was also ordered to
send to the general such marine soldiers as should be
on board the squadron, when he should demand the
same, of which he was to have the chief command
while employed on shore ; besides which, he was to
assist him with such a number of seamen, gunners,
guns, ammunition, and other stores from the ships,
as he should demand for the land-service ; these sea
men were to assist in drawing and mounting the can
non, or otherwise as should be found necessary. He
was strictly required to lose no time in proceeding to
New England, and from thence to the river of St.
Lawrence ; nor in putting in execution the service
of Quebec: butthat, on his part, all expedition should
be used in the reduction of the place, and of the coun
try of Canada, or New France, and in the seasonable
return of the squadron and transports.
He was further instructed, which shews that this
design had been very thoroughly considered, in case
of suc(;!ess, to leave such a naval force as he thought
proper in the river of St. Lawrence, and to make use
of any of the enemy's ships that might be taken, to
bring into Europe such governors, regular troops,
religious persons, or others whom the general, by his
instructions was directed to send away from Canada,
with whatever necessaries for their transportation he
should think requisite. These services- being pio-
vided for, he was to take on board the general, if he
should think fit to return, and such of the forces as
should not be found necessary to live in Canada ; and,
if the season ,of the year vvould permit, he was to pro
ceed to attack Placentia, in Newfoundland, in such a
manner as General Hill should direct; and this ser
vice being over, he was to order ¦ the ships of war as

448 NAVAL HISTORY
did not properly belong to his squadron, to their se
veral stations, directing the masters of the transports,
wbich he should have no further occasion for, to go
and seek freight, either in ports upon the continent
of America, or in the islands, in order to ease the
public of the charge of them, and for the benefit of
the British commerce.
On the 29th of April, 171I, Sir Hovenden Walker
sailed vvith the men of war and transports under his
command; but coming off the Start the 1st of May,
a vvesteri}' wind obliged him to put into Plymouth;*
from whence he sailed again in two days time, and
continued his voyage very happily towards New Eng
land, where he arrived on the 24th of June, without
any other accident, than tvv^oof his captains disobey-

* As I have all along endeavoured to treat every subject that
fell in my way as impartially as possible, so I think it my duty to
give the reader here a letter from Lord Bolingbroke to the admi
ral, which, I think, evidently proves, that this minister had the de-
sign as much at heart as any man in his station could have.
" SIR,
" The wind being come about to the south, I take it for granted,
that this letter will find you at Plymouth, or at Torbay, the usual
bane of our maritime expeditions. You must allow me to tell
you, that the queen is very uneasy at the unaccountable loss of
time in your stay at Portsmouth ; and, if the Devonshire could
not be refitted sooner, you ought rather to have left her behind,
than delay your sailing. If the transports were the occasion of
this misfortune, the commissioners, or masters, of them arc to
blame, and should be complained of. I take it for granted, if
you continue any time wind-bound, that you will be stopped for
good and all ; and the whole expence and trouble will be thrown
away; and that we shall make as little of our fleet this year, as
we have done in former summers. In case Providence will carry
\is forward in spite of our teeth, I hope the last delay will be a
warning to you, and that you will improve to-day, instead of de
pending upon to-morrow. If any thing is to be ordered, or done
here, let me know by express, and there shall be as much expedi
tion used, as I wish there had been at Portsmouth. 1 have sent to
Coleby, to go wherever you are driven back, that this part of the
service may have the due care taken of it.
" Wlutehall, May 1, 1711. I am, Sir, &c."

OF QUEEN ANNE. 449
ing his orders ; viz. Captain Soans, of the Edgar, and
Captain Butler, in the Dunkirk ; they had both
chaced without signal, and left the fleet, notwith
standing the strict injunction of the admiral, ground
ed on his instructions to the contrary. As Captain
Soans had joined the fleet again the next day, he was
only mulcted three months pay ; but Captain Butler,
having never been seen by the fleet, till their arrival
at Nantasket, near Boston, was discharged and dis
missed from his command.
The admiral vvas far from meeting, in New Eng
land, with that hearty zeal for the service which he
expected ; for being obliged to take up a great quan
tity of provisions for the service of the fleet and trans
ports, he found the utmost difficulty therein, as ap
pears very clearly from the authentic papers inserted,
or annexed by way of appendix to his account. From
these it is evident, that the person who was depended
upon for that service, not only refused it, but endea
voured to serve his private interest, at the expence of
the pubhc, by buying up great quantities on his own
account, in order to vend them again to whoever
should undertake to supply the fleet ; so that, by the
slowness of ihe colony, and the avarice of this parti
cular person, the whole expedition was ruined.
The admiral and general did all that was in their
povv^er, by memorials and solicitations, to remedy this
inconvenience; but to little or no purpose, since the
inhabitants were extremely sensible of their own in
terest, aiid deaf to every thing else. General Nichol
son came to Boston, and gave all the assistance that
was in his power, and so did some other public-spi
rited persons, without which, it had been impossible
for the fleet and forces to have proceeded at all ; and,
as it was, they found it impracticable to leave Boston
before the 30th of July, when, with a few pilots on
board, who professed their own ignorance, and went
against their will, Sir Hovenden Walker sailed for
Quebec. VOL. III. G a

45«f NAVAL HISTORY
On the 14 th of August he reached the Bird Islands;,
which lie about two hundred and fifty leagues from
Cape Anne, and having sent the Chester, Leopard,
and Sapphire, to cruize between Placentia and Cape
Breton, an island op()osite to Newfoundland, expect
ing their joining him in his passage to Quebec ; the
former of these ships had taken, and sent into Boston
before he sailed thence, a ship of about one hundred
and twenty tons, and ten guns, that had seventy men
on board, whereof thirty vvere soldiers for that garri
son. The Leostoff, Feversham, Enterprise, and Tri
ton's prize, all small frigates which were stationed at
New York and Virginia, he ordered to join him off
Cape Breton, being empowered by her Majesty's or
ders so to do, if he shbuld find it necessaiy; and this
he the rather did, because of the use they might be
to him in his ])roceeding up the river to Quebec,
which navigation most of the people with whom he
had spoken, represented to be very dangerous; and,
therefore, he rightly judged the Humber and Devon-^
shire, which mounted eighty guns each, too big to
be ventured thither, for which reason he sent them
home, and shifted his flag on board the Edgar, a ship
of seventy guns. General Hill removing into the.
Windsor, which carried ten less ; but since he had
information that a ship of sixty guns, and another of
thirty, were expected from France very suddenly, he
ordered the Humber and Devonshire tp cruize on the
opening of the Bay of St. Lawrence, until the last of
August, and then to pursue their voyage home.. He
had very fair weather until he got into the bay, when
it became changeable ; sometimes thick and foggy,
and at others calm, vvith little winds, and the naviga
tion appeared to be intricate and hazardous. The
18th of August, when he was off Gaspfe Bay, near
the entrance of the river, it blew fresh at N. W. and,
for fear the transports should be separated, and blown
to leeward, he anchored in the bay, where, staying
for an opportunity to proceed up tne jiver, he burnt

OF QUEEN ANNE. 451
a French ship that was fishing, not being able to
bring her 'off.
On the 20th of August, the wind veering Avesterly,
the admiral had hopes of gaining a passage ; but the
next day in the afternoon^ it proved foggy, and con
tinued so all night, and the day following, with very
little wind till towards evening, when there was an
extremely thick fog, and it began to blow hard at E.
and E. S. E. which rendering it impossible to steer
any course with safety, having neither sight of land,
nor soundings, nor anchorage, he, by the advice qf
the pilots then on board him, both English and
French, who were the best in the fleet, made the
signal for the ships to bring to, with their heads
southward, at which time it was about eight at night,
believing that in this posture they should not come
near the north shore, but rather have driven with
the stream in the mid channel ; but, on the contrary,
as they lay with their heads southward, and the winds
easterly, in two hours time he found himself on the
north shore among the rocks and islands, at least
fifteen leagues farther than the log-line gave, where
the whole fleet had hke to have been lost ; the men
ofwar escaping the danger with the utmost difficulty,
but eight transport-ships were cast away, and almost
nine hundred officers, soldiers, and seamen, perished.*
* The admiral has published the following account of the ship*
and men that were lost by this unlucky accident :
Ships names. Men Men
Transports. lost. saved. Regiments.
Isabella Anne Katherine, 192 7 or 8 Colonel Windresse
Smyrna Merchant..  200 30  Koine.
Samuel and Anne  142 7 or 8 Lieut.-gen. Seymour.
Nathaniel and Elizabeth 10 188  ditto.
Marlborough  130 30 Colonel Clayton.
Chatham  60 40 ———Windresse.
Colchester  150 180 Lieut.-gen. Seymour.
Gonteut, victualler .--. 15 *
884 4y9
C G 2

m NAVAL HISTORY
The French pilot, who, as it was said, had feeeft
forty voyages in this river, and eighteen of them in
command, informed him, that when it happens to be
36 foggy as to prevent the sight of the land, it is im
possible to jiidge of the currents, or to steer by any
course ; for that he himself had lost two ships, and
had beett afidther time cast away upon the north
shore, wheti he judged himself near the south; inso»-
much, that it was extremely difficult to procure men
in France, to proceed on so dangerous a navigation^
since almost every year they suffered shipwreck.
Sir Hovenden Walker plied two days after this
¦with fresh gales at W. and S* in order to save what
men ahd stores he could, and on the 25th of August^
by the advice, and with the consent, of the gerteral,-
he called a council of war, consisting of all the sea-
ClRcers, in which great debates arose, most of the
captains being father inclined to censure the admiral'*
conduct, hi not calling a council of war befoi-g he
left Boston, than to give him any reason to grow
pleased with councils of war, by the advice they gave
hirti in this. Sir Hovenden told them plainly, that
ifhe had acted amiss in what they mentioned, he was
io answer for it in another place, and that the nature
of the service, and the circumstances they were in,
required them to confine their deliberations to an
other matter ; and, therefore, in order to cut short
these unnecessary debates, he would propose the sin
gle question, proper for their present consideration ;
which was, whether they thought it practicable to
get up~ to Quebec or not? upon which, they came
unanimously to the following resolution; viz. "That,
by reason of the ignorance of the pilots, it was wholly
impracticable to go up the river of St. Lawrence,with
the men of war and transports, as far as Quebec ; as
also the uncertainty and rapidity of the currents, as
by fatal experience was found." Upon this, the Sap
phire, vvas sent to Boston, with an account of the
^lisfortune, and the Montague to find out the Hum-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 45»
ber and Devonshire, and to stop all ships bound up
to Quebec ; and the Leopard being left with some
sloops and brigantines, to take any men from the
shore that might be saved, and to endeavour to weigh
some anchors left behind, he proceeded to. Spanish
Hiver, in the island of Breton, the rendezvous he had
appointed, there to be perfectly informed of the state
of the army and fleet, aind to settle matters for their
further proceedings ; but all the ships did not join till
the 7th of September.
The admiral being very sensible of the reproaches
that vvould be cast upon him, if, after failing in his
design on Quebec, he should return home without so
much as attempting Placentia, communicated his
thoughts upon this subject very freely to the general,
and some land officers, intimating, at the same tiriie,
some doubt, whether his instructions vyoijild warrant
such a conduct, without receiving fresh orders from
England. General Hill agreed with him in the main,
that it was a great misfortune to the nation, and very
jinlucky for themselves, that hitherto they had npet
with so little success in this expedition ; but was quite
of a diflferent opinion, as to the return of the fleet^nd
forces to England, which he judged to be absolutely
in the admiral's power ; however, he advised him tp
call a second councilof war, and to be determined by
the opinion of the sea and land officers, to which the
admiral readily agreed; and accordingly he made a sig
nal for a general council of war of sea and land offi
cers, on Satuwlay the 8th of September, in Spanish
Jliver road ; and in this council it was unanimously
determined, that any attempt upon Placentia, consi
dering the lateness of the season, and their circum
stances, was utteriy impracticable.*
* As this resolution absolutely decided the whole business, as it
contains the reasons upon which the officers concerned proceeded ;
and as it fully proves the innocence of the admiral and th.e general
in this affair, the whole of which it sets in a full and cjear light ; I
think it necessary to transcribe this paper, with the flames of th«
pfficers present at this council.

454 NAVAL HISTORY
The admiral had novv nothing more to do, than to
provide the best he could for his safe return home,
and for the due distribution of ships aiid forces to
their respective stations and garrisons throughout
North America, which he seems to have performed
with all the care and diligence imaginable ; aud it
appears, that in the whole course bf his command,
he preserved a perfect understanding with the land
officers, and gave all the assistance that vvas either
" The twenty.first article of her Majesty's instructions to the
general, for attacking Placentia, in Newfoundland, m his return
from Canada, together with the tenth article of the admiral's in
structions to' the same purpose, being severally read to the council
of war ; as also a letter from Colonel Dudley, governor of New
England, to the admiral, touching the lateness of the preparation
of provisions, now tnaking in that colony for the supply of the
troops, if they had wintered at Quebec ; all which being maturely
considered and debated, the question was put as follows; viz. The
state of provisions for the ships of war and land forces being consi
dered, which provisions not amounting to above ten weeks, at
short allowance, computing if from the 12th of this instant, Sep
tember, as appefirs by the agent victuallers sighed account thereofj
and allowing it to be all good, and to hold out to that time, the
said 12th of September, being the soonest we can sail from thence;
^nd there being no hopes of any supply from New England before
the beginning of November next, at soonest, as appears by the
advice received in the aforesaid letter from the governor of New
England, aiid the opinion of two of the members of the council of
war, who knew that country, together with the uncertainty of any
provisions coming to us at Newfoundland, by reason the season of
the year- is so far advanced, which makes the Navigation of that
coast so dangerous ; the council of war is unanimously of opinion,
fhat the attempt for reducing Placentia, under the circumstances
and difficulties above-mentioned,' is at this time altogether impracti
cable, and tljat it is for her Majesty's service, that the squadron
and transports with the Britjsh troops, do forthwith return to
Great Britain, and the forces raised in New England to tha^
colony.*' Hovenden Walker John Winder Jasper Claytop
Joseph Soancs Johii Cockburn P. Kirk
John Mitchell James Cook H. Disney
R. Arris ' J.Hill Richard Kane
G. ^yalton Charles ChurchiU Samuel Vetch
Henry Gore William Windresse Cha. Walton^
G. Paddon M. Kempenfclt

OF QUEEN ANNfi. 4.5&
tiesired, or could be expected, to the several gover
nors of our settlements in that part of the world. In
his voyage home, he met with no accidents that
•either retarded his passage, or added to the misfor
tunes he had already met with ; but arrived safely at
St. Helen's, on the ninth of October, 1711, with the
fleet and transports under his command.
On the 13th, the soldiers having all had their
quarters assigned them, and the transports being di- '
reeled to the several ports where the regiments were
to debark, the admiral, having had leave for that
purpose, set out for London. On the I5tb, the ad
miral's ship, in which he had hoisted his flag, the
¦Edgar, a third rate, of 70 guns, blew up at Spithead,
by which several hundred seamen were lost, with all
Sir Hovenden Walker's furniture, stores, and public
papers, books, draughts, journals, charts, &c. the of
ficers original demands, supplies, and receipts ; which
was certainly a very great misfortune to him, and
such a one as did by no means deserve to be height
ened by any groundless or maUcious reflections; which,
however, were not spared upon that melancholy oc^
casion. That very evening, Sir Hovenden waited
upon Secretary St. John, who expressed an extraor
dinary concern on the miscarriage of the expedition.
On the igtb, the admiral was introduced to the
<|ueen at Windsor, by the duke of Shrewsbury ; when
her Majesty received him very kindly, gave him her
hand to kiss, and said she was glad to see him.
The reflections made by Mr. Secretary Burchet,
upon this expedition, are so extraordinary, and so
out of his usual way of writing, that I cannot help
, laying them before the reader, with .a few remarks.
'' Thus ended," says he, " au expedition so charge
able to the nation, and from which no advantage
could reasonably be expected, considering hpw un
advisedly it vvas set on foot, by those vvho nursed it
upon false suggestipns and representations Besiides,
It occasioned our drawing from the army in Flanders,

456 NAVAL HISTORY
under the command of his grace the duke of Marl
borough, at least six thousand men ; where, instead
of beating up and down at sea, they might, under
his auspicious conduct, have done their country ser
vice. Nay, there may be added to the misfortunes
abroad, an unlucky accident which happened even at
their return on our coast, for a ship of the squadron,
called the Edgar, of 70 guns, had not been many
days at an anchor at Spithead, 'ere, by what cause is
unknown, she blew up, and all the men which were
on board her perished.*
The first part of this observation is taken from Sir
Hovenden Walker's letter; but whereas he says
plainly, that as the scheme was contrived by the peo
ple of New England, so it was ruined through their
ill conduct ; yet, as it stands with Mr. Burchet, it
looks rather like a reflection on the administration.
The design itself was undoubtedly good; it was
thought of before; it was attempted soon after the
revolution. All thinking; men in North America saw
not only the expediency, but the necessity of it, and
that, in fact, the thing stood thus: vve must either
use our superiority for the destruction of the French,
or expect destruction from them, when, through ouir
neglect, and their own diligence, they became supe
rior to us. It was, therefore, no objection at all,
either to the administration, or to Admiral Walker,
that their thoughts were so much bent on a matter of
* See his Naval History, p. 781. What seems to have drawn
so much resentment upon Sir Hovenden Walker was, his being
considereJas a favourite of this administration. At the change of
the ministry, he was superintendant at Plymouth, and was pro
moted to the vacant flag in the month of March 1711, as he tells
us himself, out of regard to seniority. In the month of April he
was knighted, and appointed commander-in-chief of this expedition,
in which his conduct appeared so little blameable to her Majesty,
and her council, that, as we shall see hereafter, he was again ap
pointed commander-in-chief in the West Indies, in order to re.
lieve Commodore Littleton, and discharged his trust there mth
great reputation.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 45?
so high consequence to the commerce and navigation
of Great Britain; especially at such a juncture,
when, if we had succeeded in our design, the pos
session of Canada must have been yielded to us by a
peace. The short victualling of the fleet, which some have
interpreted as a proof that the ministry were not in
earnest, was, in fact, an evidence of the contrary ;
for, if they had intended to make a shew only, they
would most certainly have victualled the fleet for the
whole voyage. But then, this would have discovered
the design long before they sailed ; and it is most
certain, that by following the contrary method, the
secret was very well kept. In the next place, it is no
less certain, that Sir Hovenden arrived in Boston in
very good time ; and if the people of New England,
instead of that backwardness which they expressed,
and which, as appears from some intercepted letters,
Avas in part conceived to be occasioned by the in
trigues of some French agents among them ; I say,
if, instead of this backwai'dness, they had shewn that
zeal, that, from their duty to their mother-country,
their own warm professions, and the interest they had
in the execution of this design, might well have been
expected, the scheme could not have failed.
So that, upon the whole, there is not the least
ground for saying, that the land troops were worse
employed under the command of General Hill, than
they would have been in Flanders under the duke of
Marlborough ; I say, there is no ground for affirm
ing this, unless it can be supposed, that the Dutch
barrier is actually, and bona fide, of greater conse
quence to this nation, than our colonies and com
merce ; and I must, for my own part, corifess, that
I can never be much prepossessed in favour of a writer
of naval history, who would insinuate such things to
his reader. Yet all he says of this sort, is a very trifle,
whea compared with that most injurious sugg-estion,

458 NAVAL HISTORY
as to the blowing up of the Edgar,* which was the
highest misfortune to the admiral, and therefore it is
barbarous in the last degree to impute it to him as a
disgrace ; nay, the very turn given to it, is as silly as
it is malicious ; for if the loss of the Edgar had been
a thing contrived, it might in all probability have
been discovered ; whereas, being purely accidental,
and all the men in her being blown up, it was simply
impossible the cause of this accident should ever be
known. Another party writer has treated this expedition as
severely, but with more wit, spirit, and decency, than
the secretary ; and to shew my impartiality, I have
inserted his reflections at the bottom of the pagcf
* The blowing up of the Edgar, on the 15th of October, was
certainly a very dreadful accident; since, besides her crew, there
were forty or fifty people from Portsmouth and Gosport, wha
went to see their friends. The commission officers had the good
. fortune to be on shore. What made it still the worse was, that our
seamen had a notion of its being very ominous, because it was the
oldest ship in the navy ; and some went so far as to affirm, that it
was actually the ship in which King Edgar sailed, some part of the
old vessel being constantly preserved every time that she had been
rebuilt, so that these were all ingredients towards mj.gnifying tha
, disasters of the Canada expedition ; aqd 1 n)uch wonder ^bat thii
tradition did not find a place in ftlr. Burchet's history.
+ The author referred to in the text, Dr. Hare, was then a reve
rend divine, and afterwards a right reverend prelate of our church,
who, in a treatise intitled, The Allies and the late Ministry defended
against P" ranee, p. 58. writes thus: " It was plain, by the ac.
count given of the expedition, that it was not merely an accident,
or any treachery, that was the cause of the miscarriage; but a
complication of many difficulties. For first, continues he, we are
told, that the river St. Laurence is navigable only at one time of
. the year. We let that slip ; but if we had nick'd the time, we
could not have sailed up that river without very able pilots. We
had none : if we had taken the proper time, and been provided
with good pilots, none but sliips of a certain burden can go up the
river ; all our meri of war were too big. But if time, and pilots,
and ships had been the most proper for tlie enterprise, we should
have had provisions for more months, than we had weeks, to sub
sist the fleet and troops during the winter. And what is more, if
¦ we had gone in the proper time ; if wc had had good pilots, if wa

OF QUEEN ANNE. 459
Happy would it be for us, if less of party, and more
of public spirit, appeared in our historians; if the de
sign of every expedition was impartially represented,
and justice done to such commanders as did their best
to serve the nation, and were disappointed by acci
dents, that they could not either foresee or avoid.
We are now to return home, and to consider what
•passed inparliament, and elsewhere, relating to the
subject of this work ; and, in the first place, we are
to observe, that as the pariiament sat very late in the
summer, so great pains were taken to discover as
many oversights in the conduct of the late ministry,
and that in as many branches of the public business
as it was possible. Among these, the commons, on
the 4th of June, 1711, thought fit to introduce the
affairs of the fleet in the following terms :
- " With regard to the debt of the navy, we find that
one great discouragement and burden, which that
part of the service has lain under, has been from a li
berty that has been used of diverting sev^eral sums is
sued to that service, and transferring them to other
purposes, for which they were not intended ; parti
cularly, that the sum ofsix hundred and six thousand,
eight hundred and six pounds, seven shillings and
seven pence, belonging to the navy, has been paid
for provisions supplied to land forces sent to Spain and
Portugal^ and for the garrison of Gibraltar; for
which no deductions have been made from the pay of
those forces, nor any part of that sum re-assigned to
the victualling, notwithstanding the several acts of
]>arliament provided, and the many letters written,
and representations made to the treasury in that be
half This unjustifiable proceeding has been a discou
ragement to the seamen, occasioned the paying ex-
had carried proper ships, and had lain in sufficient provisions, it is
said the enemy were so well provided for a defence, that our fprces
"were not sufficient ; though both troops and officers were sp §.oodj
that nothing would have been wanted on their side."

460 NAVAL HISTORY «
travagant rates upon contracts, and has very much
contributed to sink the credit of the navy.
" To this we may add, the many notorious em^
bezzlements, and scandalous abuses, vvhich appear to
have been practised, as well in the management ^f
your Majesty's brewhouse, as in the contracts for fur-r
nishing the navy with heer. We have already pre-
surned to address your Majesty, that several persons,
whom we discovered to have been guilty of those
frauds, should be prosecuted at law for their offences,
and we entirely rely upon your Majesty's most gra
cious assurance, that those prosecutions shall be ef
fectually carried on : but we must also, upon this
occasion, beg leave further to represent to your Ma-r
jesty, that the commissioners appointed to take care
of the victualling your Majesty's navy, have been
guilty of great negiigence and remissness in their duty;
for the instructions which go along with that com^i.
mission, are so well adapted to the preventing those
very abuses which have been committed, that nothing
but a notorious mismanagement in that office, and
an inexcusable neglect in pursuing those instructions,
could have given way to the great loss the public has
sustained in that part of the service."
To this the queen was pleased to give the follow
ing very gracious answer :
" Gentlemen, this representation g;ives me fresh
assurances of your zeal for my service, and for the
true interest of your countiy. It contains many par
ticulars. I will take them all into serious considc'-
ration, and give the necessary directions to redress the
grievances you complain of Be assured, that your
advice, upon all occasions, has the greatest weight
with me."
The change of the ministry, ^nd the change of
measures, made it extremely requisite to countenance,
in the highest degree, whatever had the appearance
either of public frugality, or encouraging our naviga-.
tion, commerce, and influence abroad, such an iu"

OF QUEEN ANNE. 461
fluence, I mean, as might be beneficial to our trade ;
and with a view to these, the commons followed their
representation, upon the 7th of the same month, with
the following resolutions to address the queen, ' ' To
appoint persons to inquire into the number and qua
lity of the forces in her Majesty's pay in Spain and
Portugal, and to examine the state of the payments
and accounts relating to the said forces, and to the
garrisons and fortifications of Gibraltar and Port Ma
hon ; and also the accounts of the agent victuallers,
and commissioners of stores in those parts."
They also resolved to present two other ; one,
" That she would be pleased to take such measures as
her Majesty should judge most proper, for supporting
the settlements in Africa, and preserve the African
trade, till some other provision be made by parlia
ment for the same ; and that her Majesty would take
into consideration the nature of that trade, and how
it might be best carried on for the service of the king
dom." The other, " That an account be laid before
this house the beginning of next session of parlia
ment, of the distribution intended to be made of the
debentures directed to be delivered by the commis
sioners of trade and plantations, for the relief of the
sufferers in the islands of Nevis and St. Christopher's,
and the re-settlements made there by the said suf
ferers." The business of the nation having been thus
sufficiently provided for, the queen thought proper,
on the 12th of the same month of June, to put an
end to the session by a prorogation.
In the recess of parliament, the new ministry was
Completed, and they had time to form and regulate
their designs. Robert Harley, Esq. who was then
at the head of it, had, a little before the rising of the
houses, been created earl of Oxford, and earl Mor
timer, and had the staff of lord high-treasurer deli
vered to him, in order to give the greater lustte to
his ministry, and Charles Benson, Esq. was consti*
tuted chancellor and under-treasurer of the Exche-

46a NAVAL HISTORY #
quer. A new commission was gran ted. for the board
of trade and plantations, at the head of which was
Charles earl of Winchelsea; ahd the lord-keeper
Harcourt, was raised to the degree of a baron of this
realm. Such other promotions were made as best suited
with the designs of the new ministry, who, towards
the end of the year, shewed plainly their inclination
to a peace ; which, however, they were forced to
manage with very great caution. Neither was it
without much anxiety, that they considered the ap
proach of the next session of parliament, early in the
month of EXecember, as indeed they had good reason,
since itwas known, before the meeting of the houses,
that the lords would very strongly represent against
the ihaking any peace, by which Spain and the West
Indies were left to the house of Bourbon.
On the 7th of December, the queen opened the
session with a speech, in which she spoke much of
peace; of the improvement of commerce; of easing
the people ; of reforming abuses ; of maintaining the
poor ; and, in short, of ev^ery thing that was proper
to conciliate the minds of moderate people, who were
not so solicitous about parties, as desirous of seeing
their country happy. The House of Lords entered,
however, upon the measures that were expected ; but
the commons complied more readily with the incli
nations of the court; and as soon as the estimates
were laid before them, came to a resolution, that
40,000 seamen, including 8000 marines, should be
employed for the sea service, and that 180,000/.
should be granted for tbe ordinary of the navy. They
likewise granted all that was re'quired for the service
of the war, and made provisions for raising the mighty
sum given for the services of that year, and which
amounted to no less than 6,656,967 pounds, very
early, and vvith a remarkable chearfulness ; so that it
looked as if the ministry were determined to make
peace sword in hand, and to take no step that might

OF QUJIEN ANNE. 468-
possibly encourage the enemy to think we would lay
down our arms, till all the ends of the grand alliance
were effectually answ^ered.
Sir John Leake vvas now at the head of the Admi
ralty, and in that quahty managed the business of the
board in tbe House of Commons i and as the season
for action advanced, he received a commission to
command again in the Channel, as he had done the
year before; and the command of the squadron in the
Soundings vvas left to Sir Thomas Hardy, whose pro
ceedings we shall next resume, as a proper introduc
tion to the operations of the year 1712. The rather,
because the grand fleet did little more this year, than
convoy a body of troops, commanded by Lieutenant-
general Hill, who were sent to take possession of Dun
kirk; which service ended, they returned into the
Downs ; but, as to Sir Thomas Hardy, he continued
to act effectually, and to take all the care that was in
his power to distress the enemy in their naval con
cerns, till his diligence, in this respect, was super
seded by the conclusion of the peace.
Early in the spring, he had inteUigence of the re
turn of M. Du Casse from America, for whom he
cruized with the utmost diligence during the whole
month of February ; but with little or no success, ex
cept picking up novv and then some small French ves
sels. He watched with the same assiduity for M. Du
Guai Trouin ; but was again disappointed. In tha
beginning of the month of August, Sir Thomas
chaced six ships, and a tartan. One of them imme
diately hoisted a broad white pennant at the main
top-mast-head, shortened sail, and made a signal for
the Hne of battle ; and then tacked, and stood to
wards him, upon a supposition, as it was afterwards
owned, that our ships were privateers from Flushing,
with two prizes; but when they came nearer, and
found their mistake, they kept their wind, and did
all they could to make their escape, our ships pursu-,
ing them with the utmost diligence.

464 NAVAL HISTORY
About five in the afternoon, the admiral came up
with the biggest of them, which was the Griffin, a
king's ship, but then in the service of the merchants.
It was commanded by the Chevalier D'Aire, knight of
the order of St. Lewis, who shortened sail immedi
ately, brought to, and sent some of his officers on
board our flag, to inform him, that he was bound
with bale goods for La Vera Cruz, and that before h©
sailed from Brest, he had received letters from Paris,
importing, that in a few days he might have had the
queen of England's pass ; but that his friends advised
him not to lose a wind, in order to wait for it ; but
Sir Thomas told the lieutenant, that if they had no
pass, he should look on the ship as a good prize ; and
accordingly sent his own lieutenant to take posses
sion of her, himself, with the other ships of his squa
dron, continuing the chace. About eleven at night,
the Windsor engaged the St. Esprit, a ship of thirty-
six guns, and one hundred seventy-five men, laden
with bale goods for Cadiz, and, about an hour after,
she blew up, just as the captain had given orders to
strike ; but the captain, with about thirty-five men,
Avere saved by our boats. The Berwick took the Ad
venture, of Havre de Grace, carrying twelve guns
and forty men, bound for Newfoundland ; but the
master producing the queen's pass, she had leave to
continue her voyage. Tbe same ship took also the
Incomparable, of sixteen guns, bound for Martinico ;
and the Ruby man ofwar likewise took a small French
ship of twelve' guns, which vvas also called the Ruby,
bound for St. Domingo; so that of this French squa
dron, only one ship of eight guns, and the Tartan,
escaped. The Griffin was certainly a good prize; but
our ministers were so very desirous of obliging their
new friends, that, after a long suit, in order to ob
tain the condemnation of the said vessel. Sir Thomas
Hardy, and the rest of the captors, were obliged to
accept of a sum of money, far short of the value of

OF QUEEN ANNE. 4G5
the ship and cargo, which has been justly considered
as a hardship upon these brave men.
Vice-admiral Baker was, in the beginning of this
year, at Lisbon, with a considerable squadron of our
ships, from whence he sailed on the Sth of February,
in order to cruize off" Cape St. INIary's. He had not
been long in that station, before he ran a large Spa
nish ship of sixty guns on shore, upon the Portuguese
coast, the wind being at that time so high that they
durst not_ venture near her. The inhabitants of the
country, however, went on board and plundered her;
the cargo, consisting of sugar, cocoa, snuff, hides, and
twenty thousand pieces of eight. The vice-admiral
presented a memorial to the King of Portugal, set
ting forth his right to her, and demanding, that the
effects taken in this clandestine manner, should be
delivered up ; but they were so effectually secreted,
that it was not in the power of the court to give him
any redress.
On his return to Lisbon, he found orders from
England to cruize with five ships of war, for the se
curity of the homeward-bound Brazil fleet, on wdiich
service the court of Portugal desired he might pro
ceed by the 9th of April, and that two frigates might
be sent with their outward-bound East India fleet as
far as the Madeiras. The vice-admiral was very wil
ling to comply with this ; but the difficulty was, how
to do it without departing from his orders, since he
had directions from the lords of the Admiralty, to
send two ships to cruize in the Straits' mouth ; how
ever, he had hopes, that the Dutch comm-ander in
chief would have taken care of this East India
fleet. On tbe 1st of April, arrived a convoy vvith pro
visions and stores from England, vvhich determined
him, since the Dutch had disappointed the Portu
guese in their expectations, to send a fourth rate fri
gate vvith the East India ships as far as the western
islands, and to ^cruize himself for the Brazil fleet, in
VOL. III. 11 H

466 NAVAL HISTORY
such a station, as that he might be easily joined by
the before-mentioned ship ; and at the same time he
dispatched Captain Maurice, with a small squadron,
to cruize in the Straits' mouth. He continued criiizing
about the western islands for several months, under
great apprehensions, that the French squadron com
manded by M. Cassard, was bound for the Brazils ;
till, at last, the provisions on board his squadron
being reduced to five weeks at short allowance, it
was necessary for him to think of returning to Por
tugal ; but being still apprehensive, that if the Bra
zil fleet sailed before the French squadron, the latter
Avould undoubtedly follo^v them to the Terceras,
where they knew that fleet must refresh ; he resolved
to continue in his station as long as it was pcssible, in
order to which, he engaged the Portuguese to furnish
him with three weeks fresh provisions. On the 1 1 th
of September, being off the islands of Tercera, he
met with a Portuguese frigate, which informed him,
that he had left the fleet but three days before, and
that he believed they would be that day in the
road of Angra, the chief town in the island of
Tercera. Soon after he had this advice, a violent storm
arose, vvhich very much shattered the ships, and
drove him so far, that he could not fetch the island
again ; and judging that it must also have the same
effect on the Brazil fleet, he made an easy sail to
wards Lisbon, in order to pick up such as should be
straggling from their convoys ; but had no sight or
intelligence of them, till he came off the rock, when
he found they arrived the very day before he made
the land ; and as the cessation of arms was soon after
concluded, the squadron of ships under his command
was called home.
Sir John Jennings at this time commanded the
grand fleet in the Mediterranean, and in the month
of May joined the Dutch vice-admiral with the
transports, having onboard six thousand five hun-

OF QUEEN ANNE, 467
idred men, which were put on shore in two days time;
^.t^d his Imperial Majesty and Count Staremberg,
pressing the necessity of carrying the cavalry over from
Italy it vvas resolved that the admiral shoukl return
to Vado, from whence he sailed with the transports
pn the 27th of July, arrived at Barcelona on the 7th
of August, vvhere, soon after, he received the queen's
orders for a suspension of arms, both by sea and land,
and a letter from the Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, di
recting him to suffer a great French corn-fleet to pass
unmolested, every ship of which he must otherwise
have taken ; from this time, though the adipijral was
no longer concerned in mihtary operations, yet he
was very far from being inactive^ since he transported
the. empress vvith her retinue, fyom Barcelona to Ge-r
noa, escorted thirty thousand men at tvvo embarka
tions, from Catalonia to Naples, and afterwards carr
ried over the duke and duchess of Savoy, from Villa-r
Franca to their new kingdom of Sicily ; which,
though done in the succeeding year, I mention in
this place, that I may not be obliged to return into
the Mediterranean, merely to speak of matters of
parade. We are next, according to the method hithertQ
constantly pursued, to return to the West Indies,
where vve left Commodore Littleton, with a small
squadron, protecting the trade, and annoying the
enemy as much as his strength would permit ; but
the government having certain intelligence, that the
French were sending a considerable force into that
part of tiie world, in order to disturb our trade, and
jaerhaps to attack some of the Leeward Islands ; the
court thought it necessary to send an officer of rank,
with a considerable squadroji thither,, for which seiv
vice they made choice of Sir Hovenden Walker;
• which shews, that the administration did not con?
,ceive he had brought any stain ,upoa tjaep by his
conduct in the Canada expedition.
J^C received his commission in the beginning pf
H n ^

-les NAVAL HISTORY
the month of April, and on the 28th of the same
month he sailed from St. Helen's with about an
hundred merchant-ships under his convoy. He parted
on the 4th of May, being then fourteen leagues from
Cape Finisterre, with the Litchfield and South-Sea-
Castle, and the trade bound to Portugal ; and ar
riving at the Madeiras with the Monmouth, a third
rate, the August and Centurion, fourth rates, the
Scarborough and Roebuck, fifth rates, and a frigate
of twenty guii.s, it was determined to leave the Bar
badoes trade there, under their proper convoy, con
sisting of the Woolwdch, Swallow, and' Lime; but
that fleet,' taking in their wine sooner than usual,
sailed with the squadron on the 28th of the same
month for the West Indies.
On the 24th of June, Admiral Walker arrived at
Antigua, where the governor was more apprehensive
of an insurrection among the inhabitants, than of
an invasion from the French ; and indeed things were
at that time in a very unsettled condition in the Lee
ward Islands, where the governor, Colonel Douglas^
Avas upon almost as bad terms with the people ^s his
predecessor, Colonel Parke, whom they murdered for
his tyrannical behaviour. Admiral Walker promised
the governor, that if any thing like an insurrection
happened, he would send him any assistance he should
H^quire from Jamaica ; but advised him to treat the
people with lenity, and to consider, that though he
was sent over with instructions to prosecute such asj-
were concerned in destroying the late governor, yet
this was to be done in a legal manner, and with dutf
regard to the liberty of the subject, and the monstrous,
provocations they had received, before they had pro
ceeded to extremities, not justifiable indeed, but, at
the same time, not altogether inexcusable. But this
governor, who was so careful of his own safety, gave
him not the least intelligence that a French squadron
was expected in those parts ; though, ifhe had taken
any pains to be properly informed, he might have

OF QUEEN ANNE, 469
knovyn that tiie French at Martinico expected, at
this very time, the arrival of M. Cassard, with nine
men of war. Sir Hovenden Walker sailing from
thence, arrived safely at Jamaica on the 6'th of July,
where, having made the necessary dispositions for
sending home the trade, and stationing properiy the
ships under his command, be received when he least
expected it, the new^s, by an advice-boat, of an at
tempt made by the French upon Antigua and Mont
serrat. This expedition of Monsieur Cassard deserves to be
particularly taken notice of. He sailed from Toulon
with a stout squadron of the king's ships, and is said
to have had general instructions to annoy their ene
mies. As there was, even at this time, a negociation
carrying oh between the British and French minis
ters, it is surprising that the latter did not give him
orders to forbear attacking our colonies, till such
time as he received intelligence from France, the neg
lect of which occasioned great murmuring in Eng
land^ and might have retarded the peace, if the
news had arrived before it was so far advanced. M.
Cassard sailed first to St. Jago, vvhich is the principal
of the islands of Cape De Verde, of which he made
himself master without much difficulty, and having
blown up the fort, and carried ofi" whatever he could
meet with, continued his voyage for the West Indies,
where he arrived in the beginning of the month
of July ; and having drawn together in Martinico
upwards of three thousand men, he had thoughts of
attacking Antigua ; but finding it very difficult to
land there, he fell upon Montserrat, where he met
with a very feeble resistance ; the inhabitants retir
ing into the heart of the island because in the
mountains they had a fortress almost inaccessible.
The French continued upon the place some days,
doing all the mischief possible ; but having informa
tion that several of our ships were coming to the re
lief of the island, they abandoned it, though not till

4^0 NAVAL HIStORY
ihey had in a manner totally destroyed all the settle*
rnents in it.
Some mischief they did to otir trade on the coast
of Antigua, but finding themselves very much dis^
liked by such as wished well to peace, they resolved
to give over cruising uptm the English ; upon which
they prepared every thing necessary for a longer voy-*
age, and then stood over to the continent, where
they attacked the Dutch settlement of Surinam, and
obliged the inhabitants to pay them eight hundred
thousand pieCes df eight by way of Contribution ; this
ivas in the month of October; and,- in the mean time^
Captain Archibald Hamilton, in her Majesty's shi[)
the Woolwich,' having received an account at Anti-*
gua of the cessation of arms ; and- that the French
had, ndtwithstandingj carried several prizes into Mar^
tinicO; he sent a ship thither to demand them of M.
Phelypeaux, general of the French islands, who or-'
dered all of them to be restored, and such goods aa
had been taken out of them to be put on board again.
Sir Hovenden Walker, in the inean time, repain-
ed at Jamaica^ where he gave the necessary orders
for the security of the trade, for cruising on the
French coast, and for protecting the private conir
merce of the inhabitants with the Spaniards at Porto
Bello, St. Domingo, and other places. Wliile he
Ivas thus eihployed, there hap|>ened, in the night of
the 29th df August, a hurricane much more violent
than had been felt for manv years in the island. It
began about nine at night, and continued raging with
the utmost vehemence till twelve. The lightning,
in the mean time, covered the earth in continued
gleams of sulphureous fire, the wind blowing all the
time, not only with prodigious force, but with a hor
rid noise. In the morning, a most dreadful prospect
appeared, many houses had been blown flat upon the
ground, most of tiie others stript and laid open ; trees
torn up by the roots; the west end of the church
ruined by the fall of its vyalls ; the governor's house

¦ OF QUEEN ANNE. 471
'ilismantled, and scarcely. a dwelling in ^he island re
maining uninjured. Several people were drowned on
the shore, in the tempest, the sea forcing the boats
and canoes a great way upon land at Spanish-town,
and washing away the houses ; so that, what with the
wind and the water, there was not above two stand
ing, and few or none of the ships of war, but were
either driven ashore, lost their masts, or were other
wise disabled. The hospital was blown down to the
ground, and several of the sick people killed ; and,
on the first of Se])tember, a third rate, the Mon
mouth, which had been on the coast of Hispaniola,
came in with jury-masts, having lost her proper masts
in the violence of fhe weather, and another, if her
main mast had not given vva}^ must, as her comman
der believed, have instantly overset. It required
some time to repair the damages which her Majesty's
ships sustained by this unfortunate accident ; and,
while this was doing, a very great desertion happened
among our sailors, owing chiefly to the arts and in
trigues of the captains of privateers, who made no
scruple of preferring their private advantage to the
security of commerce, and the welfare of their coun
try. By the time that the disputes which these trans
actions occasioned were tolerably composed. Sir Ho
venden Walker received an order from the lords of the
Admiralty, to return home, after having first pro
claimed the cessation of arms, which he accordingly
did, and, after a prosperous voyage, arrived in Dover
road on the 26th of May, 1713.
We are now arrived at the period of the naval ope
rations in this war, and our next business will be to
give an account of what advantages were gained, and
of what might have been gained by the succeeding
peace. It will, however, be proper, previously to this,
to observe, that the administration had some disputes
with their old friends, and their new ones, in "rela
tion to the aflfairs of commerce, before the peace was

473 NAVAL HISTORY
concluded.* In the first place, it was thought a lit
tle hard that the Dutch, throughout the whole course

* It will appear, in the next note, that we thought ourselves much
injured by the manner in which the Dutch conducted the war at sea.
Here, therefore, from the author of the "Conduct of the A Hies," I
will tske notice of some complaints that were made of another na
ture, with a view to have it understood, that the carrying on the war
was a thing now no longer practicable. By the grand alliance be
tween the empire, England and Holland, we were to assist the other
two, talis viribus, by sea and land. By a convention subsequent
to this treaty, the proportion which the several parties should con
tribute towards the war, were adjusted in the following manner :
The emperor was obliged to furnish ninety tliousand men against
France, either in Italy, or upon the Rhine; Holland to bring
sixty tliousand into the field in Flanders, exclusive of garrisons,
and we forty thousand. In the winter, 1702, which was the next
year, the duke of Marlborough proposed the raising of ten thou
sand men more, by way of augmentation, and to carry on the war
¦with greater vigour ; to which the parliament agreed, and the
Dutch were to raise the same number. This' was, upon a par,
directly contrary to the former stipulation, whereby our part was
to be a third less than theirs ; and, therefore, it was granted, with
a condition, that Holland should break off all trade and commerce
with France. But this condition was never executed, the Dutch
only amusing us with a specious declaration till our session of par
liament was ended, and the following year it was taken off by con
cert between our general and the States, without any reason assign.
ed for the satisfaction of the kingdom. The next, and some ensu
ing campaigns, further additional taxes were allowed by parlia.
ment for the war in Flanders : and, in every new supply, the
Dutch gradually lessened their proportion, although the parlia
ment addressed the queen, that the States might be desired to ob-
^serve them according to agreement ; which had no other effect,
than to teach them to elude it, by making their troops nominal
corps ; as they did by keeping up the number of regiments, but
sinking a fifth part of the men and money : so that, at length,
things were just inverted, and in all new levies, we contributed a
third more than the Dutch; who, at first, were obliged to the
same proportion more than us. Besides, the more towns we con
quered for the States, the worse condition we were in towards re
ducing the common enemy, and consequently of putting an end to
the war. For they made no scruple of employing the troops of
their quota' towards garrisoning every town, as fast as it was ta-
Tsen, directly contrary to the agreement between us ; by which all
garrisons were particularly excluded. This, at length, arrived,

OF QUEEN ANNE. 473
of this long and expensive war, should not have fur
nished their quota of ships and men in any one year;
and this notwithstanding repeated expostulations with
the States-general upon the subject.* With this
. by several steps, to such a height, that there were not the last year
in the field, so many forces under the duke of Marlborough's com
mand in Flanders, as Britain alone maintained for that service ; nor
had been for some years past.
* This parliamentary representation was made on the 4th of
March, 1712, and the paragraphs particularly referred to in the
text, are these that follow:
" For obtaining the ends specified in the grand alliance, the
three confederate powers engaged to assist each other with their
whole force, according to such proportions as should be specified
in a particular convention afterwards to be made for that purpose.
We do. not find that any such convention was ever ratified ; but,
it appears, that there was an agreement concluded, which, by
common consent, was understood to be binding upon each party
respectively, and according to which the proportions of Great Bri.
tain were, from the beginning, regulated and founded. Thctermi
of that agreement were: That, for the service at land, his Imperial
Majesty should furnish ninety thousand men ; the king of Great
Britain forty thousand, and the States-general one hundred and two
thousand, of which there were forty-two thousand intended to sup
ply their garrisons, and sixty thousand to act against the common
enemy in the field ; and, with regard to the operations of the war
at seaj they were agreed to be performed jointly by Great Britain
and the States-general, the quota of ships to be furnished for that
service being five eighths on the part of Great Britain, and three
eighths on the part of the States-general.
" Upon this foot the war began in the year 1702, at which
lime the whole yearly expence of it to England, amounted to three
millions, seven hundred and six thousand, four hundred and ninety-
four pounds. A very great charge it was then thought by your
Majesty's subjects, after the short interval of ease they had enjoyed,
from the burden of the former war ; but yet a very moderate pro
portion, in comparison with the load which hath since been laid
upon them; for, it appears, by estimates given in to your com
mons, that the sums necessary to carry on the service of this pre
sent year, in the same manner it was performed the last year,
amount to more than six millions, nine hundred and sixty thousand
pounds, besides interest for the public debt, and the deficiencies
accruing in the last year ; which two articles require one million,
one hundred and forty-three thousand pounds more ; so that the
whole demand upon your commons is risen to more than eight
millions for the present annual supply. We know your Majesty's

474 NAVAL HISTORY
grievance the nation was acquainted, and expressed
no small resentment thereat, notwithstanding the
pains taken by the friends of the Dutch to persuade
them of the contrary.
To say the truth, the matter was carried very high
on both sides ; for the House of Commons having re
presented these omissions in our allies, as indubitable
matters of fact, in order to justify the measures that
were taking towards a peace ; it was but natural for
tender regard for the welfare of your people, will make it uneasy
to you to hear of so great a pressure as this upon them ; and as wc
are assured, it will fully convince your Majesty of the necessity of
our present enquiry, so we beg leave to represent to you from
what causes, and by what steps, this immense charge appears to
have grown upon us.
" The service at sea, as it has been very large artd extensive irt
itself, so it hath been carried on through the whole course of the
war, in a manner highly disadvantageous to your Majesty and your
kingdom ; for the necessity of affairs requiring that great fleets
should be fitted out every year, as well for maintaining a superi
ority in the Mediterranean, as for opposing any force which the
enemy might prepare, cither at Dunkirk, or in the ports of West
France .; your Majesty's example and readiness in fitting out your
proportion of ships, for all parts of that service, have been so far
from prevailing with the States-general -to keep pace with you,
that they have been deficient every year to a great degree, in pro-
portiou to what your Majesty hath furnished, sometimes no less
than two thirds, and generally more than half their quota. From
hence, your Majesty has been obliged, for the preventing disap
pointments in the most pressing service, to supply those deficien
cies by additional reinforcements of your own ships ; nor hath the
single increase of such a charge, been the only ill-consequence
that attended it ; for, by this means, the debt of the navy hath
been enhanced, so that the discounts arising from the credit of it,
have affected all other parts of the service. From the same cause,
your Majesty's ships of war have been forced, in greater numbers,
to continue in remote seas, and at unseasonable times of the year,
to the great damage and decay of the British navy. This, also,
hath been the occasion that your Majesty hath been straitened in
your convoys for trade ; your coasts have been exposed, for want
of a sufficient number of cruisers to guard them, and you have
been disabled from annoying tho enemy in their most beneficial
commerce with the West Indies, from whence they received those
vast supplies of treasure, without which they could not have sup
ported the expences of this war."

OF QUEEN ANNE. . 47>
the States, vvho were averse to that peace, to reply as
they did to this accusation ; which, however, instead
of satisfying, provoked the House of Commons to
such a degree, that, upon the printing of the answer
they gave here, they declared that this was a breach
of privilege, and the paper itself a scandalous, infa
mous, and seditious libel ; for which the printer was
put in prison, which prevented the publishing the re
mainder of the State's representation.* This was
looked upoti as a very strange procedure, and vvhich
seemed calculated rather to give credit to that repre-
* The States-general, by their memorial presented to the quecn^
April 3, 1712, observe, that the grand alliance only specifies,
that all the contracting parties shall prosecute this war with their
whole force : and, therefore, if the States have exerted the ut
most of their force, they have fulfilled their engagements ; but
they insist further, that the ships furnished for the north sea, had
been left out, notwithstanding those ships were for the joint ser-
vic(i; and they allege further, that the number of ships which the
States Were to employ, ought td bs regulated, riot by the liiuniber
actually put into commissioti by England, but by the number that
was fit and reasonable for England to put into commission, or at
least by the number proposedto the States, upon Settling the an
nual quotas for the war. As the States had tho paper drawn up
by order of the lords of the Admiralty, arid signed by Mr. Secretary
Burchet, coritatnirigan account df the English and Dutch ships fitted
out during the war; so they likewise thought proper to add ano
ther account df their own, which they professed themselves able
to make good from authentic Vouchers ; and as we cannot tran^
Scribe all these papers at large, we shall content ourselves with
making art abstract of bdth accounts, ih which the first column
consists of the year ; the second of the English men of war ; the
third of the Ships of the States-general, according to Mr. Bur
chet's account; and the foUrth of the ships according to their own.
This paper having been printed, in part, in the Daily Courant of
Monday, April 7, 1712, the House of Commons came thereupon
to the resolution mentioned in the text, and committed Mr. Samuel
Buckley for printing it, who remained in custody during the re ^
inainder of the session. 1707 72 27 49
1708 69 25 53
1709 60 11 50
1710 62 13 43
J1711 59 12 40

1702

74

33

55

1703

79

22

50

1701

74

18

56

1705

79

20

56

if06

78

16

54

47« IIAVAL HISTORY
sentation, than to refute it ; which, however, might
have been easily done; for that vve really bore a greater
proportion of expence in this respect during the war,
than we ought to have done, is a thing very certain ;
but it is the fault of all administrations, to be rather
inclined to such short ansyers as may be given by
acts of power, than to those that might be furnished
by the exercise of reason ; and for this they are de
servedly punished, by being often thought tyrannical
in those acts, the justice of which might be easily de
fended. In this case, however, the nation concurred
in opinion with their representatives, and things went
on, upon a supposition that this charge against the
Dutch was fully made out ; which encouraged the
friends of the ministry to attack the rest of our allies,
particularly the emperor, on the same subject : but, as
these altercations have no immediat;e concern vvith the
proper business of my work, I shall not insist upon
them, but leave them with this remark, that, in all
future alliances, our ministers ought to be careful,
not only in making the best terms they can for the na
tion, but also in seeing those terms punctually ful
filled, since it is impossible, especially under our pre
sent circumstances, for the nation to bear with pa
tience such acts of indulgence towards foreigners, at
f heir expence, when it is visible, that, with all their
industry, the inhabitants of Great Britain are scarcely
able to support the necessary charges of their govern
ment, joined to that vast expence which their gener
ous concern for the balance of power in Europe, and
the liberty of their neighbours hath brought upon
them.* * The best use that can be made of history is, to correct, in our
times, the errors committed in those of our ancestors ; and cer-
tainly there are, among these, none which better deserve our at
tention, than the conduct our miuisters have pursued, when we
have engaged in confederacy with our neighbourjs. A confede
racy implies a joint concern, and if, while this subsists, the whole,
or by far the greatest part of the expence is thrown upon any on»

OF QUEEN ANNE. 477
The difference with the French court was occasion
ed chiefly from M. Cassard's expedition in the West
Indies, as vve have before hinted. The French mi
nistry, who knew the importance of being well at
that time with the people of Great Britain, absolutely
disclaimed that commander ; insisting that he had
only general instructions, that he had misapplied
them, and that proper satisfaction should be given.
On the other hand, the British ministry were too far
advanced in their pacific measures, to think of re
treating, and so w^ere content with these excuses,
without insisting on the punishment of this officer ;
which, if what the French court said was true, he
certainly deserved.
The first great step to the peace was, gettingDunkirk
put into our hands, which was represented as a thing
impossible ; and with the promise of which the French
only amused us. On the 1 1 th of July, however,
arrived an express, with the news, that a few days
before, the town, citadel, Rysbank, and all the for
tifications of that important place, were delivered up
to Brigadier Hill, whom her Majesty appointed go
vernor and commander-in-chief Her Majesty, thence
forward, treated openly with the French court, though
always under a promise that due care should be taken
of the allies ; and for this the ministry pleaded manj
things in their own justification. For, first, they al
leged, that since the king of Spain was become_em-
peror,. it was no longer requisite to insist upon his
having the whole dominions of the Spanish mo
narchy : they insisted next, that if it had been ever
so requisite, the thing was impracticable, the nation
having found, by experience, that it was impossible
of the allied powers, it argues injustice in the rest, and weakness
in such as are entrusted with the concerns of the injurecf power.
There is actually no more public spirit in a minister loading clan.
destinely his countrymen with more than they ought to pay, thao
there is charity in a great man's steward, who relieves the poor out
of bis master's estate, ffhile his creditors remain unsatisfied,.

47« NAVAL HISTORY
to carry on the war in Spain to any purpose. This
had indeed been long a point out of dispute ; one of
the warmest partisans of the house of Austria having.
freely declared as much a good while before, in a de
bate in the House of Lords ; but added at the same
time, though it was impracticable, a vote that no
peace could be made, if Spain and the Indies were
left to the house of Bourbon, was expedient at that
juncture; and yet upon this e^f pedient, and at the
same time impracticable vote, all the clamours were
afterwards raised. The friends to the treaty said far
ther, that the nation was unable to carry on the war,
longer, especially in the manner in vvhich it had been
carried on ; and that, therefore, how much soever we
might hate our enemies it was necessary to make a
peace, if we had any regard for ourselves. They addr
ed, besides, that they inteiided to make a peace on the
plan of the general alliance, every article of which,
they said, had been broken through, by subsequent
agreements during the course of the war; so that
they would be thought to have the cause of liberty,
and the balance of power more at heart, than even
those vvho were for carrying on the war.
On the 19th of August, 1712, an instrument for a
suspension of arms was signed at Paris by the Lord
Viscount Bolingbroke, and the Marquis De Torcy,
for four months ; and, in consequence of this, tlie
necessary measures were taken for completing the
peace : King Philip of Spain summoned a cortez, or
general assembly of the states of his kiqgdom, before
whom, and with vvhose consent, he made a renun
ciation of the crown of France, the queen having
before appointed Lord Lexington tP be present at
that ceremony. The negociations at Utrecht, how
ever, went on very slowly, notwithstanding the pains
taken hy tlie earl of Strafford,* and Doctor Robinson,
* The connection necessary in the text obliges me to mention
\iCTe, that, about the latter end of August, her Majesty appointed
the earl of Strafford, Sir John Leake, Sirfreorge Byng, ^nigjits.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 47a
bishop of Bristol, her Majesty's plenipotentiaries ;
and the great activity of the French ministers, who
were the Marshal D'Uxelles, a Very able statesman,
of whom Prince Eugene said, with great spirit, upon
this occasion, that he was the only French marshal
he feared ; the famous Abbe De Polignac, aftervvards
cardinal by the same title, the ablest head in France;
and M. Mesnager, now raised to the title of Count
De St. John, who vvas entrusted with the first ne
gociations ; and from this slowness it was found ne
cessary to renew the suspension of arms four months
longer. At last, when the great influence of the queen was
discerned, by her procuring the kingdom of Sicily
for her cousin the duke of Savoy, which was her
Majesty's own act, the allies, most of them, thought
fit to comply, and accept the terms she had stipu
lated for them, though with a visible reluctance.
The emperor only remained firm to his first resolu
tion, and made the necessary dispositions for carry
ing on the war alone ; consenting, however, to eva
cuate Catalonia, and to accept of a neutrafity for
Italy, under the guaranty of her Britannic Majesty,
On the 19th of January, 1712- 1^, the new treaty of
barrier and succession vvas signed by the ministers of
Great Britain, and of the States-general, whereby
the latter obtained a mighty accession of territories,
and a very great increase of power. On the 1st of
March, the instruments relating to Catalonia and
Italy were executed; and, on the 4th of the same
month, the duke of Berry, and the duke of Orleans,
renounced tiieir right to the crown of Spain, in the
pariiament of Paris. These preliminaries being thus
settied, the great work advanced more briskly, and
by the .end of the month, it vs'^as brought to iis con
clusion. Sir William Drake, Bart. John Aislabie, Esq. Sir James Wishart,
Knight, aud George Clark, Esq. to be commissioners for «xe,.
(cutipj the tfflicc of lord high^admiral of Great Britain,

4S0 NAVAL HISTORY
On the 1st of April, 1713, the famous treaty of
Utrecht vvas signed, as some would have us believe,
in a clandestine manner. The truth vvas, that to
prevent disputes and protests, which might have fur
nished matter for dangerous pursuits in England, it
was resolved to sign the treaty privately, at the
house of the bishop of Bristol, which was accord
ingly done, under pretence of a conference ; which
being a thing frequent during that congress, ren
dered the matter less suspected. The earl of
Strafford, and the bishop of Bristol, signed first;
then the ministers of the duke of Savoy, de
clared king of Sicily by that treaty; those of the
king of Portugal after them ; then the plenipoten
tiaries of the king of Prussia, and those of the
States-general last of all. The vvhole was over
about two in the morning, occasioned by the length
of the treaties that were to be read before they were
signed ; and when the business was endedj the re
spective ministers withdrew to their own places of
residence, without any noise, or without directing
any public rejoicings, as might have been expected
upon such an occasion.
I have been the more particular in these circum
stances, because some historians have represented
them as matters of great importance. To speak im
partially, I think there is very little, if any thing,
in them ; for in most separate treaties of. peace, the
same thing has been done, particularly in that of
Nimeguen ; and I could name other, perhaps later,
examples of a hke conduct; so that, upon the whole,
this ought to be considered rather as a misfortune
than a fault. I shall not pretend to insist, that all
was obtained, by the treaty of Utrecht, that might
have been obtained from France, after so long and
so successful a war; but undoubtedly there was
much obtained, and- more might have been obtained,
if il had not been for the disturbance given to the
ministers at home, since, whatever people may sug-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 481
gest, all parties are alike friends to France, who
thwart public measures, from a pure spirit of oppo
sition. The Tories had embarrassed the Whigs in
their administration, during the last years of the war;
and the Whigs, in return, vvere resolved to make
the Tories as uneasy as possible, in their project of
making a peace. Both parties were in their turns
gainers by this manner of acting ; but both were
gainers at the expence of the nation ; and therefore
as they have no reason, they have as little right to
reproach each other.*
I have said, there was much obtained by the
* The earl of Oxfoi'd, in the close Of his answer to the articles
of impeachment, gives a very full and clear account 6f the motives
to the peace upon his own knowledge; and as they are hidden in
such a piece, to which few readers resort for satisfaction in matters
of this nature, I thought it might not be amiss, to make this sub-
ject the clearer, to afford them a place at the bottom of the page.
As to the peace in general, he, the said earl, thinks he has very
good reason to say, that the queen had nothing more at heart,
than to procure so great a blessing for her people; and that, when
it was obtained, she had this satisfaction in herself, that she had
taken the most proper methods to justify her conduct, both to
wards her allies, and towards her own subjects. For, upon a
review other Majesty's whole proceeding, in relation to war and
peace, he believes it will appear, and hath in part appeared, by
the answer of the said earl to the said articles, that, as her Ma
jesty entered further into the war than she was obliged by any
treaties subsisting at the time of her accession to the throne, so
she contributed more men and money towards the carrying it on
^.fterwards, than she was engaged to provide by any subsequent
treaties. That her earnest desires of peace being twice frustrated,
when such conditions might have been obtained, as would have
fully answered all the ends for which war was at first declared :
thatall our successes and victories ending in the annual increase of
the charge of England, without any further assistance from our
¦ allies, and her kingdom being exhausted to such a degree, not
withstanding the great advantages obtained by her arms, that she
was not able to continue the war, upon the foot it then stood, one
year longer, whilst her allies refused to continue it upon those
equal conditions to which they were by treaties obliged : she was
at last constrained, in compassion to her people, to hearken to
the overtures of peace then made her from France, without rely.
ing further on the vain hopes of gaining more advantageous terms,
6y protracting the war a year longer. She had carried it on for
VOJ.. III. I X

'483 NAVAL HISTORY
treaty of Utrecht; it is requisite that I should make
this good, because for many years, the contrary has
been taken for granted ; and I dare say, there are
many thousands of people in England, who think
we lost much, and none of our allies got any
thing, by that peace. The true standard for ad
justing this, must be the ends of the war; for as
no war can be just, in which the aggressors know
not for what they fight, so no peace ca^n be a bad
one, by which the ends of tbe war are obtained.
In the first place, we fought against France to
settle ourselves; that crown had never explicitly
acknowledged our government here at home. We
fought next, for settling the balance of power in
Europe, by obtaining a reasonable satisfaction for the
iome time under that prospect, without reaping the benefits pro
posed, even at junctures that seemed most favourable to her de
mands, and to the pretensions of her allies. She had, indeed, by
that means, raised the glory of her arms ; but she could not think
this a sutficient recompence for the increasing miseries of her
jieopie, and therefore resolved to lay hold of the opportunity,
then offered to her, of ending the war with a peace, if it might
be obtained upon terms everyway just, safe, and honourable;,
and those who were then employed in her Majesty's councils,
thought themselves obliged to second her good intentions in this
case, and to obey her commands with all readiness. The said
earl presumes, on this occasion, to mention to your lordships,
the saying of as wise a man, and as great a general as the last age,
produced, the duke of Parma, when France was in a far lower
condition than now, being almost equally divided between two
contending parties, and Spain was at the height of its glory, and
he himself at the head of a Spanish army, supported one of thossj
parties, after Paris itself had been besieged by the other ; it was
his opinion, and the advice he gave to his Majesty the king of
Spain was grounded upon it, " That if France were to be got,
only by reducing its towns, the world would sooner be at an end
thau such a war. The queen seemed at this (ime, with better rea-
Son, to frame the like judgment, and itwas therefore her pleasure,
and a great instance, as the said earl conceives, of her wisdom and
goodness, to think of securing a peace, while she appeared able
to darry on the war, her armies being full and numerous, and be-
fore the exhausted condition of her kingdoms, and the impossi-
bility, on her side, of maintaining so disproportionate an expence,
was discovered by her enemies.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 488
claims of the house of Austria to Spain and the In
dies. Another motive to the .war was, the securing
a barrier to the Dutch, and an adequate recompence
to the rest of our allies, for the injuries they had re
ceived from France. Let us see now what was ob
tained by the treaty of Utrecht, upon these several
heads. In the first place, the title of Queen Anne
was acknowledged in the strongest and most ex
plicit terms ; the settlement of the succession in the
illustrious house of Hanover was likewise owned, and
the person who claimed before the queen, and to
defeat whose pretensions the act of settlement was
made, was excluded the dominions of France, and
his Most Christian Majesty promised never to admit
him again, though he had owned him over and over;;^
and he likewise promised never to assist or protect
him, or any of his adherents. As to the second, a
reasonable satisfaction was obtained for the emperor,
though he refused to accept it ; and the most solemn
renunciations of the tvvo branches of the house of'
Bourbon, are inserted in the body of the treaty itself,
in order, as far as the thing was possible, to secure
all Europe against the apprehensions of .seeing the
crowns of France and Spain devolve upon one prince;
and, to obviate another objection as to the commerce
of New Spain, it is expressly provided, that the
French should enjoy no privilege of navigation thi
ther, beyond what had been enjoyed under the kings
of Spain of the Austrian line. In regard to our allies,
it is plain, that the duke of Savoy, who indeed well
deserved it, having steadily adhered to the alliance
in times of the deepest distress, had full satisfaction
given him, and in ' such a manner too, as had a
visible tendency to the properly fixing the balance
ofpdwer; and the kings of Portugal, Prussia, and
the States were likewise satisfied,
I know it may be said, that there was a force upon
the latter ; but I know people are very unfit judges
in their own cause, and that the States got by this
I I 2

484 .NAVAL HISTORY
treaty, not onl}!^ such a barrier as seemed reasonable
to us, but as good a one as the emperor thought fit
for them, after all our successes, and when the allies
were upon the best terms vvith each other. To say
.then, that the treaty of Utrecht did nothing, and
that all our expences, and all our victories in that
long war were absolutely thrown away, is much
beyond the truth; but that a better treaty might
have been made, I shall not dispute, because I think
there is no arguing about possibilities.*
Before I part with this treaty, however, I must
observe, that it was very extraordinary in one re
spect ; it procured us much greater advantages, I mean
the people of Great Britain, as a trading nation, than
any treaty with which I am acquainted either before
or since ; and upon these, I must particularly insist,
because they are immediately within my province.
We have seen that Dunkirk vvas long before put into
our hands ^ let us now see what was to become of it;
and because this is a point that has been since, and,
may be hereafter attended with warm disputes, I think
it necessary to transcribe the ninth article of the
treaty, by which this great point, great, indeed, if
we consider either the humbling France, or securing
ourselves, was effectually settled. Thus it runs :
* The account Bishop Burnet has given ns, will be sufficient td
clear up to the reader, the satisfaction secured to the princes and
states engaged with us in the war. " As for the allies," says he,
"Portugal and Savoy were satisfled; the emperor was to have
the duchy of Milan, the kingdom of Naples, and the Spanish
Netherlands ; Sicily was to be given to the duke of Savoy, with
the title of king ; and Sardinia, with the same title, was to be
given to the elector of Bavaria, in lieu of his losses ; the States were
to deliver up Lisle,' and the little places about it; and besides the
places of which they were possessed, they were to have Namur,
Charleroy, Luxemburgh, Ypres, and Newport; the king of
Prussia was to have the Upper Guelder, in lieu of Orange, and
the other estates which the family had in Franche Comte." This
js all I think necessarj'^ to insert here, with relation to our
treaty ; the emperor was to have time, to the 1st of June, to dev
clare his accepting of it.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 485
" The Most Christian king shall take care, that all
the fortifications of the city of Dunkirk be razed ;
that the harbour be filled up; and that the sluices,
or moles, which serve to cleanse the harbour, be le
velled, and that, at the same king's Own expence,
within the space of five montiis after the conditions
of peace are concluded and signed ; that is to say, the
fortifications towards the sea, within the space of
two months ; and those towards the land, together
with the said banks, within three months ; on this
express condition also, that the eaid fortifications, har
bour, moles, or sluices, be never repaired again."
The demolition of this place was of prodigious im
portance; it lies but thirteen leagues from the South
Foreland, and any easterly wind, which carries our
ships down the Channel, brings out those at Dunkirk,
to meet and intercept them ; vvhich, during the two
wars preceding this treaty, made it often suspected,
that the French had intelligence, either from our Ad
miralty, or secretary's office ; though very projaably
without foundation, since the very situation of the
place furnished the enemy with advantages enough ;
for the east end of the channel, which is so much
exposed to Dunkirk, is but seven leagues broad, and
gives them an opportunity of seeing our ships from
side to side. It clearly appears from hence, that six
parts in nine of our trade from the port of London,
were freed from most of the hazards felt in those
wars; and though part of this must be exposed when
it passes through the chops, Cr western entrance of
the channel, yet it must be considered, that it was
liable also to this betbre, so that no nejv' inconve
nience is created i and, besides, this is only the south
trade; such ships as go to Holland, Hamburgh, or
the north, are absolutely free. Besides all this, the
demolition of Dunkirk was an inexpressible blow to
the French naval power, and even to their trade,
especially to the West Indies; so that a clearer proof
could not be of our superior force, and of their dis-

486 NAVAL HISTORY
tress, than the submission of France to this article.
It is true, they endeavoured to shift off, and after
wards to mitigate the execution of it ; but in vain.
The queen insisted upon Dunkirk's being demolished
effectually, . according to the letter,' and it was de
molished as effectually as could be desired ; whether
ever it shall be restored, or if in time of war restored,
suffered to continue, so as to become, as in times
past, a terror to the English nation, depends upon
ourselves and future administrations.
By the 10th and 11th articles, the countries com
prised in the charter of the Hudson's Bay Company,
of which the French had got ])Ossession, partly in the
time of peace, and partly in that of war, were to be
restored ; and not only restored, but his Most Chris
tian Majesty farther stipulated, that whatever had
been taken in time of peace, or whatever injuries had
been done to the Hudson's Bay Company, before the
commencement of the war, should be fairly examin
ed, and full satisfaction made. The like is stipulated
with 'respect to the depredations by M, Cassard, in
the Leeward Islands after the negociations for peace
were begun.
By the 12th article, the island of St. Christopher,
and the whole country of Nova Scotia, are yielded to
the queen of Great Britain, as by the 13th article,
is the whole country of Newfoundland ; but the
island of Cape Breton is, by the same article, giveii
up to France, which has been represented as a mon
strous piece of complaisance, though there seems to
be great reason to believe, it was much less ow^ing to
the inclination of the English ministers, than to their
inability of standing out any longer against the oppo
sition carried on at home ; and for this reason it is
made one of the charges against the earl of Oxford,
in the 13th article of his impeachment, wherein it
was affirmed, that Cape Breton was part of Nova
Scotia; and the earl in his answer to 'that article
asserts, (hat he had gone no farther than King Wil-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 48T
liam had gone in the treaty of Ryswick. But, how
ever we might fail as to the point of Cape Breton,
yet undoubtedly we acquired more by the treaty of
Utrecht, than by any of our former treaties ; I mean
at the expence of the French, who at the time this
treaty was signed, were actually in possession of Pla
centia in Newfoundland.*
* The earl of Oxford, even after he was impeached, thought he
had a right to value himself upon this treaty; and, therefore, in his
answer, after having taken notice of the difficulties to which we
were reduced by the war, he proceeds to speak in the following
terms, of the advantages accruing from the treaty of Utrecht. At
this juncture the queen entered upon a negociation of peace, with
circumstances of great honour to herself: France applying to her
first on this account, previously owning her title, and acknowledg
ing the right of the Protestant succession, two chief grounds upon
which the declaration of the last war was built. As to the allies,
it was conducted in the same manner as all treaties of peace, in
confederacies, have ever been, and according to the known laws of
nations in such cases, the first motion and the several steps to it,
as fast as they ripened into proposals fit for consideration, being,
without delay, communicated to the States General. By the terms
of this peace, as all reasonable satisfaction and security, due to any
of the allies by treaty, were obtained for them by the queen, and
their just pretensions effectually supported, so larger advantages
•were actually procured for Great Britain, in particular, than ever
had been demanded before, in any treaty or negociation between
this and any other foreign state. The said earl craves leave On this
occasion, to appeal to your lordships, whether all the ends for
which the war was entered into, have not by this treaty been fully
attained ? Whether it does not appear by the best of proofs, expe
rience, that the kingdoms of France and Spain, are,' by the con.
ventions of this treaty, most effectually separated ? And whether
any other expedient could have been so successful to this purpose,
as that whereby it is now happily brought about ? Whether the
balance of power in Europe be not now upon a better footing than
it has been for an hundred years past ? Whether the advantages
that have accrued to Great Britain by this treaty, do not appear,
and have not appeared, in the security of the Protestant succession,
and in his Majesty's peaceable accession to the throne, with the
universal applause of his subjects ; in the addition made to our
wealth in the great quantities of bullion lately coined at the mint ;
by the vast increase of shipijing employed since the peace, in the
fishery, and in merchandise, and by the remarkable rise of the eus.
toms upon import, and of our manufactures, and the growth of
¦our country upon export ? For the proof of which particulars, h«

488 NAVAL HISTORY
But, besides these mighty advantages, there were
others still more considerable, the demolition of Dun
kirk only excepted, procured from the crown of Spain;
for by the iOth article, the full and entire property of
the town and castle of Gibraltar, with ali things
thereto belonging, are given up to the crown of
Great Britain, in propriety, to be held and enjoyed
absolutely, with all manner of right for ever, without
any exception or ihipediment whatsoever. By the
1 1th article, his Catholic Majesty doth in like man
ner, for himself, his heirs, ^nd successors, yield to the
crown of England, the vvhole island of Minorca, trans
ferring to the said croWii for ever, all right, and th^
most absolute dominion over the said island, and in
particular over the town, castle, and fortifications of
Port Mahon. All thafSpain reserves to itself, being
no more than the right of pre-emption, in case the
crown of Great Britain shall at any time think fit to
alienate or dispose of this said fortress of Gibraltar, or
island of Minorca. By the 13th and 15th articles,
the Assiento treaty is confirmed' as fully, effectually^
and authentically, as if the same had been repeated
word for word in the said treaty, which waS signed at
Utrecht, on the 2d of July, O. S. by the' bishop of
Bristol, then lord privy-seal, and the earl of Strafford,
her Majesty's plenipotentiaries, and the Duke De Os-
suna, and the Marquis De Montelon, plenipotentiaries
from his Catholic Majesty.* ' ¦
refers hirasplf to those offices and books, wherein an authentic ac
count of them is contained.
* As to this treaty with Spain, the earl of Oxford, in his answer
to the impeachment, let us into a fact of very great import ; for,
says he, as for the matters concerted previously with France, for
the particular interest of England, without the original intervention
of HoUand, the States were so far fropi protesting against her Ma
jesty's measures, and condemning' her conduct in this respect, that
.their minister proffered several times, in their name, to have led the
¦way in the most difficult part of the whole negociation, and to have
done his utmost to facilitate the conclusion of it, provided his mas
ters might have a share in the Assiento contract, and trade to t^e

OF QUEEN ANNE. 48»
The Assiento has since made so great a figure in
our histories, and there will be such frequent occasion
to mention it in the subsequent part of this work, as
that contract was the basis of the South Sea trade,
that I find myself under a necessity, as well for the
sake of order and perspicuity, as for the performance
of what I promised, to enter into a full and regular
account of all the steps taken for erecting and estab
lishing this great company, which was one of the
most signal performances of the Oxford ministry.*
The earl of Godolphin, and his friends, had been
pectdiarly happy in the conduct of public affairs, and
the maintenance of public credit, so long as the op
position given them did not rise so high, as to hinder
their carrying public points in the House of Com
mons ; but after they once found themselves in that
situation, their difficulties grew upon them daily, so
that they were forced to contract debts in the public
service, exclusive of such as vvere contracted, and
provided for annually by parliament. At first_ these
debts were seldom mentioned, some of them being
pretty old, and others incurred by deficiencies, and
the application of funds to other services than those
for which- they were originally designed. The draw
ing these debts out of obscurity, and declaring them
unprovided for, was one of the first acts of the new
ministry.'!"
Spanish West Indies, one of those advantages which France had
discovered, its .willingness should be allowed, previously, and en
tirely to England.
' * Subsequent events may mislead us, in respect to the value of
this concession. But if experience, for we actually had this con
tract for negroes in the reign of King William; if the opinion of
other nations, for the French lost it with regret, and the Dutch weres
¦eager for a share in it, or the sense of our Spanish merchants, could
ascertiiin the point, this was a valuable acquisition.
+ The debts declared by the statute are as follow ;
.Debt to the navy, old, new, and deficient  5,130,539
Debt to the ordnance  154,324
Daht lo transport-service:  -  424,791

498 NAVAL HISTORY
Their next care was, to form the proprietors of
these debts into a new company, which, they con
ceived, would be as much dependent upon, and as
useful to them, as the Bank, or East India company
had been to the former ministry. But the business
was, to find out a proper pretence of erecting such a
new company ; and this was very happily found, and
very dexterously applied. It was always matter of
AVonder to the greatest part of this nation, why the
war was not pushed in the West Indies ; especially,
since there was a clause in the grand alliance, where
by we were intitled to hold whatever we could con
quer in those parts. Some political reasons, however,
restrained the vigour of our arms in that particular ;
and this, though the old ministry were very little to
blame in it, made one great topic of public clamour.
When a thing is once made the theme of common
discourse, many lights come to be struck out in rela
tion to it, that were not thought of before ; and this
was the case here : some merchants of Bristol taking
this matter into consideration, began to apprehend,
that, however the ministry might be bound, private
persons were not obliged to let slip advantages of this
nature ; and therefore they resolved to fit out two
ships for the South Seas, upon their private account ;
which they did ; and these ships returning in the
year 1711, after having made many rich prizes, the
Old army-debentures of last war. ............ ......1,018,656
Deficient tallies 8 Guliel...  ,   -,....._ 12,024
Provisions for the navy, Oct. Nov. Dec. 1710..^  378,869
Subsidies to the duchy of Hanover, 1696    S5,GQ0
Interest on ditto, from Christmas 1710 and 1711  9,375
Loans on customs, &c. 8 Annie    1,296,552
Interest on ditto     .. 74 876
Interest on the whole from Lady day to Christmas, 1711 386,325
To the year's service 1711   500,000
Add, for odd shillings and pence  3
¦ ¦¦¦¦" I'I a%,
fi. 9,471,324

OF QUEEN ANNE. 491
wealth of the South Seas came to make a great
noise.* This determined the new ministry to join an ample
security for the debts hitherto unprovided for, with
the prospect of the trade from the South Seas, and by
this means, fix their whole design at once. Upon this
plan, they made some proposals to the monied people,
who, having been long attached to the former admi
nistration, treated the whole as chimerical, and a pro
ject that could never be brought to bear. I mention
this circumstance, only to shew how little dependence
should be placed on the resolution of men who, are
known to be governed by nothing but their interests ;
for, notwithstanding their slighting the proposal when
it was first made. Lord Oxford and his friends car
ried on this scheme with success.f
* As the business of this voyage to the South Seas very nearly
eoncerns the subject of this work, it may not be amiss to take no.
tice, as concisely as possible, of the most remarkable cireumstancei
attending this affair. The ships fitted out upon this occasion, were
the Duke of thirty guns, and 170 men, commanded by Captain
Woods Rogers; and the Duchess, of twenty.six guns, and 150
men, under the command of Stephen Courtney. The famous
Captain Dampier, whose voyages have made him known through
out Europe, was on board one of these vessels, ks pilot; they
sailed from Bristol on the 1st of August, 1708, and having hap
pily passed the Straits of Magellan, they not only took several
ships in the South Seas, but several towns also upon the coast ;
and on the 22d pf December, 1709, they met with the Acapulco
ship, that is, the lesser of the two ships which sail annually from
the East Indies to Mexico ; she was of the burden of -JOO tons,
and carried twenty guns, and as many pattereroes. The action
lasted about half an hour, and the value of the prize was about
2,000,000 pieces of eight ; the larger Acapulco ship fell also in
their way, which they attacked two days successively ; but,
as she was of 900 tons burden, and had COO men on board, they
found it impossible to take her, which made them determine to re
turn by the East Indies ; Captain Dover being appointed com
mander of the Acapulco ship, with which they arrived safely in the
Downs, on the 2d of October, 1711.
+ This settling the unliquidated debts, giving satisfaction thereby
to the public creditors, and framing the plan of the South-Sea com
pany, are all enumerated in the preamble of tlie patent, creating
him earl of Oxford, and earl Mortimer.

492 NAVAL HISTORY
In the first place, they took care to give a very
plausible account to the world, of the nature of this
undertaking; and, which shewed their political dex
terity, they made the very contempt, which was at
first expressed for their design, subservient to its ex
tension ; for they gave out, that the last ministry
having been careless of the nation's interest in thia
respect, were desirous of covering their reputation, by
representing that as impracticable, which they had
never attempted.* They took notice likewise of its
having been always thought the surest way of dis
tressing the Spaniards ; and, to demonstrate this,
they printed a proposal of the like nature, which was
made in parliament, so long ago as in the year 1624.
They further observed, that this was prosecuting the
war against the French too, vvho carried on a mighty
trade in the South Seas, and vvere actually making
settlements there. This took off the edge from every
argument that could be offered, as to the impossibility
of the design; for all who talked in that style were
considered novv as enem.ies to the English nation,
and persons absolutely in a foreign interest.
To give the thing the highest gloss, and to fix the
nation in a full opinion of the great profit that might
be made by this tiade, care was taken to circulate a
notion in Holland, about the time that Sir Hovenden
Walker undertook his expedition against Canada,
that the true intention of that armament vvas against
Peru. This had the designed effect ; the Dutch took
* There appeared several treatises about this time, on the sub-
ject, the' titles of some of which are worth preserving, (1.) A Let.
ter to a Member oF Parliament, on the settling a trade to the South
Sea of America, with reasons for encouraging a Commerce betweep
Great Britain and the countries situated in those seas. London,
1711, 4to. (2.) A True Account of the design and advantages of ^
South Sea Trade, with answers to all the objections made against
it. London, 1711, Svo. (3.) An Essay on the nature and me
thods of carrying on a trade to the South Seas. By Robert
Allan, who resided some years in the kingdom of Peru. Lon^oRj
1712, Svo.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 493
umbrage at it, and expressed loudly enough their dis
satisfaction at our entering on any such views. This
answered the end proposed, and begot an extraordi
nary concurrence in the new scheme here. The debts
unprovided for, were next liquidated at 9,471,324/.
on vvhich an annuity at the rate of 61. per cent, was
granted, until the principal was paid, which annuity
amounted to 568,279/.
The company was incorporated for carrying on a
trade to the South Seas ; and, by their charter, there
was invested in them and their successors, the sole
trade into, and from, all the kingdoms and lands on
the east side of America, from the river Oroonoko,
to the southernmost part of Terra del Fuego, and on
the west side thereof, from the said southernmost
part of Terra del Fuego, through the South Sea' to
the northernmost part of America, and into, and from
all the countries, islands, and places, within the said
limits, which are reputed to belong to Spain, or
which shall hereafter be found out, or discovered
within the limits aforesaid, not exceeding three hun
dred leagues from the continent of America, on the
said west side thereof, except the kingdom of Brazil,
and such other places on the east side of America, as
are now in the possession of the king of Portugal,
and the countiy of Surinam, in the possession of the
States-general. And to give the thing still the
greater sanction, the said company, and none else,.
were to trade within the said limits; and if any other
person should presume to trade to the South Seas,
they were to forfeit the ship and goods, and double
the value : one fourth part to the crown ; another
fourth part to the prosecutor; and the remaining
half to the use of the company. It is also provided,
that the company shall be the sole owners of the
islands, forts, &c. which they shall discover, and
erect within the said limits, to be held of the crown,
under the annual rent of one ounce of gold, and of

494 NAVAL HISTORY
all ships taken as prize, by the ships of the said com*
pany, and the company may seize, by force of arms,
all other British ships trading in those seas.*
The stock of this corporation was to arise from the
subscription of these pubhc debts, and the sum of
8,279/. was granted for the charges of management;
and as trade could not be carried on without money,
so the governor and directors of the new company
had power, by their charter, to make anj' call, not
exceeding ten per cent, for the prosecution of thi»
trade. The lord high-treasurer Oxford, than whom no
minister had cleaner hands, or a sounder head, saw,
with great satisfaction, the South Sea company's,
stock subscribed, by the very people who, upoti its
first proposal, had treated his project as a chimera.
He knew, much better than they, how far it was chi
merical ; he knew that no advantageous trade could
be carried on according to the scheme of the charter ;
but when the charter vvas granted, it was too early
for him to discover what he really meant by trade to
the South Seas. In the year 1713, the Assiento
treaty, or agreement between King Philip of Spain,
and the Guinea company in France, for the furnish
ing negroes to the West Indies, determined ; and the
Jord-treasurer had an agent of his in Spain, who took
notice of it to the Duke D'Ossuna, hinting also, that
the granting this to the English might prove a means
* This was, indeed, liable to the objection made by some of tha
writers before-mentioned, that th.e trade was chimerical, as in
truth the company never attempted to send a ship into the South
Sea. But the minister had very just reasons to proceed as he did.
First, he was obliged to settle the company without loss of time,
and, while the war continued, expeditions might have been made
into the South Seas. Secondly, the forming this compariy, and
the tenor of its charter, alarmed the Spaniards, and disposed them
to make any concessions, in order to procure a peace with Bri
tain. Thirdly, the Assiento was obtained for this company, ia
lieu of this trade granted them to the South Sea.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 49a
towards bringing about a peace; inasmuch, as this
had been one of the principal points ^proposed by the
private treaty between Great Britain and King Charles.
The proposal was eagerly embraced, because it not
only had a tendency to answer the great end of set
tiing King Philip's title; but it also gave a handle to
the Spaniards to rid themselves of the French, whose
dealings in the South Seas had long given them, as
it ought to have given us, great umbrage.*
Thus this wise and able minister brought about in
Spain, what few had any thoughts of in England ;
and procured this to be offered by King Philip, as a
means of conciliating the interests of the two crowns,
and renewing the old correspondence between the
two nations. In consequence of this, a project, con
sisting of forty-two articles, was dehvered to his Ca
tholic Majesty, who, on the 26th of March, 1713,
ratified them by his royal decree at Madrid ; and these
are the articles so solemnly confirmed in the treaty of
peace before-mentioned, and which have been the
basis of the trade carried on by the South-Sea com
pany; and which, if it has not^ might certainly have
been made extremely beneficial to this nation.
This Assiento contract stipulates, in the first
place, that from the 1st of May 1713, to the 1st of
May 1743, the company shall transport into the Spa
nish West Indies one hundred and forty-four thou
sand negroes of both sexes, and of all ages, at the
rate of four thousand eight hundred negroes every
* This lea3s me to take notice of an immediate and capital ad
vantage which resulted to Britain from this transaction. It wrought
upon the natural jealousy of the Spaniards, who never rested till
they ridded themselves of the French traders, who were become
perfectly wel! acquainted with the route by Cape Horn, and had
even passed this way to the East Indies, and so round by the
Cape of Good Hope to Europe, as appears by Frezier's and Bar-
binai's Voyages; and, but for this treaty, no question, would, in
the space of a few years, have worked themselves into a regular '
•(jrrespondence this way into both Indies.

49S NAVAL HISTORY
year ; that for each negroe the Assientists shall pay
thirty- three and one third pieces of eight; in full for
all royal duties; that the said Assientists shall advance
his Catholic Majesty tvvo hundred thousand pieces of
eight, upon the terms prescribed in the contract;, that
twice a-year they shall pay the before-mentioned du
ties of four thousaiid negroes, his Catholic Majesty
giving them the duty on the other eight hundred, to
balance their risk, and extraordinary expences ; that
his Catholic Majesty, and the queen of Great Britain
shall each be concerned a quarter part iri the said
trade, and shall be allowed a quarter of the profits,
which shall be accounted for, by the Assientists, upon
oath, that during the space, neither the French Gui
nea company, nor the subjects of any other crowuy
shall have any licence to import negroes; and in
case they should import them, they shall be consi
dered as contraband, and the company shall have
power to confiscate them, with many other clauses
for the security of this trade, Avhich are not necessary
for me here to mention. I shall content myself with
observing, that the rights and privileges granted by
this contract, were all by direction from the queen^
properly assigned to the South Sea Company ; and
though it might be, as I believe it vvas, true, that a
little jobbing was practised in making the assign
ments, yet the whole was most advantageous to this
nation ; and if we have not reaped such benefits from
this contract as we might have done, we ought not
to blame the treaty of Utrecht, but ourselves ; for
there is no serving any nation after it is come to a
certain height of corruption.
It has been suggested, that, whatever benefits we
might receive by this treaty, there were still much
greater advantages that might have been acquired, if
we had not suffered them to slip through our fingers.
I shall take some notice of these. In the first place,
it has been said, that we might have made ourselves

OF QUEEN ANNE. 497
masters of the Indies, or at least of the trade of them.
I do not see how this can be proved. For, on the
one hand, our open enemies were extremely strong
there, so as not only to act upon the defensive, but
even to attack and that successfully too, the settle
ments of our allies, the Portuguese ; and, on the
other hand, not the Dutch only, but all the confede
rates were extremely averse to our making conquests
in fhe West Indies ; which were amongst the true
and weighty reasons why, under the eari of Godol
phin's administration, they were forborne.
In time of war, therefore, it does not appear we
were able to do much against the Spaniards, and
against the French we were still in a worse condition;
for in the islands they were too strong for us, from
their having but few colonies, and those well peopled;
and in Canada they found that the situation of the
country and its climate sufficiently defended them
against all we could do. It was only in Newfound
land that we had any prospect of making conquests ;
and there they gave us up Placentia, the only, place
they held.
1 have already mentioned the affair of Cape Breton,
which some writers have called a mine of gold, given
up by the treaty of Utrecht to the French ; and the
reason assigned for it is this : that if that island had
not been left to the French, we should have possessed
the fishery in that part of the world without a rival ;
and might consequently have made what market of it
Ave pleased. Yet, however acceptable this reason may be
at home, I am sure nothing raises us so many enemies
abroad ; the notion of monopolizing trade, and shut
ting our neighbours out of it by force, has a v-eiy bad
effect, and is the engine constantly made u^e of by
the French, to prejudice our once good allies the
Dutch against us. I crave leave to add, that expe
rience hath shewn the fact to be otherwise than it
was then represented ; we were, till the last war with
VOL. JII. K K

498 NAVAL HISTORY
Spain in possession of a very great trade in New-r
foundland ; and, whenever a definitive peace is made,
on the conclusion of the present,* care will no doubt
be taken that it shall be secured to us in its full
extent, as a compensation for our expence, and
then I conceive we shall- have no great cause ta
murmur. We find it also objected, that greater security was
not obtained for us in the Mediterranean ; where,
they say, we should not only have had Gibraltar,
but a territory round it. It were to be wished they
had given us a plan of this fortress, with the territory
they expected, and then at the close of the ensuing.
war, perhaps it might have been obtained. But it is
our misfortune, that even in points of such impor
tance as these, we borrow our opinions rather from
the parties to which we attach ourselves, than frpm.
the nature of things themselves. For let it be re-,
membered, that many of those who insisted with the
utmost vehemence on this errpr in the treaty of
Utrecht, afterwards, when their schemes of politics
were changed, were as warm in asserting, that Gib-.
raltar and Port Mahon too were of little or no use,
and were actually inclined to give them up to Spain,
not in consideration of any equivalent to be given to
Great Britain, but in order to have .such a peace made,
as would suit the interest of our foreign allies. It is
not, therefore, easy to discern, through the mists of
parties, what in this respect are the true interests of
.Britain,^ f
All that can be fairly said of this matter, lies in a
jiarrow compass : the security of our trade in the
Mediterranean is well provided for, by our having in
* This work was first published in 1744.
+ The flgure we make, as a maritime power, in Europe, re-
fluires we should have proper stations in the Mediterranean ; it will
be the peculiar and perpetual glory of this reign, that in it they ,
were gained : experience has shewn their utility, and, against stich
arguments^ conjectures and plausibilities will never avail.

OF QUEEN ANNE. 499
our possession the very best haven in the Mediterra
nean, I mean that of Port Mahon, the influence de
rived from which, when properly attended to, must
always make us masters of those seas, and put it in
our power to give law to the French. If an English
civil government were once established in the island
of Minorca, and a large well-built city erected there,
capable of becoming the centre of our trade in those
parts, we should very soon see the worth of that
island, and recover the best part of the trade we have.
lost. But military governments agree so little with
the industry of a trading people, and are in themselves
so repugnant to the genius of the British nation, that
I do not at all wonder men of good sense, and those
too of all parties, have secretly an inclination, that
both Gibraltar and Minorca should be given up for
the same reason that the patriots in King Charles
Ild.'s reign, forced him to part with Tangiers. But,
be this as it will, we certainly have no right to cry
down the treaty of Utrecht, for furnishing us with
advantages, which our own corruption will not allow
us to keep.
To conclude this part of my subject, I must ob
serve, that, upon the close of the war, the French
found themselves totally deprived of all pretensions
to the dominion of the sea. We have, in part, al
ready demonstrated this; but something more re-.
mains to be said here. Most of our conquests, in
deed all of them that were of any use to us, were
made, orat least chiefly, by our fleets. SirGeorge
Rooke took Gibraltar, and Sir John Leake reduced
Minorca ; and it is also evident, that it was our fleet
alone that supported King Charles in Catalonia, and
kept the king of Portugal steady to tiie grand allir
ance; which, besides the advantages it brought to
the common cause, secured to us the invaluable pro
fits of our trade to that country ; and all this against
the spirit, genius, and inclination of the king of Por-

500 NAVAL HISTORY
tugal, and his ministers, who were all at that time
inthe French interest in their hearts; from .which
they had never departed so much as in shevV, if the
Most Christian king had been able to perform what
we did ; since it is well known, that the Portu
guese first offered themselves to, and contracted
an alliance with that monarch, and his grandson of
Spain. At the same time, onr fleets prevented the French
' from so much as sailing on the Mediterranean, vvhere
they had made a figure in the last war, and kept many
of the Italian States in awe. The very Algerines, and
other piratical States of Barbary, contrary to their
natural propensity to the French, were now obsequi
ous to us, and entertained no manner of doubt^of the
superiority of our flag. To speak the truth, the slack
ness of the Dutch, in sending ships to this part of
the world, had in this respect an effect happy enough
for us, since it occasioned our being considered xis the
leading power, by all who had any concerns with us
and them. Yet it must be admitted, that in the
course of this war, the French performed some extra
ordinary exploits in the attacking our fleets and colo
nies, and those our allies, at which we need not vvpn-
jder, since now this was all they had in their power ;
and though it disturbed us a g"ood deal, and brought
them some profit, yet it vvas more a mark of their
weakness than of ours ; for what greater, what more
glorious argument of our naval force, than our sink'^
ing a great maritime power into a petty piratical
/State? Let us but consider the figure that France made at
the beginning of the last war, -and at the end of this.
She had then her fleets as well as vve ; nay, she had
/Sometimes better fleets ; instead of waiting till she
Tivas attacked, or giving us the trouble to go and seek
lier squadrons at a distance, she spread the sea vvith
her navy, and insulted us upon our own coasts;

OF QUEEN ANNE. 501
though we had Spain for us in all that war, yet it was
thought extremely dangerous for us to winter in its
ports; and every body knows, every body may see
from this, and other histories, that, while we protected
Spain by our fleets, we were often in danger, for
want of them, of being invaded by France at home.
But, in this war, the enemy seldom appeared at sea,
and always quitted it at our approach. Our naval
empire commenced from the battle of Malaga ; the
extinction of the French force at sea, was in a man
ner completed by our enterprise on Toulon. They
were, from that time, incapable of any great expedi
tion, and the only attempt of that kind they made, I
mean the pitiful one on Scotland, very fully shewed
it. They stole from our fleet through the advantage
of winds and tides ; the apprehension of being over
taken hindered them from landing, and their return
was a plain flight.
In a word, to sum up all, we had to deal, in the
first war, with the fleets of Brest and Toulon, capa
ble of disputing with us the dominion of the sea in
our full strength ; in this, if we could guard against
the Piccaroons of St. Maloe's and Dunkirk, all was
well ; our merchant-men suffered sometimes ; but our
fleets and squadrons were always safe ; nay, even in
the trivial war between single ships, we had the ad
vantage, upon tbe whole, as appears by the Admi
ralty's computation ; which shews, not only, that
the French suffered more than we, but, what I be
lieve few people have observed, that they suffered a
third more in this war than they did in the last, not
withstanding the many sea-fights in that, and there
beinsr but a single one in this.*
* The truth of what is asserted in this paragraph, will appear at
first sight, by comparing the two following lists, which shew the
loss sustained by England and France, in this war. It is also ob
servable, that in the war ending in the year 1697, the English lost
60 ships mounting 1122 guns ; but the loss of the French was 59

g02

NAVAL HISTORY

There happened no further naval armaments within
the compass of this reign, except the sending a squa
dron into the Mediterranean, under the command of
Sir James Wishart ; the design of it, without ques
tion, was to execute what remained to be executed
of the peace; and as his Catholic Majesty was, at
that time, intent on the reduction of Catalonia, the
English fleet rendered him some services ; which,
however, made a great noise at home ; for, as the
Catalans had been originally brought into the war by
the persuasion of the queen's minister, and upon re
peated promises of her Majesty's constant support pf
them, it was thought not a little extraordinary, that
the Enghsh fleet should afford any countenance,
ships and 2244 guns, whence it is manifest that the French lost
850 guns, more in this war than in that.
A LIST OF ENGLISH AND FRENCH SHIPS LOST, OR TAKEN, IN
QUEEN ANNE'S WAR.

Total 38

1596

Total 52 3094
38 1596

The toss of tl^e French exceeds ours 18

149a

OF QUEEN ANNE. 508
much less assistance, to the enemies of that brave
people, who still considered themselves as the allies
6f Great Britain.
It is true, that many plausible things were offered
in excuse of this conduct. It is said, that her Ma
jesty had done all that lay in her power, to procure
for those people the continuance of their ancient pri
vileges ; and that though she had not absolutely suc
ceeded in this, yet she had procured them an equiva
lent for their ancient privileges ; which was sharing
those of Castile, and particularly that of being ca
pable of having a concern in the trade to the West
Indies, from which all other subjects of the crown df
Spain are excluded. To this it was added, that it
was in a great measure owing to the faults of the Ca
talans themselves, that her Majesty's interposition did
not succeed to the full ; since, vvhiie she was apply
ing in their favour to King Philip, they actually de
clared war against him ; which put it out of her Ma
jesty's power to solicit for them any longer. It was
likewise alleged, that the emperor might have stipu
lated conditions for them, under the guaranty of her
Majesty, in his provisional treaty for the evacuation
of that province ; so that, upon the whole, it ought
to be understood, that whatever mercy these people
received, flowed from the care taken of them by the
queen ; whereas, the many and great miseries they
suffered, were absolutely the effects of their own
perverseness and obstinacy.
But, that I may not appear an apologist, rather
than an historian, I must speak my sentiments sin
cerely of this matter. The obligation that Great Bri
tain was under, to protect these people, was very
clear, and withal so strong, and so binding on the
government, that it is impossible to conceive, how
any ministers, and especially those who counter
signed the very instructions for giving such assur
ances to the Catalans, could believe it right, or couM

604 NAVAL HISTORY
even -imagine it excusable, not to secure them their
privileges by the peace. As to their having this in
their power, it appears to me a thing past all doubt ;
for, when they first thought of the peace, they knew
the engagements they were under to these people, and
they ought to have taken care, that what had been
promised them upon the public faith should have
been performed. Besides, it appears plainly by the
treaty of peace with Spain, that our ministry had
power enough to obtain the whole kingdom of Sicily
for the duke of Savoy ; and one cannot easily con
ceive, that people, who were able to do so much to
oblige one ally, should not be able to obtain justice
for another.
, The truth seems to have been, that the Spanish
court were very desirous of carrying this point, and
found a way to gain our minister, who was sent thi
ther before the formal conclusion of the treaty, to re
lax a little in this particular; which, perhaps, he did
not consider in the light that I do ; and aftervvards, it
was impossible to recover what had been departed
from. I am very far, however, from thinking, that
all the ministers then about the queen were culpable
in this matter. I have reason to doubt, whether the
lord-treasurer Oxford came into that measure ; and I
have authority to say, that the late duke of Buckingham
shire was so far from concurring in it, that he brought
this matter twice upon the carpet in council, and ex
erted all his interest to have prevented the Catalans
from being given up as they were. I am likewise as
sured, that whatever Sir Jaines Wi.shart did, was from
what he conceived the meaning of his instructions, and
notfrom any expressdirectionscontainedin them. This,
sp fat as I have been able to learn, is the truth, and
the whole truth, without disguise or extenuation ; and,
if there was any minister, whose interest with the
queen contributed in any degree to these poor peo
ple's misfortune, I freely own, that I think he de-

OF QUEEN ANNE. 505
parted in this respect from the duty he owed to his
mistress and to his country.
I am now to proceed from the general history of
the naval operations in this reign, to the particular
memoirs of such eminent seamen as flourished in it j
and as I have taken particular pains to be well in
formed as to their conduct and behaviour, so I shall
deliver what has come to my hands, with the utmost
impartiality ; at the same time, I must express my
deep regret, that many circumstances relating to the
worthy men of whom I am now to speak, are at
tended with more obscurity than I could wish, not
withstanding the obligation that public and private
historians were under, to have preserved, as far as lay
in their pow^er, whatever might have contributed to
the honour of those brave officers, vvho so gallantly
exposed themselves for the advantage of their coun
try, and to whose courage and conduct vve stand in
debted for the many advantages this nation still en
joys, as well as for the force and reputation of our
maritime power, which has extended itself to the most
distant parts of the world, and, under this reign par
ticularly, drew the highest respect to the English •
flag wherever it appeared ; as it secured to us such
a mighty accession of trade, that the shipping of this
kingdom was increased nearly a third, in the short
interval betw^een the conclusion of the peace and the
death- of the queen.

508 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
MEMOIRS OF
VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW.
As fame ought constantly to attend on virtue, so,
without doubt, it ought to follow, in a particular
manner, that kind of*virtue which is of greatest use
to society; I mean sincere, active, and well-con
ducted pubhc spirit.' This it was, tbat distinguished
the gentleman of whom I am now to speak, and that
in an age when public spirit was not only out of
fashion, but out of countenance ; when a man who
professed to love his country, if known to have sense,
Avas thought to be a hypocrite ; and, if not known
to have it, a fool. Mr. Benbow was neither ; he
had a probity that was never questioned, and a know
ledge of men and things, which always procured him
credit in whatever station he appeared.
But there was this peculiar in his character, that
never any addition of fortune or honour accrued to
himself, but some good resulted from it to his coun
try ; for that reason I have, with great care, col
lected every circumstance, relating to his progress
through life, from private hands ; which I flatter
myself" will be so much the more agreeable to the
public, from the want of pains in other writers to vin
dicate the memory of this great, man ; which they
have rather injured, by heaping together idle and
ill-founded stories, and representing, as the rough
behaviour of a tar, that steady courage, and that
strict regard for discipline, which were not the
foibles, as some people would insinuate, but the truly
laudable qualities of this honest, gallant, and accom
plished admiral.
It would have been, I think, no reflection upon the
Merit of this worthy man, if he had really sprung, as
some authors suggest he did, from a very mean ori
ginal ; but the fact is absolutely otherwise. He was

oi< VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 507
descended from the antient and honourable family of
the Benbows in the county of Salop ; which, though
now sunk in point of riches and credit, is still re
membered with honour, as it deserves to be, since
the misfortunes of the family were not the effects of
their follies and vices, but owing to their firmness
and fortitude, their attachment to honour, in prefer
ence to interest, and their unshaken adherence to
the good old .English principles of loyalty and pa
triotism.* , When the civil war broke out. King Charles I.
relying strongly on the affection of the inhabitants
of this county, repaired in person to Shrewsbury,
entered that city on the 20th of September, 1642,
and the same day made a solemn and public decla
ration, that he did not carry on this war from a
thirst of blood, of conquest, or of absolute power,
but from a desire of preserving his own just rights,
and those of his people, since he was determined, if
God gave him success therein, to be as tender of the
privileges of parhament, as of his own prerogative.
Upon this declaration, the Lords Newport and Little
ton, with the greatest part of thegentry in that county,
came in, and offered his Majesty their service; among
these, were Thomas Benbow, and John Benbow,
Esqrs. both men of estates, and both colonels in the
king's service, of whose fortunes I am obliged to say
somewhat, since the latter vvas the father of our ad
miral, and there are many things worthy of being re
corded that befel them both.f
* Camden's Remains, p iii. Verstegan's Restitution of De
cayed Intelligence, chap. ix. Charter's Analysis of Honour, p.73.
We may, from the accounts given by these learned authors, col
lect from both surname and arms, that Benbow is a Saxon family,
as Bowes, called in Latin, de arcubus, certainly appears to be,
and as Strongbow and Bowman are esteemed.
+ The earl of Clarendon gives a large account of this affair, in
his history, and takes particular notice of the king's coining his
plate there, which inclined many noblemen and gentlemen to bring
in theirs, as also conyderablo sums o/ money.

508 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
When his Majesty's affairs were thrown into abso
lute confusion, and he had been traiterously murdered,
such gentlemen as had served in his army, retired
into the country, and lived as privately as they could.
But, though their interests w^ere much reduced, and
their fortunes in a great measure ruined, yet their
spirit remained unbroken, and they acted as chear
fully for the service of King Charles II. as if they
had never suffered at all by serving his father ; so
much a better principle is loyalty than corruption.
When therefore that prince marched from Scotland, ,
towards Worcester, the two Benbows, among other
gentlemen of the county of Salop, went to attend
him ; and after fighting bravely in the support of
their sovereign, were both taken prisoners by the
rebels. That unfortunate battle vvas fought September S,
1651, and soon after a court-martial was appointed
to sit at Chester, wherein Colonel Macworth had the
chair as president, and Major-general Mitton, and
Other staunch friends to the cause, assisted ; by
whom ten gentlemen, of the first families in Eng
land, were illegally and barbarously sentenced to
death, for barely corresponding with his Majesty,
and five of them were executed. They then pro
ceeded to try Sir Timothy Fetherstonehaugh, colonel
Thomas Benbow, and the earl of Derby, for being
in his service. They were all condemned, and, in
order to strike the greater terror in different parts of
the county, the earl of Derby was adjudged to suffer
death on the 15th of October, at Bolton ; Sir Timo
thy to be beheaded on the 17th, at Chester ; and
Colonel Thomas Benbow to be shot on the 19th, at
Shrewsbury, all these sentences were severally put in
execution ; vvhich, I think, sufficiently shevvs, that
the Benbows were then, or had been about that pe
riod, a very considerable family in Shropshire ; for
otherwise the colonel would hardly have been sept
out of the world in so good company.

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW, 509
As for Colonel John Benbow, he made his escape,
after a short imprisonment, and lived privately in his
own country, till the Restoration, when he was far
in years, and yet so much to seek for a livelihood,
that he Was glad to accept of a small office belonging
to the ordnance in the Tower, which just brought
him an income sufficient to save himself and his
family from the danger of starving. In this situ
ation he was, when a httle before the breaking out
of the first Dutch war, the king came to the Tower
k) examine the magazines. There his Majesty cast
his eye on the good old colonel, who had now been
distinguished by a fine head of grey hairs for twenty
years. The king, whose memory vvas as quick as his
eye, knew him at first sight, and immediately came
up and embraced him. " My old friend, Colonel
Benbow," said he, what do you here ?" I have, re
turned the colonel, a place of fourscore pounds a-
year, in which I serve your Majesty as cheerfully, as
if it brought me in four thousand. " Alas !" said the
king, " is that all that could be found for an old
friend at Worcester? Colonel Legge, bring this
gentleman to me to-morrow, and I will provide for
him and his family as it becomes me." But, short
as the time was, the colonel did not live to receive,
or so much as to claim, the effects of this gracious
promise ; for the sense of the king's gratitude and
goodness so overcame his spirits, that, sitting down
on a bench, he there breathed his last, before the
king was well out of the Tower. And thus, both
brothers fell martyrs to the royal cause, one in grief,
and the other in joy.
When we consider the many misfortunes and dis
tressed circumstances of the father, it is impossible
pot to be surprised at the poverty, or not feel com
passion for the condition of his family, of the state
of which, at the time of his decease, I am not able
to give any distinct account ; all that I have been
able to learn, is, that this son John, who was

510 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
then about fifteen, vvas bred to the sea ; but that it
was in so low a station as a waterman's boy, which
though some writers positively affirm, I can hardly
believe ; because, even in King Charles II.'s reign,
he was owner and commander of a ship called the Ben
bow Frigate, and made then as respectable a figure
as any man concerned in the trade to the Mediter
ranean. He was always considered by the merchants
as a bold, brave, and active commander, one who
took care of his seamen, and was therefore chearfully
obeyed by them, though he maintained strict dis
cipline, with greater safety there, than afterwards in
the royal navy. This behaviour raised his reputation
greatly, so that no man was better known, or more
esteemed by the merchants upon the Exchange, than
Captain Benbow. It does not, however, appear,
that he ever sought any preferment in that whole
reign ; neither is it likely he would have met with it
in the next, but from a remarkable accident, of which
I shall give the reader the best account I can, because
it gave rise to all his future fortunes, and is moreover
as extraordinary a story in itself, as was perhaps ever
related. In the year 1686, Captain Benbow, in his own
vessel the Benbow Frigate, was attacked in his pas
sage to Cadiz by a Sake rover, against whom he de
fended himself, though very unequal in the number
of men, with the utmost bravery, till at last the
Moors boarded him ; but were quickly beat out of
his ship again, with the loss of thirteen men, whose
heads Captain Benbow ordered to be cut off, and
thrown into a tub of pork pickle. When he arrived
at Cadiz, he went ashore, and ordered a negro ser-
van to follow him, with the INIoors heads in a sack.
He had scarcely landed, before the officers of the re
venue inquired of his servant what he had in h'm
sack ? The captain answered, salt provisions for his
own use. That may be, answered the ofhcers ; but
we must insist upon seing them. Captain Benbovy-

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 511
alleged, that he was no stranger there ; that he did
not use to run goods, pretended to take it very ill
that he was suspected. The officers told him, that
the magistrates were sitting not far off, and that if
they were satisfied with his word, his servant might
carry the provision where he pleased ; but that other
wise it was not in their power to grant any such dis
pensation. The captain consented to the proposal ; and away
they marched to. the custom-house, Mr. Benbow in
the front, his man in the centre, and the officers in
the rear. The magistrates, when he came before
them, treated Captain Benbow with great civility ¦
told him, they were sorry to make a point of such a
trifle, but that, since he had refused to shew the con
tents of his sack to their officers, the nature of their
employments obliged them to demand a sight of
them ; and that, as they doubted not they were salt
provisions, the shewing them could be of no great
consequence one way or other. " I told you," says
the captain sternly, " they were salt provisions for
my own use. Caesar, throw them down upon the
table; and, gentlemen, if you like them, they are at
your service." The Spaniards were exceedingly
struck at the sight of the Moors' heads, and no less
astonished at the account of the captain's adventure,
who with so small a force, had been able to defeat
such a number of barbarians. They .sent an account
of the whole matter to the court of Madrid, and
Charges II. then king of Spain, was so much pleased
with it, that he would needs see the English captain,
who made a journey to court, where he vvas received
with great testimonies of respect, and not only dis
missed with a handsome present, but his Catholic
Majesty was also pleased to write a letter in his be
half to King James, who, upon the captain's return,
gave him a ship, which was his introduction to th^
royal navy.
After the Revolution, he distinguished himself by

614 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
several successful cruises in jibe Channel, where he
was employed at the request of the merchants, and
not only did his duty by protecting the trade, and
annoying the enemy, but was also remarkably care
ful in examining the French ports, gaining intelli
gence, and forming schemes for disturbing the French
commerce, and securing our own. For this reason
he was commonly made choice of to command the
squadrons employed in bombarding the French ports,
of which we have already given a large account ; and
therefore it is altogether unnecessary to repeat those
things here. I shall content myself, for this reason,
with remarking, that he shewed no less courage than
conduct upon such occasions, being always present
in his boat, as' well to encourage as to instruct the
seamen and engineers, according to his manner of
ever enforcing his commands by his example.
The diligence and activity of Captain Benbow
could not fail of recommending him to the favour of
so wise and brave a prince as King William ; to whose
personal kindness, founded on a just sense of Mr.
Benbow's merit, he owed his being so early promoted
to a flag ; after which he was generally employed as
the most experienced seaman in the navy, to watch
the motions of the French at Dunkirk, and to prevent,
as far as it was possible, the depredations of Du Bart;
in which he shewed such dihgence, and did such sig
nal service, by preserving our merchant ships, that he
escaped the slightest censure, when libels flew about
against almost every other officer of rank in the whole
fleet. The truth really was, that the seamen gene
rally considered Rear-admiral Benbow as their greatest
patron ; one, who not only used them well while un
der his care, but was always ready to interpose in
their favour, as far as his interest went, when they
were ill-treated by others.
There vvas, at that time, a warm dispute as to the
expediency of preferring mere seamen, or, as they
were then called, tarpaulins, to gentlemen in thg

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW, 6l«
navy ; Admiral Benbow was consulted more than once
by the king upon that subject, and always gave it as
liis opinion, that it was best to employ botii ; that a
seaman should never lose preferment for want of re
commendation, or a gentleman obtain it, barely from
that motive. He was also a great enemy to party-
distinctions, and thought a man's merit ought to be
judged of from his actions at sea, rather than from
the company he kept on shore ; and for this reason he
lived upon good terms with the admirals of different
parties, who were all of them ready to testify, upoij
any occasion, his courage and conduct.
In the year I697, he vvas sent, with a small squa^
dron before Dunkirk ; where he saved the Virginia
and West India fleet from falling into the hands of the
French privateers, for which he received the thanks of
the merchants. He would, likewise, have succeeded
in restraining Du Bart from going out, if the Dutch
Rear-admiral Vandergoes had been in a condition to
assist him, or if the lords of the Admiralty had been
inclined to have taken his advice ; for observing, in
the beginning of August, that the French frigates
were hauled into the bason, to clean, he judged their
'design to be what it really proved, to put to sea by
the next spring tide.; and, therefore, as his ships
were all foul, he wrote up to the board, to desire that
four of the best sailers might be ordered to Sheerness
to -clean, and that the others might come to the.
Downs, not only to take in water, which they very
much wanted, but also to heel and scrub ; which he
judged might have been done, before the spring-tide
gave the French an opportunity of getting over the
bar ; but this was not then thought advisable, though
he afterwards received orders for it, when the thing
was too late. By this unlucky accident, the French
had an opportunity given them of getting out with
five clean ships .; yet this, however, did not hinder
the admiral from pursuing them as well as he was able;
.and some ships of hi§ squadron had the good luipk tp
VOL. III. L J-

514 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
take a Dunkirk privateer often guns, and forty men,
which had done a great deal of mischief This was one
of the last actions of the war, and the rear-admiral soon
after received orders to return home with the squad
ron under his command.
It is very well known, that after the peace of Rys
wick, and even while the partition treaties were nego
ciating, King William had formed a design of doing
something very considerable in the West Indies. This
project had long occupied the king's thoughts, into
whjcb, it is said, it was first put by Father Henepin,
who was extremely well acquainted with that part of
the world. Tbe king had turned it several times in
his mind; and, at last, took a settled resolution, that,
if the French attempted to deceive him, as he had
great reason to believe they would, something of con
sequence should be done in that part of the world.
In the mean time, however, he thought fit to send
a small squadron, of three fourth rates, into the West
Indies, under the command of Rear-admiral Benbow,
who had private instructions from the king, to make
the best observations he could on the Spanish ports
and settlements, but to keep as fair as possible vvith
the governors, and to afford them any assistance, if
they desired it. He was likewise instructed to watch
the galleons; for the king of Spain, Charles II. was
then thought to be in a dying condition. Rear-ad
miral Benbow sailed in the month of November,
1698, and did not arrive in the West Indies till the
February following, where he found things in a very
indifferent situation. Most of our colonies were in a
bad condition, many of them engaged in warm dis
putes with their governors ; the forces that should
have been, kept up in them for their defence, so re
duced by sickness, desertion, and other accidents,
tiiat littie or nothing was to be expected from them.
The admiral carried with him Colonel CoHingwood's
regiment, which he disposed of to the best advantage
in the Leeward Islands.

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 515
^ He then addressed himself to execute his commis
sion, and sailed for that purpose to Carthagena,
wiiere he met with a very indifferent reception from
the governor, which he returned, by talking to him
m a style so very plain, that forced him, though he
bad been wanting in civility, to make it up, in .some
measure, by doing justice ; and in the same manner
lie proceeded with the governor of Porto Bello, as I
have shewn elsewhere ; but still tbe great ends of his
commission remained altogether unanswered, not
through any fault of the admiral's, but for want of a
suflScient force, either to engage the Spaniards to con
fide in him, or to perform any thing considerable, in
case the French had sent a strong fleet into that part
of the world, as it was then expected they would
have done. This affair vvas complained of in parlia
ment, where the smallness of the squadron, and the
sending it so late, were very severely reflected upon ;
though, at the same time, great compliments were
paid to Admiral Benbow's courage, capacity, and in
tegrity, by both parties ; and when he returned home
two years after, he brought >vith him authentic tes
timonies of his having done the merchants and
planters all the services they could either expect or de
sire; so that he was received with the most cordial
friendship by his Majesty,* who, as a mark of his
royal favour, was graciously pleased to grant him an
augmentation of arms, by adding to the three bent
* It is certain, that the French had great advantages from the
nature of their government, which enabled them to take much
- quicker measures for effecting their purposes, than we could do to
oppose them ; but as this was, in a great degree, owing to over
sights and mismanagements in the former war, so it shews the ne
cessity there is of strict and prudent enquiries, in order to obtain
the confidence of this nation ; which, whenever it is acquired, will
be always found an over-balance even for the French power ;
whereas, if the people of England entertain any doubts of the
manner in which their money is to be employed, it will often be
found difficult, some time or other, perhaps impracticable, to mak«
|hem part with it..
1, L 2

5ie HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
bows, which he and his family already bore, as many
arrows. The vvhole system of affairs in Europe was changed
by that time Admiral Benbow came back ; the king
had discovered the disingenuity of the French, and
saw himself under an absolute necessity of entering
upon a new war, while he was sensible the nation was,
as yet, very little recovered from theexpences'of the last.
One of his first cares was, to put the fleet into as
good condition as it was possible, and to give the
command of it to officers that might in all respects b&
depended upon ; and to this disposition of the king's,
Mr. Benbow owed his being declared vice-admiral of
the blue. He was at that time cruising off Dunkirk,
in order to prevent, what? was then much dreaded here,
an invasion. There was, as yet, no war declared be
tween the tvvo crowns; but this was held to be no se-
'curity against France ; and it was no sooner known,
that they were fitting out a strong squadron at Dun
kirk, thanit Was firmly beheved to be intended to co
ver a descent. Vice-admiral Benbow satisfied the
ministry, that there was no danger on this side ; and
•then it was resolved to prosecute, without delay, the
projects formerly concerted, in order to disappoint
the French in their views upon the Spanish succes-
'Sion ; to facilitate which, it vvas thought absolutely
necessary to send, without delay, a strong squadron
to the West Indies.
This squadron was to consist of two third rates,
and eight fourths ; which was as great a strength as
it was judged could be at that time spared ; and it
was thought indispensably requisite that it should be
under the orders of an officer, whose courage and con-
.duct might be safely relied on, and whose experiencs
might give the world a good opinion of the choice
.made of him for this important command ; upon the
right management of which, it was believed, the suc
cess of the war would, in a great measure, depend. Mr.
Benbow was thought of by the ministry, as soon, as

OP VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 5it
the expedition wa^ determined ; but the king Avould
not hear of it He said, that Benbow vv^as in a man
ner just come home from thence, where^ he had met
With nothing but difficulties; and that, therefore, it
tvas but fair some other oti[icer should take bis turn.*
One or two were named and consulted: but either
their health, or their affairs were in such disorder,
that they most earnestly desired to be excused; upon
which the king said merrily to some of his ministers,
alluding to the dress and appearance of these gentler-
men, " Well then, I find we must spare our beaus,
and send honest Ben^oa-."
His Majesty, accordingly, sent for him upon this
occasion, and asked him, whether he was willing to
go to the West Indies, assuring him, if he was not,
he- would not take it amiss if he desired to be excus
ed. Mr. Benbow answered bluntly, " That he did
not understand such compliments; that bethought he
had no right to chuse his station ; and that, if his
Majesty thought fit to send him to the East or West
Indies, or anywhere else, he would cheerfully exe*-
cute his orders as became him." Thus the matter
was settled in very few words, and the command of
the West India squadron conferred, without any mix*-
ture of envy, on our Vice-admiral Benbow.
To conceal the design of this squadron, but above
all to prevent the French from having any just no^
tions of its force, Sir George Rooke, then admiral of
the fleet, had orders to convoy it as far as Scill}'^, and
to send a strong squadron with it thence, to see it well
into the sea ; all wdiich he punctually performed ; so
that Admiral Benbow departed in the month of Sej)-
tember, 1701; the world in general believing, that
* This was the American branch of the grand scheme before
hinted at, and was to seize the galleons ; at the same time, the
fleet, which was to sail into the Mediterranean, took Cadiz, and
gave us a secure entrance into Andalusia ; than which, a moro
simple, more noble, or more practicable design| the human mind
eould not lfconceiTe>

518 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
he was gone with Sir John Munden, who command
ed the squadron that accompanied him into the AJedi-
terranean ; and to render this still more credible, our
minister at Madrid was ordered to demand the free
use of the Spanish ports ; which was accordingly per
formed. As soon as it vvas known in England, that
Vice-admiral Benbow was sailed, with ten ships only,
for the West Indies, and it was discovered*, that the
great armament at Brest, with which we were long
amused, was intended for the same part of the worid,
a mighty clamour was raised here at home, as if he
had been sent to be sacrificed, and heavy reflections
\vere made upon the inactivity of our grand fleet;
whereas, in truth, the whole affair had been conduct
ed with all imaginable prudence, and the vice-admi
ral had as considerable a squadron, as, all things ma
turely weighed, it was, in that critical juncture,
thought possible to be spared.*
* The sending Vice-admiral Benbow at that critical season, waS
a. very judicious measure, the faults were committed afterwards.
Sir John Munden was punished for the consequence, rather than
the nature, of his error. A strong squadron should have' been
then sent to the support of Benbow, which had saved him and
served the nation.
That 1 may not seem to speak altogether without hook, I shall
cite a passage from a pamphlet puhlished in 1702, intitled, ' The
present Condition of the English Navy.' " A hew war I believe
to be unavoidable : and we arc much beholden to (he last parlia
ment that we are not entered into it already, and so become the
Fight-alls, the Pay-alls, and the Losc-alls, of Europe, as we
have hitherto been. But, if we have a war managed as the last
was, we had better spend a little money in booms and chains, to
secure our ships in harbour, than to send them abroad lo spend
our money, lose our reputation, and not secure our trade. I
cannot persuade myself, that the parliament of England will ever
more send the native strength of their country abroad in otheir
people's quarrels, and be at the charge of levies, clothing, arms,
and transportations, to put their own liberties in danger at home,'
by a standing army, when they have done the business of our allies
abroad. The men we lost, and the money we spent in the last war,
as also, how hard it was to get them disbanded, in opposition to
thie interest of men, that wanted to support their titles to their il
legal grants, and ill-gotten gains, is too. fres-h in o^t memories,

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 519
It is certain, that King William formed great hopes
of this exi)edition, knowing vvell that Vice-admiral
Benbow vvould execute with the greatest spirit and
punctuality, the instructions he had received ; which
were, to engage the Spanish governors, if possible,
to disown King Philip ; or, in case that could not be
brought about, to make himself master of the gal
leons. In this design, it is very plain, that the admi
ral would have succeeded, notwithstanding the small
ness of his force, if bis oflacers had done their duty ;
and it is no less certain, that the anxiety the vice-ad
miral was under, about the execution of his orders,
was the principal reason for his maintaining so strict
discipline, which proved unluckily the occasion of his
coming to an untimely end. Yet there is no reason
to censure either the king's project, or the admiral's
conduct ; both were right in themselves, though nei
ther was attended with the success it deserved.
The French knew too well the importance of the
Spanish West Indies, not to think of providing for
their Tjecurity, as soon as ever they resolved to accept
the will qf his Catholic Majesty, the late King
Charles IL wbich, it may be, was some time before
his death, theugh, to save appearances, solemnly de
bated after the contents of the will were communi-
ever to bring ourselves under the like hardships. I foresee that
the war will be now at sea, and we have but a very ill omen of
success, from the last summer's expedition of our fleet. Our mo
dern Whigs, in their legion letters, and Kentish petitions, ex
claimed against tl^e parliament, because they raised no more money ;
but I hope these folk, if they have any brains, or honesty, are
novv sensible of their groundless complaint, when they find how lit-^
tie has been done for what wa,fi then raised. They gave 1,^00,000
pounds lor the fleet, for this expedition ; iind what has been the
effect ? the whole fleet went to convoy Benbow in his way to the
West Indies, and, while they were gone, our modern Whigs boast.
eid of their conduct, and bujlt castles in the air, to hold the money
they should bring home in the Spanish galleons ; but, in a short
time, we found them all at Spithead, except a few shi])s that pro
ceeded with Benbow to the West Indies, where, if they be not
Talmashedj they have good fortune."

620 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
cated by the privy council of Spain. The officer
whom his Most Christian Majesty made choice of to
command the squadron which was first to be sent thi-"
ther, was the faihous M. Du Casse, governor of St.
Domingo. He was to carry with him one hundred
officers of all ranks, who were intended to disciphne
the Spanish militia in the kingdom of Mexico ; but,
before this could be done, it was thought necessary
to send M. Da Casse to Madrid, to ask the consent
of the Spanish council, which took up some time ;
for though the Spaniards could not but be sensible
in how wretched a situation their affairs in the
West Indies were, yet it was with great reluctancy,
that they gave way to this expedient, though a little
reflection (of which no nation is more capable), vvould
have shewn them, that, in reality, they had. no
choice to make; but, vvhen they had once come to a
resolution, that M. Du Casse should be sent, they
were continually soliciting the French court to dis
patch him immediately.
The French councils, which vvere better conducted,,
had, as vve already Suggested, foreseen all these diffi
culties ; and, therefore, had a squadron ready at Brest,
consisting of five ships of the line, and several large
Vessels laden with arms and ammunition, which, un
der the command of the Marquis De Coetlogon, in
the month of April 1701, sailed for the Spanish West
Indies; and, on the 20th of October, the Count De
Chateau Renaud sailed also with fourteen ships of
the line, and sixteen frigates, to meet the galleons,
that were supposed to be already departed from the
Havannah, under the escort of the Marquis. De Coet
logon ; and, after all this, M. Du Casse likewise sailed
with his squadron ; from whence the English reader
will easily see, that as Admiral Benbow received no
supplies, he was truly in danger of being crushed by
the superior power of our enemies, and that extra
ordinary diligence which was used to strengthen and
Support them.

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. &-21
When Vice-Admiral Benbow arrived first at Ja
maica, which was at the close of the year 1701, he
made such just and wise dispositions for securing our
own trade, and annoying that of the enemy, that the
French saw, with great amazement, all their schemes
defeated, which they had been enabled to form by
their having much earlier intelligence than we of the
intended war ; and their own writers fairly admit,
that even after the arrival of the Marquis De Coet
logon, they were constrained to act only on the de
fensive ; and found all the grand projects they had
meditated, for attacking Jamaica and the Leeward
Islands, entirely frustrated.
The Dutch accounts, at the same time, from Cu-^
rofoa, said plainly, that, notwithstanding all the blus
tering of the French, Vice-admiral Benbow, with a
small English squadron, remained master of those
seas ; nor did he fail to make use of this advantage,
by taking many prizes, and by giving all imaginable
countenance to the private trade carried on by the
English on the Spanish coasts : but, in a few weeks
time, the scene began to change ; for the vice-admi
ral had first the news of M. Chateau Renaud's arrival
at Martinico witii a squadron much stronger than
his own ; and, soon after, information that this squa
dron had been joined by the Marquis De Coetlogon
from the Havannah, which alarmed the inhabitants
of Barbadoes and Jamaica excessively, because we
had no force capable of resisting this French fleet, in
case their commanders were determined to act of
fensively. In this uncertain situation, things continued to the
end of April 1702, when the vice-admiral resolved,
notwithstanding there was a great want of men on
board the squadron, to put to sea, in order to cruize
between Jamaica and Hispaniola; and accordingly
he sailed on the Sth of May; but, before he Avas
quite clear of the island of Jamaica, he met Avith
Rear-admiral Whetstone, with whom be returned, to

522 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
communicate to the government some orders received
from England; having first sent the Falmouth, Ruby,
and Experiment, to cruize off Petit Guavas. He
had advice about the middle of May, that, on the
]8th of the preceding month, there passed by Cama-
nagoto, on Terra Firma, seventeen tall ships, which
steered towards the west end of Cuba. These ships
he judged to be part of M. Chateau Renaud's squa
dron, and that they v\'ere bound to the Havannah, to-
offer their service for convoying home the flota ; but
he had not strength to follow them, without subject
ing the island to the insults of those ships which were
at Leogane. Some little time after, the master of a
Spanish sloop from Cuba, acquainted him that M.
Chateau Renaud was actually arrived at the Havan
nah, with twenty-six ships of war, waiting for the
flota from La Vera Cruz; and this wa§ confirmed by
the ships he had sent out, which, during their cruize
in those parts, had taken four prizes ; one of them a
ship mounted Avith no more than twenty-four, but
capable of carrying forty guns.
The vice-admiral being likewise informed, by a
sloop from Petit Guavas, that four ships, with provi
sions, were bound from thence to the Havannah, he
sent three frigates to intercept them, between Cape
St. Nicholas and Cape Mayze, the very track leading
thither ; but they bad not the expected success. The
same day he detached Rear-admiral Whetstone with
tvvo third-rates, three fourths, and a fire-ship, to in
tercept M. Du Casse, who, he had heard, was ex
pected at Port Louis, at the west end of Hispaniola,
a little within the isle of Ash, with four ships of war,
to settle the Assiento at Carthagena, and to destroy
the trade of the English and Dutch for negroes, re
solving to sail himself, in five or six days, vvith the
remainder of the squadron, in search of these French
ships, in case the rear-admiral should miss them.
I have already given so fuUand particular an ac
count of what happened on the admiral's sailing to

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 529
intercept Du Casse, that I shall confine myself here
to such circumstances as are personal only. The
scheme formed by Admiral Benbow for the destruc
tion of the French force in the West Indies, and hav
ing a chance for the galleons, shevvs him to have
been a very able and judicious commander, and effec
tually disproves that idle and ridiculous calumny of
his being a mere seaman. He saw that the French
officers v\'ere excessively embarrassed by the wayward
conduct of the Spaniards, who would not take a sin
gle step out of their own road, thougli for their own
service. He resolved to take advantage of this, and
to attack the smallest of their squadrons, having be
fore sent home such an account of the number and
value of the Spanish ships, and of the strength of the
French squadrons that vvere to escort them, as might
enable the ministry to take all proper measures for
intercepting them, either in their passage from the
West Indies, or when it should be known that they
iwere arrived in the European seas. When he had
done this, he sailed from Jamaica on the 11th of
July, with two third-rates, six fourths, a fire-ship,
bomb, tender, and sloop, in hopes of meeting Rear-
admiral Whetstone; but missing him, he failed not,
however, first to give the utmost disturbance to the
French settlements in St. Domingo, and then sailed
in search of Du Casse's squadron, vvhich he came up
with and engaged, on Wednesday the 19th of August,
and fought him bravely for five days; vvhich not
only demonstrates the courage and conduct of this
gallant seaman, but the fidehty and attachment of his
own ship's company ; since it is impossible he could,
in such circumstances, have maintained the engage
ment so long, if his inferior officers, and all the com
mon seamen, had not been very unanimous. The
French accounts, indeed, represent the whole affair
' to their own advantage ; but M. Du Casse, who Avas
a brave man, and by' much the best judge of this mat
ter, has put the thing out of dispute, by the follow-

S24 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
ing shoft letter, written by him immediately after hi*
arrival at Carthagena ; the original of which is stilh
or at least was, in the hands of Admiral Benbow's
family :
" Sir,
" I had littie hopes, on Monday last, but to have
supped in your cabin : but it pleased God to order it
otherwise; I am thankful for it. As for those cow
ardly captains who deserted you, hang them up; for,
by — — , they deserve it. Your's Du Casse."
The first care the admiral had, after his return ttf
Jamaica was, to provide for the officers who distin
guished themselves in the late engagement ; and
next, to bring those to justice, who had so basely
betrayed their trust ; and in this he vvas so earnest,-
that perhaps he failed a httle in point of form, since,
in order to their trial, he granted a commission,
which it has been questioned, whether he might le
gally do ; but he certainly acted from tvvo very ex
cusable reasons ; the first was, that he found himself in
no condition to preside in a court-martial, having
been ill of a fever, which ensued upon cutting off
his leg from the time of his coming a-shore : the
other, that in case he had been able to assist upon
that occasion, he was desirous of declining it, from
his having so great a personal interest in the affain
After the court-martial was over, the admiral lived
nearly a month ; for that court sat on the 6th of Oc
tober, and the admiral died on the 4th of November
following. He was, all that time, extremely sensible of his
danger, and never entertained any flattering hopes
of recovery. Yet, during that long illness, he sup-'
ported his character as an English admiral, with the
same firmness he had shewn during the engagemehr,
giving all the necessary orders for protecting the tracfe,

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 525
that could have been expected from him, if he had
been in perfect health ; and in the letters he wrote
home to his lady, be discovered much greater anxi
ety for the interest of the nation, than for his private
fortune, or the concerns of his family. The queen
had so just a regard for the memory of this gallant
man, that she spoke of his loss vvith great regret ; and,
as I have already shewn, would not suffer herself to
be teazed into an ill-timed act of mercy, though, like
all her family, most tender in her own nature, to
wards those, who, through their cowardice, were
sprinkled vv'ith his blood. His sister had, in his life
time, presented the admiral's picture to the corpora
tion of Shrewsbury, who caused it to be hung up in
their town hall ; where it still remains, as a testimony
of the regard which his countrymen had for this
worthy officer and true patriot.
The vice-admiral left behind him a numerous pos
terity of both sexes : but his sons dying, all of them
without issue, his two surviving daughters became
co-heiresses ; and of these, the eldest married Paul Cal-
ton, Esq. of Milton, near Abington, in the county
of Berks. John Benbow, one of his sons, claims
some notice in a work of this nature, independently
bf his relationship to his gallant father. He was bred
to the sea, and went to the East Indies in quality of
fourth mate, on board the Degrave, Captain William
Young, commander, vvhich ship passed through the
Downs, on February 19, 1701, when Admiral Ben
bow lay there Avith his squadron, ready to proceed to
the West Indies. The Degrave was a fine ship, of
700 tons, and carried fifty-two guns ; she was bound
for Fort St. George, in the East Indies, where she
safely arrived, an(l proceeded from thence to Bengal,
where her captain and first mate died; by which
means the command devolved on the captain's son,
who Avas second mate, and Mr. John Benbow became
second mate. From Bengal, they sailed fpr the Cape

.«$26 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
of Good Hope ; but, in going out of the river, the
ship ran a-ground and stuck fast j she floated again
the next high tide, and put to sea with little or no
damage, as they then imagined ; but they very soon,
after found her so leaky, that they were forced to
keep tvvo chain pumps continually going : in this con
dition they sailed two months, before they reached
the island of St. Maurice, at that time inhabited by
the Dutch, who received them kindly, gave them all
the assistance in their power, permitting them to set
up a tent on shore, into which they brought most
part of their cargo, having unladen their ship, in or
der to search for the leak; which, however, they
could not find. After about a month's stay at the is
land before-mentioned, and taking on board about
fifty Lascars, or moorish seamen, they sailed directly
for the Cape of Good Hope-; they bad then about one
hundred and seventy hands on board, and, though
the Lascars could not do much in point of navigation,
they vvere, however, of great use, as they eased the
English seamen from the labour of pumping. Yet,
after all, it was fatal for them that this rash resolu
tion was taken, of putting to sea before they stopped,
pr even discovered the leak; for, in a few days time,
it gained so much upon them, that, notwithstanding
they pumped day and night, it was as much as they
could do, to keep the vessel above water, though they
were still above six hundred leagues from their in
tended port. The ship's company, believing that
common danger put them all on an equality, repre
sented to Captain Young, that his design of proceed
ing to the Cape was become impracticable; aud that,
therefore, the wisest thing be could do, was to make
the nearest land, Avhich vvas that of Madagascar; to
the southward of which, they had sailed about an
hundred leagues. The captain complied with their
advice, and endeavoured to run the ship on shore;
but that was found impracticable hkewise : so that.

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 527
.when' they were within a quarter of a mile of the
coast, they let go an anchor first, and then cut down
all her masts and rigging, and threw thpir guns and
goods overboard, in hopes of making the ship swim
nearer; but this being found also impossible, and hav
ing already lost their long boat and pinnace, they re
solved to make a raft, vvhich they did in the night;
and the next morning, Mr. Pratt, their chief mate,
with four men, went in a little boat on shore with a
rope, by which they proposed to warp the raft.
This boat vvas staved to pieces, before it reached
the land ; but the men escaped, and secured the rope,
which brought the raft on shore, vvith the rest of the
ship's company, except the captain, who remained
last on board the ship, and did not leave her, till he
found she began to break to pieces, and then he
threw himself into the sea, and swam a-shore. They
were quickly made prisoners by the king of tbat part
of the island, who carried them fifty miles up into the
country, wlieie they found Captain Drummond, and
Captain Stewart, with a few of their ship's crevv^, in
the same situation w^'ith themselves ; and who soon
let them into a perfect knowledge of their condition,
by assuring them that the king intended to make
them serve in his wars, and vvould never permit them
to return, to Europe ; which struck them, as may be
imagined, with the utmost consternation.*
* This Captain J)rummond is-the same I have before mentioned,
as commander of the Rising Sun, a ship belonging to the Scots
East India company ; he came to trade at Madagascar, and while
his ship lay at anchor, she was surprised by a pirate, who suft'eicd
the captain, with his friend Captain Stewart, and a few hands, to
go a-shore in the long-boat, in the territories of the same prince
who made Mr. Benbow prisoner. It was for the supposed murder
of this Captain Drummond, that one Captain Green, a very honest
English gentleman, his mate, Mr. Mather, and several other per
sons, were executed in Scotland, on the testimony of a black, and
more would have been executed, but for the care of the late worthy
duke of Argyle, who interposed out of pure generosity, and pro
cured their pardons. I remember, while a boy, to have seen this.

528 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
In this distress, the Captains Drummond, Sfewarf*
and Young, held a consultation, in conjunction with
Mr. Pratt, and Mr. Benbow, in which Captain
Drummond proposed it, as the only expedient bv
which they could possibly recover their liberty, to
seize the black king, and march off with him prisoner
into some other province of the island, where the ships
more frequently came. Mr. Benbow warmly espoused
this proposal, and assisted with great courage in the
execution of it, which was performed with more ease
than was expected ; and the king, his son, and his
queen, were made prisoners ; but the -queen was re
leased by Captain Young, out of mere pity. It is not
very easy to conceive a bolder enterprise than this,
vvhen between fifty and sixty white people, and not
above half of these armed, carried off a black prince,
out of the midst of hjs capital, and in the sight of
some hundreds, nay, some thousands, of his subjects,
better armed than themselves ; who were, notwith
standing, restrained from firing upon them, by Cap
tain Young's threatening immediately to kill their
king if they did.
Afterwards, however, they mismanaged the thing
strangely ; for, upon a proposal made by the negroes
to give them six guns for their king ; it was agreed
to give him up, upon a supposition that the blacks
would then follow them no farther; and this, not
withstanding Mr. Benbow warmly opposed it, and
shewed them the mischievous consequences with
which so wild a measure must be attended. The
king being given up, the blacks still continued to
Captain Green's original Journal, in the custody of a merchant jn
Edinburgh, who did him all the service in his power, at the hazard
of his own life ; from which Journal it appeared, that they only
met with Captain Drummond at sea, as they were homeward l)ound,
on board whose ship Captain Green dined, and received from hini
a present of a bible, which was made nse of to corroborate thi^
black's evidence; whp, from a wicked spirit of rerenge, perjureij
himself, that ho m$hi wurdcr his master.

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 629
follow them, though at a distance, at last it was
agreed to give up the prince too, upon a supposition,
that this would put an end to the pursuit ;
taking, however, three people, who, the blacks t<»ld
them, were the principal men in their country, by
way of hostages, of whom two sotm marie their
escape, and then the blacks not only pursued thera,
but began to fire upon them, which hitherto they
had not done. The weakness of their own conduct,
and the wisdom pf Mr. Benbow's advice, were by this
time visible to every body ; and, as it now appeared
clearly they had nothing for it but fighting, they be
gan to dispose their little army in order of battle.
Thirty-six armed men were divifled into four bodies,
commanded by the three captains and Mr. Benbow ;
but, after an engagement that lasted from noon till
six in the evening, it was agreed to treat. The ne
groes demanded their arms, and then promised to let
them go ; and, at the persuasion of Captain Young,
this wild proposition was accepted, though vigorously
opposed by Mr. Benbow; but, when it came to be
put in execution, the Captains Drummond and Stew
art,* with four or fiv^e of their crew, refused to deliver
their arms, and marched off unperceived in the night,
accompanied by Mr. Benbow, and got safe to Port
Dauphine, while the rest were cruelly murdered, ex
cept one Robert Drury, a boy of fifteen or sixteen
years old, Avhom they preserved, and made a slave.
* The reader may, perhaps, be desirous of knowing what be
came of this Captain Drummond, of which nothing more can bo
Said, than what is found in the travels of Drury, who remained so
many years upon the island. He informs us, that he saw Captain
Drummond once, several years after they parted, and that he was
then at liberty, and lived as happily as it was possible for a man of
his education to do in such a country ; and he farther adds, that
the year he came away, which was in 1716, he was informed, that
Captain Drummond had been killed by a negro J but without any
particular circumstances.
vol. III. M M

530 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS
As fdr Mr. Benbow, after remaining- several years
amongst the negroes, where he lived after theii"
nianner, and went naked, he escaped on board a
Dutch ship, the captain of which had been well
acquainted with his fa!ther, and, for his sake, trea
ted him with great kindness and respect. I had
this particular of Mr. Benbow's escape in a Dutch
ship from several persons of Mr. Benbow's ac
quaintance, who had received it from his own
inouth; for his escape was so wonderful, and at
tended witb such surprising circumstances, that
many people had the curiosity to visit Mr. Benbow",
in order to hear it from himself, in which he veiy
readijy gratified them, though otherwise a man of
niuch taciturnity.
This Mr. John Benbow lived many years afteV
in England, and composed a vvoik, intitled, " A com
plete description of the south part of the Island of
Madagascar ;" which was a very curious and accurate
performance, and therefore, often borrowed by his
acquaintance, with some of whom it still remains ;
nor have the family, after the strictest search, been
able to retrieve it. It would be certainly a kind pre
sent to the learned world, an^, at the same time, an
act of great justice to the memory of Mr. Benbow, if
any gentleman, in whose hands it novv is, would pub
lish it, because it contains many things of a commer
cial, as vvell as historical and philosophical nature. I
do not know whether, strictly speaking, so long
an account of Mr. Benbow's misfortunes be recon
cileable to a work of this nature ; but as the recital
of them cannot but be entertaining to the reader ;
and as so many remarkable facts might have been
buried in oblivion, if I had not taken this occasion
tp preserve them, I hope I shall at least stand ex-
f^used, if not justified, for the liberty I have taken ;
and, in this hope, I return to the thread of my

OF VICE-ADMIRAL BENBOW. 135
history, and to fhe memoirs which occur next in
order of time.*

* As T havemade great usebf " Drury's Travels," I think it neces
sary to insert the following certificate, by Captain William Mackett,
whose reputation was so well established, both for understanding
and probity, that nobody judged it possible for him to be either
deceived himself in a case of this nature, or capable of entering
into a design of deceiving or amusing others ; and, therefore, his
certificate seems sufficient to establish this author's credit. It runs
thus :
" This is to certify, That Robert Drury, fifteen years a slave in
Madagascar, now living in London, was redeemed from thence,
and brought into England, his native couutry, by myself, I esteem
him an honest, industrious man, of good reputation, and do firmly
believe, that the account he gives of his strange and surprising ad
ventures is genuine and authentic.
May 7, 1728. W. Mackett."

END OF VOL TII.

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