IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ^^ tii ^^s Ut Ui2 12.2 V o / Photographic Sciences Corporalion '^:^v ^ 23 WIST MAIN STRHT WnSTiR.N.Y. 14SM (7l6)t7a-4S03 h 4^ i CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series, CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Inttituta for Historical IMicroraproductions / Inttitut Canadian da microraproductions hittoriquas Technical and Bibliographic Notat/Notat tachniquat at bibliographiquas Tha Inttituta has attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy avaiiabla for filming. Faatur«s of this copy which may ba bibllographically uniC'ja, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chaclcad baiow. D D D D D Colourad covars/ Couvarttra da couiaur I I Covars damagad/ Ccuvartura andommagAa □ Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura rastaurto at/ou paliiculAa □ Covar titia missing/ La titra da couvartura manqua I I Colourad maps/ Cartas gAographiquas an couiaur □ Colourad ink (i.a. othar than blua or blacic)/ Encra da couiaur (i.a. autra qua biaua ou noira) I I Colourad platas and/or illustrations/ Planchas at/'ou illustrations an couiaur Bound with othar matarial/ Rail* avac d'autras documants Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along intarior margin/ La n liura sarr6a paut causar da I'ombra ou da la distortion la long da la marga intAriaura Blank laavaa addad during rastoratlon may appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibia, thasa hava baan omittad from filming/ II sa paut qua cartainas pagas blanehas aJoutAas lors d'una rastauration apparaissant dans la taxta. mais, lorsqua cala Atait possibia, cas pagas n'ont pas At* filmtes. Additional commants:/ Commantairas supplAmantairas: L'Institut a microfilm^ la maillaur axamplaira qu'il lui a AtA possibia da sa procurar. Las details da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modifiar una imaga raprodulta, ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la mAthoda normala da filmaga sont indiquAs cl-dassous. I I Colourad pagas/ D This itam is filmad at tha raduction ratio chackad baiow/ Ca documant ast filmA au taux da rAduction indiquA ci-daaaous. Pagas da couiaur Pagas damagad/ Pagas andommagAas Pagas rastorad and/oi Pagas rastaurAas at/ou palliculAas I — I Pagas damagad/ r~~1 Pagas rastorad and/or laminatad/ / 1 Pagas discolourad, stainad or f oxad/ ^' > Pagas dAcolorAas, tachatAas ou piquAas |~n Pagas datachad/ Pagas dAtachAas Showthrough> Transparanca Quality of prir QuaiitA InAgaia da I'imprassion Includas supplamantary matarii Comprand du matArial supplAmantaira Only adition avaiiabla/ Saula Adition disponibia rri Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varias/ I I Includas supplamantary matarial/ I — I Only adition avaiiabla/ Pagas wholly or partially obscurad by arrata slips, tissuas, ate, hava baan rafilmad to ansura tha bast possibia imaga/ Las pagas totalamant ou partiallamant obscurcias par un fauillat d'arrata, una palura, ate, ont AtA filmAas A nouvaau da fapon A obtanir la maillaura imaga possibia. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2SX 30X • 12X 16X aOX a4X 28X 32X Tha cfl to tha Tha in possib of tha filminf Origini baginr tha lai sion, c othar ( first pi sion, I or illui Tha lai shall c TINUE whichi Maps, diffara antlral baginr right raqulri matho plaira M details Iquas du nt modif iar xigar una da filmaga Tha copy fllmad harti haa baan raproducad thanka to tha ganarosity of: National Library of Canuda Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha liaat quality poaaibia conaidaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract ipacif icationa. L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grAca A la gAnArotit* da: BibiiothAqua nationala du Canada Laa imagaa suivantaa ont AtA raproduitaa avac la plua grand aoin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da raxamplaira filmA, at 9n conformitA avac laa conditiona du contrat da filmaga. id/ quAas Original copiaa in printad papar covaia ara filmad baginning with th^> front covar and ariding on tha laat paga wiih a printad or illuatratad impraa- aion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tha lirat paga with a printad or illuatratad Impraa- aion, and anding on tha Eaat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraaaion. Laa axamplairaa originaux dont la couvartura mn papiar aat ImprimAa aont filmAa an commandant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant aoit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration, soit par la tacond plat, aalon la caa. Toua laa autraa axamplairaa originaux aont filmAa an comr^anpant par la pramiAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha laat racordad frama on aach microficha ahall contain tha aymbol -^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha aymbol V (moaning "END"), whichavar appliaa. Un daa aymbolaa auivanta apparattra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la caa: la aymbola -*> aignifia "A SUIVRE", la aymbola ▼ aignifia "FIN". taira Mapa, pletaa, chart*, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratioa. Thoaa too iarga tc ba antlraly includad in ona axpoaura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar iaft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottvn, aa many framas aa raquirad. Tha following diagrama illuatrata tha mathod: Laa cartaa, planchaa, tablaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmAa A daa taux da rAduction diffArants. Loraqua la documant aat trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un aaul clichA, il ast filmA A partir da I'angia aupAriaur gaucha, da gaucha A droita, at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'imagaa nAcaaaaira. Laa diagrammaa auivanta illuatrant la mAthoda. I by arrata mad to nant una palura, fa^on A I. 1 2 3 1 6 32X j^HlilPpmiHi IfHl fe^Lgfejite •[rrr:"'"; ■(^^^^^■1 • i*^/--^-' ■ K m u \ ' Id H ',v> . © I f J», * ■",^5fc ,,.;.V^V ^ ,^, THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Register of Naval Actions : INCLUDING Authentic Accounts of ail the most REMARKABLE ENGAGEMENTS AT SEA, IN WHICH C|)e Srtt(£;|) iFlag HAS BEEN EMINENTLY DISTINGUISHED; From the Period of the memorable Defeat of the SPANISH ARMADA, TO THS PRESENT TIMB. CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. By ARCHIBALD DUNCAN, Esq. LATK OF THE* ROYAL NAVY. IN f OUB. VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JAMES CUNDEE, IVY- LANE, PATERNOSTER- ROW ^ Suld by C. CIIAPPLE, PaU-MiH. 1804. PREFACE. BfHoM pioc«c«if tlw tniiQMt deep eenmumd* Aw« with jroar lumtt •very lioitil« luiid t Vun ve their threati^ their eriiues ell ere vain ; Tbejr rule tU belenc'd world who rule the mein. Ava juncture Hkethe pmaU, when the threatt qf itwo' Hon hjf afH ikirtHiigfor blood, andjktked xviih the hope ^phndxr, are kmdiy reverberated by tbe rock-^fknded ehoree ttf jilHon^iflsle-^ai amomeni wken every British bosom If JUled xoith martial energy, and every eon qf Free- dom buhu wHhpt^rioticftrvor to dietinetmh himself in her sacred caate^it cannot be themgkt unseaionable to present an Hetorieal dteomU qf the apiendid naval achieve, ments qf oar eomttrymen^w^evements tt^hidk, while the worldshidl exist, vmshine toith mHminished bnUiant^, andpraeure them ^ meed qfdeaHdessghry. At racA a pf^'wd it camiot be ingnreper to place btifbre our gallant de* fenders the bright exaa^, to display the deeds qf those Wnstrimu eheraeters, vahoH vakmr in combat, whose con- shct and perseverance, mnidHthe d(iladties and dangera to which a lift qf maritime enierprize is exposed, have con^ tribaiedto gke to Britain that preponderance in the sad^ qfnationerWhi^a^ at present ef^'oys. !? PREFACE. i In tJie Mariner's Chronicle the Editor has introduced numerous instances qfthe intrepidity ^ fortitude t and perse- verance qf British seamen, under some of the most qffUctire calamities in which man can possibly he involved. Encou" raged by the extensive demand for that uork, and presuming upon it as indicative of the general approbation of his la- bours, hepurposes topresent the public, in r/tr j^ectster of Naval Actions, with an accurate and impartitd account of every important sea-fight in which tt\e British Nary has borne a part, cwnmencing with the destruction of the vaun* tedln\inc\h\eArmada, in the reign qf Queen Elizabeth. From that period may be dated the era qf England^ s maritime su" perioiity, which the numberless exploits of her commanders, unparalleled in the annals of any other nation, have since ex- tended and cofifirmed. While the Ediior thus rears tlte trophies of his countn/s glory, and records the victories ofhtr naval heroes, he hopes to give an additional incitement to those now engaged in the service to emulate the deeds of their predecessors. Example is, doubtless, more poiverful tlian precept ; it is, tlierefoi-e, not unreasonable to expect, tfuU tlie relation of the exploits qf a Howard, a Blake, a Sandwich, or the more recent achieve- ments of a Rodney, a Howe, a Jervis, a Duncan, and— though last, not least — a Nelson, will inspire some portion qf the qualities which have elevated those heroes to a level xvith the most ronowned characters qf antiquity. But it is not only to the naval qfficer and Seaman thai the Register of Naval Actions, is expected to prove an acceptable present. Every one whose heart contains a spark qf patriotism, whose bosom cherishes titnt love of coun- try inlterent iA generous minds, must survey, with a senti- PREPACK. ▼ ment nf mingled pride and pleasure t the numerous andsplen' did triumphs of Britain, on tihat may be Justhj termed her native element. tVith admiration he will behold the hardy seaman, cool and collected amid the .shock of embattled navies, hurling sweeping destruction m the foe ; with emotion he will sec him, at the hazard of life, giving reli^'to a distressed enemy whelmed beneath the foaming surge; and when success has crowned the exertions qf his valour and the prudence qf kis measure:, V will viexv him with edification, devoutly as* cribing the glory to the han ^f Omnipotence. While such shall be the character of the British seaman, will Britain wield, we trust, unrivalled, the sceptre of the ocean ; so long will she command the fear and respect qfthe rest qfthc world, and we may exultingfy exclaim with the poet-^ " Britain's best bulwarks are her wooden walls V* • 3 INTRODUCTION. 1 HE youthful rctdes*, and even many of those of maturer years, will not be di^pleaited to find, at tlie commencement of a colltfcrion like the present, a few observations and particu- lars relative to th; general subject, which may enable them to form a more accurate comprehension of the tacts and circum- stances detailed in the work. To those who are but little versed in naval affairs, we are confident they will prove equally useful and interesting. Of the Economy of the Brit ink Navy, and the individual Ships of which it is composed, . OBSERVATIONS ON SHIPPING IN GENERAL. The arts of navigation and ship' building are of such a com- plicated nature as to require the ingenuity and expeiience of many successive ages to bring them to any degree of perfec* tion. From the raft, or canoe, which assisted the savage to cross the river that obstructed him in the pursuits of the chase* to the proud vessel charged with the fate of hunoreds, and transporting them to the remotest regions, the distance is im- mense. How many efforts must have been made, bow many experiments tried, and bownuich labor and invention employ* 6 ▼m INTRODUCriOW. h cd, before luch in arduous and imporrant undertaking cotfld have been accomplUhed I But it if impouible to place this subject in a more striking point of view than by introducing the very ingrnious rcflec- tioni on the present perfection of navigation from Fokter*a History of Voyages and Discoveries made in the North. '* Of all the arts and professions/* says that writer, « which have at any time attracted my notice* none has ever appeared to me more astonishing and marvellous than that of naviga- tioni in the state in which it is at present. This art affords one of the most certain and irrefragable proofs of the ama- ting powers of the human understanding. This cannot be made more cvident» than when, taking a retrospective vievr of the tottering, inarti^cial craft, to which navigation owes its origin, we compart it with a noble and majestic edifice^ containing a thousand men, together with their provisions, drink, furniture, and other necessaries, for many months, be- sides one hundred pieces of heavy ordnance ) and bearing all this vast apparatus safely, and as it were on the wings of the wind, across immense seas to the most distant shores. The following example may serve to delineate at full length, as ft were, the preceding idea. « But it may first be necessary to premise, that a huge un^ wieldly log of wood, with the greatest difficulty and in the most uncouth manner hollowed out in the inside, and some- what pointed at both ends, and thus floated on a river, for the purpose of transporting two or three persons belonging to one mad the Ame family across a piece of water a few feet deep, by the assistance of a pole pushed against the ground> cannot with propriety be considered as the image of navigation in its first and earliest stage« The canoe, however, is a specimen of the art in a more advanced state, as this kind of craft i» capable of having direction given to it, and even of such a capital improvement as the addition of a sail. 1 INTRODUCTlOJf. UK *' For thli reason I chute this vehicle as t standard, in pre- ferencr to a mere rnft, to whichi notwithstanding its imper- fection, it is M) greatly superior. Let us, therefore, compart this with a Jarge majentic, floating edifice, the result of the ingenuity and united labor of many hundreds of hands, and composed of a great number Qf well proportioned pieces, nicely fantencd together by means of iron nails and boit^, and ren- dered so tight with tow and pitch that no water can prnetratt it. Now, in order to give motion and direction to this en- ormous machine, lomt astonishingly lofty pieces of timber have been fixed upright in it, and so many moveable cross- pieces have been added, together with vucha variety of pieccf of strong linen cloth, for the purpose of catching the wind t and of receiving its impulse and propelling power, that th« number of them amounts to upwards of thirty^ For changing the direction of these yards and saiU, according to particular circumstances, it has also been requisite to add a vast quantity of coidage and tackling, and nevertheless, even all this would not be sufficient for the direction and government of the vessel, if there were not fastened to it, by meansi ot binges and hooks» a moveable piece of wood, very ^mall indeed, in proportion to the whole machine, but the least inclination of which to either aide is sufficient to give immediately a different direction to this enormous large mass, and that even in a fitorm, so that two men may direct and govein this swimming island with the tame or with greater ea^e than a single man can do a boat. *' But if we, besides, consider, that in a vessel like this, not a single piece is put in at random, but that every part of it has its determined measure and proportion, and is fixed pre^ cisely in that place which is the most advantageous for it, that throughout every part are distributed an astonishing number of blocks, stays, and pullies, for the purpo>e of diminishing the friction and acceleratii>g the motion of these parts} that even the bellying and vaulted patt of the fabric, together with ' X INTRODUCTION. ies sharp termination underneath, are proportioned sccordin^ to the nicest calculations, and the most accurately determined rules { that the length and the thickness of the masts, the size of the booms and yards, the length) width, and strength of the sails and tackling, are all in due proportion to one an* other, according to certain rules, founded upon the principles of motion :— when wc consider all this, I say, our admiration increases more and more at this great master-piece of huroun power and understanding. *< Still, however, there are wanting a. few traits to complete \h\s description :— A man in health consumes, in the space of twenty-four hours, about eight pounds of victuals and drink i consequently 8,ooolbs. of provisions are required per day in fuch :^ ship. Now, let us suppose her to be fitted out for thtee mouths only, and we shall find that she mu>t be laden with 7io,ooolb8. of provision. A large fortytwo pounder weighs abotit 6,ioolb8. if made of brass, and about 5,50olbs. if of iron } and on board a ship of loo guns there are generally twenty-eight or thirty of these, the weight of which, exclu* live of that of their carriages, amounts to iSjjOOolbs. On the "econd deck there are thirty twenty- four pounders, each of which weighs about 5,ioolbs. and therefore altogether i53,ooolbs. The weight r**" the twenty-six or twenty -eight twelve-pounders on the lower deck amounts to about 74.,5oolbs. that of the fourteen six- pounders, on the upper deck, to about s6,6oolbs. and, besides that on the round-tops, there are even three-poufiders and swivels. Now, if to this we add, that the complete charge of a forty- two pounder weighs about 64lbt. and that, at least, upwards of one hundred charges are re- quired for each gun, we shall find this to amount to nearly the same weight as the guns themselves. In addition to this we must reflect; that every ship must have, by way of pro- viding against exigencies, at least another set of sails, cables, cordage^ ^nd tacklings, which altogether amount to a consU INTRODUCTION. XI der&ble weight. The stores likewise, consisting of planks, pitch, »nd tow ; the chests belonging to the officers and sailors i the surgeon's stores, nd various other articles requisite for a long voyage ; as also the small arms, bayonets, swords, and pistols, are no inconsiderable load. To this we must finally add the weight of the crew, which is not very trifling, and we shall find that one of these large ships carries at least a,i6a tons burthen, or 4,3«4,poolbs. and, at the same time, it steer- ed and governed wjth as much ease as the smallest boat. ** The consideraiiwr. of these circumstances is sufficient to excite the most serious reflections in a contemplative mind { and yet, if such a ship sailed along the coast only, and never lost sight of the shore, as the navigators of old used to do, we might still be tempted to regard navigation as an easy and trifling business. Btit to find the straightest and shortest way over an ocean of 60 or 80 degrees in longitude, and 30 or 40 in latitude, or across a track from 4,000 to 6,000 miles in ex- tent, by dav or by night, in fair weather or in foul, as well when the sky is overcast as when it is clear, and often with no other guide than the compass, which does not even point di- lect to the north in all places } and to be able to determine the true position of the ship at sea by the height of the sun» though this latter be enveloped in clouds ; or to direct one*t course by the moon and stars, with such exactness) and preci- sion as not to make a mis^take of the value of half a degree, or thirty miles; this at least shews the great and astonishing pro- gress made in the art of navigation by the aid of modern in* genuity and invention.** m OF THE RATES OF SHIPS OF WAR. The order, or classes, into which the ships of war in the navy are divided, according to their force and magnitude, art termed Rates, \ ! ■ ■ i\ »l *•'!! Xll INTRODUCTION. In general the ships of every rate, besides the captain, have a master, a boatswain, a gunner, a chaplain, a surgeon, and a carpenter } all cf whom, excepting the chaplain, have their mates and assistants ; among the:>e are comprehended the sail- maker, the master at arms, the armorer, the captain's clerk, the gun-smith, &c. The number of other officers are always in proportion to the rate of the ship. The First Rate comprehends all ships of loo gun& and up- wards, having 4.a-pounders on the lower deck, i4-pounders on the middle deck, ix-pounderson the upper deck, and 6- pound- ers on the quarter deck and forecastle. They are manned with 850 to 875 men, including officers, seamen, marines, servants, ice. A first rate has 6 lieutenants, 6 master*s mates, 24 mid- shipmen, and 5 surgeon*s mates, who are considered as gentle- men ; besides the following petty officers:— quartermasters and their mates 14; boatswain's mates and yeomen 8; gun- ner's mates ami assistants 6 ; quarter-gunners 15; carpenter's mates «, bes>''ies 14 assistants} and i steward's mate to the purser. , The Second Rate includes all ships carrying from 90 to 98 guns upci three decks, of which those on the lower battery are 3a>ponnders} those on the middle i8-pounders; on the upper deck la-pounders; and those on the quarter deck 6>pounders. 1 heir complement of men is from 700 to 750 ; among whom are 6 lieutenants, 4 master's mates, 14 midship- men, and 4 surgeon's mates; 14 quarter-masters and their mates; 8 boatswain's mates and yeomen; with aa quarter- gunners, 2 carpenter's mates with 10 assistants, i steward, and I steward's mate. The Third Rate consists of ships carrying from 64 to 80 guns, which are 3a, 18, and 9»pounders. The 80 gun ships, however, begin to grow out of repute, and give way to those of 74, 70, &c. which have only two whole batteries, whereas the former have three with aS guns on each, the cannon of INTHODUCTIOir. tut rtierr upper deck being the same as those on t!»e quarter de( k and forecastle of the latter, which are 9-poundcrs. The com- plement of men in a 74 is 650, and in a 54, 500. In peace they have 4 lieutenant^, but in war 5, and when an admiral is 00 board 6. They have 3 master^s mates, x6 midshs than 20 guns are denomin^ttd Masters and Com- manders. The sixth rate is generally supposed to comprehend all brigs, sloops of war, cutters, schooners, &c. carrying from 6 to i3 guns; but this applies only to their pay, the rest of tbcir establishment of officers and crew varying according to their force and magnitude, many of them being commanded by lieutenants, and some, such as gun-boats, &c. by midship- men who have passed for lieutenants. The sloops of war carry from 8 to 18 cannon, the latter having 6-pounders, and the former (those from 8 to 10 guns) 4-pounders. Their officers are generally the same as in the sixth rates, with little variation, and their complements of men are from 60 to 120, in proportion to their force and magni> tude. Bomb ve^els are on the same establishment as sloops, but hospital ships and fire ships art on that of fifth rates. OF FLAGS AND FLAG OFFICERS. th the British Navy flags are cither red, white, or blue, and are displayed from the top of the main-mast, fore-mast, or caizen-mast, according to the rank of the admiral. The first flag in Great Britain is the Royal Standard, vIR DUTIES. Having now treated of the officers coinmanding a greater or Iths number of vessctls, wiiich are collectively denominated z squadron, or a fleet, we shall now proceed to state the du- titsi of the principal officers in each individual ship. The Captain is the military commander of hiN ship, and his charge i^ of great importance. He is not only aitswerable foe any had conduct in the military government, navigation, and equipment of his vessel, but also for any neglect of duty, or ill niauagemcut in bis inferior officers^ whose several charges he is appointed to superintend and regulate. Upon his first appointment to the command he must constantly attend his ship ami histen the necessary prepasations to fit her for sea. His injunctions on this head are so strict, that he is forbidden to be out of his ship from the time of his arrival on board till the day of his discharge, ui>l«ss by particular leave from the Admiralty or the commander in chief. -He is enjoined tv shew an example of hojnor and virtue to the officers and men, to discountenance all dissolute, immoral, and disorderly prac> tices, to maintain discipline anvi subordijiatioM, and to correct offenders. He is ordered particularly to survey all the mili- tary stores sent on board, to employ the utmost assiduity in procuring and keepii^'q; up his complement of men, and to sur periiitend the muster himself, if there be no clerk of the chequ;: at the port. When his ship is assigned a cruizing station, he is expected to keep the sea during tht whole length of time appointed, unless compelled by some unexpected accident t» INTRODVCTIOK. ivil Tetum to pdrt It n ht« duty to exercise and train his men in the management of the artillery, that they may be the mor« expert in time of battle. In an engagement his station is on the quaaicr-deck { on this- occasion he is expected to take every opportunity of annoying his enemy, and improving every advantage j to exhibit an example of courage and fortitude to his officers and crew j and to place his ship opposite his adver- sary, in such a position that every gun shall do effectual exe- cution. When his ship arrives in port, on his return fiom abroad, the captain is to draw up, in the presence of the offi- cers, a detail of the observations made during the voyage, and a statement of the qualities of the ship, for the information of the officer who may succeed him in the command. This account, signed by himself and officeis, he delivers to the re* sident commissioner of the navy at the port where h's ship Is ^iiscliarged. The officer next in rank and authority to the captain h the hieutinant. In a large ship, as we have already observed, there are several lieutenants, who take precedence according to the dates of their first commission. In the absence of the captain the oldest lieutenant is charged with the command of the shipi The lieutenant who commands the watch at sea, keeps a list of all the officers and men belonging to it, in or- der to musttr them when he thinks it expedient, and reports to the captain the names of those who are absent from their duty. During the night-watch he occasionally vi>its ibe low- er decks> or sends a careful officer to see that thf. sentinels are at their duty, and that thefe is no disorder among the men ; no tobacco smoked between decks, nor any fire or candles burning there, excepting the lights which are kept in lanterns, under the care of a proper watch, for particular purposes. He is expected to be always on deck in his watch, both to give the necessary orders relative to trimming the sails and super* bj Xvut !NTROCUCTIOIt. ■' :i f intendinf^ the navigation, and likewise to prevent iny noise and coniusioni but he it. never to change the ship's course \\'nU- out the captain's direction, unless to avoid au immediitic dan- ger. In time of battle it k the particular province of the lieutenant to see that all the men aie at the quartern where tiiey have been previously Ntationcd» according to the regu- Litions made by the captain. He oiders and exhorts them every vhcre to feit'orm their d.ty, and acquaints th: captaip vith any instances ot nnishehavicr on that and all other occa- sioDi, and likewise with every thing that concerns the service or di>>cij line. The Lieutenant at armsi Is ihe youngest with respect \o the date of his commission in the ship. By his in- structions he is particularly ordered to tiain the seamen in the vse of small arms, and accordingly in an engagement Iw generally commands a party upon the upper decks. The Master ranks immediately after the lieiitenants. He is appointed by the Commii>.Moners of the Navy, to take charge of the navigating and conducting a ship from port to.port, imder the direction of the captain. He particularly super- intends *he management and disposition of the sails, the wocjc- ing of the ship into her station in the order uf battle, and the direction of b.r movements in time of battle. He is likewise charged with the stowaq;eof the hold } he is to take care that the rigging, sails, and stores, be duly preserved } to see that the log and log-book be regularly and correctly kept ; to ob- serve accurately the appearances of coasts, rocks, and shoals, with their depths of water and bearings, noting them in his jourtial. He is to keep the hawser cl«ar wh^tn the ship is at anchor, and to provide himself with necessary imtrumentSi charts, and books of navigation. It is likewise his duty to exa- mine the provisions, and to admit none but such as are good and wholetiomc When the ship is laid up, be is to deposit a copy of the log book and journal vyith the Comidissioner* of IHTRODVCTIOIf. mM the Nat/{ and, to enaole him to perform these diflPcrent ser« vicet, he (« allowed several a)»> rigging, colors, anchors, cables, and cordage. It is his duty particularly to direct whatever relates to the rigging of a ship after she i:* equipped from a royal dock yard, lie U, consequently, to ob^erve, that the masu are properly supported by their shrouds, stays^ and baclc-sv ys,' so that each of the^e ropes may sustain a pro- portional effort, whrn the mast is strained by the violence of the wind, or tht agitation of the ship. He, likewise, takes care, that the blocks and running ropes are regularly placed, so as tu answe** the purposes intended j that the sails are pro- perly fitt<;d to the yards and stays, and well furled or reefed, as occasion requires. It is also, hisoffice to summon the crew to their duty, to assi«ty with his mates, in performing the ne- cessary business of the ship, and to relieve the watch. He ought frequently tojexamine the condition of the masts, sails, and rigginp^, and repair what is defective. He is ordered by his instructions to perform his duty << with as little noise as possible." For these purposes the boatswain has an assistant^ called his Mate, who has the peculiar command of the longr boat. The Gunner is an ofReer appointed to take charge of the ammunition and artillery on board, tokeep the latter in pro- per order, and to teach the sailors the e}^erci&c of the cannon. He has under him, more particularly, an assistant, called his mate, and a certain number of quarter-gunners, who perform any work that hr may command relative to the cannon, 5cc« Their number is always proportioned to that of the ship's cannon, one quarter-gunner being allowed to every foui guns, ,.} r, INTRODUCTION. f!i Hi The duty of the Carpmter is ro examine and ktep In order the franr f the i>hip, together with her mastit, yards, *>oat9» and all oti voodcii machinery } likewise the stores committed to him by indenture from the surveyor of the dock-yard. It 14 the carpenter's huinesii, in particular, to keep the ship tight, for which purpose he ought frequently to review the decks and sides, and to caulk them when necessary. In time of battle he is to examine, with Ihe utmost attention, ail the low- er apartments of the ship, to »top any holes that may be made in the sides by shot, with wooden plugs, of different aiscs> prepared for the purpose. A Midshipman is a kind of naval cadet, appointed by the caplaln of a ship of war to second the orders of the tupetior otBcerv, and to assist in the necessary business of the vessel, tither on board or on shore. No person can be appointed lieutenant without having previously served two years in the royal navy in this capacity, or in that df mate, bestides hav* ing been at least four years in actual service at sea.— The sta« tition of midshipman is, therefore, that in which a young vo- lunteer is trained to the several exercises necessary to attain a k?iowledge of the machinery, discipline, movements and mili- tary operations of a ship, to qualify him for a sea-officer. The number of midshipmen, like that of several other officers, is alwa} s in proportion to the size of the ship to which they belong. The PuTftrit an officer appointed by the Lords of the Ad- miralty to take charge of the provisions of a ship of war, and to see that t^ey are distributed among the officers and cr^ conformably to the printed instructions. To assist him in these duties the purser appoints an assistant, generally called the Pur$er*s or ship's steward, to distinguish him from the captain's or ward -room stewards, whos'e bu.siness it is to take care of the sea-stock belonging lo tbe captain, lieu* tenants, kC' iWTRODUCTrOK. mt OF HIE ECONOMY OF A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. A^ a gtneral engagemrnt of fleets, or squadrons of ships of war, is no other than a variety of particular actions of single shipi with each other in line of battle, a cleurription of the lat> fer will furnish a satisfactory idea of the manner of conducting rhe former. The whole economy of a naval engagement may be ar- ranged under the following heads:— i. the prepar.ition ; 3. the action } 3. the repair or refitting for the purposes of navigation. The preparation is commenced by an order to clear the ship for action, which is repeated by the boatswain and his mates at all the hatch ways or stair- cases leading to thediflPerent bat- teries. In a vessel of war, the management of the artillery rcqaircK a considerable number of men : the officers and sai- lors are consequently confined to a narrow space in their usu- al h.ihitation<, in order to preserve the internal regularity of the ship. Accordingly the hammocks or hanging beds of the latter, are crowded as closely as possible between the decks, each being limited to the breadth o' 14 inches. They are hung in parallel rows, cxreiiding from one side of the ship to the other, nearly throughout the whole length, so as to admit of no passage but by stooping under them. While suspended in this .situation, it would be impossible to work the cannon, ami, therefore, on such an occasion it is necessary to remove them with the utmost expedition. Accordingly, at the sum- mons of the boafrwain, who cries : ** Up ail hammocks,** every sailor repairs tiness below, the botttwain tnd mates are employed in securing the kails and yards, to pre* vent them from falling down when the ship is cannonaded, at by Skuch an accident she might be disabled, and rendered inca- bable of attack, retreat, or pursuit. The yards are likewise se* cured by strong chains, or ropes, in addition to tho»e by whicb they are usually suspended. The boatswain likewise provides the necessary materials for repairing the rigging, wherever it may be damaged by the enemy's shot, and for supplying tht loss of such parts as may be entirely destroyed. The carpen* ter and his crew, in the mean time, prepare their shot^plagt and mallets to fill up any dangerous breaches that may be made near the surface of the water, and provide the iron-work necei* sary for refitting the chain-puropsi in case their machinery should be injured in the engagement. The gunner, with his mates and quarter- gunners, are but>ied in examining the can- non of the differtnt batteries, to see that their charges are tho* roughly dry and fit for execution } they take care to have every thing ready for focni^hing the great guns and small arms with powder as soon as the action begins, and to keep a suffi- cient number of cartridges constantly filled, to supply the place of those expended in battle. The master and his mates pay attention to have the sails properly trimmed, according to the situation of the ship, and to reduce or multiply them, as oc- casion requires, with, all possible expedition. The lieutenanti> visit the different decks to see that they are effectually cleared of all incumbrancci so that nothing may check the execution llfTftODUCTIOlf. xxTil •f the nrtillery, and to exhort the other ofRctn to diligence and alacrity in making the nrcek^ary djupniitiont for the approach- ing engagrment, that every thing may be in readinevt at a moment** warning. The marines are generally urationed on the poop and fore ca&tle, or gang-way^ under the direction of their officertif though, on some occasions) th*/ as^ist at the great guns, particularly in distant cannonading } and the great body of the seamen are stationed at the cannoni or in the tops ; while the captain remainsconKtantly on the quarter-deck giving directions to all around, and animating every individual of his crew by his example. When the hostile ships have approached within a certain distance of each other, the drums beat to arms, and the boat- swain and his mates pipe ** A!l hands to quarters** *t every hatchway. Thpse appointed to manage th«t great guns im* mediately repair to their respective stations j and crows, hand- spikes, rammers, sponges, powder-horns, matches, train- tackles, &c. are placed by the side of every cannon. The hatclen are laid to prevent any person from escaping into the lower apartments. The lashings of Che great guns are let loose, »nd the tompions withdrawn : the whole artillery, above and below, is run out of the ports and levelled to the point- blank range ready for firing.* Ail the above-mentioned preparations being completed, and the officers and orew ready at their respective stations to obey every occasional order, the commencement of the action Is de. termined by the mutual distance and situation of the hostile ships, or by the signal from the commander in chief of the fleet or squadron. The cannon being levelled in parallel rows, projecting from the ship's side, the most natural order of bat- tle evidently is to range the ships abreast of each other, espe- * The number of men appointed to manage the artillery is always «n proportion to the nature of the guns and the nuBiber and eondi- lau^ INTItODVCTlON. rt t '■ xiiaDy if the engagement be general. The most convenient distance is, probably, within the point bl;ink range of a mus- ieet, so that all the artillery may do effectual execution. The combat usually begins by a vigorous cannonade, ac- companied by the united efforts of all the swivel guns and •mail arms. As the method of firing platoons or vollics of cannon at once is found to be injurious, it should seldom be attempted, unless in battering a fortification ; for though the tides and decks of a ship are sufficiently strong for all the pur- s'^ ■! ., V'f ' : i.r tiun of the ship's crew. When the ship is ful' manned, so as occa' sionaliy to fight both sides at once, the)' are m general as follow : Toa42pounder 15 Men 32 13 24 11 18 9 U 7 9 6 6 5 4 ^ 4 3 3 This nuriiber, to which is often added a bo^' to carry powder to «very gun, may sometimes be reduced, and yet the guns may be VfcW managed. The following is the number of men commonlv ap- pointed to th« small arms :— First Rate 150 Men. Second ditto , . 120 Third ditto, of 80 guns lOO 70 ditto 80 Fourth ditto, of fiO ditto 70 •> 50 ditto 60 Fifth ditto 50 Sixth ditto ' 40 £!oopsofVVar 30 INTRODVCTIOK. XtW ist convenient nge of a mus- ;cution. innonade, ac- ivel gtins and IS or vollies of luld seldom be jr though the for all the pur^- led, so as occa- eral as follow : . 15 Meu .. 13 .. U .. 9 .- 7 ..6 6 4 3 carry powder to le guns limy be commonly ap- 150 Men. 120 too 80 70 60 50 'iO 30 poses of watt yet tliey> would be too much shaken by stidi a violent explosion and recoil. The general practice, therefore, throtighoiit the ship, is to load, frre, and sponge th« guns \yith all possible expedition, yet without hurry or confission. The captain of each gun has particular injunctions to fire only when the piece is properly directed to its object, that the sho! may not be fruitleiisly expended. The lieutenants v^ho csmmand tbe different batteries travel se the deck to set that tlie battle is prosecuted with vigor, and to exhort and animate the men in their duty* Their endeavors «ire seconded by>the midshipmen, who give asiustanqe where it is required, lat the- guns committed to their charge. The gunnfer tftkes care that all the artillery is sufficiently supplied with powder, and that the cartridges are carefully conveyed along the deckr in co- vered boxes. ... The havoc produced by a continuation of this mutual assault may be more easily imagined t-haw described : the sh6t batter- ings penetrating, and splintering the sides- and decks! shatter- ** ingor dismounting the cannon ^ mangling and destrdyfni^ the I'igging} cutting asunder oi cairying away tlie masts and yards ; piercing and tearing the sails so as to render them use> less ; and wounding, disabling, or killing the ship^s company. The comparative vigor and resolution of the assailants gene- rally determine their success or defeat ; but the fate of the contest may sometimes be decided by some unforeseen inci- dent, which may prove tir fortunate to the one as fatal to the other. The ship that is defeated acknowledges the victory of her antagonist by striking her colors ; upon which the conqueror immediately takes possession, secures the officers and crev- is prisoners in his own ship, and invests two principal officers with the command of the prize till a captain is appointed by tht commander in chief. VOL. u B 3CXT1 INTRODUCTION. H! ii ! m ii! : 'When the engagement is concluded^ the crew begin the re- pair or refitting for the purposes of navigation. The cannon arc accordingly secured by their breechings and tackles with all convenient dispatch. The sails that have been rendered unserviceable are unbent { the wounded masts and yardsj be- ing struck upon the deck, are either fished or replaced by others { the standing rigging is knotted* and the running rig- ging is ^iiced wherever it is necessary. Fresh sails are bene instead of those which have been removed. The carpenter and his crew are employed in repairing the breaches made in the ship*s hull, by shot-plugs, pieces of plank, and sheet lead. The gunner and his assistants provide the allotted number of charged cartridges to supply the place of those which have been expended, and refit whatever furnitare of the cannon may have been damaged' in the action; Such are the process and usual consfquences of an engage- ment between two shipi of war, which may be considered as an «pitome of a general battle between two fleets. The lat- ter| however, involves a greater variety of incidents, and ne- cessarily requires more comprehensive skill and judgment in the commanding officer. , •yili to \i'iyi --{.'i' 'bat a-i-i?.':>'.'Jinif ^ar. Aih^h 1*1 i IK l>\ ; i|- m 1 » I T 1 . » «iTi ; (. TIIE t^nie TRIDENT. '\fitn' ■.- • "r I.' ? l>ErEAT AND DESTRUCTION OF THE SVAmSB INVINCIBLE ARMADA, Equtpptd for the Iiivinon of England in 1588. Review of ETfzabeth's Reign — Motives which induced the King of Spain to attempt the Conquest of England— »Hij immense Preparations for that Pgrpose>~Measure of Defence adopted ^ in £ngiand-~Zeal and public Spirit of the People— The Iuvia< cible Armada puts to Sea— Is overtaken by a Storm— Arrives in the Chaanel— Is attacked by the English Fleet-~ Account of the various Actions which ensued— The English reinforced by Vo- lunteers from the Shore—The Armada arrives off Calais~-At- terapt to destroy it by means of Fire-ships — Its defeat and Ah- per&ion-<~Disasters experienced on its return homC'-Lots of the Spaniards in the Expedition. 1 HAT period of English history of which we e aboiu to treat, ought, for various icasons, to be parti- cularly interesting, especially at the present momtnc. Menaced with invasion, by the most powerful sovereign of the £uropean continent, our forefathers rallied with enthusiasm round that queen who, by the prudence of B 2 '% if ;■ m 'I M 'V TUB BRITISH tridhnt; her cou nc ils^ .aud Uie -vigov of h > r wimiU M H i i 4nk} rai- sed her country to an unprecedented pitch of pros- perity. The genius of Elizabeth leaping pace with the increa- sing dangers that impended over her throne and king- dom, provide(| agaipst^every G;];ig^CY,/indi^^d the more immediate fQundafipn^r the preisnt; navaigreatncss of the British empire. To afford an insight into (he n^otives which produced the formidable preparations of the Spanish monarch, it will be necessary to take ^ brief retrospect of the pre- ceding portion of Elizabeth's reign^ ,.,^ ,.^ , .^y.f. Mary, the daughter of Henry Vftl.Tiad given her hand to Philip II. king oi Spain, and upon her death, in 1^58, in order to retain his interest in the English crown, he made proposals of marriage to her sister and succes- sOr> Eli^sabeth. These she, however, rejected, and the hopes he had entertained were still farther disappdnted by the measures taken by that princess for the re'>^fita- blishmentof tlie Protiestant religion. He wds in corise- quence entirely alienated from her interest, and en- tered ihto a combination with the Emperor' of Ger- niany, the king of France, and the Pope, to transfer the English crown to Mary Queen of Scots,, then late- ly ipaj^rjed to the heir-aptpsirent of the French throne, and to compel the nation again to embrace the Catholic faith. ^^,Thu5 surrounded with enemies to her crown and le- ligioD, Elisabeth made vigorous preparations to frustrate any aitempl either by force or surprize. Her principal care was to keep in readiness a powerful Aeet, as the )?est bulwark of her kingdom. She repaired all the forts ^nd. castles on the northern frontier, as she expected the OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 5 attack to be tnade fhroug;h Scotland ; she directed great quantities of arms to be purchased in Germany, cast a great number of brass and iron cannon, and ordered gun* powder, which, till then, had always been procured in foreign markets, to be made in her own dominions. She increased the pay of her soldiers, and, without demand- ing any subsidies, defrayed all the extraordinary expen- ces out of the revenues ot the crown. The storm, however, was dissipated for the present. The French King, Francis II. being dead, Ehzabeth's rival, Mary returned to her native land, where civil broils prevented her from interrupting the tranquil- lity of her neighbour. The French court was like- wise occupied by internal religious dissensions, and Philip's attention was turned towards the Low Coun- tries, which had declared themselves independent of his authority. In 1577 Don John, of Austria, natural brother to the. Spanish monarch, a prince of great genius and am- bition, arrived in the Low Countries, with a desigri not only to subdue those provinces, but likewise to marry the Queen of Scots, then a prisoner to Elizabeth, thus hoping to make himself master of England and Scotland. This intelligence was sufficient to rouse the queen's attention, and as the Dutch were provoked to take up arms against Don John, she did not hesitate to supply the States with money, and entered into an offensive and defensive league with them against the enemies of their constitution. Philip, on the other J*»nd, lost no opportunity for fomenting disturbances against Elizabeth's' government, and in 1580 a. body of Spaniard* and Italians, 7X)0 in Qumbeci* ev|Sftiilniad0M^ B 3 # THE BRITISH TRIDENT ; ''A\i /ill 1 descent in Ireland, where (hey were however soon put totheswoid. Not long afterwards, Philip, through (he medium of his ambassador, complained of the depredations commit- ted in America by Drake, who had just returned from circumnavigating the globe. After he had wailed some time for satisfaction, the queen caused a part of Drake's booty to be restored. Notwithstanding the numerous reasons which both sovereigns had to complain, they apparently maintained a fair correspondence, and avoided an open rupture. ?hilip, finding his account more in secretly supporting the enemies of Elizabeth than in attacking her by open force, kept an ambassador at London to seize every op- portunity of injuring the queen. This ambassador, Mendnza, was at length discovered to correspond with the Scottish queen, and to be deeply implicated in the design formed by Throckmorton, and others, to deliver the Royal captive from her confinement by means of a fo- reign army; upon which, in J 584, he was ordered to Jeave the kingdom. ..The flame which had so long been smothered now broic^ (brth. A treaty which the queen concluded in 1585 with the Dutch, by which she agreed to furnish them with assi^itance in (heir struggle for independence, tended still more to inflame the enmity of the Spanish monarchy The latter, whose favorite plan of invading £ngl&ndiliad only been deferred, and not abandoned-, was f\irni«hed^ by the death of the Scottish queen, with a pretext for allempting to seat himself on (he English throne. That princess, who claimed it as her inheri«> lance,. had, it is said, made a will, by which she consti- tttttd^iilip hec heir to the crown of Engbmd, tiel only OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. ever soon put to (he exclusion of her son, James VI if he did not em* I brace the Roman Catholic religion, but to the deprivation |of the then possessor Elizabeth. Conclnved of the legality of his claim, and listening ito the dictates of enmity and ambition, Philip made vi- gorous preparations for enforcing it, though he publicly denied any intention of molesting Elizabeth. These preparations he covered with various pretences, but Eli- zabeth, than whom no monarch had better spies, or ra« ther more able ministers to procure and employ them, received undoubted information that the vast armaments of Spain were directed only against her throne and king- dom. She resolved, therefore, not to lose a moment in putting herself in a condition to oppose such a formida- ble enemy, and in 15S7 dispatched Sir Francis Drake with 30 ships (four of which were the queen's, and the rest belonged to merchants) to Cadiz, to intercept the I stores and ammunition which there lay ready to be (rans- fported to Lisbon, (he place appointed (or the rendezvous fof the Spanish fleet. Drake accordingly repaired to Cadiz, where he burn" ed and destioyed one hundred ships, mostly laden with ammunition and provisions ; then entering the Tagus, burned all tiie ships that (ell in his way, but could not provoke the grand fleet, which lay in that river, to give him battle. He then sailed to the Azore islands, where he made prize of a rich vessel from the East Indies, and hav- ing (uKilled the object of his expedition, returned (o England. ,i While Drake was thns employed in harrassing the Spaniards in Europe, Cavendish, who had been sent to make war upon them in America, entered the Sou(h Sea, by the Streights of Magellan, and plundered the coasts THE BRITISH TRIDENT; ■ ■■>] of Chill rnd Peru, from which he carried oflfan immense booty. In (he mean time« the king of Spain, upon the slen- der title of being descended from a daughter of John of Gauni, duke of Lancaster, and fourth son of Edward III. and upon the conveyance and will of the Queen of Scots; prepo<;sessed besides with that maxim of the Church of Rome, that a heretic is unworthy and in- capable of enjoying a crown ; suj>ported, moreover, by the Pope's bull, absolving Elizabeth's subjects from their oath of allegiance, and with the papal vows and prayers, he projected nothing less than the entire conquest of England and its dependencies. Elizabeth, though she look all possible care to put her kingdom in a pos- ture of defence, as well as to distress her enemy abroad, yet could not help being considerably "perplexed to see her crown at stake, and herself alone, without any ally to defend it. This was (he moment she had always dreaded from the time of her accession to the throne, and the arrival of which it had been her constant endeavor to prevent by all the artifices which her policy could suggest. Hi- therto she liad found means to employ her enemies at home, and to prevent them from directly invading Eng- land. But now the time was come, when her right to these dominions was to be exposed to the chance of war, with a very powerful enemy and competitor, who, she had just reason to fear, had many friends and cor- respondents among her Popish subjects. She likewise had great cause to apprehend that James, king of Scot- land, might join the invader, or at least favor his hos- tilities, in order to revenge the recent execution of his piother. Had that Prince been actuated by a desire 5 0B| REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. ^ [fan immense oi revenge he CCTtfainty could not have foand a fii'rer opportunity. Bui hiii prudent counsellors kept him steady to his natural interest in these kingdoms, aiid in his attachment to the Protestant religion representing to hini« that if England were subdued, Scotland would in- taiiibly be the next sacrifice at the shrine of Spanish ain- bilion. Elizabeth, however, carefully concealed her appre- hensions under this untoward situation of affairs; and, as an intelligent writer observes, if ever she discovered ability it was on this important occasion. She encou- raged her people by her looks, her resolution, her affa- bility, and that, in such a manner, as to express a con- cern for theu sakes and a disregard of her own danger. On the other hand she look all (he precautions, which circumstances and the tiroes neqaired, yet without any exercise of cruelty or arbitrary power. She conducted herself with such prudence and pre<:ence of mind as is rarely to be found even in the greatest of men» an'^ > dc» quired (he praise and admiration of all the world, who^ upon hearing of the vast preparations destined against her, gave her up for lost. For though Drake had done very great damage to the Spanish armaments, yet such a prodigious and universal preparation could not so easily be defeated. . «.. The king of Spain had, at length, armed a f!eet« which, on a presumption of its strength, he called, and engaged the Pope to bless, by the name of the Invincible Armada, It consisted of 132 large ships, which, with- out reckoning the galleasses, galleons, and pinnaces^ were together of the burden of 59*120 tons; carried 3, 1 65 pieces of brass and iron ordnance ; were manned vih 21,580 soldiers, 8,766 mariners, and 2,088 galley- 10 THE BRITISH trident; slaves'*' ; and stored with a prodigious quantity of bul> Jets, powder, field-pieces, nausicets, pikes, halberts, car- riages, horses, mules, torches, canvas, hid^s, lead, chains, . whips, butchering knives, and other instruments fit to * A book which Philip authorised to be printed, not only in Spanish, but likewise in Latin, Italian, French, Diitcli, and scvc< ral other languages, but not in English, contained among dthcr things the following account of the whole SpanisH Armada for invading England ; with the numbec of their galleons, ships, sa- bres, galcasses, galleys, and other vessels, which were assembled in the river of Lisbon, under the command of the Duke of Mediiin Sidonia ; together with the burthens of the ships, the number of land>soldiers, seamen, guns, &e. The Squadron of Portugal, consist- ^''^ ^*^ "^ ing of IV vessels, of which the* first it St. Mark, Captain-general of the Ar- mada, and 9 other galleons, and 9 sa- Tons. SoMiefs. aea«s«ni,< _ 14 galleons and S pinnaces* carry- ing 8714 ^4b9,X7i9 448 The Andalusia Squadron, consisting of in great ships, and a pinnace, car- rying- ...... 8162 2400 800 »6n t The Guipnscoa Sqnadron> consist- iifg of 10 gvcat ships, two pataches, ftttd two piunaces, carrj-ing - - - 6991 2(»9| t70 277 The Levantiscas, or Levant Squa- . dron, consisting of 10 ships, carry- ing - , - . - "- -- •»701J 2fi80 807 Sin The Squadron des Ureas, or Hulks, ^ consisting of U ships, carrying- -10271 3221 708 410 . Twelve pinnaces and sabres^ of - 1131 47> 674 1U3 OR, RBGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. It excite terror or lo serve for ostentation. To give a moru [holy sanction to this fleet, twelve of the ships were na- [nied after the twelve apostles, and it was served in spi- rituals by about one hundred and eighty monks and Je- (uitfi, volunteers, under the superintendence of Cardinal I lien, an Englishman. Such was the certainty of sue* :ess entertained by the Invaders, that there was not a loble family in Spain but what had a son, brother, or nephew, in this expedition, elated with the hope of ict}uiring riches and estates in England by right of con- I'uest. This Armada was commanded by Don Alphonso Pe« rez de Gusman, Duke of Medina Sidunia, and under lim by the best naval officers that could be found in the Ipaninh dominions. We are informed by Harris, that the daily expence of this fleet, after it had put b sea, was 32,000 ducats. Nothing but the immense i5T B6V Ud Four galeasses, of Naples, besides Tuns. Soldiers. Seamen. Guns. \,iW} slaves, carried - - . . — 873 468 3 Four galleys of Portugal, had be* ides 888 slaves - - . •» • ^ 400 i^ 20 So that there were in the said Armada one hundred and eleven ^hips, carrying 57,878 tons ; ?'S170 soldiers ; (^838 seamen j 2,088 laves ; 2,6()8 brass cannon. Besides these 111 vessels thiere w^refO small vessels, called travels, to si'fie a» tenders to the Aeet ; and likewise 10 salves or i luccas, with 6 ^ lians and surgeons, 8.5'; and /Viard^ of several orders, 180. So ihat in the whole artay were 21,500 |;ersoas, besides 2,088 galley llaves, who labored at the oar. ' '* c 12 THE BRITISH TRI01ST| quantities of (rcasure Uien pouring into Spain from the New World coum have enabled Philip lo supporl tucha charge. On the part of England, Elisabeth fitted out the best fleet she was able, under the command of Charles Lord Howard of Elfingliaro, Lord High Admiral of England, who possessed courage and activity, teiaperi;d with pru- dence and caution, and not only enjoyed the entire con* fidence of hit sovereign, but likewise the love and re- gard of the seamen of tiie Royal Navy. Under this no- bleman the Queen appointed, as Vice and Rear Admi- rals, Sir Francis Drake, Mr. John Hawking, and Mr. Martin, Forbisher, three of the best naval ofiiccrs of that age. Lord Henry Seymour was stationed on the Fie- mish coast with forty English and Dutch ships (the latter cofnmanded by Justin, of Nassau, Admiral of Holland) to pfevent the intended junction of the forces fleeted in the Netherlands with the Spanish Armada. Tlic Duke of Parma, by the orders of the Spanish monarch, had repaired to the Netherlands, where he built ships, said a great number of flat-bottomed boats, each large enough to carry thirty horses, aod having bridges fitted to thenr.' J !e hired aeamen from the eastern parts of Germany ; prepared pikes shurpetied at theextfemrty, arnied with iron, and hooked at the sfdes, (specimens of whifhare still to be seejii in th^ Tq>yer of Lop^pn) and pKOvid^ twenty thousand Ii^rfeU^ together ^vith an inAnite ggots. In the sea-port towns of Fkmders he had in readinesn' an army of thirty thousand xnieh; aintng whom were s^eii hundred English ' fugi^ tiv^s, commanded by ^tanfey;^ and the outlawed rebel tl^e E«r|pf \$^<2fiiroorelan.d. Indepepd^n^. ojf this force, 12,060 men, being part of the ar«»y^ lh«riUe«gUj9^ were OR, REOISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONt. tl brotJghf by ihc Duke of Gui>« to the coaU of Nor- maiul) ; tltese were Iniemleti f'^i a {|«»>conl on the v*»'i of England, under the cover of the Spanish Armaiia v%lien it should nrtive on the coa^t ; but (he execution of this design was providentially frus- trated. Having received intelligence that the Armada wan ready to put to sen, the Lord Hi^h Admiral, leaving Lord Henry Seymour in the narrow seal \^ith a suilubic force to awe the Dukes of Parma and Gui.ie, sailed on the 2Istof May, I58S, from (he Downs towards (he West. Being joined at Plymouth by the S |ua(lr<>n under the command of Vice Admiral Drake, on the^.'id. lie or- dered the whole fleet, then amounting to nearly 90 sail,* to be victualled and got ready for putting to sea with •The state of the Bulish Navy, at iht* end ol tiji* \tMr 1J8}L appears from Uiu fulluwutg return made by Sir JuUii linw- kias : Navy Litt, December I3th, 1'88, Vesselt Men. Tdm. a-i Of the Queen's - - - • - - 6,^.) l^..y() 4>5 Ship* serving by tonnage - - - - 2,.^9si .'j.v'?^ 38 fitted out by the City of London - L),0 6,l,.(i 18 Voluntary ships - . - - . - BVO l,";i(> 15 Victuallers 4i5 1,795 43 Coasters 9,170 4,173 The expence of equipping and maintaining this armament, from the beginning ot ^luvember, /. t. eU 1587, to the last of September, loBQ — 77,079. 14. (J. N*B. London excepted. JOHNHAVVKLVS. From the abov(i document we find that the tonnage ot ilif Spa- nish Armada was very nearly double that of the whole Na-vy of England. VOL, I. C H THE BRITISH TRIDENT; m all pos Ible expedition : upon which, setting sail froia that port, he cruized between Ushant and Sciliy to wait the coming of the enemy "^s fleet. On shore no less care was taken to provide for the public safety. Along the south coast 20,000 troops were cantoned in such a manner, that in I4f hours (he whole oi them might be assembled at any point where there -Jwas a probability of the eneroy^s land- ing. A second army of 22,000 foot, and 1000 hiir^e, was encamfied under the command of the £ad of Leicester, at Tilbury* where the queen was ple&sed to come in person to review them, and to animate them by a most gracious and affectionate speech to the soldiers in thecamp. There was likewise a third army of 36,000 men, under the command of Lord Hunsdon, which was peculiarly charged to defend her Majesty's person. The Queen also ordered a body of militia to be well armed in each county, and to be pui under pro- per leaders, with directions to join one another as occasion should require. Independent of the force kept up at the public charge, almost every nobleman and gen* tleman maintained a body of troops at his own private expence. The sea- ports, of the greatest importance, were fortified as well as the lime would permit, and or- ders were issued to lay waste the country round about where the enemy might land ;. so that they might be de- prived of all subsistence but what they brought with them. These dispositions relieved the people ad much from the just apprehensions they might otherwise have en- tertained of the impending danger, that instead of dis- may, uncommon joy and alacrity appeared in ever;' coun- tenance. They murmured at no expences, but each in* dividual rejoiced in the thoughts of contributing, ac- OK, RBGISTER O? NAVAL ACTIONS. 13 cording (o his abii.ty, towards the defence of his country, his liberties, and his sovereign. This zea!, though ge- neral throughout the- whole nation, was displayed in a striking manner by the city of London, which being re- €]uested to assist her Majesty, at this critical juncture, with 3,000 men and 15 ships tn addition to the large sums they had already lent herj generously furnished double the number requested against the common enemy of their religion and liberty.* * The following is an extract from a curious MS. in the Bri- tish Museum, containing n statement of the naval aid afifurded by the city of London on this oacasiun : — Shippes sette foc^th and paide, uppon the c^iarge of the C'Utie of London, in Anno, 15B8. ShipflL A^ei. The Hercules 1^0 George Barne TheTobie. 100 Robert Barrett The May .flower 90 Edmund Banke TheMynyon ' 90 John Dale The Royal Defence 80 John Chester TbeAssention ...c ItX) John Bacon TheGyfteofGod 80 Thomac Luntluwe The Pry merose 90 Robert Bringboue The Margaret and John ...... 90 John Fisher The Goldep. Lion 70 Robert W ilcox The Diana 40 ■ The B. Barre 70 John Sarracole The Teiger 90 William Casar The Braay •.... 70 William Fenthoe The Redd Lion 90 Sarius Wilde TheCenturyon 100 Samuel Foxcrafte The Moon-shin 30 John Broughe " The Tho. Bonneventure 70 William Aldridgt The Retyfe 30 John Kinge The George Noble . • . ^. 80 H. BelluighaiA c2 16 THE BRITISH TRI&ENT; At lergfh, on the 29ih of May, 1588, the Armada siifed from ihe Tagu-?, but was soon tlispersed by a violent storm wind) damaged ihe Spanish ships, but did not, however, pieveni them from assembling again at iho Grojne ihc foilowing day. The account o*> this disaster soon reached England, but it was so much exag- gerated, lliat^ apprehending the Spanish fleet to be to- tally destroyed, the ministry, in lli^ queen's name, or- dered Secretary VValsingham to write to tlie Lord Ad- miral to send four of his largest ships into port. He, however, took the liberty to disobey this injunction; allcdging the great danger of putting themselves off their guard, in a matter of such importance, when they had IV) better autliority than report; and adding, that he would rather keep the ships at his own charge than ex- pose the nalior. to such great hazard. Having dispatched some light vessels to reconnoitre the coa-^ts of England, France, and Spain, and bein^ as# su-ed that there was no. enemy at sea, the lord admiral resclved, with the advice of his council, to take advan- tage of the next northerly wind, in order, either to com- Ships. Tlie Autlioiiye 60 TbeTohie 70 ThcSalemander 60 Th? Rose Lvon 50 The Antellopp 60 Tlic rcrrett 60 The Paunch 70 The Providence 60 The Dolphin ,., 70 £9 Ship,>cs an(* BRr;]He9, 2140 TUc City also raised «:i,0<)0 Soldiers. Men. George Harper Cltrist. Pigotte — Damt'ord Bar. Acton Deiiison — — — Rowele Witiiain Bottler Richard Chestet William Haz« €R, REGISTBK OP NAVAL ACTIONS. ^7 pTete the destruction of the enemy's fleet, shodd it be already disabled^ or In ascertain its real condiiion. This determination he executed on the 8th of July,, and on the 1 01 h he had arrived within 40 leagues of the Spanish coa^l. Here finding, by good information* that (he Ar- mada had nrtt sustained the damage that had been repor- ted, he availed himseU of a south wind to return imme" dialely to the channel, lest the enemy might arrive there before him On the 12st, he, with his whole fleet, reach* ed the harbor of Plymouth. According to the plan which had been formed by the king of Spain, the Armada was to sail to the coast opposite to Dunkirk and Nieuport ; after being joined there by the Duke of Parma's forces, it was to sail to the Thames, and the whole army being disembarked was to march directly for London, in order to make a speedy and entire conquest of the kingdom. Conform* ably to this plan, Philip gave orders to the Duke of Me« dina, that when he came to the mouth of the English channel, he should keep as close as possible to the French coast to avoid meeting with the English fleet, or, at any rate, if he should fall in with it, to act only on the defen- sive. The Spanish commander, however, being decei- ved by the statement of an English fisherman who had been taken and carried into the Groyne, and who said that the English, upon the report that the Spaniards were disabled from prosecuting their design that year, had recalled their fleet and discharged their sailors, determined to deviate from his instructions. Con- ceiving it extremely easy to surprize and desti'oy the English ships in the harbor, he sailed directly for Ply- mouth. c3 )« THE BBITISV trident; ! A week after tlie Lord Admiral's return to port, he received infelligtrce from ''nc of his advice-boats that tlje Armada wa^offlhe Lizard. The Spaniards misla- kii.g ihal point for llie Rym-Head, near Plymouth, stood offto sea with the intention of returning the nekt morn- ing, to attack the English ships in the port. The wind leing at south, and sometiuies shifting to south-west, ahiiost blocked up the English navy in PI) mouth harbor, wluch uaii a great mortification to the Admiral. How- ever, with great difficulty, and the utmost exertions,. he encouraging tlie seamen to labor, not only by bis pre- sence, but by working himself like the meanest man amor.g them, he got most of his ships warped out of the ha;b(»r by next morning early, and there waited the ap- proijch ol ihe enen.y, whose fleei was discovered to we up the channel under full sail. The English were rotdaui leil b) the tremendous appearance, and the exr (raoidii ary magnitude of the hostile ships; but yet the Lord Aumlral gave orders to avoid a close engagement, and U> lei the eiiemy pass by, that he might gam the wind of them, and attack them in tlie lear. On Sunday July 21st, the English fleet, consisting in the v%lioU- of about one hundred ships, having got the wind of the S[ aniards, the Lord Admiral ordered the sloop Defiance to advance and begin the attack-by the discharge of all her guns Tliis \yas immediately secon- ded by himself in t'le A THE BRITISH TP ">E!IT; h a council of vrar the preceding day: inMead of tvhich he had been engaged in chasing five German merchant-ship?, which he mistook for enemien. In consequence of this error, the fleet having no h'ghts Hbr its direction, was obliged to lie to all that night. The Spanish Admiral finding himself unmolested, spent the whole of the 22d. in the regulation of his fleet. He commanded Alphonso de Leva to bring the first and last squadrons together, and then assigning each ship her station in battle, according to the plan agreed on in Spain, he enjoined their respective commanders to observe that order, on pain of death. He, likewise, dispatched ano- ther messenger to accelerate the motions of the Duke of Parma, and to inform him of his near approach, and of the slate of the navy. A Dutch gunner, to revenge the affronts he had recei- Ted from the Spaniards, who had ravished his wife and daughter, this day blew up the ship of Michael de Oquendo, of about 800 tons ; and most of the crew pe- rished. The remains of the ship were condemned, as unfit for service, by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who, having taken out the men, and other things of value, ordered her to be turned adrifl. This being perceived l)y the Admiral, he took possession of her, and ordered a small bark to tow her into Weymouth. The night of the 22d proved very calm, and the enemy's four galeasses sepaYating themselves from the rest of the fleet, led to a suspic ion thai they designed io attack some of the smaller ships, which had not yet c6me up v^ith the English fleet ; but their courage failed them, and they attempted nothin'i;. On the 23d, however Ij^ break of day, the Spaniards tacked about, with the wjnd at N. or N. £, and bore OB, RtGTSTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. fit down upon ihe Ent^lish, who presently lacked likewise, and stood lo the W. or N. W. and, after several at- tempts on both sides to gain the weather-gage, I hey at length came to another engagement ; which was con- ducted wiih ><()me di'iorder and various success. In one place the Eiigh>.h; with undaunLed courage, rescued sumo ships of London which were surrounded by the Spani- ards; and the latter, with equal bravery, delivered in another place their admiral, Recalde, from the hands of the English. In point of size, the English vessels were found to possess a decisive advantage ; for the shot from the large, high-built Spaniith ships flew over the heads of the EngHsh without doing much execution. Being, besides, so much less than the Spanish, they were infi- nitely more nimble and better sailers; they attacked and retreated, gave broadsides,, and sheered off again, while the enemy's massive vessels, being two clumsy for these manoeuvres, lay like butts for the English, agairvst which they could scarcely miss their ^im. This determined the Lord Admiral not to attempt to grapple with, or to board their ships, which were so superior to his in bulk, nui;nber, and hands,; but only to advance within musket* shot, and to pour his great .>hot into their enormous hulls. The fight was, this day, continued with great bravery, from morning till night, the Lord Admiral being always in the hottest of the engagement ; during which a large Venetian ship, and several smaller vessels, were taken. On the 24 :h neither parly seemed disposed to renew the fight. The Spaniards were desirous of gaining time in order that they might be recruited by the additional forc^ under the Duke of Parma; and the English were already in want of ammunition, so that Sir Waller Rap 2e TRE BRITISH TXIDENT; leigh, who volunteered his services on board the fleet, femarks in his Essays: '* Many of our great guns stood but as cyphers and scare-crow ».'* We, however, find that there was some skirmishing between fuur of the enemy's great galeasses and some of the English ships without any advantage. But the Lord Admiral, having leceived a supply of powder and ball from the land, re« lolved to attack the enemy's fleet with his nimblest ships in the dead of the ensuing night ; and had he not been prevented by a calm, the consequences would, doubtless, jMve been fatal to the Spaniards. This calm, however, proved the cause of a warm en» (^agement on the fellbwing day. The St^ Ann> a large Portuguese galleon, being prevented by it from joining the fleet, then opposite to the Isle of Wight, fell inta the hands of Captain John Hawkins. Three Spanish galeasses attempting to rescue her were so warmly re- ceived by the Lord Admiral, in the Ark, and XiOrd Tho- mas Howard, in the Golden Lion, that one of them iPTas obliged to be carried away on the careen, another bad her lanthorn cut away by a shot frokA the Ark, and the third lost her peak-head in the same manner. Du- ring this smart engagement the rest of both fleets were only spectators, their approach being prevented by the calm. The Ark and the Lion had been obliged to be towed to the galleasses with their long boats. At length a gale springing up, the Spanish fleet advanced to rescue their galleasses^ in which they succeeded, though not till the latter had sustained considerable in- jury. . The Spanish Admiral now dispatched another mes- senger to hasten the junction of the Duke of Parma «s much as possible, and to demand a supply of large OR* KECISTVR OP NAVAL ACTIONS. «r Khot for the fleet. Wiiile he pufkued his course towards FJaiuiers, the Lord Admiral knighled Lord Thomas Howard, Lord SheiBeld, Captain John Hawkin.s and Captain Marlm Forhit manner to send out 40 t)y -boats immediately to their assistance^ and to put to sea wi^h his army. That Prince, however, found it impracticable to put to sea, without consigning his fleet and army to certain destruction; but as the Armada was now so r;ear him, he marched 10,000 men towards Dunkirk, intending to put them on board the Spanish vessels. This information being conveyed to the Lord Admiral, who apprehended ill consequences from the enemy's receiving such a powerful reinforce- ment, it was resolved in a council of war to make a bold push for their destruction. Acct)rdingly, in the dead of the night of the 28th, eight flre-ships were sent, under the conduct of Young and Prowse, into the midst of the Armada. Their pro- digiei^s blaze tilled the whole fleet with the greatest consternatioQ. Conceiving them to be of the same nature with the destructive machines which had been recently employed at the si^ge of Antwerp, they were seized with such a panic, that they raised a most hide- ous outcry,, cut their cables, shpped their anchors, and OU, REGISTER Of NAV^^L ACTIONS. S5 put (o sea with the utmost hurry and confusion. On Ihii occasion a large gailcassi called by some writers the Admiral, and by others the chief Galeas^ and com- manded by Don Hugo de Mon9aao, fell foul of another ship, lost her rudder, and struck upon the sands before Calais. The next day Sir Amias Preston, with one hundred men in a long boat, falling in with this vessel, carried her, after an obstinate resirtance, in which the captain was shot through the head. The English boarded her, killed or drove overboard 400 of the crew, released 300 galley slaves, and made prize of 22,000 ducals of gold, which were afterwards shared among the sailors, besides taking out of her 1 i chesls of rich moveables, and several prisoners of distinction. While they were occupied tn plundering the vessel, M. Goufdon, the governor of Calais, sent to claim the ship, guns, and stores, as a wreck, but tiie tars dis- regarding his message, lie directed the artillery of the place to be discharged, with a view to intimidate them, which produced the desired effect. The Spanish . Admiral had in the mean time returned to his station, and made a signal for the rest of his fleet to do the same. To this some paid i)o regard, while others endeavored to re&ch the rendezvous off Grave- lines. Here they were attacked and broken through by Drake and Hawkins, with several ships belonging (o I their squadrons. Thi Lord Admiral, the Earl of Cum- berland, Lord ShefBeld, and Lord Thomas Howard, likewise had a share in this action. Durii>g the com- bat four English ships furiously battered a huge galleon, Ibut the Spaniards behaved with such gallantry (hat they |brougbt her off to the rest of the fleet, soon after which she sunk, VOL. 1. D 2^ THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Tlie following day, July 29th, Lord Henry Seymour, ■nd Sir William Winter, engaged the St. Philip and tlio St. Matthew, two of the largest gallecni in the whole Armada, and drove them ashore near OMend, where, being disabled, (hey were seized, and their crewi made prisoners by the Dutch. In short, wherever the Engliih could discover the enemy's ships, they pursued and at- tacked them with such vigor, that some were tank, others were driven on shore, and all much damaged. The object of this expedition being thus completely defeated, the Spanish admiral, early on the rooming of the 3 1 st, endeavored, with those fihips that were able to keep the sea, to retreat through th: S REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS* 29 even to the value of a candlestick, (pointing at one that stood upon the altar) and utterly ruin Elizabeth and England, or else himself and all Spain become tributary to her." This latter account certainly appears most conformable to the fiery spirit and superstitious bigotry of the Spanish monarch. Diego Fiorez de Valdez, who had persuaded the duke to break the king's instructions, was, by his order, apprehended and confined in the caslle of St. Andrea; after which he was never seen or heard of. It is probable that the Duke of Medina him- self would have made a similar exit upon his arrival in Spain, had not his lady possessed sufHcient influence over the king to divert his indignation. Such was the fate of Philip's boasted armament — a fate that has proved a salutary and an awful lesson to the ambitious powers of the Continent, none of whicfi has since been so hardy as to repeat the attempt. How soon our Gallic foes, flushed with the hope of the plunder of subjugated Britain, doubtless provided likewise with " store of chains, of whips, and butchering^knives/' may be inclined to make the experiment, it is impossible to determine. This, however, we know, that come when they will, they will find the nation pervaded by tlie same spirit, which, two centuries since, animated the bosoms of our valiant forefathers ; they will find that we are not the degenerate sons of renov/ned sires, but that while the same vigor nerves each arm, the same un- daunted patriotism and love of independence fills every heart. d3 30 OF THE VARIOUS EXPEDITIONS AGAINST CORUNNA, THE AZORES, THE WEST INDIES, AW0 OTHIK NATAL OFIBATIONS TOWARDS THE CONGLVSIoW OF OV££N ELIZABSTU'S BXION. .Expedition against the Groyne and Lisbon. Expedition against the Azores. Sufferings of the English on their return. A ■Squadron dispatched to intercept jthe Plate Fleet. U^icoromoa Bravery of Sir Richard Greenville. Actions i.i the West- In- dies and Mediterranean. Raymond and Lancaster's Voyage to the East-Indies. The Ear! of Cumberland's Expedition to the Azores. Expeditions of Newport and King. Attack on Brest. Descent of the Spaniards in Cornwall, Hawkins' and Prake's Expedition to the West- Indies. Cadiz taken by the English. Expedition against Ferrol, &c. The Earl of Cum- berland's Proceedings in the West Indies. First Vo3rage on account of the East-India Company. Valuable Prize taken by Sir R. Levison and Sir W. Monson. Actioh in the Channel. Death of Queen 'Elizabeth, and Reflections cm her Reign. JBY the destruction of Philip's proud Armada, Eliza- beth was left at liberty to concert measures for carrying the terror of her arms into the Spanish dominions. Ac- cordingly, in the spring of 1589, a fleet was equipped for an expedition against Portugal, then subject to th« Spanish crown, and the command of it was given to Sir Francis Drake, and Sir John Norris. Only six of the ships composing this fleet were furnished by the queen, the rest being fitted out at the expence of the commanders and other private individuals, so that this may be denominated the greatest privateering expedi- REOISTEa OP NAVAL ACTIONS. SI tion that ever was undertaken. The states of Holland voluntarily dispatched some vessels to act in conjunclioi) with the British armament, which, having taken on board Antonio, the dethroned king of Portugal, to strengthen their manifestoes with his claim, sailed from Plymouth on the 1 8th of April. The fleet consist- ed of 26 men of war, and 140 transports, having on board 14,(X)0 soldiers, and 4000 sailors. The first object of this expedition was Corunna, or, as it is more commonly called, the Groyne, situated on the coast of Spain, in the province of Gallicia. Here the fleet arrived, after a passage of a few days. The soldiers being landed, were met about half a mile from the town by the enemy, whom they drove back to the gates of the place. The next day, having attacked the lower town, both by land and sea, they carried it by storm, took prisoners the governor apd other persons of distinction, and burned a great quantity of ammunition and provisions, which had been collected there for a new expedition against England. A dreadful slaughter was mad<9 among the enemy ; but their ^^uccess proved fatal to many of the English troops, who, by drinking immo- deratily of the new wines, perished of fluxes, and other diseases occasioned by their intemperance . During these operations on the shore, the Spaniards theniselves set Are to a very large ship in the harbour, which continued burning two days. They likewise abandoned several other vessels, to assist in the defence of the upper town, where they made such a gallant re- sistance, that the English forces, who were supported by only three pieces of cannon, were obliged to raise the siege. The adjacent country was, in the mean time, ravaged by a detachment^ under Col. fiuntley, whp Sd THE BRITISH TRIDENT; brought a great number of cows and sheep into the camp. Being inforitted that an army of 8000 Spaniards, which was in hourly expectation of considerable rein- forcements, was on its march to relieve the town, the English general. Sir John Norris, hastened to meet them with only nine regiments, leaving Sir Francis Drake to guard the artillery, and to maintain the post already gained from the enemy. Sir John divided his detachment into three bodies, and, coming up with the Spaniards, he charged them so vigorously that they were completely defeated, and fled to a stone bridge, over a creek of the sea, beyond which they had a camp strong- ly intrenched. The English troops followed up their advantage, pursiied the enemy over the bridge, and made themselves masters of the camp; three thousand of the Spaniards were killed in the pursuit, and their principal standard fell into the hands of the conquerors. On the part of the English, this victory was attended with a very inconsiderable loss. .*» Having plundered and burned all the adjacent vil- lages, and the enemy's camp, in which they found great quantities of ammunition, plate, &c. it was resolved to set Are to the lower town, and to re-^mbark the troops without resuming the siege. This object was happily effected, en the 8th of May, without the loss of a single man. The fleet then proceeded toward the coast of Portugal, and was joined on the Way by another squar dron, under the command of the Ear! c/ Essex, who, ambitious of glory, had fltted it out at his own expence, without the queci/s knowledge. Thus reinforced, they arrived on the I6lh before Peniche^ a small seaport town, where> having landed OB, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 33 his troops, Sir John Norris obliged the ca$tle to surren- der to Don Antonio, and (hen marched forward to Lis^ bon, where he arrived on the 25th, after having defeat- ed several parties of the enemy by the way. It had been previously agreed, that Sir Francis Drake, with the fleet, should sail up the Tagus, and join the land forces at Lisbon. This part of the plan, however, failed. Drake was detained in his passage by taking sixty sail of ships, belonging to the Hans towns, laden with war* like stores for the enemy, and by reducing the castle and town of Cascais, situated near the mouth of the Tagux. ^ir John had, meanwhile, gained possession of the su- burbs of St. Catharine, on the west side of the city ; but finding himself in want of artillery, to attempt <» for- mal siege, and being disappointed of the co«operation of (he fleet, it was^resolved, in a council of war, to retire. The troops, therefore, withdrew to Cascais, without re- ceiving any molestation from the garrison, though the latter was more numerous than the English army. Here they re-embarked, but had no sooner set sail, than they were attacked by twenty of the enemy's gallies, which they soon obliged to sheer off. On the voyage homewards. Admiral Drake pat into Vigo, and burned that town, while the soldiers ravaged the adjacent country. The fleet then weighed anchor again, and arrived in England, in the beginning of July, with 150 pieces of cannon, taken from the enemy, and a large booty, part of which was divided among the sear men. Though this private expediiion demonstrated the weakness of the Spaniards, and raised the reputation of the English arms, yet it cost the lives of about 6000 sol- diers and seamen, who were cut off, not by the sword of the enemy, but b^ the imqaoderate use of fruits, pro- 54 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; bably unripe, ai^ by the diseases incident to the ch'- mate. The vessels belonging to the Hans towns were like- wise brought to England. The queen at first intended to confiscate their cargoes only ; but hearing that an ex- traordinary meeting of the deputies of those towns had been held at LUbeck, to consider of the mode of retaliating on the English government, she made prisse of all but two, which were released in order to carry home the news of the misfortune of their companions. This, however, was not the only armament dispatch* ed this year to harass the Spaniards. About the mid- dle of June, the Earl of Cumberland sailed from Ply^ nouth« wiih four ships equipped at his own expence, against the Azores. On the coast ot Spain he fell in with thirteen ships belonging io the Hans towns, which he captured, and on the 1 st of August came in sight of 4he island of St. Michael. In order to execute a design, which he had formed against two ships then lying in the road, the Earl hoisted Spanish colours. The vessels were cut adrift before the enemy were aware of their danger; but many of the crews leaping into the sea, and making a great outcry, alarmed the town, upon which several shot were fired at the boats ; but they brought off the ships without receiving any injury. The English squadron then proceeded to Fayal, ano- tber.of the Azores, where observing some Spanish ships in the harbour, they resolved to repeat the experiment they had so successfully tried at St. Michael's. Tiie boats were accordingly dispatched in the night, but the noise of the oars giving the Spaniards the alarm, they fired a broadside, aiming at the boats from the direction of the noise, but missed them. . The English sailors I OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 35 boarded the admiral's ship, where being opposed by a far superior force they were obliged to retire with loss. Meeting, however, with another vessel, mounting eigh^ teen guns, they attacked and carried her; and after tow* ing the ship out of the reach of, the guns of the fort, they again returned to the road. Here, notwithstand- ing the fire kept up by the castle, and some guns brought down to the shore to annoy them, they made prize of seven other ships lying in the road, of which three were of great value. Emboldened by this success, they landed, and enter- ed the town without opposition, the Spaniards having, upon their approach, abandoned both it and the fort, without striking a blow. Out of the fort they took 53 pieces of cannon, and agreed to spare the churches, and religious houses, for a ransom of 2000 ducats, which was principally paid out of the church plate. From Fayai the Earl of Cumberland again sailed to St. Michael's, and afterwards to St. Mary's, where he took two vessels, laden with sugar from Brasil, and a rich ship, under the guns of the castle. The latter, however, cost them very dear; for Sir Will'am Monson, who was second in command, writes, that the Earl himself was wounded in the side ; received three shots in his target ; was so wounded in the head with stones, that his face was entirely covered with blood ; both that, and his legs being likewise burned with granadoes; and two thirds of the men were either killed or wounded. This was but the prelude to greater hardships and^ misfortunes. Having now made more prizes and pri- soners than they could conveniently manage, it was re- solved to proceed homewards. Captain Lester was dispatched before, with the richest of the Spanish ves- ^ THE BRITISH TRIDEMX; %eh, but wa . unfortunately wrecked io Mount's Bay. on the coast Cornwall, when the whole crew, ex- cepting five or six persons, perished. The Earl him- self with hfs company, endured the complicated mise- ries of a long famine, hazard of sliipwreck, and want of fresh water. The stock being at length quite ex- hausted, they had nothing but vinegar left, and of this each man was confined to the allowance of three spoon- fuls a day. Destitute of every other resource, they greedily caught the drops of rain and hail which fell from heaven, in sheets and napkins, extended for that purpose. ** The extremity we endured,*' says Sir Wil- liam Monson in his Tracts, " was more terrible than bcfel any ship in the eighteen years' war; for laying aside the continual expectation of death by shipwreck, and the daily mortality of our men, I will speak of our famine, that exceeded all men and ships I have known in the course of my life. For sixteen days together we never tasted a drop of drink, either beer, wine, or water; and though we had plenty of beef and pork, of a year's salting, yet did we forbear eating it for making us the drier.*^ Many drank salt water, and those that did died suddenly ; and the last words they usually spake were, ' Drink, drink, drink !" In this situi^tion the commander and his whole crew must have perished, had it not been for the seasonable relief obtained from an English vessel they accidentally fell in with, by which they were enabled to recoh the coast of Ireland. In all these extremities the Earl maintained his equality of temper and presence of mind, avoiding no part of the distress endured even by the meanest seaman under his command. In the ye?.' 1390, the affairs of England were so OR) REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 37 01*8 Bay, few, ex- ilarl him- ted mise- ind want quite cx- td of this ■ee spoon- irce, they which fell d for that s Sir Wil- rrible than for laying shipwreck, eak of our ave known )gelher we wine, or id pork, of [for making those that y usually lis situs^tion |e perished, ined from with, by of Ireland, is equality no part of man under prosperous, that Eiiscabeth saw her enemies in no con- dition to give her fresh inolesialion from abroad, while the interior peace of her dominions was so well con- firir^d, and the hearts of her loyal subjects so steadily ittached to her interest by the late attempts of (he King of Spain, that she had nothing to fear. With a wise policy she, however, resolved to keep up a powerful fleet, ready to put to sea at the shortest notice, and lo maintain the fortifications of her towns and sea-ports i(i a respectable state of defence. The following year, 1391, is memorable for the expe- dition to intercept the Spanish Plate fleet ; for Ray- mond and Lancaster's expedition to the East-Indies; and some other naval transactions of inferior impor- tance. Lord Thomas Howard, second son of the Duke of Norfolk, was dispatched to the Azores, with a squa- dron composed of seven of the queen's ships,* as many fitted out by private individuals, and a few pinnaces, with orders to wait ofl' those islands for the Spanish Plate fleet. After hovering about for six months on the coast of Floras, on the very eve of the Plate fleet's arrival, he was surprised by a squadron of 53 £ail of men of war, sent by the King of Spain, under the command * These were the following : Defiance, of 50U tous, and 250 men ; Admiral Lord l*homaa Howard. Revenge j Vice Admiral Sir Richard Greenville. Nonpareil, 5U0 tons, 250 men ; Sir Richard Denny. Bonaventure, 600 tons, 250 men j Capt. Cross. Liun, .500 tons, 250 men; Ca|)i. C eorge Fenner. Foresight, 300 tons, 160 men ; Capt. Thomas Vavasor* Crane, 200 tons, 100 men} Gapt DufiuM. VOL, I. S 3B THE ORITISH TRIDBNT, of Don Antonio Bassano, to protect anrf convoy homt his galleons. This fleet came so unexpectedly on Lord Howard, that it was with great diffirully he could put out to sea, more than half of his men being sick, and unfit for service. On this occasion, the commander of one of the Eng* lish vessels exhibited an instance of gallantry, fortitude* and perseverance, which is unparalleled in the annalt either of this, or any other country. Captain Greenville, in the Revenge, was cut off from the rest of the English shipf;, and pent up between the island of Flores and the hostile fleet. In this despe- rate situation he gallantly attempted to break through, and though he had 90 sick men on board, he maintained an obstinate contest of fifteen hours with the best of the Spanish ships. During this engagement he was laid a- board, at one and the same time, by the St. Philip, a ship of 78 guns, and by four more of the largest vessels in the fleet ; some carrying 200, others 300, and others 800 soldiers, besides seamen, who, though they several limes boarded him, were as often repulsed, and driven overboard. He never bad less than two largo galleons by his side, and these were, from time to time, relieved by fresh ships, men, and ammunition ; so that between the hours of three in the afternoon, and day-light the next morning, this single ship maintained a close tight ■with fifteen of the most powerful vessels in the Spanish ^eet, sunk some of them, particularly one of the great galleons, and the admiral of the hulks, and obliged the r6st to sheer ofl^. Her intrepid commander, though wounded in the be- ginning of the engagementi kept the upper deck till an^ i- ■ } I «i*w" was cut off up between n ihis despc- eak through, e maintained le best of the le wa^ laid a- 5 St. Philip, a argest vessels 10, and others they several , and driven large galleons ime, relieved that between dav-lighl the a close fight |in the Spanish of the great id obliged the ( r \ >-v-. V \ •• ^■* -lii m:^: \ ■Hr's" -':?«fe''j>rr";^^-^^ ' OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 39 hour before midnight, when., receiving a wound in his body from a musket ball, he went below to have his wound dressed. There, while he was under the sur- geon's hands, he received another shot in his head, and the surgeon was killed by his side. At length, having lost his bravest men, his ship bdng much disabled, the masts split, the deck covered with dead and wounded, and the powder spent to the very last barrel, he endea- voured to persuade the oHTicers to sink the ship, with all on board of her. Though he could not induce them to adopt this expedient, yet they resolved to die in their own defence rather than submit to dishonourable con- ditions; and notwithstanding their wretched situation, they did not surrender till they had obliged the Spaniards to promise them their lives and liberty. At tHis time the wreck had 6 feet water in the hold, three shot under water badly stopped, all her masts carried by the board, her tackle quite ruined, and her upper works, and the whole vessel, laid almost even with the water. She had been engaged, not only with the 15 ships that board- ed her, but in reality by turns with the whole fleet of 53 vessels; and liad received, upon a moderate com- putation, 800 cannon shot, and withstood the tire of nearly 10,000 soldiers and seamen ; and this with only one hundred men, being the total number fit for duly at the commencement of the action. The Spaniards, by their own confession, lost above 1000 men, and several officers of distinction. Of tlie crew of the Revenge, about sixty survived this glorious affair; and among these there was not a man but carried off one or more wounds, as honourable memorials of their courage and intrepidity. The gallant Sir Richard Greenville was E 2 40 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; removed on board the Spanish admiral, where, two days afterwards, he died of his wounds.* In the mean time Lord Howard, with his little squa- dron, hovered about the Spanish fltet, and could scarcely be persuaded by his officers from running into the midst of the enemy, and continuing the engagement. In his passage homeward, however, he picked up several rich Spanish ships, of sufficient value to defray the ex pence of the expedition, and to make ample compensation for the loss of the Revenge. That ship, five days after she was taken, foundered at sea, with two hundred Spa- niards on board, in a storm, in which about thirty of the Spanish vessels were wrecked on the coasts of the Azores; so that in this voyage, the loss of the enemy exceeded 10,000 men. In the West-Indies, Sir George Carcw, cruizing with ihree of the queen's ships, fell in with eight sail of Spa- fkish vessels, four of which were ships of war, conside* rably superior to his in size and force. Notwithstand- ing this disproportion, and the shameful desertion of the other two ships. Sir George defended himself with the utmost bravery against the united attacks of the Spani- ards, whom, after a running fight of fifteen hours, he at length compelled to sheer off. In the Mediterranean an action, not less brilliant, was maintained by a merchant vessel, the Centurion, in the * The last words which Si' Richard spoke, were in the Spanish * language td the following effect : " Here die I, Richard Green- ville, with a joyful and quiet mind, because I have ended my life as a true soldier ought to do, fighting for his country, queen, religion, and honour ; my soul willingly departing from this body, leaving hchind ihe lasting fame of having behaved as every valiant soldier is in duty bound to do." OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 41 Turkey trade, commanded by Mr. Robert Bradsliaw, Returning to England he was allacked, near the streights of Gibraltar, by five Spanish gallies, carrying 1000 men; these immediately grappled the Centurion, two on each side, and one astern ; but the gallant Brad- shaw, with only 48 men, and two boys, defended him- self with such obstinacy, that he obliged the enemy to sheer off, after losing a great number of men. The Centurion hadonly four killed, and ten wounded. The next ilay she fell in with six other Spanish ship"*, which, notwithstanding her disabled situation, durst not ven- ture to attack her. ^ The voyage of Raymond and Lancaster, undertaken this year, to the East-Indies, laid the foundation of that extensive and flourishing commerce which has since added so much to the opulence and importance of the British empire. Those able seamen sailed from Ply- mouth, with three ships, on the lOlh of April, On the 1st of August, their crews being very sickly, they put into Saidanha Bay, 15 leagues northward of (he Cape of Good Hope, and reserving 1 98 men to navigate two of the ships, they sent back to England the third, called the Royal Merchant, with about 60 invalids. Having procured an abundant supply of water and provisions, they set sail, and doubled the Cape, but were separated, off Cape Corientes, by a violent storm, in which the Penelope, the admiral's sh.p, foundered, and every crea- ture on board perished. The gale was succeeded by a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning, by which' four seamen on board the only remaining ship, the Ed- ward Bonaventure, commonly called the Rear Admiral, were killed on the spot. Of the rest ot the crew, 9 !• in number, some were struck blind, and others lame, e3 i^!2 THE tRlTISK TMIDEI^T) while Others were seized with excruciating pains, and vomiting of blood. The main-mast was shivered from top to bottom, and iron spikes, driven ten inches into the timber, were melted. Undaunted by these mi-sfor- tunes, Lancaster steered to the Comorro Islands, where 30 of the crew were murdered by Oie savages, while employed in taking in water. The ship's company was flow reduced to thirty^three men, whose spirits Lancas- ter contrived to keep up during the winter, at Zanzibar, on the coast of Melinda, in such a manner, that on their way from that country to Tndia, they attacked and took several ships ; among which was one of 250 tons, and another of 700 tons, carrying 1 6 brass cannon, and belonging to the Portuguese. They then proceeded (o Ceyk>n, Sumatra, and other islands, when the captain, considering the weakness of the crew, fearing lest he should want provisions, but above all, apprehensive of a mutiny among his men, resolved to return home; doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and touched at St. Helena for refreshments. Proceeding before the trade- wind, he was then carried to a small uninhabited island, near Porto Rico, in the West-Indies, where he went on shore with the greatest part of the crew, leaving only the carpenter, with five men and a boy, to take care of the ship. These, taking advantage of a ^vourable wind, cut the cable, and brought the ship in safety to England, leaving the captain and his companions on shore, in the utmost distress and misery ; from which ihiiy were not relieved till the year 1594, when they were found by the crew of a French ship, in which they were brought to England. In the year 1692, the Spaniards sustained considera™ ble injury from several expeditions, fitted out by the 6 OR, REGISTER OF NAVAt ACTIONS, 49 queen's permission, and partly aX her expehce. The Earl of Cumberland determined to venture upon a fifth voyage, but being wind-bound for three months at Ply- mouth, his design of attacking the outward-bound Spa- nish carracks was frustrated. He therefore transferred the chief command of the expedition to Captain Norton, with directions to'proceed to the Azores. A few days after the departure of the ships, they fell in with a valua* ble Portuguese ship, which they made prize of, and sent to England. Continuing their course, they discovered, off the Azores, another rich carrack, of the same na- tion, which crowded all her sails, and endeavoured to make the port of Angra, in Tercera ; but being inter- cepted in her flight by an English vessel, which lay in wait for that purpose, she tacked about for the road of Lagonova, on the southern extremity of Flores; and would orobably have Njached it had not a violent storm arisen, by which she was driven ashore, and wrecked. The Portuguese lost no time in landing such part of her cargo as they were able to save ; our ships being kept off at sea by the violence of the weather. As soon as the storm abated, the English, however, hoisting out their boats, landed, and with great difficulty seized a conside- rable portion of the goods ; frighted away the inhabi- tants of the neighbouring town, and returned on board laden with plunder. About a month afterwards, the same adventurers fell in with the Madre de Dios, a rich ship, large, and well- armed. A desperate engagement ensued for about an hour and a half, when victory declared for the English. The cargo of this vessel was thought to be the most valu- able ever taken from the Spaniards. The Earl of Cum- berland was not permitted by the queen to divide any- 44 THE HRITISH TRIDENT; part of it for his own share j but she ordered 36,0001. to be paid to that spirited nobleman, to defray his extraor- dinary expences in promoting the expedition. - About the same time Mr. Christopher Newport, and Captain King, set out ; (he former for the West-India islands, and the latter for the gulf of Mexico. Newport, with three ships and a pinnace, took a Por- tuguese vessel of 300 tons, bound from Guinea to Car- thagena, on the coast of Dominica. He then proceeded to the south coast of Hispaniola, or St. Domingo; took another ship, having on board 22 jnrs of copper money; landed, and sacked the town of Ocoa ; and after two smart skirmishes, took and burned the town of Yaquana, and the village of Aquava, on the N. W. part of the same island. The little victorious squadron then stood for the Bay of Honduras, where they made prize of a iSpdnish ship, within shot of the castle. With their boats they cut out four frigates, riding at anchor before the town of Puerto de Cavallos, in spite of a hot fire that was kept up during the whole time from the castle. After this daring attempt they attacked and plundered the town itself, where they found a considerable booty. Thus this small force sacked four towns, and took or burned 17 frigates, and two ships; of which, however, they carried only two back to England, having destroy- ed all the rest. Captain King, with only two vessels, containing no more than 126 men, likewise made the coast of Domi- nica, where he took a Guinea ship, with 270 negroes. He then cut out of the harbour, a ship which lay with- in musket-shot of the castle, and two smaller vessels at Porto Rico, laden with 60 tons of Canary wine. Sailing from that island, they steered for the gulf of OR, RBGIStBK OP NAVAL ACTIONS. i5 Mexico and Cuba, taking several small prizes in the way. They reached the Havannah in the month of May, and advanced within gun-shot of the fortresses, which played upon them for an l)our with their great ordnance. Two gallies were then dispatched ; these the English engaged for another hour, when they were obhged to sheer off, by a brisk gale of wind which sprung up on the coast. Being followed by tlie enemy, a second engagement took place, which continued three hours, when the Spaniards were compelled to retire, with considerable loss. Four days afterwards, being six leagues northward of the harbour, they fell in with eleven English vessels, belonging to diiferent adven- turers. This united force gave chace to a ship of sixty guni?, which they drove into n cree'', and boarded. This vessel, with her cargo, they brought to England, and arrived at Dover about the middle of November. The most extraordinary naval action this year, was the capture of two Spanish ships by Captain Thomas White, who was returning from Barbary. The fight was continued with the greatest obstinacy for several hours; and though White's crew consisted of only forty-two men and a boy, they made such a slaughter of the enemy, that the blood streamed out of the scupper- holes. The number of the survivors, when they were obliged to surrender, was 126. These two prize* proved far less valuable to the captors, than to the origi- nal owner, on account of the extraordinary articles com- posinj5 their cargo. Besides i 4-00 chests of quick-silver, and 100 tons of wine, they contained 2,072,000 bulls of popish indulgences, 10 bundles of gilt missals, bre- viaries, &c. The loss to the King of Spain was esti- tolled at upwards of 7Q0,000l. 46 THE BRITISH TRIOEMT; A 96. This expedition obtained neither honor for the nation nor profit for the individuals con- cerned in it; and the injury done Jo the enemy was much more than counterbalanced by the loss of Hawkins and Drake, tlie two greatest naval ofiicers of their time*. * The i(\'ider will not be displea-^od to Jitul below, the con- trasted clmracUMs of those two groat men, us given by n cotciapo- rary writer who luvd served under llieni both. " Itoth Hawkins and Drake," says he, " wore given to travel,. 'iajT in theii youth ; nnd in tlicir more mature years, tlic;)- botK VOL. 1. r 50 THE BRITISH TRIDENT | The Spaniards encouraged by (he failure of this expe. dition against their West India Settlements and elated attempted many honorable voyages, as that ofSir John Hawkins to Guinea, to the islei of Americn, and to St. John do UUoa. So likewise Sir Francis Drake, alter many discoveries in the West Indies and utlier parts, whs the firtt Englislimdn that ever com< passed the globe; in whicli, at well as in his great knowledge uf sea affairs, he far exceeded not only Sir John Hawkins, but all others. In their natures and dis})(>sitions tliey differed as much n.s in their management in war. Sir Francis whs of a lively spirit, resolute, quick and sufTicicnlly valiant ; Sir John slow, jealous and difficult to be brought to a resolution. In council, Sir Joliii Hawkins ofttMi differed from the judgment of others, making a shew in difficult cases of knowin;; more than he would declare, Sir Francis was a willing hearer of every man's opinion, but coni' monly a f )llower of his own. He rover attempted any action, wherein he was an absolute commander, but he performed it with great reputation, and could go through the weightiest concerns with wonderful ease. On ihe contrary. Sir John Hawkins was an undertaker of great things, but for the roost part without fortune or success. Sir John Hawkins naturally hated land soldiers; and though he was very popular, affected to keep company with common people rather than with his equals. Sir Francis, on tiie contrary, loved the land soldiers, always encouraged and preferred I merit, wherever he found it, and was affable and easy of accoii). They had both many virtues, and agreed in some ; as patience in enduring labors and hardships, observation and remembrance oil things past, and great discretion in sudden dangers. In other virtues they differed. Sir John Hawkins was merciful, apt to forgive and faithful to his words : Sir Francis Drake hard to t reconciled, but constant in friendship, and withal, at the same I time severe and courteous, magnanimous and liberal. They were both ambitious to a fault, but one more than the other ; for Sir Trancis had an insatiable thirst alter honor, beyond all reason :b« was full of promises, and more temperate in adversity than iij pros- perity. He had likewise some other imperfections, as quickneji | OR, RECISTE'll or NAVAL ACTIONS. 51 willi some recent successes in France, began lo prepare for a fresh attempt, which they inloiuled to make at on« and the same time upon England and Ireland. To prevent this, tlic sagacious Qui-en Elizabeth thought it most advisable to attack the enemy in his own ports, and, it' possibK*. to de^lroy his shipping before they rmild be in leadiness for action, or assemble in a body. An expedition was, therefore, planned against the Spanish armament in the harbor of Cadiz ; a fleet was equipped, consisting of r2o ships, 17 of which were I lie queen's, and on board of them 7000 troops were embarked. These were joined by a Dutch squadron of '22 sail under Admiral van Duvenwoord. Thecom nand of this formidable fleet wus given to the Earl of Efting- ham, Lord high Admiral, aiul I he Eurl of Essex was appointed general of the laud foices. This armament sailed from Plymouth on the Isl of June, ]596, and on the 20lh anchored on the west sidv 0. Cadiz, before the enemy had received any intelli- gence of their approach. The next day the Spanish ships in the harbor were attacked by the English; the engagement lasted from day-break till noon, when the enemy, whose galleons were miserably shattered, and a great number of their men killed, resolved to set fire to their vessels and to run them ashore. The St. to anger, bitterness in disgracing, and was too much pleased with sordid flattery. Sir John Hawkins had nialioc witii dissimulation rudeuess in behaviour, nnd was covetous in the last degree. They were both alike happy in being great commanders* but not equally successful. They both grew great and famous by their own vir- tues, courage and the fortune of the sea. However there wa? no comparison between their merits taken in general, fur thereij^ Ir Fraucis Drake far exceeded." F 2 * 62 THE BRITISH TRIDENT} ^ In Philip, the Spanish adm^rars ship was burned, togelher with two or three others that iay near her; but the Sf. Matthew and St. Andrew fell into the hands of the f on querors. To follow up this success, the Earl of Eijsex, Immediately after the action landed at Puntal with 800 men,and advanced to meet a body of 500 Spaniards, who, upon his approach, retreated into Cadiz. The earl pursi'.ed the fugitives so closely, and the inhabitants were struck with such consternation, thai iLey were unable to take any measures for the defence (;f the city, till the Engli>ti had burst open tbe gate and maile themselves masters of the place. The garrison relired to the castle, but soon capitulated, on condition thnt the inhabitants should have liberiy to depart with their weprinj^; apparel j but thai all their otht-r effects should be at the disposal of the English; that they should pay 5'^0,000 ducats for the ransom of their lives, and give up forty of the principal citizens as hostages for the payment of the money. The Earl of Es^ex being now entire master of the place, turned out all the inhabitants and loaded the ships with the money and valuable effects which the soldiers had not taken as plunder. In the mean time the admiral dispatched Sir Walter Raleigh to burn the merchant ships, which had r«»«ired lo Port Real. Two millions of ducats were offered him as their ransom, but this proposal he rejected, saying, '* he was come to barn and not to ransom the vessels." The Duke of Medina Sidonia, however, found means to unload some, and set fire to others to prevent their falling into the hands of the English, Besides the inju- ries sustained by private individuals, the King of Spain lost eleven of his best ships of war, and twenty-four ▼cssels ladt^n with merchandize for the Indies. Anoljief ioJi« OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 53 important object was likewise attained in the destruction of the ammunition which he had provided for his design against England*. The Eng'ish being thus masters of Cadiz, the Earl of Essex, in a council of war proposed to keep possession of the place, and even offered to remain in person to defend it, if he might be allowed 400 men, and three months' provisions. Neither this proposal, however, nor that of steering to the Azores, to intercept the • The following is a copy of the letter written by her Majesty, with her own handj to tlie two noble commanders in this expedi- tion,, upon receiving the intelligence of its complete success :— " If my pen had as many tongues as the flock of owners had • ''lers, they v.'ould scarce express the lauds that my soul yieldeth to .lie Hsgiiest for this great victory wliich his gracious hand hath given us ; and that you, as his instruments, have so adinirabl}', m so few hours, with such valor, order, and resolution, performed so great an action, of which sort, I sup|«jse, has not been found or seen a fellow. My head can scarce invent woril.s sufiicing my thankful acceptance, nor thanks enough for such merit. — You have made me famous, dreadful, and renowned ; not more for your victory than your courage, nor more for either, tlian for iucb plentiful liquor of mercy — in which you have so well performed my trust, asj thereby, I see T was not i'orgotten amongst you. You have so -jjleased my mind therewith, that if I had a great treasure, I would leave it for it. Never was there heard in no iVw days, so great a gihi o'^^tained; which, though I attribute most to the commanders, yet, [ charge you, iei the army know, both of sea and land, that I care not so much for being (^ueen, as that I am the Sovereign of such subjects, who blaze my faiue with their worth ; and passcta not. nor wisheth more days to breathe, than while such peo{)le may flourish ; and desires to end before any disaster or dishonor fall on such a nation. This tell iliem, from her whose thoughts and words never disagree, and }ield ihcin such due praisa as papers cannot utter, but mj- heart *hile it lasttth shall keep from oblivion." f 3 64 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Jiomeward bound Indlamcn was approved bv the majo* rily, who were impatient U> 'etiirn home with their booty. He, therefore, sa-led for England, after setting fire to the town and the adjacent villages. In the wajr the fleet looked into the ports of the Grr)yne, St. Andcro, and St. Sebastian's ; but meeting with nothing, the commanders continued their course towards England, where they arrived on the 8th of August. Notwith?tanding this check, the preparations slill continued in the Spanish ports. A powerful fleet was, therefore, equipped the following year, 1397 ; consist- ing of 120 English and 10 Dutch ships, carrying 6OO0 Jand forces. This armament, commanded by the Earl of Essex, Lord Thomas Howard, and Sir Walter Raleigh, was intended to destroy the Spanish fleet col« lected at Ferrol and the Groyne ', but meeting with lem« pestuous weather, the ships were dispersed and mucli disabled. This indaced the Earl of Essex to abandon the design of going to Ferrol, and to steer for the Azores, with a view to intercept the homeward bound American fleet. The earl*s ignorance of naval tactics, saved the greatest part of these ships ; fof when the English had come in sight of them, by ati ill-judged manoeuvre they were suffered to make sail, and all, ex- ceptmg three escaped into the harbor of Angra, which was well defended by strong forts. The cargoes of the I three ships which fell into the hands of the English, were of sufficient value to defray the expences of the expedition. The Spaniards availing themselves of the absence of| the English fleet, entered the channel with a powerful | s({uadron, in the hopes of making a descent on the coasi ; but Ibey were overtaken by such a violent storm, that I OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 56 their fleet was dispersed ; some ofllie sliips were driven on shore and others taken. The Earl of Cumberland was the first Kngiish subject who built a ship of the size of 800 tonn. This ho!d and noble adventurer, early inlhe year 1598, equipped, at liie expence of himself and his friends vviihoiit any charge to the crown, a fleet of 20 sail of lar^e ships, and took with him a considerable body of land forces under the command of Lieutenanl-gcneral Sir John Berkley. Tlie Earl sailed from Plymouth on the 6th of March, in- tending to intercept the Lisbon fleet on its passage to Brasii ; but the Spanish government obtaining an intima- tion of his design, laid an embargo on all ships in the ports of that kingdom. Faii'ng in this project, the English commander proceeded to the Canaries, ravaged the island of Lanccrota, and then steered for the West Indies. On the 6th of June he arrived uL Porto Rico, and immediately landed 1000 men, who attacked the town of St. Juan, where they met with such a vigorous resistance, that they were at first compelled to retire ; but they soon made themselves masters of the place, with the loss of about thirty men. This town being accounted by the Spaniards the key of America,' the carl resolved to settle in it an English garrison and colony : but an epidemic diseaNC broke out among his troops, and carried otT such numbt-rs of them, that he was obliged to abandon his conquest and return to Eng- land, where he arrived in the month of October, i)aving acquired little else but glory in this expedition. England had at this period made such progress in maritime skill and naval aifairs that, in I ^91', a large fleet wa« equipped in the ppace of 12 days, and coile concluded r, by which e company. >y the King ruese India- On his pas- [elena*,and nber, 1603. Sir WiUiam ast of Port u- leven gallles themselves nner, that, in e till the year conjunction with «i, they could greatly aniiov tlv^ English sliips without themselves sustaining any material injury. Undismayed by theditliculty ortheenterprize,tiic English bravely forced the harbor, burned several of the gallics, drove the garrison out of the fort, and look the galleon, a vessel of 1(>0() tons. This gallant achievement was performed with the loss of only i2 men on ihe part of the victors, who carried home their prize, valued ot one million of crowns, in triumph. In September of' the same year, Sir Robert Mansell jell in with a .squadron of six Sp.nnl^h gnllies uiX the coast ol' Flanders, tiic whole ol' which in; look or drove on shore, excepting one wliich e«eaj)ed inlo Dunkirk. This action clo^^es ihe Cblalogue of glorious naval fxpioils performed during the reign of Queen Elisa- beth, that great princcsH (i)ing on the '2'Uh of March, 1603, in the 70th year of her age, and the l-6lh of her fi'ign, Few princes were ever raised to a throne undermorc ^isadvantagecy^s circumstances, and few have exal'eci the dignity and glory of tiieir crown to a higher de^; ee than Queen Elizabeth. At her accession, she foun ' • le revenues of the crown exhausted, and the nation imv"}- verished by the mal-administration of her immedta;ft predecessors. The quarrel between England and S' >t- land still subsisted. The Spanish monarchy had ai rived at the zenith of power and the affluence of wealth ; that of France was growing up into the rival of the former, and both were governed by implacable eneraJ-'- k the reformation and Elizabeth ; who were incessa. ' )rra- ing designs on the crown of England, seconded hy all the sinews cf war, powerful forces, and the ablest fiiinisters and generals in Europe tc execute their conj- 18 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; ^v #>] ^^"^^1=^; mands. Alone, and unallled, she maintained a glorious and successfal contest against the greatest power and the richest potentate in Europe, during the greatest part of her reign. She distressed him in (iie West Indies, she insulied him in Spain. She took from him the empire ot the sea and fixed it in herself. She frustrated all the projects of universal monarchy, and shook to the foun- dalions that exorbitant power which disturbed the peace and threatened the liberties of Europe. She carried waf and misery into the dominions of those who attempted to disturb her government, and at the same time pre- served her subjects in peace and plenty. While the glory of the nation was exalted by achievements in war, its strength and opulence were raised to a degree unpa- ralleled in any former age. Though a frugal economist of her subjects' money, Elizabeth was perpetually attentive to the methods of enriching them. By her prudent management, she made war itself subservient to the improvement of our trade and navigation ; and to become a source of riches to her country. Before her reign, the commerce of England was confined and insig- nificant; but, under her auspices, it extended over all the known world. She opened a channel for our trade to the north, and a passage not only into Russia, but through that empire, and across the Caspian Sea into Persia. Our merchants visited the coasts of Africa, all the dominions of the Grand Signor, sailed round the world, explored the South Sea, doubled the Cape of Good Hope, settled in the East Indies, and in spite of a I the power of Spain, they not only traded, but esta- blished themselves in the West Indies. Instead of being necessitated, like her father, to hire ships of the Hans towns, or elsewhere, she, by her incessant atten- OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 59 glorious rand the it part of lies, she impireot ;d all the the foun- ihe peace irried waf lUempled lime pre- Vhile the 18 in war, ree unpa- economist erpetually By her servient to n; and to iefore her and insig- ;d over all our trade ussia, but Sea into Africa, all round the Cape of in spite of but esta- nstead of ips of the ant atteia- tion to the navaf resources of her kingdom, in a short time, created a marine which, as we have already seen, became formidable to the greatest maritime powers iii Europe*. * The lollowin of Queen Ehzabeth is a iitatenieat of the Ro^val Navy at the deatk Guns. 4 ships of 40 7 • « « I 10 .... 32 30 20 16 12 10 2 Total 42 sliips and three l)oys. These vessels, when equipped for sea, carried 8376 men. 60 NAVAL TRANSACTIONS BETH'EEN THE YEARS 1603 AND 1624. The English flag insulted by the Dutch— Building of the first d'l-gun ship — The first voyage to Greenland-— Brilliant ac- tion in the Mediterranean — Expedition against Algiers— First contract for victualling the navy — Force of the English navj under James I. jJURING the reign of James I. the English navy may be said to have reposed beneath the laurels acquired under the auspices of his glorious predecessor. The natural timidity of James's disposition, together, with the poverty consequent on his extravagance and profu- sion, caused that monarch studiously to avoid embrolN ing himself with other powers, and rather to have recourse to negociation than the swo d. It will not, therefore, appear surprising, that thii pericd should be so barren of naval incidents. Though the Dutch states had so lately emancipated themselves from the Spanish yoke, the infant common- wealth already began to manifest that spirit of rivalsliip, which, half a century afterwards produced such sangui- nary conflicts. Sir William Monson, being, in 160i' appointed admiral of tiie Narrow Seas, was charged to convey to Calais, the Earl of Hertford, who was sent as ambassador to the Emperor of Germany. On the passage he was met by a Dutch man of war, which not a OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTrONS. 61 bnly refused to strike her flag, but even returned a shot fired by the British commander to enforce that compli- ment. This was the first indignity of the kind offered to a sliip belonging to the Royal Navy of England. •' Upon this/' says Sir Anllwny Weldon, ** (he admiral desired my Lord of Hertford to go into the hold, and he would instruct him by stripes that retused to be taught by fair means. But the Earl charged him, on his a]lcgiance> first to land him on whom he was appointed to attend ; for which I h*ve often heard Sir William wish he had been hanged, rather than live that unfortunate com- mander of a king's ship, to be chronicled for the first that ever endured that affront, although ii was not in his power lo have helped it." On his return to the Downs, Sir William observed «x ships lying there in addition to those which he had left a few days before. These he discovered lo be Dutch men of war; the admiral of which, without he- sitation, paid the usual ronipliment to the British squa- dron as it passed by. Sir William, not satisfied with this, insisted that he should keep his flag struck duririg his cruise on the English coast. Ill 1610 the finest ship ever seen in England was, by' (he king's command, constructed at Woolwich. This vessel measured 104. feel keel, Lnd 44 feet beam; she carried UOO tons, mounted e-t guns, and was named the Prince. In the same year the first voyage was un- dertaken by the English to Greenland for the purpose of catching whales; but the two ships sent out on this adventure were both lost, together with their crews. During Sir William Monson's command of the chan- I Bel fleet, which he retained till the year 1616, that jtctive and intrepid officer eminently protected the VOL. 1. Q «fl THE BRITISH TRrDENT; English (radc against the encroachments of France ; and in lo'l !• he effectually cleared the Scotch and Irish seai of pirates, by which they had long been infested. A very remarkable instance of British valor was dis* placed in 1617. The Dolphin merchant ship of 18 guns and 36 men, commanded by Captain NiciioU, being off Cagliari, in the island of Sardinia, fell in with five large Turkish ships*, by which she was immediately attacked. The crew of the Dolphin fought with the utmost re<;uIution, and at length succeeded in beating ofF the infidels. In this unequal contest, the loss of the Turl^s was very considerable ; the Dolphin had seven roen killed, and nine wounded. In consequence of the piracies committed on the English trade in the Mediterranean by the vessels of Algiers, a fleet of six men of war, and twelve merchant ships, sailed from Plymcuih in the month of October, 1620, on an expedilionr against that city. The com- xnand of this force was given to Sir Robert Mansell, then '; ice-admiral of England. On the 27 ih of November, the fleet anchored in the road of Algiers, and gave the u>ual salute, to which no return was ade. The admi- ra! then sent to inform the Dey of the cause of his coming, and after some time passed in negociation, the latter promised ample satisfaction on the subject of his mission, and to redress the grievances of which he com- plained. This v> e may, however, presume he neglected to do) for Sir Robert Mansell having retired, during the winter, to thu coast of Spain, where he fell in with six * Two of 300 tons, 23 guns, 250 men t;ach. One of 200 tons, 21 guns, 2.50 men. Two of 200 tons, t2 guns, ?00 men each. OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIOKS. 6^ rvcc; and Irish seal ed. ■ was dls* ihlpof 18 I Nichols, iell in witli imediately t wilh the healing off loss of llic i had seven ted on the e vessels of re merchant oi October, The com- ansell, then November, ,nd gave the The admi- cause of his )ciation, the ubject of his lich he com- he neglected d, during ihe I in with six f rench men of war, and obliged the admiral to xtrikd his flag; returned the ensuing spring to Algiers, and attempted, but williout succcsis, lo destroy the ships in the Mole. Upon thi« he set saU for England where he arrived in June, 1621. In \0'i'2 wc find the first regular contract for victual ling the Ro^'al Navy, w!»ich specifies the kinds of pro- vision, together with the quantities allowed^ and the times of serving it among the seamen. "Every man's allowance was one ponnd ofbiscu'tr one gallon of beer, two pounds of beef witb salt, funr days in the week; or else, instead of beef, for two ot those four dayfl, one pound of bacon or pork, and one pint of pease according to the custom before efttabUshed ( and for ihe other three days in the week, one quarter oS stock-fish, half a quarter of a pound of butter, and a qaarter of a pound of cheese : exceptirvg on Friday, when they were to have a quantity of fish, butter, and cheese but for one meal; or instead of stock-fish, a quantity of herrings or other fish, as the lime of the year shall atford. " The pursers to be paid by the contractors for neces- saries, as wood, coals, candles, (iishcs, cans, lantern* &c. in service at sea, sixpence for every man per month; and in harbor twelve pence, and two shillings to every ship for lading charges by the month. " The contractors to have the use of all his Majesty's brewhouses, bakehouses, mills, and other store-l)ouses, as well at Tower-hill, as at Dover, Portsmouth, and Rochester, paying the same rent as former contractor* paid. *' The allowance to the said contractors for every man » c 2 r* •M' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.! 11.25 Ui|28 ■50 ^^" itt m m m u u 140 2.5 2.2 2.0 14 U4 '/ Photographic Scmces Corporation ^ k*^' :<\^ \ <^ ^^ V 6^ 23 VAST MAIN STRHT WIBSTH.N.Y. UStO (716)t72-4S03 '^ €4 THE BRfTMR TKIDENT; victuals in harbor, seven*[5ence*hairpcnny, and at %t;i eight-pence per day.** '* The contractors were Sir Allen Apsfy and Sir Sampson Darrel, who were to enjoy, during Li It-, the title and office of Purveyors General of his M ajcs* ly's navy." * During the reign of King James, though the country enjoyed a profound peace, yet the improvement of o\\t marine force was neither forgotten nor neglected. Ten •hips were added to the royal navy, upon which 50,000K were annually expended, besides a yearly grant from the king of thirty thousand pounds worth of timber from the royal forests for repairs, or the construc- tion of new vessels. At the death of King James I. the foyai navy consisted of sixty-tw«» tail. * W « " ■ as •65 NA^AL TRANSACTIONS BKTIP'EEN THE YEARS 1625 and l649. War with Spain— The king lend* some ships to France— Erpc. dition against Cadw— Armaments for the relief of lioclielle^ Mai« Liberum and Mai« GUttSttm—Slup-moa«>- Quarrel with tb« Dutch. Upon the death of Jaine», his son, Charles L ascended the British throne. During his father's pacrBc reign» the enmity between England and Sr^ain had sub- sided, and Charles had repaired to Madrid to solicit, in person, the hand of the infanta of Spain. After a long negociation, the match was not only broken off, bat the English prince, hnivself, was treated with insult* To revenge the ill usage he had received on this occasion Charles, immediately after his accession, sent 8000 men to Plymoiiwh, to- be embarked for an expedition against Spain. During the equipment of thrs fleets, a circum<:lance occurred, which reflected as much honor on (he charac- ter of British seamen, as it did disgrace on their rulem. —It was represented to the king, by the French ambas- sador, that the power of Spain in Italy was dangerous Uy all Europe ; that hts sovereign was as much inclined as kis Britannic Majesty to humble the pretensions of the Spanish Monarch j bulas he had not a sulficient marilime 66 XHB BRITISH TUIUkNT ; force, he wislied to borrow a few Luglish ships, to enable Mm to execute a design he had lormed for that purpost-. Deceived by this spaious pretence, the kin^ assented to the request ; and, accordingly, it was agreed, thai the Great Neptune, a man of war, commanded by Sir Fur- dinando Gorges, and six merchant ships ot between 3(X) and 400 tons burthen should be lent to the French. At this time the King oi'F" ranee was engaged in a war „with bis Profeslant subjects^ wl)o had been driven lo ariiM by the cruelty of their rulers. They were in pos. session of the city of Rocheile, which Lewis made gieat preparations for reducing. Soon after the conclusion of the above agreement, the Rochellers being apprised of the circumstance, intimated to the British Governroeot, their fears that this force would be employed for the pur- pose of destroying the Protestant i»teresfc ii> France, instead of annoying the Spanish possessions. TIm; Duke of Buckingham, the favorite and Prime Minister, Jinew the extreme aversion oT the English tosuch an ex- pedition. To save his own reputation! be gave Captain Pennington, who was appointed to the commtind of this squadron, private instructions, by which he directed him not to serve against Rocheile ; thou<^h the public contract allowed Lewis to employ the ships wherever he pleased. In the month of May,, 1625, this squadron artived »t Dieppe, where thea^'miral was informed* by the DtiU ■ de Montmorency that he was destined to act>against the rebellious Protestants of RocheiJe. The effect this iu- ielligence produced,, was such as might be expectitl from the generous minds of English 'seamen^. Tlic) J^qaediately signed around robin, declaring .their tec?* / OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. m Itilion not to engage in that service ; upon which the admiral weighed anchor and returned lu l!ic Downs in the beginning of July. Penninglon informing the Duke of Buckingiiam of the circumstance, received an express Older from that nObleman, who procured another front hi< Majeesty to the same effect, commanding him to return to l>ieppe, and put all the ships into the hands of the French. * Accordingly he again sail«d in the month of August to that port, and delivered up the merchant vessels $ but Sir Ferdinando Gorges, resolving not to comply with such a di<:gracet'ul requisition, weighed anchor and put to sen. All the seamen, however, on board these ships, with the exception of one gunner, faithful to their engagement, deserted and returned to England. The vessels remained with the French and were actually employed against Rocheile, contrary to the king's inten- tion, and the great dishonor of the nation* This aflfair occasioned a great damor at iiome, and was afterwards brought forward an ..i article in an impeachment a^^ainst the Duke of Buckingham. In this year. 1625, a comptroller, surveyor, clerk of the navy, Lzc* were appointed in separate departments, under the Lord High Admiral or Admiralty Board, from w))om these comm'ssioneis were toreceive directions and orders relative to the royal navy. The fleet designed against Spain was not ready to sail till the beginning of October, under the command of Edward Cecil lately created Viscount Wimbleton. It consisted of eighty shi^)s, on board of which were embarked ten regiments, commanded by the Earls of Vmq\ and Denbigh. This formidable armament left Plymouth on the 7 (b of October, and was soon after- «8 TfiE iTRiTrsH TaroiMT; wards dispersed by a slorm. They, however, assemi' bled again on the i9th, off Cape St. Vincent, which had be«n appointed the place of rendessvousr The orr* ginal design of this expedition wa« to intercept the Spa- nish plate fleet, which was expected from America in November. Having, therefore, sufficient time, it was re- solved, in a coancil of war, to make an attempt on Cadiz. On the '22nd, the fleet appeared before that port, and the Earl of Essex, with great boldness, stood into the bay to attack seventeen ships and eight or ten galHes, then lying at anchor there ; but not being properly supported by the rest of the fleet, the enemy had time to take Fhelter under the guns of the fort, at Port RoyaK Sir John Burrows was then landed with some troops, who, without much diflSculty, made themselves masters of the fori at Puntal. The soldiers having discovered, and broken into the stores, which contained a considerable quantity of wine» became excessively intoxicated. The officers, fearful lest they aboutd be surprised by the enemy in that situation, hastened their re-embarkation. A contagious disease soon afterwards breaking out among the troops, the fleet returned to England, with- out having acquired either honor or advantage by the expedition. In 1626, the wages of seamen in the royal navy, which had before been only fourteen shillings a month, were, by proclamation, increased to twenty ; and those of ordinary seamen, which had been only nine shil- Kngs, were raised to fourteen. ProvUion was Nkewise made a for monthly allowance from each man of four- pence to a chaplain, twopence to a barber, and sixpence to the chest at Chatham. The nati«^n was, this year, involved in a quarrel with OB, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 69 France. — Charles had married a daughter of (he Frencb king, wlio, being a Catholic, was atlendcd to England by domestics of her own country and persuasion. These having bct^n guilty of indiscretions in matters of religion^ and having caused the queen to take some improper steps, his Majesty was prevailed upon, by Buckingham, to dismiss them. This proceeding so irritated her brother, Lewis XIII» that be immediately seized all the English ships in his ports, and with them, resolved to undertake itie siege of Rochelle. The inhabitants, upoi> this, applied to Charles, who ordered a fleet of 30 sail to be eqnipped for their relief, and gave the command of it to the Earl of Denbigh; but the lateness of the season, and unfavorable weather rendered il impracii* cable for that nobleman to execute his commission. Nevertheless, the ensuing spring, the king ordered another armament to be equipped for the same purpose, without the knowledge of the Rochelk*rs. Its destina* tioo was, likewise, kept a profound secret at home, and the command of il was given to the Duke of Backing- ham. The fleet consisting of above one hundred ships, having on board 7000 troops, sailed &om Portsmoutb the 7th of June, 1627, and on the 20lh of July appeared before Rochelle. But, having received no intimation of the coming of the English, the garrison refused admit*' tance into the town to the very succors winch them- selves had demanded. The Duke, upon this, directed his course to the island of Rh^» and laid siege to the town of St. Martin's; from which, through the notorious mis- conduct of their commander, the English wee at lengili obliged to make precipitate retreal, and to je-erabark with the loss oi above 2000 men^ and among the resi fO' TBI BllTISIf TKIDENT; Major General Burroughi« who wasBCcounled the abfeil officer in the English service. The fatal issue of this expedition was productive of great discontent. The seamen affsembled in crowd% and clamored al Whitehall, complaining that they had received no wages for three years; and under such cir- cumstances \{ cannot be surprising that they should desert in great numbers. The merchants, likewise, mtide bitter complaints, that their commerce was not pro* tected, that in the same period they liad lost a great quantity of shipa, and that the fishermen were taken almost in the very haibors. In a word, no person would venture to build any new vessels, because as soon as they were finished, the king seized them fof his service i^gainst the will of the owners. The incapacity manifested by the Duke of Buckings ham, did not prevent the king from appointing him, in 1628, tu the command of another expedition fitted out for the same purpose as the former. The Duke repaired to Portsmouth, to superintend the preparations; but was there assassinated by John Felton, a lieutenant in the army. This accident did not retard the execution of the design ; for the king, the next day, gave the Earl of Lindsay the command of the expedition, which proved equally futile with all the preceding. The boom, raised to block up the entrance of the port, was fourd so strong, that though many attempts were made to break through it they proved ineffectual, and on the 18lh of October, the town, which had held out so long, was obliged to surrender. These operations were followed by a ^veace with France, concluded in April 1629, and another with Spain in ibe maaih of November of the foUowiog year. > OR, SCOIITt 1 or HAVAl ACTtONi. '^l The disputes which were constantly occurring relt« five to the honor of the flag, claimed by the English, produced a treatise from the pen of the celebrated Hugo Grotius, entitled, Mart Ubernm, He attempted !o prove the futility of our title to the dominion of the ^ea, which he declared to be a gift of God that ought to be enjoyed in common by all nations. This was answered ill 1634, by Seldon, in a work which he called Mart Clavsum, in which he strongiy asserts the justice of our claims, and in order, the more deepi) a impress it on the minds of liis countrymen, as well as foreigners, he says that, " they have an hereditary und uninterrupted right to the sovereignly of the seas conv*cyed to them from their ancestors^ in trust for their latest posterity." The king ordered a copy of this book to be kept in the court of admiralty, there to remain as an evidence of our dominion over the sea. In l6S4f, a clerk and keeper of all the king's stores and store- houses at Chatham, Deptford, Portsmouth, &c. was first appoinied. — A proclaanation was, likewise, published, furoiddiiig shipwrights to enter into foreign service, and another asserting the sovereignty of Ihe m, rnd regdating the manner cf wearing the flag. In consequence of a treaty concluded between the French and Dutch, the king, judging it necessary to maintain a powerml fleet to preserve the commerce of England from injury, and her f!ag from insult, in 1634, imposed an arbitrary tax, called ship-money, which at first wss confined to the maritime towns, but was made general in 1636. Its object was to provide and main* tain a number of ships tor the protection of the seas: but being laid on, only by virtue of the royal prerogative, many, both pui^lic bodies and private individuals reluse<| vt THB BRITISH TRrDEKT; to submit to it. Among the former wax the cily oi Jxndon, of wiiich (he king demanded seven chipi rff 300 (o 900 Ions ; among the latter the illustrious Hamp. den. It will be recollected that this unpopular measure was one of the causes which brought the unfortunate Charles to the block. A proclamation was issued, in 163^, prohibiting fo- reigners from fishing on his Majesty'K seas and coasts ; but the Dutch still fiersisting in 4hat practice, a fleet of •ixty sail was equipped and dispatched to the North Seas, under the command of the Earl of Norlhumber* land. The admiral acquainted the Dutch with the na> lure of his commission and ordered them to quit tlie £ngiish coast ; but, as they disregarded l;is injunctiun, he was obliged to have recourse to violent measures. After sinking some of their busses,' they offered to ac- commodate the affair by paying the king 30,000l. for the liberty of fishing there during the summer. In 16*37, the king directed to be built, at Woolwich, the Royal Sovereign, which was llie first three-decked ship in the British navy. In J642, the year in which the civil war between Charles I. and his parliament commenced, the royal navy consisted of 82 sail. >\i 'I. 73 msTonr of thk nnsr dutch wau, a\d owkr ^'AVAL OHEUATiONS, Till the Ueilurtttion ul' Clmrlvs II. in 16t>0. Bliike |,'oc»in pursuit of Prince RiipcJt — War with (lollund— 'En< g» iifr.HMit ort' IJovcr — Hiulte's l.cttiT — He takei « fleet of Met ciiautiiioii and hiiiio\h iii«; Dutch Fi*>lierie»— Action ut\' I'ly inoiitli — KiigugeiiK lit uii'ilic iNortii Fojeluitd — lii the Mtdiur- raiifini— ^rCMiul Kngugriiieiit urt* >.urth l'\;rulajid — la the Downs— Kfur t^ape la Ilogut' — Off the C.'t^asi (»!' riiin»ler>— Nijir the Dutch Coubt — Pence betwern Eii;:lnnd kimI llollHiid •^IMiike uttncknTuHis— slamaica taken — IMiike attacks n SpiinisK Fleet ut Santa Cruc — His death viid Chiirucier. Upon the death of Charles I. tiie greatest part of the nav)', which seems to have taken nf> active part in the preceding dissensions, submitted to that authority which had been established on the ruins of the throne. A squadron of fourteen ships still remained true to the lro)al cause, and under the command of Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, brothers of the Elector of the Pala- tinate, a German prince, who had married the sister of [Charles I. sailed unmolested to the reliefofKinsale, in Ireland, which wai then besieged b^ the arnsy of )minwell. Meanwhile the Colonels Blake, Deane, and Pop* bam, were appointed to the command of the republican leet, and though strangers to the service, tiiey soon, by ibcir zeal and attention, not only acquired a thorough knowledge of nautical affairs, but likewise gained the |uve of the seamen. Blake being ordered to block up Prince Rupert, VOL. I. n 74 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; while Deane cruised off Plymouth, Popiiam between Portsmouth nnd the Downs, and Sir George A)'M()ugli lay in Dublin Rood, arrived in June l64-!:> offKinsale. This service he performed «o effrctually, that the prince wa« driven to the greatest cvlremities. His mtn de- serted daily, and he hung ten oJ them as an example lo the re«t. At length despairing of relief, he resoKed, about the beginning of October, to force his way through the enemy's fleet. In this dtporate atlempt, three of Ms ships were sunk, but the prince escaped will) lie remainder and reached the port of Lisbon, where he met with a very favorable receplion from the King of Por- tugal : John Duke of Br.»grtnza having, in I6K), rescued that cour.iry from the Spanish yoke, and sealed himstit on the throne. This \va> suHic ienl lo produce a detlara- tion of war on the part of the English parliament, and Blake was dispalelicd in pursuit ol the iwo princes. Hav- ing arrived at the mouth of the Tagus, he requested the king's permission to enter the river, but was fired up^n by the castle. Fearful of the consequences of Blake's indignation, the king sent one of l>i» nibbles to comj)! inent him, and at the same time supplied him with a ]arge quantify of fresh provisions, but would not suffer the admiral to attack Prince Rupert's ships. Blake, therefore, tock five of thi- Brasil fleet, richly laden, audi gave his Majesty to understand that, unless he ordol ed the prince's ships lo leave the river, he would en- deavor to seize the rest of the Portuguese fleet expected from America. In September, 1650, the Prince attempted lo get outl of the harbor, but was driven back by B ake, who sent home nine ships, outward bound to Brazil, which he hadj taken. In October, he, in conjunction with Popliam, iell in with a fleet of 23 sail, from Brasil, bound Tor 0R| REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 7i Li I)'Hi. or these tli'^y sunk (he admiral, took tlic vice- ftur.ital, with elcxcn others, nnd burnc'il thruc more. The rt^t wi-re small sl.ipn, which, during Ihc action, es(;ipt'on which h<* resolved to ret urn in quest of the prince, whom he r(>llov%ed into the Mediterranean. In this cruize BiaLe, ni his own ship, the Phoenix, engaged and look aFreiuh man oi war, which had committed some hosii- iiticit. lie then pursued his enemy to Curihagcna, and afterwards lo Malaga ; and being informed that he had desliou'd many English vessels in the latter port, the ad* miral attacked him without ceremony, and burned and destroyed hi.s whole squadron excepting two ships, the Reformation and Ihc Swallow; the former commanded by Rupert himselfi and the lallef by his brother Mau- rice. This action took place in January, 1 63 1. In the following month he fell in with a French man of war of forty guns, which he took ader an engagement of two hours, and sent her with four other prizes before him lo England ; where, on his arrival, he received tlie thankt of the parliament for his services, and was made war- den of the cinque-ports. The peace which England had so long enjoyed with I foreign powers was now interrupted by a breach with Holland, inconsequence of a refusal of the States to ac* jccde to certain proposals, the object of which wa<, to unite the two republics into one comnionwealih. Crom* well, vvhose influence was now established, readily nmsenled to the design of humbling Holland, the jonly power from which the parliament had reason |ti> apprehend any allcmpt lo restore lliQ exiled family of U 2 it THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Stuart. The Dutch appear to have l)een reluctantly forced into this contest ; for, though they had received sufficient provocation, instead of commencing hostlli. ties, as had been expected, they sent an embassy to Lon> don, to endeavour to effect an accommodation. The demands of the English government were, however, so unreasonable, that the States were at length convinced ihey must prepare for war.- Some writers, however, assertf that this war W3a more er^erly sought by the Stiitt;s than by the pailia* ment ; that they were mor'iihed at the firmness of the new commonwealth of England, which inclined them by some sudden stroke to attempt to abridge the power and reputation of their rival. * ENGAGKMENT OFF DOVER. Be this as it may. Admiral Van Tromp was sent with forty-two men of war to the Downs, where he arrived on Tuesday, the 1 8th of May, 1 652. Blake, who com* manded the English fleet in the Channel, had a few days before gone westward as far as Rye Bay, with twelve j or thirteen ships, leaving Maj f" Bourne in the Downt with only eight, when the Dutch fleet was observeil off the Goodwin Sands ; and being come to the South Sand* liead, two of them stood towards the English vessels. Major Bourne sent the Greyhound to examine lhcni,| and to enquire the reason of their approaching so near. The two captains replied, that they had a message lor I the commander-in-chief, upon which they were permit- ted to enter; and after saluting the English flag, iky I went on board Major Bourne's ship. They then ac- quainted him, that they were sent by Van Tromp lol let him know that he had been with his fleet oflTDunkirk, where they had lost many of their anchors and cables I OR, UEGISTER OF Nv^VAL ACTIONS, 77 mid, the winci being northerly, were driven farther t5 the south than they intended. Major Bourne, doubting the truth of tins a,«ertion, re; led, that the shortness of their stay would afford the best proof of their veracity. Upon this they returned to their lleet, which immediate- ly stood in to Dover, and came to an anchor within little more than a gun-shot of the castle. Here riding with O'jI saluting ihecastle, the latter Hred three shot at them notwithstanding which, the Dutch admiral still kept up his flag, and continued there tiii the next day at noon^ exercising his men in ihe use cf their small arms. On the 19th, at noon, the Dutch fket weighed anchor, and stood off towards Calais; and about the same time it was discovered by Blake, who was coming from the westward towards the Downs. Major Bourne, who was likewise in sight, soon joined the English admiral. The Dutch soon altered their course, made all the sail they could, and stood towards Blake's fleet, consisting of no more than 23 sail. Van Tromp himself being in the headmost ship, with his flag in the main-top, Blake saluted him with two guns, without ball, to require him to strike sail ; but no regard being paid to this intima- tion, the English admiral fired a second and a third gun, which Van Tromp answered with a broadside. Blake, upon this, advanced nearer to the Dutch admiral's ship, with ihe intention of remonstrating on the impropriety of his conduct, in order to prevent the effusion of blood and a national quarrel, when Van Tromp, and the rest of his fleet, discharged whole broadsides at the English commander. Little expecting such a sdlute, Blake was in his cabin drinking with some of his officers, when the shot broke his windows, and shattered his stern. This put him in a violent paMion, '* and curling his whis* u3 78 THE BRITISH TRIDfiNTj kers/* says Heath, " as he used to do w lien he was angry, he ordered his men to answer the Dutch in the same manner ; saying, when his heat was somewhat subsided, he took it very ill o( Van Tromp* that he should take his ship for a bawdy-house, and break his windows." The engagement began between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, and bsted till nine. Blake, for some time, singly sustained the shock of the whole Dutch fleet till his own ships could join, when the battle became general. Two of the enemy's ships were taken by the English ; one of these was a thirty gun>sliip, and the other, having six feet water in her hold, was abaiv doned, after taking out the captain and officers. Night put an end to the engagement ; Blake remained on the spot where it commenced till the next morning, when the Dutch fleet was discovered on the coast of France, about four leagues distant. The reader will not be displeased to find annexed to this account, the letter written on the occasion by the gallant Blake to William Lenthall, speaker of the House of Commons. " Right Honourable^ <" I have dispatched away this messenger toy oar honour, to give an account of what passed yesterday between us and the Dutch fleet. Being in Rye Bay, I received intelligence from Major Bourne that Van Tromp, wilh 40 sailp was ofT the South S&nd-bead ; whereupon I made all possible speed to ply up towards them, and yesterday morning we saw them at anchor in or near Dover-road. Being come within three leagues of them, they weighed and stood away by a wind to the er.st* ward; we supposing their intention was to leave us, to avoid the dispute of the flag. About two hours afttf OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 79 they altered (heir course, and bore directly with us. Van Tromp the headmost ; whereupon we hy by, and put ourselves into alighting posture, judging they had a resolution to engage. Being come within musket-shot, I gave order.e Jo Hre at his flag, wliich was done thrice ; after the third sihot he let go a broadside at us. Major Bourne, with those ships that came from (he Downs* was then making towards us. We continued fighting till night ; then, our ships being unable to sail, by reason all our rigging and sails were extremely shattered, and our mizen-mast shot off, we came, with advice of (he captains, (o an anchor, about three or four leagues ofT the Ness, to refit our ships, at which we laboured all the night. 1 his morning we espied (he Dutch fleet, about four leagues distant from ours, towards the coast of France ; and, by advice of a council of war, it was re* soived ta ply (o windward, to keep the wea(her-gage ; and we are now ready to let fidl our anchors this tide. What course the Dutch fleet steers we do not well know« nor can we tell what harm we have done them ; but we suppose one of them to be sunk, and another of thirty guns we have taken, with the captains of both ; the main-ipast of the first being shot to the board, and much wafer in her hold, made Cap(ain Lawson's men (o for* sake her. We have six men of ours slain, nine or ten desperately wounded, and twenty-five more not wi(hout danger ; among tiiem our master, and one of his mates, and other officers. We have received about seventy great shot in our hull and masts, in onr sails and rig- ging, being engaged with the whole body of the fleef, for the space of four hours ; being the mark at which they aimed. We must needs acknowledge it a great mercy that we had no more harm i and our hope 80 THE URITISH TRIOKNT; ]», the righteous God will continue the same to us ji' there do arise a war belwf^en us, thcv being first in ilie breach, and seeking an occasion tu quarrel ; and watt.h« ing, as it seems, an advantage to brave us on the coast. ** Your humble servani, "ROBERT BLAKE." From on board tlie James, 3 lengnes ofT'.he Hydes, the 20tli of May, 1652. After this action the Dutch avoided coming to a ge- neral engagement. They, however, paid dearly lor their temerity ; for, on the J 2th of June, the Capiains Taylor and Peacock, in two English frigates, fell in, on the coast of Flanders^ with two Dutch ships of war, which, refusing to lower their flags, were attacked by the English. One of them was taken, and the other stranded. Sir George Ayscue, on his return, from the •West-Indies, likewise took four Dutch men of war, and several merchant ships from St. Ubes. (>' In the mean time the gallant Blake was not inactive. On the 10th of June, a detachment frotn his fleet fell in ^Ith 26 sail of the enemy's merchantmen, which were all taken. On the 2d oF July he sailed with a fleet of sixty men of war to the northward, to annoy the Dutch fisheries. On the way be took a ship of war of that na* tion ; and, before the end of the month, captured the whole Ashing convoy, consisting of 12 men of war, and 100 of their herring* busses, and dispersed the vest. On the 121h of August he returned to the Downs, with six of the Dutch vessels which he had taken, t ■ v« , ,' , •» On the 16th of August, Sir George AystUe, erui'^irtg *fr Plymouth with 38 sail, chiefly frigates, fell in with a Dutch fleet of superior force, comman was in bed, hearing the alarm, leaped out of the cabin-window to avoid being taken, and was saved by another Dutch ship. Mortified at llie loss of their prize, the Dutch com- plained to the Grand Duke of Tuscany of this violation of his port. The duke ordered the English commodore either to deliver up the Phoenix, or instantly to depart. The hardy Englishman could not think of complying a=sE: ♦ Leopard ...... 32 guns 130 men Bouaveutuic ..44 InO Sampson 36 90 Pilgrim SO 70 Mary 30 70 Levant Merchant 28 CO Total 220 guns 620 mea Si THB BRITISH TKIDEMT; With Ihe former Injunction; and if he obeyed the latter, lie knew he should be exposed to imminent danger, as Van Galen's squadron, consisting of sixteen men of war, a fire-ship, and several armed merchantmen, was then l^ing off the port. In this dilemma, he dispatched a A^sscI to Elba, to inform Commodore Badily of his situ- ation, and to desire him to appear off Leghorn, as ^he Dulifh might then be induced to pursue him, and give him (Appleton) an opportunity of escaping. This slra- tageni produced (he desired effect: part of (he Dutch fleet was dispatched in pursuit of Badtly, while the ad- miral, with nine ships, remained to watch the motions of i\pple(on, who, undaunted by the enemy's superior force, weighed and put out to sea. Van Galen imme- diately i'ollowed, and attacked him. At the beginning of the action the Bonavenlure unfortunately took tire, and blew up. The Leopard, Appleton's ship, main- tained an unequal conflict of five hours with two of the enemy's vessels, and had nearly beaten them off when the Dutch admiral bore down to their assistance; but being grappled by a 6re-ship, which had been sent by Badily, he again retired. Another ship, whose com- mander was more daring than the admiral, coming to their support, the gallant Appleton proposed to blow up his ship; but as his officers refused their assent to such a measure, he was under the painful necessity of sub- mitting. The Pilgrim shared the same fate ; and the Levant Merchant was likewise taken> after driving on shore one of the enemy's ships. The Sampson, after an obstinate conflict with Van Tromp, was burned by a fire-ship. The Mary escaped, and joined Commodore Badily's squadron. Respecting the fate of the Pboei.'x we have no information. OR, RBGIITER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 85 Towards (he end of the year, Blake received orders to send Crptain Ball, with a detachn^ent of 18 ships, to convoy home 22 merchantmen, which the King of Den- mark had stopped at Copenhagen, under tlie pretence that he was apprehensive of their falling into the hands of the Dutch if they attempted to proceed. On Ball's ar'ival at Elsinore, the Danish monarch refused to deliver up the ships, till he should be paid certain sums of money, which he pn- ended were due to him from Charles I. Captain Ball, therefore, returned to £ng« land, but by the way he took 1 4* Dutch ships, and a man of war, which he carried into Yarmouth. By this, and other detachments for the protection of trade, Blake had weakened himself so much, that he had only 37 sail of men of war remaining in the Downs. In this situation, Van Tromp, who had again been appoint- ed to the command of the Dutch fleet, resolved to attack him. He accordingly put 10 sea with 77 ships of war, and sailed away to the back of the Goodwin Sands, near the place where he had fought before. Blake, receiving intelligence of this, called a council of war, in which it wat resolved to fight, though at such a great diRadvanlish admiral, been resolutely support* ed by the Vanguard and Sapphire, it is probable he would, on this occasion, have terminated his career of glory. Three ships were sunk, a small frigate was burned, and the rest of the fleet miserably shattered and disabled. At night Blake drew off his ships from a conflict, which it would have been madness to continue with such a superior force, and retired into the Thames. The Dutch had no reason to exult at an advantage so inconsiderable and so dearly purchased ; one of their flag-ships being blown up, and the other two greatly damaged, besides which their loss in men was very great. Such, however, was the vanity of their com- mander, that he paraded with a broom at his main-top- gallant mast-head, by which he intimated that he had swept the channel of the English ships. The Parliament was far from being discouraged by this reverse of fortune^ which only inspired them with a desire of avenging the honor of the British navy. They appointed Blake, Dean^ and Monk to the com- mand of the fleets ofiered a boanty to seamen, and in- creased their wages from twenty to twenty-fbar shil- lings per month. These measurci had such an efiect. OR, BBCISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 37 that in «x weeks a fleet of sixty men of war was ready for ral, in the Triumph, distinguished himself by his accas- tomed boldness and intrepidity, and was nobly sup- ported by the Fairfax, Captain Lawson, and the Van- guard, Captain Mildmay. Before the rest of the fleet could come up these vessels were considerably damaged ;. the Triumph in particular was miserably haltered. Blake lost the Captain of his own ship, a brave and active officer, whose name was Ball, Mr. Sparrow, his secretary, and above one hundred seamen. Among the wounded was the admiral himself, who received a ball in his thigh. The Fairfax was an equal sufl^erer with the Triumph, and on board the Vanguard, Cap- lain Mildmay, who on a former occasion had taken a Dutch vice-admiral, was killed. The Prosperous of 44- guns was boarded and taken by De Ruyter, who, in his turn, was near being carried in the same manner by another English ship, and while he was thus en- gaged, the Merhn frigate retook hh prize the Prospe- rous. Thus the action continued with great fury till night, when the Dutch retreated with the loss of seveu men of war, one of which was blown up, and the 1 2 88 THE BRITISH TRIDINT. Others sunk or taken. The dreadful carnage on board those which fell into the hands of the Englishi prescnlcd a horrid spectacle to the conquerors. During the night the necessary preparations were made for renewing the fight. The English, having net their wounded men on shore at Portsmouth, went again in pursuit of the enemy whom they overtook about three in the allernoon, off the Isle of Wight. Van Tromp, wishing to avoid a close engagement, drew up his fleet in the form of a crescent round the convoy, and thus kept up a retreating fight towards Boulogne; but his line was at length forced and completely broken by the English. De Kuyter'i ship was so disabled that she was obliged to be towed, and the merchantmen per- ceiving the inability of the men of war to protect them, began to fly in every direction. The action, during which 8 men of war and several merchantmen wer« taken by the English, did not terminate with the day; for the conquerors continued the pursuit, and frequent skirmishes took place during the night. On the morning of the '20th, the Dutch being near Boulogne, were again attacked wilh incredible fury. Three men of war were taken by Captain^ Lawson, ]Marlin, and Graves, and several of their merchantmen were picked up by Admiral Penn. The engagement lasted till four in the afternoon, when the enemy sought shelter among the sands ofl' Calais, and the English not ch using to risk their large ships among the shoals, de- sisted from the pursuit. In these three engagements the Dutch lost 1 1 men of war, thirty merchant vessels, and by li.eir own account, 1500 men. Tiie number oi' the kilted on board the English fleet was nearly equal to that of the eneiuy ; OR, ReoisTEa OP naval actions. 89 Blake, In order (he better (o man the !iliip were completely routed, and sought shelter OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 91 among the flats near Nieuport, whence with great dif* jiculty they reached Zealand In this action the Dutch lost nineteen siiips. Of these, 6 were sunk and two blown up; eleven, with 1330 prisoners, among whom were 6 capiains, fell into the hands of the conquerors. On the part of the English not one ship was lost. Be- sides General Deane and one captain, about 200> or according to Whitelock only 126 men were killed, and nearly the same number wounded. I'he English navy at this time consisted of 204> men of war of all sizes, and was manned by about 35,000 seamen. After the last signal victory, the Dutch again had re* course to negociation, but without success. The Slates, therefore, labored with the utmost diligence to repair their loss, and to equip another fleet. They ad- vanced the wages of seamen, promised a handsome re* ward for the capture of every English ship, in propor* tion to the rank of her commander, and decreed gra- tuities to those who should be maimed in the service of their country. By these means they had fitted out a for- midable fleet by the end of July. The command of it was given to Van Tromp, who burned with the desire of wiping away the disgrace of his former defeats. Though inferior in strength to the English, Van Tromp hoisted sail in the morning of the 29th of July,, and bore down upon them as they lay off the Texel. The engagement lasted till night without any sensible advantage on either side. The next morning the Dutch admiral, being reinforced by twenty-seven ships, renewed the hght, and during that whole day, as on the preceding, victory continued in suspense. Van Tromp, resolving to conquer or die, again attacked the English on 92 THE VRITISfl trident; the31sf, when a fiercer engagement ensued than any yet fought between these rival republics. In the early part of the action the Dutch fire-ships had nearly decided the fate of the day ; many of ti)e English ships, particularly the Triumph, being in imminent danger of destruction. De Ruyter*s ship was attacked by Admiral Lawson with such fury, that great part of his crew were either killed or wounded, and the vessel so much disabledi that she wa^ obliged to be towed out of the line. Her gallant commander went on board anotehr ship, where he continued the fight with the greatest obstinacy. The action was supported wiHi the utmost bravery on both «de8 upwards of fix hours, when Van Tromp was shot through the heart with a musket-ball, while he stood upon deck encouraging his men with the most heroic ar- dor. His death decided the fortune or the day ; it struck such a damp upon the spirits of his men, that the fleet was thrown into confusion and fled. The ene- my, who had five flags flying at the commencement of the fight, retreated with only one, and at night the shat- tered remains of their fleet reached the Texel. Thirty Dutch ships were sunk or taken, and 6000 seamen perished in this action. Among the prisoners were Vice-admiral Evertzen and five captains. It is asserted by some writers, that Monk had ordered his captains neither to give nor to take quarter, so that no shin; were taken, but twenty-seven sunk. To account for the prisoners, they add, that these ordc s were not strictly complied with, but tha» 1200 Dutchmen were itaken out of the sea while their ships were sinkiri;. The loss of the English, tbcugh severe, was inconsi- derable when compared with that of the enemy. Two OR, REGISTER Of NAVAL ACTIONS, 93 of their ships were sunk ; six captaiivs and about 500 seamen were kiMed, and 7000 wounded. Many of Uic ships were dreadfully disabled, so that they could scarcely be kept afloat till they reached England. To reward the valor of the commanders, the Parlia- ment voted, that gold chains should be presented to Ad- mirals Monk, Blake, Penn, and Lawson, and medalj to all the captains. The Dutch discouraged by these repeated disasters^ and finding themselves unable to cope with England, sued for peace, which was concluded on the 4th of April, \6')4r. One of the articles of this treaty was i-^ . " That the ships of the Dutch, as well ships of w^r as others, meeting any of the ships of war of the English commonwealth in the British seas, shall strike their flags and lower their topsail, in such manner as hath ever been at any lime herelofore practised under ^ny form of government." This is the firsi instance of England's establishmg the right of the flag by a formal treaty. Thus ended a war which had been conducted with the greatest obstinacy on bolli sides, and in W'hich the provinces of Holland and Zealand alone are said to have lost 1500 ships, which fell into the hands oi laa English. Croiijwell, who had now as"?umed the title of pro- lector, was, by the jjeace with Holland, It- ft at liberty to call to account those princes and states in the Medi- terranean, by whom the commerce of England ..ad been injured or insulted Accordingly, in ihe monih of No- vember, 1 654-, Blake was dispatched with a strtng fleet to the Mediterranean to support the honor of the English flag, and to procure satisfaction for any injuries 94> TH$ BRITISH trident; that might have been done to our merchants. In the beginning of December Blake came to an anchor in the road X)f Cadiz where he was treated with the greatest respect; a Dutch admiral who happened to be there struck his flag, and would not hoist it while the £ng!'Nh commander remained in that port. He then proceeded to Algiers, and insisted on the restoration of the ships and subjects of England, which had been taken by ves- sels belonging to that place. This demand the Dty of Algiers immediately complied with; on whicKBIake re» paired to Tunis to make the same requisition. The Dey of Tunis relying upon the strength of the place. which he had taken extraordinary pains to fortify, re* turned a haughty and contemptuous answer to the mes- sage of Ihe English admiral. *' Here,'' said he, '* are our castles of Goletta and Porto Ferino; do your worst. Do you think we fear your fleet?" Of this reply, Blake, who never suffered himself to be trifled with, soon gave the Tunisian reason to repent. After a short consultation with his officers, the English admiral imme* diately entered the bay. The batteries raised along the shore, the castle, and several smaller forts, were soon reduced to a defenceless state by the fire of the English. The admiral then ordered the captain of each ship to man his long boat with choice men, to enter the harbor and set fire to the pirates' ships. Thi^ service was executed with equal intrepidity and success ; 9 ships were burned, while the English in this daring enterprize had only 25 iren killed and 48 wounded. The fleet then set sail for Tripoli, the dey of which readily submitted to such terms as the English com* mander thought' proper to impose. He then returned to Tunis', where he concluded a peace with the deyi Wf"^ OK, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 95 \fhom he obliged to deliver up all ihe English and Duich slaves in his possession. Before he returned home, Blake demanded satisfac- tion of Ihe Grand Duke of Tuscany, for his conduct to the English in the affair of the Phoenix, at Leghorn, and obliged that prince to purchase peace at the price of 60,0001. Leti, in his life of Cromwell, says, that he sent home 16 ships laden with the effects he had re- ceived from other state*; for satisfaction and damages, making those pay in kind who wpre unable to raiso specie. ^ While Blake was thus employed in the Mediterranean, Cromwell, who had resolved upon a war with Spain, dispatched a fleet under the command of Penn and Ve* nables to the West Indies. The object of this expedi- tion was the conquest of St. Domingo; but failing in that point, it was resolved to proceed to the island of Jamaica, which fell an easy conquest to the English forces. Not content with harassing Spain in her colonial es- tablishments, Cromwell resolved o annoy the European possessions of that power. Accordingly Admirals Blake and Montague (afterwards Earl of Sandwich) were sent, in 1656» with forty men of war to cruize before Cadiz, for the purpose of intercepting the expected plate-fleet. After blocking up the port for several months, finding themselves in want of water, (he Eng- lish admirals quitted their station and steered for the coast of Portugal, leaving Captain Stainer with seven frigates lo look after the enemy. The Spanish fleet soon afterwards made its appearance, and was pursued by Captain Stainer with three ships, the others being prevented by stormy weather from coming up. He, ds THZ BRITISH TRIDENT ; however, attacked them with such impetuosity wllh only the Speaker, Bridgewater, and Plymouth, that he took four of their ships, richly laden ; among which were the vice and rear-admiral ; two were sunk, anj the other two escaped. One of the galleons that sunk, had taken fire during the action ; on board of her were the Viceroy of Peru, with his wife and daughter, who pfr rished on the occasion. These prizes, together with the prisoners, were, on the return of the fleet, sent to £ng< land under the care of Montague, while Blake continued cruizing off the Spanish coast. Being informed in April, 1657, that another plate* fleet had put into Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, he immediately sailed thither, and arrived before the town on the 20th of that month. The Spanish governor, who had received intelligence of his design, had made the most judicious preparations for a vigorous defence. The galleons, six in number, and 10 other vessels, were lying in the port, before which a boom was moor- ed. The harbor was strongly fortified, having on the north, a large castle well supplied with artillery, and seven forts united by a line of communication. So con* fident was the Spanish governor in the strength of the place, and the dispositions he had made^for Blake's re- ception, that when the master of ^ Dutch merchant^ roan, apprehensive of receiving some injury in the at- tack that was about to commence, requested permis- sion to leave the port, the haughty Spaniard re* plied, "Get you gone if you will, and ^et Blake come if he dare!" Undaunted by the difficulty of the enterprize, the English admiral, perceiving that it would be imposible to bring off the enemy's ships, resolved, at least/ to de» OR, REUISTEll OF NAVAL ACTIONS. fT (roy them. Captain Stayner was ordered to commence the attack with a detachment of the squadron. In spite of a heavy fire that was maintained by the castle and furts, he forced a passage into the harbor, and ^as soon followed by Blake, who placed other vessels to canno- nade the batteries on shore, which were at length si» lenced. The Spaniards made a brave resistance fof four hours, when they were driven from their ships, which were boarded and set on fire by the Eoglisbi Having accomplished this perilous undertaking, the wind, which had before been favorable to their entrance into the bay, shifted and carried the fleet safely to sea* notwithstanding the fire kept up by the Spaniards from the castle. The loss sustained by the English on this occasion, did not exceed 200 men killed and woundied • but that of the enemy, both on beard and on shore, was very great. Not one of their ships escaped. '* The whole nation,'^ says Clarendon, "thought this affair so miraculous, that all who knew the place, wondered that any sober men, with what courage soever endued, Mfouldj have undertaken it ; and they could hardly persuade themselves to believe what they had done ; while the Spaniards comforted themselves with the belief that they were devils and not men who destroyed them in such a manner." When the news of this glorious success reached Eng- land, the parliament ordered a public thanksgiving, and directed a ring worth five hundred pounds to be pre* sented to Blake. Captain Stayner was knighted, one hundred pounds was given to the captain who brough the intelligence, and the thanks of the house were voted to the officers and seamen. This atchievement closed the brilliant career of Blake* VOL. I. X i 98 THE BRITISH TKIUENT; OR, I who, finding h\n health rapidly declining, resolved, if possible, to return home. He accordingly sailed for En^^Iand, and during the voyage frequently expressed an earnest wish thai he might live to see his native country. That satisfaction wa-*, however, denied hira, lor he ex- pired on board his ship, the St. George, on the 17lh of Augu<Spragge destroys the Ships o\ the Algerines-~War aguin declared ngaioHt the Dutch — Battle of Solebay— Engageuienti near the Dutch Coast—Peace with Holland— Sir John Nar- ' borough destroys the Ships of the Tripolines. Upon the reMoraticn pf King Charles II. in 1660, the navy bpard, which had iinddrgone a vrriety of changes, was permanently established by a cou^mifision under the great seal. It was to consist ofa comptroller, surveyor, treasurer, clerk of the navy, and three com- missioners over different departments, with the title of commissioners of his Majesty's navy. The salary of each was fixed at 5001. per annum. The Algerines having violated the treaty concluded with Blake, a fleet was dispatched under the Earl of Sandwich to chastise those pirates. On the 29th of July, 1661, the squadron appeared before Algiers, and the English admiral sent Captain Spragge with the king's letter, and another from himself to the dey, who treat- OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 101 C(l lliem wilh contempt, and made preparations for a vi • goroun resistance. The Earl of Sandwich, however, resolved to make an attempt to burn the ships in ihe harbor, but the wind proving contrary he wa< obliged to relinquish his design, after a violent cannonade on both sideo, in which the town sustained considerable injury. Admiral Lawson being left with a squadron to block uj) the port, performed that service so eflfectu- ally, that the Algerines were obliged to sue for peace. Ill 1G62, a judge advocate was first appointed to the fleet, and a salary attached to that office. In the year following an established number of seamen was fixed tor each ship of war according to her rate, and servants were first allowed to the captains and officers in the roy al navy. In 1 664, an allowance of table-money was first made to officers in the royal navy, and the same year is re- markable for the appointment of a surgeon-general i9 the fleet. The king being determined, for what reason we can- not presume to decide, to make war upon the Dutch, Sir Robert Holms was dispatch ^d in May, 1664-, to at- tack the settlements belonging to that nation in Africa. Here he made himself master oi their establishments in the vicinity of Cape Verd, and likewise those on the Coast of Guinea, but they did not remain long in the hands of the English, being soon afterwards retaken by DeRuyter. No declaration of war had yet been published; Charles, however, ordered a powerful Beet to be equip- ped, which put to sea under the command of his bro- ther, the Duke of York, as high-admiral^ and in N9; its •->'i Til 102 THE BRITISH T&IDIMT; vember fell in with the Datch fl««t from Bourdeaux. This convoy, to the number of i'JO ships, be look and brought lo Englandi where in defiance of the law of na- tions, they were condemned as legal prises. Sir Thomas Allen cruizing near Cadiz,' about the same time, fell in with the Dutch convoy froth Smyrna, escorted by Commodore Biackel, whb though far infe* rior in force, boldly endeavoured to protect his charge. He was himself killed in ihe action, and some of the richest of the merchant ships were taken by the English. The Dutch now began to make vigorc at preparations for war, which being declared by both sides early in 1665, the Duke of YOrk sailed with the English fleet in May, and' appeared off the coast of Holland heibre the Dutch were ready to put to sea. He cruised a fortnight near the TeKel, to prevent the fleet 6f Holland from joining that of Zealand ; and in the intervBl took several lipmeward bound ships which had not been informed of the war. He then quitted his station, with the intention of Intercepting De Rayter, who bad been harassing the English settlements in America ; but, being in want of provisions, he retired with bis fleet to Harwich, leaving a few frigates to cruize in the channel, and to briog him intelligence of the enemy. * ENGAGEMENT OFF LOWESTOFFE. lii'thdinfeaiitime the Dutch squadrons having effect- ed a junction, formed a fleet of 121 men of war ^besides fire-ships, under the command of Opdam de AVassenaer, Cortenaer, Evertzen, and CorneJius Van Trorap. After passing the Dogger Bank, the Dutch «#dmiral detached a squadron to lie in wait for the Eog- >v^. .j/L ^0^ OR. mi Ksh Hamburj onder convoy the enemy. Irritated at 1 1th of June j sail of men c 22,000 seame divided info I flag, was com mirals Penn i Prince Ruperl by the Earl < Aysaie, On the same Harwich, form men of war a having the advj English fleet tc ral acquainted I of his retreat; ] was ordered imi events, this < ed. Opdan, I «ng that the g« said to his office but Iiere are mj bound either wi ingly weighed i and in an hoar i gagement began toffe, and conUi remarkable adva Earl of SandwH OR, REGISTER. OF NATAL ACTIOKS. 103 Ksh Hamburgh fleet, consisting of 9 merchant ships onder convoy of a frigate, which fcH into the hands of the enemy. ' Irritated at this loss, the Duke of York sailed on the 11th of June from Solebay. His fleet consisted of 114 sail of men of war, and 23 Are- ships, manned witji 22,000 seamen and soldiers. This formidable fleet was divided into three squadrons ; the first, under the red 6ag, was commanded by the duke himself, with the ad* tnirals Penn and Lawson ; the white squadron, by Prince Rupert, Minnes, and Sampson, and the blue, by the Earl of Sandwich, Cuttings, and Sir G^sorge /iyscue. On the same d«y the enemy's fleet was discovered oflP Harwich, formed into seven squadrons, composed of 102 men of war and 17 yachts and fire-ships. The Dutch having the advantage of the wind, retreated before the English fleet to the mouth of the Meuse. Their admi- ral acquainted the States by an express with the reason of his retreat; but this being deemed unsatisfactory, he was ordered immediately to put to sea and to fight at all events. This order was too peremptory to be disobey- ed. Opdam, having called a council of war, and find- ing that the general opinion concurred with his own, said to his officers, " I am entirely of your Sentiments, but liere are my orders. Tomorrow my head shall be bound either with laurel or with cypxe«H." He accord- ingly weighed anchor at day-break of the 3d of June, and in an hour discovered the English fleet. The en- gagement began about three in the morning, off Lowes- toffe, and continued with great fury, but without any remarkable advantage to either side till noon, when the Earl of Sandwich i«rcing through the centre of tlie 104 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Dutch line, threw their fleet into such- cpnfusion (hat they never recovered. The Duke of York in the Royal Charles of 80 guns, was for some hours closely engaged with Opdam in the Endracht of the same fo^ce. The Earl of Falmouth, Lord Muskerry, Mr. Boyle, toge- ther with some of the duke*s attendants, were killed by his side, and the prince himself was wounded in the hand by a splinter of Mr. Boyle's skull. In the midst of the action, the Dutch admiral blew up and out of 500 men, among whom were a great number of volunteers of the most distinguished families in Holland, only five were saved. . . . > . Tiiis fatal accident increased the confusion of (he. enemy, so that soon afterwards foUr ofthetc ships of6U to 49 guns ran foul of each other, and were destroyed by a fire-ship ; and three still larger, in a short time, shared the same fate. The Orange of 74 guns being disabled by the Mary, was likewise burned ; her com* mander, Captain $iT)ith, dying of his wounds soon after lie was taken. Vice-Admiral Cortenaer, being en- gfiged in the Ro}al Catherine, received a shot in his thigh, of which he immediately expired, aud Steiiing* w^f having, likewise, fallen, their ships l^ore outof ihe line, without striking their flag, atid being followed by several others, the confusion soon became general VanTromp, however, with his division, gajianlly con- tinued liie conflict till seven in the evening, when, finding himself deserted by the rest of ihe fleet, he was, likewise, obh'ged to reireat. The Dutch retired towards the Meuse, the Texel, and the Vlie. The Duke pursued them the vi\\o\te of the ibllowing day, and |t is the general opinion, that, had he shewn the s£ime ar- dor in this pursuit as he had done in the engagement, tlie OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS, 105 whole of the enemy's fleet must have been taken or des- troyed. This was the most signal victory yet gained by the English, and the greatest defeat experienced by tiie Dutch. Eighteen of their ships were taken, and four- teen sunk or burned. They had upwards of 4000 men killed and 2000 taken prisoners, among whom were 1 6 captains. — The English lost only one ship, the Charity of 46 guns, which, after losing most of her men, in a desperate engagement with Van Tromp, Hiddest, and Swart, was taken by a Dutch ship of 60 guns. The icilled amounted to 250, and the wounded did not ex- ceed 350. Among the former were the Admirals Sampson and Lawson, and* the captains the Earls ol* Marlborough and Rutland. The utmost exertions were now made by both sides to repair their ships with all possible expedition. The command of the English fleet was given to the Earl of Sandwich, as the king would not sflffer hb brother^ vyh** wSs thb presumptive heir to the crown> to risk his per- son in another engagement. De Ruyter was appointed by the States to succeed Opdam, and was ordered Co rer tufn home immediately with his squadron^ consisting of 17 men of war, with which he was cruizing for the pro- tection of the convoys of merchantmen whoie arrival was expected. On the 5th of July, the Earl of Sand- wich sailed with 60 vessels to the coast of Holland, to intercept tke Dutch commander ; but De Ruyter being apprized of his design, sailed round the north of Scot- land, took shelter in Berghen, in Norway, and eluded the vigilance of the English squadron. The latter end of the year was employed by the Dutch in strengthening their interest by forming allianceg. Hi 106 THE BRItlSH trident; The King of France, at the solicitation oflhe Stales, de- clared war against England, and by a treaty which the? concluded with his Danish Majesty, that monarch en- gaged to maintain a fleet of 30 men of war at sea fur ihf service of the allies. ENGAGEMENT OFF THE COAST OF FLANDERS. Such was the situation of affairs at the commencement of 1666. The English fleet wa^« this year, command' ed by Prince Rupert and the Duke of Albemarle. The former had orders to sail in quest of the French fleet, consisting of 36 ships, under the Duke of Beaufort, and to prevent his joining the Dutch. The English fleet, remaining in the Downs, was composed of 60 sail of the line, besides frigates and fire-ship^; tbot^ of the States consisted of 7 1 ships of the line, 12 frigates, and 21 fire-ships and yachts, carrying 4*7 1 4 guns and up* wards of 22,000 men, under the command of De Ruy- ter, Evertzen, and Van Tromp. With this powerful force they came to an anchor b^ tween Dunkirk and Nieuport, wben, on the 1st of June, the Duke of Albemarle bore down upon them with a ^vorable wind, oiv which the Dutch cut their cables, and put themselves in a posture of defence. The action immediately commenced with such a violent gale, that the English were unable to use their lower tier of guns. The engagement was itiaintained with great fury on both sides, till night parted the combatants. De Ruyter's and Van Tromp's ships were so disabled, that they were obliged to shift their flags. Another ship, in which was Admiral Staghouwer, took fire and blew up, and Admiral Evertzen was killed. — Sir William Berkeleyi tvho led the van of the English, in the Swiftsuce, a se* 9tL, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTION^. 107 cond rate, was cut off from the line and attacked on all sides by the enemy. Though his ship was disabled and great numbers of his men killed, he continued almost aloite upon deck, with his own hand killed several oftlie enemy, who boarded his ship, and refused to accept of quarter, till, at length, being shot in the throat with a musket-ball he retired into the cabin, where he was (bund dead, extended at full length on a table, and al- most covered with his blood. The Swiftsure tell a dear bought prize into the hands of the enemy. Sir ChristO' pher Minnes, having received a ball in his throat, would not be persuaded to have if bound up, or to leave the quarter-deck, but for cbout half an hour held his fingers to the wound, to stop the effu!;ion of blood, till another ball entered his neck and killed him. Sir John Harman, likewise, distinguished himself greatly by his intrepid conduct. He commanded the Henry, which being assailed on all sides by the Zealand squadron, and much disabled, was grappled by a fire-ship ; but wasde* livered from that imminent danger by the desperate re- solution of the boatswain, who leaped into the fire-ship, disentangled (he iron, and recovered his own vessel. A second fire*shfp was then dispatched with better success. The Henry was soon in tiames, and her crew, to escape beiog burned, began to leap overboard, but Sir John rushing among them with his drawn sword, threatened those with immediate death who should refuse their aid to free the ship and extinguish the flames. This menace produced the desired effect : the men were recalled to their duty, and, animated by the conduct of their com- mander, - they, at length, by their united exertions, succeeded in extinguishing the flames; but the cordage being burned, one of the yards fell upon Sir John snd 108 THE BRITISH TRIDEy broke liis leg. The enemy, who were witnesses of tliij accident, now dispached a Ihird fire-ship, which was wnk by the Henry before she could approach. The Dutch Vice-Admiral Evertz-n upon this offered him quarter, to which the gallant Englishman replied : " No, Sir, it is not come to that yet !" The next broadside killed the Dutch commander, which so discouraged the enemy, that they left him. He then bore away for Har- wich, where he repaired his ship with all possible expe- dition, and rejoined the fleet, but not in lime to share in the subsequent actions. > In the morning of the 22nd, a council of war wa» held on board the English fleet, in which the Duke of Albemarle gave his opinion in the following words: ''If we had dreaded the numders of our enemies, we should have fled yesterday ; but though we are inferior to them in ships, we are in all things else superior* Force gives them courage. Let us, if we need it, bor- borrow resolution from the thoughts of what we have already performed. Let the enemy feel, that though our fleet be divided* our spirit is entire. At the worst, It will be more honorable to die bravely here on our own element, than to be made spectacles to the Dutch. To be overcome is the fortune of war, but to fly is the fashion of cowards. Let us teach the world, that Englishmen would rather be acquainted with death than with fear.** The battle was, therefore, renewed at day-break with increased ftiry and was continued for some hours, till a calm obliged both fleets to lie to, till noon. A breese springing up, the battie began again, and was maintained with the utmost obstinacy. Van Tromp was once, more obliged to shift his flag, and he, In the m finding that continued re the enemy ; I to the south w Prince Rupe The admiral Hily to eflfect the Royal Pi called the Gal and himself a lish squadrons ate/y stood to fore tUey were At eight ir fleets again me enemy were a overtaken, a n any of the pre< of Ihe highest VOL. I, Oftj REGISTEU OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 105 )fihU 1 was The d him "No, >adside red the )r Har- i expe- share var waf )ake of words • lies, we 1 inferior superior* I it, bor. we have I though le worst, our own tch. To y it the rid, that ^th death lay-break le hours, >oon. A tain, anJ . Van and be, together with Admiral Van der Hulst, rashly pushing in among the English fleet, the latter was killed by a mus- ket-shot. De Ruyter perceiving the imminent danger to which Van Tromp was exposed, bore down wit*, unparalleled bravery to his assistance and brought him off. The Dutch, towards^evening, were reinforced by 16 ships which gave them such a superiority, that the Duke of Albemarle found it necessary to retreat with the loss of three ships, which, being disabled, were set on fire by the English themselves. The enemy, this day, lost the same number of ships, which were burned. In the morning of the 3d, the Duke of Albemarle, finding that he had only '2S ships fit for service, still continued retreating before the much superior force of the enemy ; but, in the afternoon, a fleet was discovered to the southward, which the duke soon perceived to be Prince Rupert's squadron hastening to his assistance. The admiral instantly hauled to the wind the more rea- dily to efiect a junction, when Sir George Ayscue, in the Royal Prince, unfortunately striking on the sand, called the Galloper, his ship was burned by the Dutcli, and himself and the crew made prisoners. The Eng* lish squadrons having joined, the two admirals immedi* ately stood towards the enemy, bat night arrived be- fore they were able to come up with them. At eight in the morning of the fourth, the hostile fleets again met to decide this protracted contest. The enemy were alfnost out of sight, but being pursued and overtaken, a more furious engagement commenced than any of the preceeding. Both parties exhibited proofs of the highest courage and conduct. One of the Dutch VOL. I. Iv Jid tHE BRIllSIl trident; ships, commanded by Captain Uylenhoff, was burned, and those of Van Tromp and Sweers being totally dis- abled, were towed out of the line. The Dom Van Uy trecht struck to the Duke, but was relieved ^by the gallantry of the Dutch admiral. In this day's engage* nient, two or three of the English were taken, and se- veral others sustained considerable damage. The action continued till seven in the evening, when a thick fog put an end to this bloody conflict, and the hostile fleets returned to tiieif own coast, each claiming the glory of a victory. On no point are writers more at variance, than on the loss of the rival powers on this occasion. From the most ct^ditable authority, however, it appears that on board the English fleet, between 5 and 6000 men were killed and wounded, and that they lost \6 men of war, ten •r which were sunk and six taken. The Dutch historians acknowledge the loss of nine ships, and that a prodi- gious slaughter was made in the republican fleet ; while oar historians encrease the number to 15 ships, 21. cap- tains, and 3000 men. Thfe best testimony of the bravery with which the English fought on this dccasion, is that of their professed enemy the Pensionary de Witt, who said, that if the English were beaten, their defeat did them more honor than their former victories ; adding, that he was con- vinced neither the fleet of his own nation, nor of any «ther, could have been brouglU into action so many days successively after the disadvantages of the first; and the Dutch had only discovered, that Englishmen might be killed and English ships burned, but that English courage was invificible. OR, The two gain put to men of war three squadi Rupert, and one shjp^ vi( miral Sir Tf Allen, vice-a admiral Her! vfce-admiral Kempihorne.- war, and aboi three grand sc Ru^'ter, John ■ame, who i Tromp, On (he 25t enemy's fleet bore down nj white squadro by attacking th tirely routed ai -Admirals Evei Zealand, Vice fi%-gun ship, lish. About one, ttarle, with the De Ruyter's di that, after eng: Quile disabled. OR, KEiilbTfiR OK NAVAL ACTIONS. £NG KiKMENT OFF THE XORTH FORKLAND. ML The two fleets having soon repaired their damagev gain put to sea. That of the Enghsh, consisting of 80 men of war and 19 Hrc-ships was a<; usual divided into three squadrons, llie red being commanded by Prince Riipert, and the Duke of Albemarle, who were both in one ship, vice-admiral Sir Joseph Jordan, and rear-ad- miral Sir Thomas Holmes : the white by Sir Thomas Allen, vice-admiral Sir Thomas Tyddeman, and rear- admiral Herbert ; and the blue by Sir Jeremy Smith, vice-admiral Sir Edward Spragge, and rear-admiral ICemplhorne. — The Dutch fleet composed of 88 men of war, and about 10 Hre-ships, wpr. likewise divided iiito three graod squadrons^ which were commanded by De Ruyter, Jt)hn £v«rtaei», (brother to the admiral of that lame, who fell in the late engagement] and Van Tromp. On the 25th of July, the Eriglish discovered the enemy's fleet off the North Foreland, and immediately bore down npon them. Sir Thomas Allen with the white squadron, began the engagement about noon, by attacking the enemy's van with such fury, that he en- tirely routed and put it to flight, after having killed the Admirals Evertzen, De Vries, and Koenders. The Zealand, Vice-Admiral Blankert, and the Snerk, a fifty-gun ship, were taken and burned by the Eng- lish. ^ About one. Prince Rupert and the Duke of Albe- marle, with the red squadron, made a furious attack on De Ruyter's division, who received them so warmly, that, after engaging him three hours, their ship was quite disabled, and they were obliged to shift their flag /- 2 112 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; on board anotlier. Perceiving the success of Admiral Allen, they now attacked De Ruyter with redoubled i'ary, and engaged him ship to ship. A Dutch fire- ithip was sunk, and another burned by the English; and the Gaelderland of 66 guns was d's^'bled. A I length the Captains Nyhof and Hogenboeck being mor- tally wounded, and Maximilian killed, several of Dc Ruyter's squadron, discouraged by these losses, beluolc themselves to flight. His Vice-Admiral Van Ness alone stood by him ; so that, being, at last, deserted by all but eight or nine ships, and overpowered by numbers, the gallant De Ruyter found himself under the necessity of retreating. In the mean time Van Trorop was closely engaged with the blue squadron^ which, afler a long conflict, gave way, By an unpardonable error* Van Tromp suffered himself to be drawn to such a distance in pur- suit of the flying ships, that his squadron, which was the strongest, was unable to afford anv assistance to those of Everlzenand De Ruyter, either on this or the following day. The next morning, the Dutch fleet was perceived re- treating in great disorder. It was pursued with part of the red squadron by the English commander, who at* tacked De Ruyter with the greatest fury. That gallant ofHcer, mortified at being obliged to retreat before the English, is said to have exclaimed: "My God! how unfortunate am I ! Among so many thousand bullets, is there not one to put an end to my miserable life !" He was solicited by his son-in-law, De Witt, to bring to, and sell his life as dearly as possible ; but this advice though congenial to his intrepid spirit, he rejected, thinking it more to his country ^interest to save^ if possible, there- OR, KEGISTBR Or NAVAL ACTIONS. 113 •naiiidtif of the fleet; witli which he, at length, reached the shallows on the Patch coant, whither tho (!)nglish commanders did not deem it prudent (o pursue uim. The victory was a proud one for the navy of Englamf. '1 he loss oi the enemy was very great ; 20 of their ships T^vrr sunk or burned ; 4 adinlral^t. several captains, and ^.x)0 >e*ni«;n wt»re killed, and upwards cf 300 wound- *J. — The Enj^lisli lasl biitone ship, the Re:;olation» atuJ iho.U 100 niBH. riio ?J:'nTist» llret ijavlij^ s'.j'-laint J but Utile injury in jljc Ui^ engagf iuent, coiuiimod cruizing near the OuU h coaRt, when the cominanders were inibrmed, tisrfi a jcrcat number otraercbanlmen, richly laden, were loiloclotl between the I'-kuds V lie and Sclielling, on nhichi hkewise, were fiiluatQd magazines filled wiih stores i.jul merchajulize. On this intelligence, the) dc« fached a small squadron, con-listing of 9 frigates, 5 fire- <'iip:^, and 7 ketches to destroy them, under the com- Uiand of Rear- Admiral Sir Thomas Holmes. On the ♦ilb of August lie came to an anchor before Vlie, but the wind being unfavoriible, he was prevented from at- tacking the enemy till the toliowing day. The Dutch jorca consisted oi two wen of war and 170 merchajil- ships, several of which wt r^ a^med for war. The for- mer, together with the three largest merchantman, Ahich had flags at their main-tops, were soon destroyed by the fire-ships. The whole ileet "vras now thrown into the utmost confusion, of which the rear-admiral did not fail to take advantage; therefore, manning his bont'', he entered the harbor, ordering his men to I. 'J 114 THf BRITISH trident; destroy all they could, but strictly enjoining them not to plunder. This command was so well executed, that only nine ships escaped, the rest being all burned. The day following the admiral landed with a body of troops, destroyed the magazines, where he found a considerable booty, and set fire to the town of Brandaris. This service was effected with the loss of a few pinnaces and fire-ships, six men killed, and as many wounded ; while that of the Dutch was computed to amount to 1,200,0001. sterling. In 1666, an addition of 50 men was made to the complement of an admiral's ship, twenty to a vice-ad- Tniral's, and ten to that of a rear-admiral. The first instance, likewise, occurs in this year, of gratuities to captains who had been wounded in battle. At the beginning of the year 1667, proposals for peace weremade to the king by the States. Charles raised some objections against the terms; but conceiving himself able to conclude a peace whenever he pleased, he laid up his ships, thinking it a needless expence to maintain such a powerful navy as he had done the two preceding years. Of this most impolitic measure he soon had reason to repent ; for the States receiving intelligence of the circumstance, and resolving to compel him to accede to their terms, fitted out a formidable fleet. It consist- ed of 70 men of war and several fire-ships, with which, on the 7lh of June, the Admirals De Ruyter and Van Ghent arrived, without molestation, in the mouth of the Thames. On the 1 0th they landed at Sheerness, took the fort, and destroyed the magazine with the stores which it contained. An alarm being given, the Duke of Albemarle,, to prevent the enemy from entering the Medwayi sunk some vessels at the entrance of that 5 ^'. OR, UECTSTCR OP KAVAL ACTIONS. 115 river, and threw a strong chain across it. The Dutch being favored by a strong easterly wind, De Ruyter resolved to make a bold attempt to break the ch?jn, and force his y.^y up to Chatham. Accordingly, on the 12th, he ran with such force against the chain, that it gave way, upon which with his fire-ships he destroy- ed (he Matthias, the Unity, and the Charles the fifth, which had been placed to defend it. The following day the Dutch advanced with six men of war and five fire- ships as far as Upnor Castle, where they were so warmly received by Major Scott from the castle, and Sir Edward Spragge on Vie opposite shore, that their ships were much damaged, and they lust a considerable number of men. Being compelled to retreat, they, in (heir return, burned (he Royal Oak, the Royal London, and Great James, and proceeded down the river, car- rying off with (hem, the hull of the Royal Charles, to which the English had twice set fire, to prevent that di<;grace. The gallant Captain Douglas of (he Royal Oak, disdaining to quit that ship without orders, reso« lutely continued on board and perished with her. In this daring enterprise the Dutch lost two ships of war, wiiich ran aground- in the Medway and were burned by Ihemiselves, and according to their accounts not more than 150 men. On leaving the Thames, De Ruyter sailed to Ports- mouth, with the design of burning the ships in the har- bor, but finding them too well secured, he proceeded to Torbay, where he met with no better success. He, therefore, returned to the mouth of the Thames, and being joined by Admiral Van Ness, sailed up the river as far as the Hope, where Sir Edward Spragge with a small squadron of five frigates and 17 fire-ships, engaged i=«^ 116 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; him with such resolution^ that he was obliged to retreat with the loss of two of his ships./ In the mean time a peace being signed between the two nations Oe Ruytcr withdrew his fleet and proceed- ed *o Holland. Sir John Harman having been sent with 12 frigates to protect the British settlements in the West Indies, ar- nved, in March off St., Christophers. Hearing that two Dutch privateers with four prizes were Ij^ing at Guadaloupe, he sent part of his squadron to bring t?,em off. which they effected, and afterwards landing, (iiu considerable damage. This intelligence reaching Martinique^ the united French and Dutch fleets, con- sisiing of 22 men of war, immediately put to sea, bnd on the 1 0th of May, came in sight of the English com- mander, who immediately attacked them. After an ob- stinate engagement, which continued three houis, the eneny, notwith<;tanding their superiority, were totally defeated, their whole fleet excepting two ships being cither taken or destroyed. Nothing remarkable occurred till the year 1670, when theEnglish squadron in the Mediterranean, under Admi- ral Allen, being found inadequate to repress the outra- ges of the Algerines, Sir Edward Spragge was sent thither with a powerful fleet. Having cruized several days before Algiers, without receiving a satisfactory answer* to his demands, he proceeded to the harbo( of Biigia, where a con«?idcrabIe number of their vessels were lying. A strong boom had been thrown across the haven, but the English resolutely forced it, drove the enemy's ships on shore, and burned seven of ihem, ftiounting from 24 to 34 guns, together with ihree pri- zes. This disaster produced a tumult at Algiers* in e) retreat sen the oceeci- ;ates to les, ar- ig that fing at I bring inding, caching s, con- ia, bnd ih com- van ob- tis, the totally being ), when Admi- outra- las sent several staclory irboc of vessels across drove >fthem, fee pri- iers, in 1^ ^''' ^ I i ;k >,in#' /:j:^ OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 117 ^hich (he dey was murdered, and another elected, by nrhom a peace satisfactory to the English was concluded Ml the 9th ofDecember. In 167 1; the king having again determined on a nip- lore with the Dutch, probably fbr no other reason than to Supply (he means of supporting his profusion and ex- Jravagance, resolved to surprise their homeward*bound Smyrna fleet, as he had formerly donethat of Bourdeanx, before any declaration of war. A squadron was, accord- ingly equipped, and the command of it was given to Sir Robert Holmes, who had orders to cruize in Channel, On the 1.1th of March (he Smyrna fleet was discovered, ^^nd the English immediately gave chace. The Dutch .•dmiral refusing to pay the usual compliment of the flag, •fn obstinate action commenced, which continued in a kind of running fight for three days, at the etid of which, .the Hollandia, a man of war and five merchant-ships •IBrere taken. The others escaped and arrived in safety ^ diflereot ports of Holland. ' BATTLE OF SOLEBAY. The States, enraged at this act of unprovoked hostiIi« ij, immediately declared war against England. Charles Dot only made the most vigorous preparations at home /or prosecuting it with vigor, but, likewise, engaged Jhe King of France to espouse his cause. Lewis pro« oised to attack the Dutch by land, and also to assist England with his whole naval force. A squadron of 36 lail was, accordingly, sent under Count d'Etrdes, which arrived on the 3d of May at Portsmouth, where it was .soon joined by the English. The combined fleet con- fisting of 101 sail, carrying 6,018 guns, and 32,530 men, proceeded to the Downs in three divisions; the 118 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Duke of York« as comonander in chief, was in the cen- tre with the red squadron ; Count IXEtr^es acting as admiral of the white, and the Earl of Sandwich com- manding the blue. The Dutch were not backward in preparing to meet the danger with which they were threatened. They had equipped and sent to sea a fleet of 75 large men of war, and forty frigates and fire-ships. It was commanded by the famous De Ruyter,' assisted by Cornelius de Wilt, the pensionary's brother, as deputy from the States. The Dutch admiral having put to sea, and being informed that the combined fleet was at Solebay, in Suffolk, he, on the 28th of May bore down upon them so unexpectedly thai many of their ships were obliged to cut their cables, that they might get cut more expeditiousl^y, and rangt themselves in order of battle. Bankert, who commanded the van of the Dutch fleet, commenced the attack on the white squadron under d'Etr^es, who received them with some appearance of courage, but soon sheered off, in consequence, as it is said, of secret orders from his master not to expose the French ships too much, but to leave the English and Dutch to effect their mutual destruction. In the mean time, DeRuyter, made a furiousattack on the centre s(jua- dron^ while Van Ghent engaged the blue under the Earl of Sandwich. The Duke of York, after a most obstinale conflict of several hours, with the Dutch commander, was obliged, from the disabled slate of his ship, the St. Michael, to shifl his flag to the Loyal London. I'he Earl of Sandwich, in the Royal James of 100 guns, maintained a most unequal conflict with Van Ghent's division. He was first attacked by the Great Holland commanded by Captain Braakel, and a fire ship. Braa- OR« REGISTER NAVAL ACTIONS. lid keli though of inferior force, yet depending on (he as- qstance of his countrymen, who had the advantage of the wind, grappled the Royal James, and the Earl being ill supported by the rest of His squadron, was almost en- tirely surrounded by the enemy. Van Ghent was soon killed, and his ship being much disabled, sheered off. Another Dutch man of war and three fire ships were iiunk, and at length the Earl succeeded in disengaging himself from Braakel'j ship, after being grappled with her an hour and a half, and reducing her to a perfect wreck ; the Captain himself being wounded and two« thirds of his men killed. The Earl had now with un- exampled intrepidity defended himself for five hours« but disdaining to retreat, another Dutch fire-ship ap- proached under cover of the enemy's smoke, boarded the Royal James on the quarter, and the ship was soon in flames. Of 1000 on board her, 600 had been killed previous ib the fatal catastrophe. The death of their Admiral, and the furious attack of part of the Earl's squadron, which arrived, though too late, to his assistance, threw Van Ghent's division into such confusion that it was obliged to retreat, and with- draw for some time i'rom the engagement. This afforded Sir Joseph Jordan, who had now succeeded to the com* mand of the blue squadron an opportunity of uniting with the red, in order tn assist the Duke of York, who, being deserted by the French, had suffered considerably from the powerful attacks of the enemy's two divisions under. De Ruyter and Bankert. In this conflict, Cornelius Evertzen, Admirul of Zealand was killed, and De Huyter himself was wounded, and narrowly escaped being burned by the English fire>ships. IDis ship was at length so completely disabled that she was obliged to 120 THE BRITISH trident; be towed out of the line, and it was with great difficuhy she afterwards reached home. Van Gltent's squadrui) having by this time rallied, bore down to the relief ot their commanders, and thus saved them from destruclion. Towards night, great havoc k was made among thu Dutch fire-ships, five or six of which were destroyed by one English man of war^ The battle continued till nine at night, when ihe Dutch fleet being dreadfully shattered and disabled, were obliged to retreat ; and the English, having sufiTered in an equal degree, were in no condition to pursue them. In this sanguinary contest, the Dutch lost only three ships, one of which was burned, another sunk, and the third taken. Their loss in men, is supposed to have been very great, as the publication of it was forbidden by the States. The loss on the part of the English was rather more severe. Two of their ships were burned, three sunk, and ope taken. They had about 2000 men killed and wounded ; among the former were Sir Fretcheville Holle<;, rear-admiral, in the Cambridge ; Captain Digby of the Henry ; Captain Piercy of the St. George ; Cap- tain Waterwortb, of the Anne ; Sir John Fox of the Prince ; Captain Harman of the Triumph ; Lord Maid- stone, Sir Philip Cartwright, Sir Charles Harbord, and many other persons of distinction. But the fate of the gallant Earl of Sandwich was particularly regretted. It is related that when bis ship was on fire, the Earl re- tired to his cabin, whither he was followed by his cap- tain. Sir Richard Haddock, (almost the only officer that survived the loss of the Royal James) who, finding him with a handkerchief before his eyes, informed him of his danger, to which he replied, *' he saw how things OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 121 went, and was resolved (o perish with the ship." It is said that on the preceding day, while the fleet was riding in Sole-bay, the Earl, apprehensive of being sur- prized by the Dutch, had advised that (hey should weigh anchor, and get out to sea. The Duke of York, how- ever, not only rejected this advice, but even told the eari that it was the result of fear ; which is supposed to have made such a deep impression on the noble admiral's mind, as to render him careless of hislife.^ His body, be- ing known by the George he had on, was taken up a few days after the engagement, by one of the King's ketches, and carried to Harwich, whence it was removed, and solemnly interred in Westminster Abbey. The French, notwithstanding the little share they had in the action lost two ships, one of which was burned, andtheother sunk, and among the-killed was their rear- adsiiral M. de la Rabiniere. ENGAGEMENTS NEAR THE DUTCH COAST. Nothing of importance occurred during the remain- der of the year 1672 ; but early in 1 673 the command of the English fleet was given to Prince Rupert, and on * Though this is the Account which most historians have giveu I of the death of the Earl of Sandwich, yet the character which he nniformiy exhibited, does not justify the idea that he would jwsntonly sacrifice a life so useful to his country. Tlie certiiicaie lofhis funeral preserved among the archives of the Herald's Col- I'^ge, has been adduced to corroborate a contrary opinion. It is Ithere stated, that, " he staid in his ship till the last, when he was j:orccd to put hiaiself to the rtercy of the seas, in which he pe- ^hed." VOL. I. H 122 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; he 1 9th of May, it was determined in a council of war, at which i\\e King and the Duke of York were present, to attack the Dutch fleet on their own coast, if they could not be provoked to leave it. In consequence of this resolution, the combined French and English fleets under the command of Prince Rupert, Sir Edward ^P^^gfi^* anyar, besides fire-ships, proceeded to the coast of Hol- land, and discovered de Ruyter with the Dutch fleet drawn up in a very advantageous position behind the sands of Schonevelt^ On the morning of the 28 ih, a squadron of frigates and 6re-ships was detached to draw out the enemy : this had the desired effect, for de Ruy- ter immediately got under sail and pursued the frigates' \yhich led him away to their own fleet. ^ On this occasion, the Dutch were considerably in- ferior in force to the combined fleet, having no more than 70 men of war and frigates, commanded by de Ruy- t*ir, Van Tromp, and Bankert. A bout noon the squa- dron of frigates attacked Van Tromp, and Prince Ru- pert had been almost two hours engaged with de Ruy- ter, before the French squadron came into action. P'Etr^s soQi) retreated^ as he~ had done in the formed engagement, upon whicn8. On his return to France, this gallant officer was called to ac- count for having exceeded his commission, and was ac- taally confined in the Bastile tor having behaved too well The ships which had attacked Martcl, were suffered by the French, to return unmolested to their own fleet, so that the whole force of the divisions of De Ruyter and Bankert was concentrated against Prince Rupert's squa- dron ; Sir Edward Spragge being engaged with Van Tromp a considerable distance to the leeward. Thus surrounded on all sides. Prince Rupert behaVed with such intrepidity, and by his own example so .ani- mated his men, that, he olearod himself by degrees, of hi^ enemies, rejoinedhi<) rear-admiral. Sir John Chicheley, from whom he had been separated, and bore away to the relief of the blue squadron. De Ruyter perceiving his design, ceased fih'ng, and likewise stood to the assistance of Van Tromp, so that the hostile fleets proceeded by the side of e&ch other, within cannon shot, but without faring. About four in the afternoon the Prince joined the blue squadron, which he found in a very shattered condition. At the beginning of the engagement Van Tromp in the Golden Lion, and Sir Edward Spragge in the Roysil Prince, fought ship to ship. The latter, after an obsth M 3 m 126 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; nate contest of three hours, was so disabled that Sir Ed- ward was obh'ged to shift his flag to the Si. George, and Tromp having quitted the Golden Lion, removed into the Comet, when the engagement was renewed with increased fury. The great object of the Dutch admiral was to take or sink the Royal Prince, but she was ^o well protected by Spragge, the Earl of Ossory, and Sir John Kemptborne, that he was baffled in ail his attempts. The St. George having suffered greatly, the English ad* admiral was going on board the Royal Charles, when a shot struck his boat, which immediately sunk, and Sir Edward with the crew perished. Prince Rupert, upon his arrival, perceiving the dis- abled state of the blue squadron, steered in between the enemy and the crippled ships, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Dutch. The latter having rallied* bore down again about five to attack the Prince, who was unable to collect more than 13 ships fit for ac< lion. Another obstinate and bloody engagement com* fnenced, and was maintained for two hours, when the Dutch were thrown into great confusion, and a total de- feat roust have ensued, if the French had obeyed the sig- nal, which the Prince made for them to join him. This, however, D'Etr^es took no notice of till the battle was over, when he sent to enquire what it meant. The darkess and smoke, at length, obliged both parties to desist from fighting, and the fleets separated, each claim* Jng the honor of a victory. Considering the duration and the obstinacy of this engagement, Che loss in ships was very inconsiderable. . On the part of the English, the Henrietta yacht was sunk. The Dutch acknowledge the loss of three or four fire-ships, but English writers positively affirnii OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 127 (hat two or three of their iari^est ships were sunk. Two of their vice-admirals were killed, together with three captains and about 1000 men. The killed on board tho English tlcct, amounted to nearly the same number, among whom were two captains, besides the brave Sir Edward Sp agge. After this action, Prince Rupert returned with (he English fleet to the Thames, and the French admi* ral to Brest. In February, the following year, a treaty of peace was signed between the Slates and England, the fourth article of which stipulated; "That all Dutch ships, whether ships of war oi others, whether in squadrons or single ships, which shall happen to meet any ships or vessels whatsoever belonging to the King of Great Britain, whether one or more, carrying the king's flag, called the Jack, in any of the seas from Cape Finisterre to the middle point of the land Van Staten, in Norway, shall strike their top-sail and lower their flag, in the same manner and with like ceremony of respect, as has been usually paid at any time or place heretofore by the Dutch ships, to thos*" of the king or his an- cestors." The Admiralty, this year, directed, th?tt ofHcers com« manding squadrons, as commodores, should be distin- guished by a pendant, entirely i?d, and considerably larger than the ordinary one ; this !« now called a broad pendant. In 1675, the parliament voted a supply of 300,0001. for the building of 20 large ships ; one first rate of 1,4(10 tons; eight second rates of 1,100 tons; and ele- ven third rates of 700 tons. It was at the same time 123 THE BRITISH TRIOEKT. resolved to appropriate the money raised by the name of tonnage and poundage, to the use c? the royal navy. *— As an encouragement to the masters in the navy, the king issued an order for ailowinf^ half pay to such as had served during the latr^ war in s!iips of the first and second rate. The corsairs of Tripoli having committed some out- rages on the English trade in the Mediterranean, vSir John Narborough was sent with a squadron for the purpose of chastising them. He arrived before Tri- poli on the 14th of January, 1676, and being favored by the darkness of the night, he sent hi^ boats, manned and armed, under the conduct of Lieutenant, afterwards the clebrated Sir Cloudesley Shovel, tc destroy the ships ht the harbor. That officer, having f^'ii seized the ene- my's guard-ship, p<*o6eeded undiscoirered, burned four vessels of 50, 36, 24, anc. 20 guns, and returned to the English squadron without the loss of a man. This daring action {Struck the Tripolines with such consternation, that they sued for peace. An act was passed for raising 58 i,000l. for building 30 ships. In this year 102 ships, each carrying 20 guns, and 18 boats, having on board 9180 men, were employed in the fishery, on the coast of Newfoundland, which now began' to be considered highly beneficial to the nation, l^articdlarly as a nursery for seamen for the royal navy. At the death of King Charles II. the royal navy con- sisted of 113 sail. SAFALTRu 1«C) ^AVAL TRANSACTIONS BETIP'EEN THE YEARS 16S5 AND 1702, Cumprchending the Reigns of James II. and William III, Regulations introduced into the Navy by James II. — State of it at his abdication — War with France — Action in Bautry Bay- Battle of Beachy Head — Engagement oflF Cape La Hogue— Action in Lagos Bay — Expedition against Brest— Action in the Mediterranean— St. Malo, Dunkirk, and Calais bombarded— Gallant actions of Fishing Vessels — Establishment of the Re- gister for Seamen— A Fleet sent to the Baltic agauist the Danes —Renewal of the War with France. During the short reign of the unfortunate James, the English navy remained quite inactive ; that monarch being too much occupied at home in his favorite scheme of introducing the Catholic Religion, to think of embroil-. ing himself abroad. Whatever may have been his other faults, the navy acknowledges considerable obliga- tions to him. We have already seen James's conduct, when Duke of York, in his situation of lord high admiral. The regulations which he, assisted by his secretary Pepy;i, introduced, are even still considered as the bei^t that could be adopted. Nor was he, on his accession to the throne, unmindful of its prosperity, but assigned a fund of 400,Guui. per annum for its service ; and for the better regulation of the docks and store-houses, and the more expeditious repair of ships of vvar, four additional 130 THE BRITISH TRIDENT J commissioners were appointed. James likewise directed all captains and ofHcers, commanding men of war, to deposit a correct copy of their journal, with the secreta- ry of the admiralty. In 1688, the Prince of Orange was Invited to pro- tect the violated liberties of England. Accordingly on the 21st of October he sailed from Helvoetsluys wiih a fleet of 500 sail, and on the 5lh of November landed at Torfbay, without opposition. The consequence was, James's abdication of the throne, to which the prince was called by the unanimous voice of the people of England : a revolution which will ever form a roemcr* able era in the annals of this country. The number of ships composing the royal navy, at the time of King Jameses abdication on the 12th of December, 1688, Was 173; of which 110 were of the line, as fourth rates were at that time included under that denomination. The tonnage was 101,032, the number of guns 6,930, and of seamen 42,000. James, having taken refuge in France, pi^vailed oi^ Lewis XIV to furfiish him with assistance, in order (o atteAipt the recovery of his crown. He was according- ly conveyed, together with a body of troops, in u fleet of 22 sail, and landed in Ireland, and another strong squadron was soon afterwards sent to escort some transports laden with stores, ammunition, and money, for James's use. King William having intelligence of the destination of these vessels. Admiral Herbert with 19 men of war, was dispatched to intercept them. On the 1st of May, the English discovered the enemy at arrchor in Bantry Bay. Their fleet consisted of 24 sail of the Ihie, and was divided into three squa* droiis, under the command of the Admirals Chateau OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 131 Renaud, Gaberet, and Forent. As soon as they per- celved the English fleet, (he enemy got under sail, and bore down upon Admiral Herbert in a very orderly line. A warm engagement ensued, which lasted about two hours. The English commander then endeavoured to gain the wind of the enemy, in order to bring them to elose action, and with that view stood off to sea. This design the French, however, were cautious to prevent him from ejcecuting, and after maintaining a running fight till five o'clock. Chateau Renaud tacked and re- turned to'the bay. The English had in this action about 90 killed, among whom was Captain Aylmer of the Portland, and 270 wounded i and having suffered con* siderably in their masts and rigging. Admiral Herbert proceeded to Spithead to refit. The king himself re- paired to Portsmouth to hasten this business, and to dis* tribute rewards to the oiHcers and men who had distin- guished themselves in the engagement. Admiral Her- bert was created Earl of Torrington, and the Captains Ashby and Cloudesly Shovel, received the honor of knighthood. BATTLE OF BEACHY-HEAD. On the 20th of June, 1689, the French fleet consist- ing of 78 m«n of war and 22 fire-ships, unexpect- edly appeared off the Lizard beffore the Earl of Tor- rington was ready to receive them. He, how- ever) got out to sea on the 24th, but for several days avoided an engagement in the expectation of receiving reinforcements. Having, been joined by a Dutch squa- dron, his fleet still amounted only to 56 ships; and though the enemy were fair superior both in number aqd 132 THE BRITISH TRIDENT ; weight of metaf, }et the English commander received positive orders from the court to give them battle. Accordingly, on the 30th of June, the hostile fleets being oft'Beachy-Head, the signal was made for engag- ing. The enemy had formed into three divisions. The van conitisting of 27 ships, was commanded by the Count d'£(r<^es ; the center of the same number, by Count de Tourville in the Soleil Royal of 100 guns; and the rear of 26 sail,' by M. d'Amfreville. At nine in the morning the Dutch squadron, which led the van, under Admiral Eveitzen began the engagement with part of the van of the French ; and soon afterwards the blue squadron attacked their rear. The greatest part of the red squadron could not come into action till near ten, and being at a considerable distance from the ere* my, H great opening was leA between them and the Dutch. The French taking advantage of this circum- stance, surrounded the Dutch and the blue squadron, which, though not properly supported by the rest of the English fleet, fought with the utmost obstinacy for seve- ral hours. At length Lord Torrington, observing the imminent danger to which they were exposed, ordered them to come to an anchor, while he wirh several ships bore down to their relief, and pushed in between them and the enemy. About five in the afternoon, it fell calm, and the French having neglected to cast anchor, were driving away with (he tide. That part of the com- bined .^eet which had been engaged, had suffered so materially, thai the English commander judging he could not, with prudence, hazard another engagement weighed and stood to the eastward. In a council of war, held the next day, it was resolved to preserve the 0R» REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTZOKS. 13S fleet by retreating, and rather to destroy the disabled {hips than risk another action, by protecting them. The French continued the pursuit, though at a great dis- tance, as far as Rye Bay, where they attempted to burn the Ann of 74- guns, which had lost all her masts, and hid run on shore near Winchelsea. They likewise endeavoured to destroy a Dutch 64- gun ship, which had been driven on shore, but she was defended by her crew with such intrepidity, that they were obliged to desist; and the vessel afterwards got off and arrived safe in Holland. Lord Torringion retreated into the Thames, without farther molestation, leaving the enemy masters of tlie channel. The French fleet returned to the westward, and after lying in Tbrbay till the 5th of August, Tourvilie returned to B.rest. The loss of the English in this unfortunate engage* floent, was two ships, two captains, and 350 men. The Butch were much greater sufferers, having 3 ships suiik in the action, and being obliged to set fire to three niliers, whfch got on sliore on the coast of Sussex. They likewise lost many gallant ofHcers, among whom werel their two Rear- Admirals Dick and Braakel, and Captain Nordel, together with a great number of inferior officers and seamen. The Earl of Torrington being accused of misbehavior, was committed to the Tower, and on the 10th of Decem- ber was tried on board the Kent frigate, at Sheerness, by a court-martial,' in which Sir Ralph Delaval, who was vice-admiral of the blue in the engagement, presided. The charge exhibited against the Earl, was, that in the action, he had misbehaved, eitinir through cowardice VOL. 1, V 13^ THii BRITISH trident; or (reachery, drawn disgrace on the English nation, and sacrificed our allies the Dutch. The court-marlial, which is said to have shewn great parliah'ty on thisocca* sion, unanimously acquitted Lord Torringlon, notwilh- standing which, the king, to appease the clamors of the nation and of the Dutch, deprived hira, the next day, of his commission. I ENGAGEMENT OFF CAPE LA HOGUE. Admiral Russel having been appointed to succeed (he Earl of Torrington, was, in May, 1 692, ordered to put to sea, to baffle an intended descent of the French in favor of the exiled house of Stuart. On the 11th he sailed from Rye, where he was joined by the squadrons under Admirals Carter and Delaval, and was soon af* terwards reinforced by the Dutch squadrons, command' -ed by Allemonde, Callemberg, and Vandergoes. On the ISlh he set sail from St. Helens, with a fleet of ninety-nine ships of the line, besides frigates and jSre-ships. The admiral's orders were to cruize between Cape la Hogue and the Isle of Wight, though he had proposed lo lie off Beachy-Head. He, however, plied through the sands with a very scanty w ind, contrary to the opi- nion of his officers and pilots, all of whom represented the datiger of hazarding the fleet in such a perilous at- tempt. To this bold measure the admiral was indebted for his subsequent success. About three in the morning of the 19th, the looking- out ships made the signal for having discovered the ene- my. The fleet was immediately drawn up into a line of battle, and the rear was ordered to tack, that if the French stood to the northward, the combined fleet migtit nation, -roariial, liisocca< notwilh- rs of the sxt day, ceed the ;d to put rencli in 11th he :}uadrons soon af- )minand< »es. On a fleet of lies and Cape la proposed through the opi- ►resented rilous at- ndebted looking- the ene- ito a line hat if the eel might .I3|>"^, OR '•^ '■• 11,. 4 '''A''^ " .' - H'; ^ 'f\ li'ii'^ !l! '« -ll" ^4 4 OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS, 133 the sooner come up vvllh lln»m. About four, the sun having di>«perse(l the fug, they were seen standing south- ward, upon which the admiral bore away with his sliip to leeward, and then lay to, that the other ships might place themselves according as they had been directed* About eight the English line was formed ; the red .s(|ua« dron consisted of 31 ships, under Admiral Russel, Sir Ralph Delaval, and Sir Cloudesley Sht^vel ; the blue was composed of 32 ships, commanded by Admirals Sic John Ashby, Rooke, and Carter, and the. Dutch with 36 ships, under Admiral Allemonde, formed e white squadron. ^ . , The French fleet consisted, only of 63 8h.|)i», under the command of Count Touryillej of these, 26 formed the van, 25 were placed in the ceptre, and 12 in the rear. With this disparity of force, Tourvi. v would not have ventured on an engagement* had he not received positive orders to (hat effecl. froui the king, who pre* turned that he would have fallen in with ope of the con«> federate fleets before their junction^ so that the French admiral fought in opposition to his judgment, and the safety of the fleet under his command. At ten the French being to windward, bore down with great resolution ; and at twelve Count Tourviile, in the Soleil Royal of 1 10 guns, brought to, and com- menced this memorable engagement, so glorious in its issue to the British navy. After a conflict of an hour and a half his rigging, sails, and yards being much da- maged, he was obliged to be towed out of the line. About two, the wind shifting, five of the enemy's ships bore down to relieve their commander, and made a fu- rious attack on the three ships of Admiral Russel, and ihe Captain? Churchill and Aylmer, The battle conti- N 2 I i$e THE BRITISH TRIDENT; fined wilh great obstinacy till four, when a fog Inter* vened, so that the enemy could not be seen; but on it clearing up, they were discovered steering to the northward in great confusion. Admiral Russel imme* diately made the signal for a general chase. At thi» .time a heavy cannonading was heard to the westward, hut the fog again came so thick, as to prevent (he admiral from discovering from which side it proceeded, though it afterwards proved to be Sir Cloudesley Shovel, who had got to windward of Tourville's division. In this part ol the action, Captain Hastings, who commanded the Sandwich, a second rate* was killed. Fiom the thick- ness of the weather both fleets were obliged to come to an anchor, being unable to distinguish each other through the fog. About eight in the evening, the blue squadron having fallen in with some of the enemy's •hips, a smart contest ensued for about half an hour, in which Rear- Admiral Carter was killed. The French fleet continued standing to the westward ali night, and the English followed in pursuit of them. • The morning of the 20th proved dark and foggy, but about eight the weather clearing, the Dutch, who were to the southward, made the signal of discovering the French fleet. The chace was continued during the whole of this and the following day. On the morning of the 23d, part of the enemy^s fleet had advanced to- wards the Race of Aldemey, and about eleven, three of their largest vessels tacked and stood to the westward, %\hen the admiral's ship, (hd Soleil Koy ai, ran on shore and her masts were immediately cut away. Admiral llussse), observing their situation, ordered Sir Ralph Delaval to remain with a sufficient n^umber of ships of his division to destroy the enemy, and to send the re s CR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. IW to join (he main body of the fleet. This service was cfTeclually performed. The Soleil Royal of lOl guns was burned by Captain Heath, the Conquerant of 80 guns was destroyed by Captain Greenway, together with the Admirable, and two other vessels. In the evening, 18 French ships stood in "jrLa Hogiie, where the English fleet came to an anchor that night. The next morning, being the 23d, the admiral sent Mr. Rooke, vice-admiral of the blue, with a squadron of men of war, some fire-ships, and the boats of the fleet to destroy the ships in the bay. He there found 13 of the enemy's fleet, but they had pushed up so far, that only the small frigates and boats could advance near enough to be of any service. Admiral Rookie, how- ever, resolved to execute his orders, and having mai>» nod his boats, instantly proceeded to the attack. Botfi ofHcers and men behaved, on this occasion, with the most distinguished intrepidity ; for in spite of a tremen- dous fire from the batteries on shore, they burned six of the ships that night, and the other seven next morning, besides a great number of transports and other vessels laden with ammunition. In this enterprize the English lost Only ten men. This was a fatal stroke to the French, from which their navy never recovered during the remainder of the war. It should be observed, that though the confede- rate fleet was far stronger than the French, yet the number of ships by which the latter were beaten, was inferior to their own ; for, on account of the calm, and the thickness of the weather, it was not possible for many of the Dutch ships, or of the blue squadron to en^ jage. Had they been favored with clear weather and « V 3 158 TUI BRITISH TRI»INT; gale of wind, it is probable thai not one of the French ships would have escaped. The vesseU lost by the French on this occasion, were the following : Le Soleil Royal, and L'Ambitieux of 104 guns; L' Admirable of 90; Le Tonnant and Lc . Terrible of 80; Le Magnifique, Le St. Philip, and Le Conquerant of 76; Le Tciomphant of 74; L'Amiable and Le Fier of 68 ; Le Glorieux, Le Serieux, Le Prince, snU Le Sans Pareil of 60; Le Trident, and another *hip<— >name not known, of 56 guns. On the 25th the admiral sailed from La Hogue, leav- ing Sir John Ashby to cruize off the enemy's coast, and to look out for five ships which had been seen standing to the eastward^ and were supposed to have put inlo Havre de Grace; but he was obliged by stormy weather to ttturn home without effecting any thing. Id May, 16^3, Admiral Rooke, who had beea knighted for his gallant conduct at La Hogue, was apr pointed with about 23 sail of English and Dutch men of irar, to convoy a fleet of 400 merchant vessels to Lis* bon and the Mediterranean. On the 17 th of June, at day-break. Sir George discovered, in Lagos Bay, ten sail of French men of war, with. some small ships, which were chafed by part of the English squadron,, and a fire- ship taken, the crew of which positively asserted, that the hostile fleet consisted of no more than 1 5 ships of ihe line* About noon tha falsehood of this statement was discovered, eighty men of war being distinctly seen. Sixteen of the enemy's ships bore down upon the Eng- lish admiral,, while another division of their fleet stood cff to sea. Sir Georg a signal f Cadiz. I . rear of the men of vv The Capti had no cha drew tlje e rest of the Srallant offic Sir George having oul officers of th were the m solved to pi ships with him, he assembled (he officers of (he men of war, and consuK^cd wha( measures were (he most prudent to be adoptr '^ '^hen it was re« solved to proceed with the remaining merchant-vessels to Madeira. Besides the loss of 2 Dutch and one Eng- lish men of war, about 90 sail of merchantmen were taken or aestroyed; and the loss was computed to ex* eeed one million sterling. On the 13th of November twelve men of war, four borob*vesseIs, and several transports were sent under (he command of Commodore Benbow, (o make a des- cen( on (he coast of France. Proceeding to St. Malo, he bombarded it with such eflfect, as to destroy great part of the town. It was not till this year that the ships of the royal navy> on the home service, were allowed ta carry to sea, spare-top masts and sails. For the pay and service of the fleet, 2,500,0001. were this year voted by the Parliament. At the close of 1693, Sir Charles Wheeler was ap- pointed commander in chief in the Mediterranean, and U6 THE BRITISH TRIDEN^f; sailed with a squadron of 25 men of war, in conjima^ lion with Vice-Admiral Calernberg and a Dutch squa- dron. On the 17th of February he was overtaken in the Streights of Gibraltar by a violent storm, in which several of the ships foundered, or were driven on shore, and the crews perished. Among these were the admi- ral's ship, together with the whole crew, excepting two Turks ; the Cambridge and Lumley castle; two ketches and six merchant ships. The same fate attended three Dutch vessels richly laden. On the 1st of May, Admiral Russel was again ap- pointed to command the combined fleet, consisting of 52 English and 41 Dutch ships of the line, besides fri- gates and fire-ships. Being informed that a fleet of French merchantmen was lying in Berlram Bay, he de- tached Captain Pickard in the Monmouth, with two fire-ships to take or destroy them. This order that 'officer executed with such success, that out of 55 sail, he burned and sunk 35.' A frigate a»d two sloops;, which were with their convoy, were driven on shore and destroyed. An expedition having been concerted, in order to destroy Brest harbor, the execution of that desperate attempt was committed to Lieutenant General Talmash. On the 5th of June, Lord Berkeley, with 29 ships of the line, English and Dutch, besides frigates, fire ships, &nd bomb-ketches, parted from Admiral Russel, and on the 7th came to an anchor between Bertram Bay and Camaret. Next day the Marquis of Carmarthen was sent with eight ships to attack the enemy's batte- ries and to cover the landing of the troops. General Talmash and about 900 nnen embarked in small ves- "sels and went on r,hore, but were so resolutely rcf ceived by retreat in aground, ■, i^bout 40 the same covered th in the \v\ Dutch frigs her crew w in (he thi^ mouth. It had b France, im flai/ed t. i iJjat town V veral places, from DIepi and destroy sailing along tion and a la Helens, j ^^''d Calais, success. ^V his Maje f^t caved an i^'nd a sum hiiifding. Some of 'ogether wit] atcomniodaii yard. OR, REGISTER OF N»VAL ACTIONS. HI ceived by the French marines, that they were obliged to retreat in disorder to their boats, most of which being aground, as it was ebb-tide, a dreadful slaughter ensued. About 400 were killed or" desperately wounded, and the same number made prisoners. The vessels wliich covered the landing were miserably shattered, and losf, in the whole, four hundred men. The Weser, a Dutch frigate, of 30 guns, was sunk, and only eight of her crew were saved. General Talmash was wounded in the thigh, and died soon aSiei his return to Ply- mouth. It had been resolved to harass the north coast of France, ind in pursuance of this plan. Lord Berkeley sailed I. T'leppc, and on the 12lh of July bombarded that town with such fury, that it was set on fire in se« vera! places, and the greatest part of it reduced to ashes. From Dieppe the fleet proceeded to Havre de Grace, and destroyed above one third of that town. After saiHng along the coast, spreading the utmost consterna- tion and alarm, the Earl returned on the 26lh, to St. Helen:;. In August an attempt was made on Dunkirk and Calais, by Sir Cioudesley Shovel, but without success. The palace of Greenwich was this year granted by his Majesty, to be converted into an hospital for decayed and disabled seamen, in the royal navy, and a sum of money was appropriated lo extend the building. Some of the docks at Plymouth were constructed, together with the store-houses, and those for the accommodation of the officers belonging to the dock- vard. U2 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Admiral Russel, who had the preceding year sailed to the Mediterranean, commanded in 1695, the grand fleet which remained on the Spanish coast. In Jan'N ary he dispatch.ed six frigates under the command of Captain Kiliigre'", to cruize in the Mediterranean, for the protection of British commerce. On the 18lhot' that month, two French men of war, the Content of 64 and the Trident of 60 guns^ mistaknig the English squa- dron for merchantmen, bore down upon them, but per- ceiving their error, sheered off again with ail possible dispatch. Captain Killigrew immediately gave chace, and about four in the afternoon came up with them. Ai this moment the French crew were at prayers, and he might have commenced the attack with great advantage. This he, however, disdained, saying: "It is beneath Ihecourage of the English nation to surprise their ene- mies in such a posture." — That intrepid officer though, the rest of his squadron were at a considerable distance, did not hesitate singly to engage both the Frenchmen with his ship, the Plymouth, and the action had conii- nued with great obstinacy above an hour, before the Fal- mouth arrived. The battle was renewed with increased fury for another hour, by which time the other frigates came up, and the French endeavoured to get away. The Content was pursued by the Carlisle, Newcastle, and Snuihampton, while the Falmouth and Adventure stood after the Trident ; the Plymouth being so much crippled that she was obliged to steer for Messina. The chace continued all night, when the French having lost one of their captains, and a great number of men, finding it impossible to escape, surrendered. The English vessels took one of their prizes to Girgenti, and the other Ui OJ Messina; ( difficulty si of the Eng men were same n urn be Having i protection o nean, Admh squadron o/ and gun-ves Mitchell. ^"Ju'y, Lc squadron, apj whh 6 Englisi vessels', and j channel, and hj a mile and a h ' Ifiat they des greatest part c and batteries, ^vlio, having ( "^'^G bombard ^vhich the En^ ed; IheTerrib ^va"? found nece oHhe small ves ^" I'ortsmouth, "Od proceeded, ^^nkirk, whici •success as that c *^'dnot deter U ^•«truction of C '^wn, destroyec oil, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 143 Messina ; the Trident was so Ieaky> that it was with difficulty she reached the former port. On the part of the English, the gallant Captain Killigrew and 14- men were killed on board the Plymouth, and about the same number in the other ships. Having made the necessary arrangements for the protection of the British commerce in the Mediterra- nean, Admiral Russel returned to England, leaving a squadron of 23 ships of the line, besides frigates and gun-vessels, under the command of Sir David Mitchell. In July, Lord Berkeley, with an English and Dutch squadron, appeared before St. Malo. CapiainBenbow, with 6 English and 4 Dutch men of war, eight bomb vessels, and a few flat bottomed boats, entered the channel, and having come to an anchor, at the distance of a mile and a half, bombarded the place with such fury, that they destroyed Fort Quince, together with the greatest part of the town. The enemy from the forts and batteries, kept up a heavy fire on the assailants, who, having expended all their bombs put off to sea. The bombardment continued eleven hours, during which the English had about 60 men killed and wound- ed; the Terrible bomb was so much shattered, that it was found necessary to set her on fire, and three or four of the small vessels were sunk. Lord Berkeley returned to Portsmouth, vvere'he took on board 400 soldiers, and proceeded, on the 4lh of August, to the attack of Dunkirk, which, however, was attended with as little success as that of the preceding year. This miscarriage (lid not deter the English admiral from attempting the ('p'^truction of Calais. On the 17lh he bombarded that town, destroyed the magazine and several hou^c^, and 3 144> THE BRITISH TR/DENi; is '%:M demolished a fori on the pier-head, by ^vh^ch tliC i^esseU had been greatly annoyed. Captain Osbrfi.e, of the Aldborough kech, was the only person killed on this oc- casion. At night Lord Berkeley called off his ships, and returned to the Downs. In th-ise various attacks of the towns on tbe French coast, it was not so much the object of ihe English government to make any serious impression on the ene- my in those points. They were found to answer ano- ther important purpose ; for, in consequence of the constant alarm and consternation which they every where excited, they considerably checked the spirit of privateering, which had been carried to a great extent in those ports, totlie no small injury of British commerce. The following courageous actions, performed by pri- vate adventurers, are worthy of notice. On the 30th of May, Will'am Thompson, in atishing boat, from Poole, in Dursetsl ire, with only one man and a boy, was at- tacked by a French sloop privateer. Not intimidated by her supei^ior force, Thompson maciij such a vigorous defence, that ho J^'iged the -enemy to sheer off, upon which he gave rh e, Ci-ne up with her, and after an engagement of two hours, she struck. The privateer had two guns and 16 men, who were well supplied with fire-arms. He carried his prize into Poole, arc! was presented by the lords of the admiralty with a gold chain, and a mcilal of the value of fifty pounds. — A si- milar reward was given to Mr. Williams of Whitsand Bay, who, in a fishing smack, retook several merchant- ships, which had been captured by French privateers.— Mr. Joliffe was presented by the town of Lulworlh wilh a g>ld chain and medal, for driving on shore a 1 leucb privateer of three tiai«s his force. In J on boa Wilmo structii He arri federal and Iai( was coi execute one off Here hi which I men sufl Thef and 400 Calais, i in favor < ofFebruj and stooc so intimi( hauled tl Having i admiral r comman( tions of Ij orders to setting fir J sliips in t( Lord b| George falty, hoij K''n this oc- ships, and he French ;je English n the ene- iswer ano- ice of the hey every he spirit of real extent commerce, mod by pri- i the 30lh of from Poole, joy, was at- intimidated h a vigorous ^r off, upon and after an Ihe privateer ell supplied Poole, ard w ilh a gold lunds.— A ?'• of Whiisand [ral merchant- privateers.— .uhvorih wilh re a FreHcb OR, RECISTER OF NAVAL ACTrOTTS. 11.5 In January, 1696, a sc^jadron uilh a body of Iruops on board, was sent under the command of Commodore. Wilroot, to cO'Operate with the Spaniards in the de- struction of the French setflemenis, in St. Domingo. He arrived there in March, and in two months the con- federate army bad taken Cape Francois and Port au Paix, and laid waste the plantations of the enemy, whose loss was computed at 200,0001. The -commodore having executed his commission, sailed for Jamaica, after losing oneof his ships, the Winchester, in the gulf of Florida. Here he wa» carried ofT by an epidemical distemper, which raged with such violence, as scarcely to leave men sufficient to navigate the ships to England. The French having collected a great number oftroops, and 400 vessels in the neighbourhood of Dunkirk and Calais, for the purpose of making a descent on England in favor of King James ; Admiral Russel, on the 'iOlh of February, put to sea with a fleet of 50 men of war, and stood over to the French coast. The enemy were so intimidated at the sight of the English fleet, that they hauled their vessels close in shore, out of their reach. Having thus frustrated the designs of the French, the admiral returned to port, leaving a squadron, under the command of Sir Cioudesley Shovel, to watch the mo- tions of the enemy. That officer, early in April, received orders to bombard Calais, which he executed on the 3d» setting fire to the town in several places, and Burning the sliips in the harbor. Lord Berkeley. having been appointed to succeed Sir George Rooke, who was called to the Board of Admi- ralty; hoisted, his flag, on the 3d of June, on board tiie Britannia^ and sailed for the French coa'.t. On the 2 Hh b^ A iH;;>red near Belle Isle, and landing on the islands voi... i,- ■ o mw^ "'1 1 ii '.'X* ^»..,l'ijl X Ps'' ' h w^i &i' & 111 Iff )4« THE BRITISH TRIDENT; of Houat, Hodicke, and Guoy, destroyed a great num- ber of villages and small vessels. Sir Maftin Beckman was detached with a squadron to bombard St. Martin's in the island of Rh6, which was almost totally destroyed ; but the English were not so successful in an attempt on Olonne. As the fleet began to be in want of provisions, the admiral returned, about the end of the month, to Spilhead. An act was this year passed to establish a register for 30,000 seamen, who were to be constantly in rea- diness to man tlie royal navy. They were to have a bounty of forty shillings per annum, were entitled to a double share in all pris^ ; when maimed or superan- nuated, were to be admitted into Greenwich hospital, arid none but they were to be preferred to the rink of commission, or warrant officers, in the royal navy. It was, likewise, enacted, that sixpence per month should be deducted from tne wages of all seamen, for the sup* port of Greenwich hospital. - On the 294h of January, 1697, the Royal Sovereign, built in the reign of Charles I. and at that time the largest ship in the English navy, was accidentally burned at her moorings in the Medway. Nothing worth notice occurred during the remainder of the war, which was terminated by the Peace of Rys- wick, concluded on the 1 0th of September. Tlie following is a comparative statement of the losses 5u .Jained by the navies of France and England, during Iht war, from its commencement in 1688 : — Sail of the line. Frigates. Sloops. Guns. France,..-. 18.. ..-.a* 16.-„.22+4 England,.- 4 -—20. ...27 1112 In Ju'y> 1700, a confederacy hav'^g been formed 5 I losses daring formed /f, y'A:\ 5t, xsuif»]i^ year : hut, on the 8th of March fcHowrng, the king died at Hamp* too Court, in the 52nd year ofhiA age. At this period the royal navy cenaisted^^ in the whole, of 256 vessels, mounting 9300 guns. Of these, 7 were e^the first rate; 14 of th« second ; 43 of the third; 5^ vfthe foarth ; SOoif the fii«b; le of the sixth ; and S7 fire'shipsy bomber yackt^^ ^» iisamm- o2 • R, REGISTER Of HATAI. ACTIONS. h; against Charles XII, ofSweden^ an ally of the English, a fleet of rorly 5ail of men of war, besides bomb- vessels and fire-ships, was sent into ihc Baltk-, to his as<d his ^rsbsssa* JM, at ibit court of V«r. in the whole, of 256 vessels, mounting 9300 guns. Of these, 7 were •^the 6rst rate; 14 of th« sccuiik) ; 43 of fhc third; 5^ nf the foarth ; SOoif the fil«b; led (h« sixth ; and »7 ire*$hip5y bomber yacl)tt>, &€• o2 148 NAVAL TRANSACTIONS, From the commencement of the War with France and Spain^ In 1702, to the Peace of Utrecht, in 1713. Accession of Queen Anne — Expedition against Cadi^, ard Des- truction of the French and Spanish Fleets, at Vigo — I^rocecdings in Newfoundland — Action off Santa Martha, in the West Indies — Death of Admiral Benbow, and Anecdotes of that Officer — Destruction of a French Convoy, in Cancale Bay- Dreadful Storm— Taking of Gibraltar'— Taking of Barcelona- Actions in the West Indies, the Mediterranean, and the Chan« nel— Loss of Str Cloudesley Shovel and several Ships on the Scilly Islands — Various Actions with the French and Spaniards —Expedition against Canada— Beward proposed for th« Dis* covery x)f the Longitude at Sea. OUEEN Anne having succeeded to Ihe throne, upon the death of William III. the first step she took, relative to naval affairs, was to revive the office of Lord high Admiral, to which important post she appointed her consort, Prince George, of Denmark. , On the 4lh of May, the war, for whicli her predecessor had begun to make preparations, was declared against France and Spain. -- EXPEDITION AGAI^^ST CADIZ AND VIGO. A powerful fleet being fUted out with all possible dispatch, the command of it was given to Sir George Roo'e. It consisted of 30 ships of the line, and being joined by 20 Dutch, the whole force, including small vessels and tenders, amounted to 160 sail. On board o( on, REGISTta or MAVAL ACTIONS. 1^9 this armament were embarked I4>,000 land forces* under the command of the Duke of Orroond, destined to make an attempt on Cadiz. On the 19th of June this fleet saited from St. Helens, and anchored the P2lh oS August before Cadiz; but that place being found too strongly defended, to attack it with any probabilit)r of 9ucce!»s, the troops were re-embarked witli the inten- tion of returning home. Captain Hardy, of the Pembroke, having been sent into Lagos Bay, to water, he there accidentally re- ceived inteiltgence, that the Spanish galleons, from America, had put into Vigo, under the protection of a French convoy. With this news Captain Hardy mad« all possible haste to the fleet, which, however, he did not fall in with till the 3d of Oetober. The wind> even then, blew so hard, that he found it impossible to •rpeak with the admiral till the 6th, when he informed him of what he had heard. Sir George Rooke immedi- ately called a council of war, in which it was resolved, to proceed without loss of time to Vigo, and attack the enemy. Two frigates dispatched to discover their force, returned on the night of the 9th, to the fleet, when a violent gale drove them to the ^northward of Cape Finisterre, so that it was not till the 1 1 th that they came to an anchor oflfVigo. The passage into the harbor was extremely narrow, and well de- fended by batteries on both -^tdes ; across it had been laid a strong boom, composed o£ ships' yards and top- masts, strongly fastened together with three-inch rope, and secured underneath with hawsers and cables. Each end was moored with chains to a 70-gnn ship, and within it lay five men of war, of between 60 and o 3 !■: };!■' • 4i ^P ^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 ^^ m mfji §23 I.I lU u u lAO ■1^ 114 HKDtographic Sciences Corporation 4^^ ^. ■#. <^. 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTIII,N.Y. USM (716) •73-4503 ^<^^ ^ y /.i^ K<^ f4^i^; ^ 4^ « 150 THE BRITISH TMDENT ; 70 guns, with Ihcir broadsides to the sea, to defend the passage. As soon as the English fleet came to an anchor, (he admiral called a council of land and ses^-ofBcers, in which it was unanimously resolved to defer the attack till the foMowitig morning. At the whole fleet could not make the aitempt on the enemy's ships without manifest danger of running foul of each other, a detach- ment of 15 English and 10 patch men of war, with all the (ire-ships, frigates, and bomb-vessels, were ordered on this service. As there was not water suflficient to ad- mit the large ships, the admirals shifted their flags into third-rates. Sir George Rooke removed from the Royal Sovereign into the Somerset ; Admiral Hopson out of the Princd George into the Torbay ; Admiral'Fakborne put of the "^t. George into the Essex ; and Admiral Graydon out of the Triumph into the Northumber- land. To facilitate the attack, the Duke of Ormond, with 2500 troops, landed about six miles from Vigo, and de- tached Lord Shannon, with 500 men, to attack a stone fort, which deferded the entrance of the harbor. That nobleman having made himself master of a platibrm, of forty pieces of cannon, M. Sorel, captain of a French nan, of war, who commanded in the town, ordered the gates to be thrown opeii^ with the intention of forcing bis way through the English troops. Though there was great bravery, yet there was very little judgment in this resolution; for no sooner was his order obeyed, than Lord Shannon's grenadiers rushed into the place, and made the garrison, in number 350, prisoners of war. This was an important advantage, and was obtained nuch sooner than the enemy expected ; as they miglit OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 151 otherwise have prevented it, since they had not less than 10,000 men in the neighbourhood of the town: and it duubtless contributed materially to the sub- sequent success of our ships, which would have been excessively galled by the hrc from the platform and fort. TKe moment the Brittsh colors were discovered flying firom the place, the ships advanced. Vice-Admiral Hopson, in the Torbay, crowding all tlie sail he could, ran against the boom, and broke it ; upon which he wa.> followecl by the rest of the squadron into the harbor. A prodi^^ious tire was kept up by the enemy, both from their ships and batteries, till the latter were forced by the grenadiers, who, perceiving the havoc made by their guns, in the ships, behaved with the most heroic intrepidity and resolution. In the mean lime the Torbay was boarded by one of the enemy's fire-ships by which she must have been destroyed, but, fortunately, the latter had a great quantity of snutf on board, which extinguished the flames at the moment of the explosion. The vice-admiral had a very narrow escape ; his fore-top mast was shot away by the board ; the fore-yard and most of the sails were burned; in a word, the ship was little belter than a wreck. One hundred and fifteen of her crew were killed or drowned, of whom about GO jumped overboard, when she was grappled by the tire-ship. The admiral finding her in this shattered condition, shifted his. flag into the Mon* mouth. — At the same time. Captain Bokenham, in the Association of 90 guns, lay with her broadside to the battery, to the left of the harbor, which he soon silenced, while Captain Wyvill, in the Barfleur of the same force, was sent to attack the fort on the opposite side. At length the French admiral, Chateau Kenaud, i ]5f TRB BmiTisH trident; seeing the forts in the possession of the ▼ictorioas Eng« lishi the boom broken, and the confederate fleet pouring in upon him, set his own ship on fire, and ordered the rest of his fleet to follow his example, affording a dread* IttI spectacle both to the Spaniards and his own country* men. While they were thus employed in the destrnc- ffon of their fleet, the English were making the utmost exertions to preserve it, so that a great number of their ships fell, much against their will, into the hands of the confederates. This WM a fatal stroke to the naval power of France, and was little less severe on the Spaniards. What gave this victory additional brilliancy, was, the ineonsidera- ble loss with which it was attended on the part of tlie ronquerors ; of the troops, only two lieutenants and 40 ncn were killed, and the Torbay was the only ship which sustained any injury worth mentioning. On this glorious occasion, the following French and Spanish ships were taken or destroyed- : €uni. Men. Le Fort..... .......76... .500.. ..burned. Le Prompt 76. ...500.... taken. Le Ferine . ....... ..72.. ..450.. ..taken. L'Esperance . . Le Supcrbe . . Le Bourboik. . L'Assrr^ ...... L'Oriflamne. . Le Prudent ........62. La Sirene •.......•• .60. Le Solide ......••. .56. Le Modern ........56. .•••70.... 420.... taken. . . . .70. . . . 420. ... taken. .... 68.... 410.... taken. ....66 380.. ..taken. ....64.... 380... .burned. • •380.... burned. ..3 80.... taken. ..350.... burned. ..300.... taken. SPAN Men op Wi GAtf ^ONC. Of (hese English, five troyed. Thcgj had on board cliandize to ^^ys in the hai La Dauphine. • . '. ■».. 46. ...250. • ..burned. t>R, RECISTLR OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 263 Cons. Men. Le Voluntaire ......46. ...250...* taken. Le Triton ..........i2....'230....taken. L'Ent reprenant 22. . . • 1 30. . . . burned, Le Favori, a fire-ship.. 14 burned. La Clioquante ...... 8 ....burned. Total of ships, 18, guns.. 960 SPANISH MBK OF WAR AND GALLEONS. Gilint. Jesus Maria Josef. . • 70 Men OF War. -^ La Buffona 54 La Assogos ............54 { Gal? B.ONC. ** " Santo Cristo de Mariacaja, "^ Santo Cristo de Buen Viago, Santa Cruz, Nostra Senora de Merci^ Santo Domingo, La Trinidad Nostra Senora de Mercedes, St. Juan de Babtista, Jalashe del General, La Sacra Familia, Santa Cruz, Santa Susanna, 1^ CM i 2 S" ^ S ^ OF these vessels, four galleons were taken by the English, five by the Dutch, and the rest were all des* troyed. The galleons, at the time of their arrival at Vigo, had on board 20 millions of pieces 6f eight, besides mer- chandize to an equal amount; but, having been 25 days in the harbor, they had landed the greatest part of 154, THE BRITISH TRIDINT; I heir plate and cargoes. Four millions of plalc were supposed to have been deslroyed, with ten millions ot merchandize. About two millions in silver and five in goods, rewarded the conquerors for th«ir spirit and in- trepidity. On the 16th of October, the troops were embarking, when Sir Cloudesley Shovel^ who was sent out pur- posely to make the attempt, which the confederates had so successfully executed, arrived with a squadron of 2i) sail, at Vigo, and un the I9lh, Sir George Rooke, and Admiral Hopson, set sail with lOmenof war^ for Eng- land, leaving Sir Cloudesley, with the rest, to complete the destruction of the enemy's ships, and bring away the prizes. The two commanders, in this expedition, received the thanks of the House of Commons, for the signal service they had performed, and the queen signified her approbation of Admiral Hopson's gallaat and conduct, conferred upon him the honor of knighthood, with a pen- ■ion of 5001. per annum. Daring this summer. Commodore Leake was sent with a squadron to Newfoundland, to &nnoy the enemyli fisheries on that coast. These instructions he executed with such success, that by the end of October, he took thirty sail of French ships,, destroyed all their boats and stages, together with a ibrt on Ihe island of St. Pierre. This was considered « very important service, as it entirely ruined the. enemy's fishery, and depiived them of thai mirsierjr for i«cittitiiig theic navjr* OR, KEGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. i:s ACTION OFF SANTA MARTHA, IN THE WEST- INDlfiS. Towards the close of 1701, Admiral Benbow was fent lo the West-Indies, with a squadron composed of two third, and eight fourth rates. While be lay at Jamaica, he received advice, that two French squa« (irons had arrived in the West-Indies, and that one of (hem, under M. du Casse, was in the neighbourhood of Hispaniola. Upon this he detached Rear-Admiral Whetstone in pursuit of him« and on tlie 1 ith of July he \eh Jamaica, with the intention of joining the rear* admiral ; but hearing that Du Casse wes expected at Leogane, he plied for that port. Not far from the town, he perceived several ships at anchor, and one under sail, to which he immediately gave chace. She proved lo be a ship of fifty guns, and her captain, finding it impossible to escape, ran her on shore, and blew her up. The next day the admiral appeared before the totvn, where he burned a ship of 18 guns, under the for- tifications ; the other six vessels, which were merchant- men, had sailed in the night, but some of the English cruizers falling in with them, took three and burned a fourth. Benbow remained on the coast of Hispaniola till (he 10th of August, when receiving intelligence that Du Casse had sailed for Porto Beilo, he resolved to follow him, and on the 19th discovered 10 sail steering along the shore, near Santa Martha. On his nearer approach he discovert^i the greatest part of them to be French men of war, four ships from 60 to 70 guns, one large ship, Dutch built, of 30 or 40, another full of sol- diers, three small vessels, and a sloop. The admiral made the signal to form the line of battle ahead, and 156 THE BRITISH TRIOEVT; bore away under an ea%y sail, tliat (hose astern and (a the leeward nriight more readily gel into their slalion*. It was the intention of the admiral, not to make the si|T. nal for battle till the Defiance, which was tho leaciin|r ship, had got abreast of the headmost vessel of the enemy. But before she reached that station, the FaN mouth, which was in the rear, b.gan to fire, as did also the Windsor and Defiance, and soon afterwards (he vice-admiral himself was en{;aged. But after exchan^ ing two or three broadsides the Defiance and Windsor luffed up out of gun-shot, and left the admiral exposed lo a galling fire from the two sternmost ships of (he enemy : nor did the ships in the rear come up to his itssistance with the alacrity they ought. The action, however, continued from 4 o'clock till dark, when tht firing ceased, but the admiral kept near the enemy all flight; and conceiving that it might be better for (he service, he gave out a new line cf battle, resolving to lead himself on both tacks. The next morning, at day-break, he was close in with tbe French ships, but none of his squadron, except the Rnby, was near enough to support him, the rest being three, four, and fivi miles astern. The enemy, how- ever, durst not venture to attack him ; but ai two in t^ie afternoon formed into a line, at the same time mak- ing all the sail (hey could from the English. The gal- lant Benbow, and Captain Walton in the Ruby, pur* sued them closely that day and the next night. The chace continued the four following days, during which he received no assistance from the other ships of the squadron. On the 23d, at noon, he captured a small English vessel, called the i^nne galley, which Du Casse had taken ofTLi.sbon, and the Ruby being disabled, he 311, &EC12(rBK OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 1^7 ordered her to proceed to Port Roj'ol, to refit. About eight at nigiit the whole squadron came up with the ad- miral, and the enemy were only two miles distant. Animated with tlie tiopc or bringing tlie affair to a speedy issue, Benbow crowded all his sails in pursuit of them, but to his inexpressible mortification, all his ships, excepting the Falmouth, again fell astern. On the 24>th, at two in the morning, Benbow came up with the enemy's stcrnn^ust ship, and an action im- mediately commenced, a j\xi thiee the gallant admi- r?J's right le^r was shattered by a chnin-shot. He was carried from the deck to be dressed, and while the sur- geon was peribrmiRg the operation, one of his lieute- nants expressed great concern for the unfortunate acci- dent. *' I am sorry for it^ too,'' said the intrepid Benbow ; " but I would rather have lost them both, than have seen this dishonor brought on the EnglisU nation. But« do you hear, if another shot should take me oif, behave like brave men, and fight it out!" H^ then ordered himself to be <;arried up, and placed, with bis credlc on the quarter-deck, where he continued giving his orders. The fight was continued till night, by which time one of the enemy's ships, which carried 70 guns, was reduced to a wreck, having lost her main-yard, fore-top sail-yard, mizen-mast, and rigging. The admiral soon afterwards discovered the encmv standing towards, him w[itb a strong gale of wind. The Windsor, Pendennis, and Greenwich, being ahead of the enerr.y, ran to the leeward of the disabled ship* tired their broadsides passed her, and stood to the. southward. The Defiance then came up and fired part of i.cr broadside, which being returned by the disabled '•:sel, tl« Defiance |}at her helm aweatber, bore. t«L. I, f i5S THE BRITISH TRIDENT; •way right before (lie wind, and ran to leeward ofihe Falmouth, without pacing any regard to the signal of battle. The enemy seeing the other two ships stand to the southward, imagined that they would tack and bear down upon them ; but, perceiving they did not tack, they immediately stood towards the admiral with their ivholeforcejand ran between him and theirdisablcd ship. A warm engagement ensued, and in this unequal contest the Breda lost her main-top-sail-yard, and received lo much damage in her rigging, that the admiral was obliged to lie by to refit, and (he French seiaed (ht opportunity of towing off their crippled vessel. By nine e'dock the Breda was again in a condition Ibr renewing fhe fight, and the admiral ordered her commander. Captain Fog, to pursue the enemy, then three miles to leeward, hi* line of battle signal being oui all the time* He, likewise, sent to the other captains, to desire them to keep their line, and behave like men ; upon which Captain Kirby, of the Defiance, ^ent on board the admiral, and told him, " he had better desist ; the French were very strong, and from what had passed, he might guess that he could make nothing of it." The gallant Benbow, not a little sur- prised at -this language, calmly replied, (hat this wis only one man's opinion; and immediately made (he signal for (he other captains to come on board. To hU no small morlifk:ation> however, they all concurred with Kirby; and» together with him, signed a paper, purporting) that nothing more could be done. Being thus deserted by his officers, the brave admiral was obliged to desist from the pursuit of the enemy, and returned to Jamaica, though he could not forbear .4eclasiog publicly^ that it was contrary to his owo et, RtoisTiR er naval AcTtons. 150 jjHgincnt, to the prejudice of (he service, and the greAlest dishonor that ever happened to tlie EnglMh navy. 1'he French aJmrril, upon hts arrival at Cartha^na, sent Benbow the following letter, which proves the liulc prospect ho had of cscujiing :— > "Sir, " I had little hopes, on Monday last, bat to hftve (upped in your cabin ; it pleased God to order It other- wise, and I aro thankfullbr it. As for iJiose cowardly captains, who deserted you^ hang them up, for, hjf God, they deserve it. ** Yours, • *• Du Cassc.* 4 Benbow having reached Jamaica, was' there joined by Rear- Admiral Whetstone, and. Indignant at the conduct of his captains, he issued a commission to that officer, to assemble n court martial for their triaK Cap* tains Kirby and Constable were tried first. The former was accused of cowardice, breach of orders, and neg- lect of duty; and these charges being fully established, he was condemned to be shot. Constable was acquitted of cowardice ; but, being convicted on the other charges, was sentenced to be cashiered and imprisoned during the queen's pleasure. Captain Wade was next Iried, and convicted on the same charges as Kirby ; in addition' to which it was proved, that he wat drunk during the whole time of the action. He was, like- wise, condemned to be shot. Captain Hudson died a few days before the trials commenced, and thoti escaped the ignominious fate of bis associates* Captain Vinftnt. p2 \60 THE BRIT-IIH TRIDENT^ of the Falmouth, and Fog, the admiral's own caplam, \^'ere tried for having, by Kirby's persuasion, lif :ied a paper, purporting that they would not fight under Ben- bow'i command. This was proved ; but, as the admi- ral testified that they behaved with gallantry during the action, the court initigatcd their sentence ; but, tor the ^ake of discipline, they were suspended till the Lord High Admiral's pleasure should be known. The hois* t(;rous manners of Benbow, who was a rough seamaj), but remarkably brave, honest, and experienced, had -produced this infamous conteduracy, in which Captain Walton, of the Ruby, while heated with the fumes of intoxication, had, likewise, joined ; but he aAer wards renounced the engagement, and, as we have already seen, fought with great courage till his ship was dis- abled. Kirby and Wade were sent hone in the Bristol ; great interest was made to the queen in their favor, but to no purpose. Warrants for their immediate execution were ^1)1 io all the ports, and they were accordingly shot on the 16th of April, 1703, the same day they arrived at Plymouth, As for Benbow, his health continued to decline, principally from the chagrin occasioned by this mis- carriage, and on the 4th of November he expired. We cannot take leave of this brave and patriotic admiral, without presenting a few traits illustrative of his character. The cause of this gallant officer's introduction into the royal navy, is not the least singular circumstance of his life. He was master of a vessel employed in the Mediterranean trade, when, in 1686, he was attacked in his passage from Cadiz by a Sallee rover, against 9H, llOIim WAVAL ACTrOlfS. let whom, thongh very Ruperlor in in point of number, he defended himself with the ulroost bravery. The Moors'* at length, (warded him, but his men, animated by the intrepidity of their commander, soon cleared the ship of the enemy, who \o<* thirteen of their number in the attempt. Captain Benbow directt;d the heads of these men. to be cut off, and thrown into a tub of pork pickle. On his arrival at Cadiz, he went on shore, and ordered a negro servant to follow him with the heads of the Moors in a sack. He had scarcely landed, before the officers of the revenue enquired what was in tbe sack ; to which the captain replied, that it contained sail provi- sions for his own use. The officers, however, insisted on seeing them, or, at least, on his accompanying them to- the Custom-House, where the commissioners were then silling, who« ifthey thought proper, might permit them to pass. The captain acceded to this proposal, and away thejr marched to the Custom- House ; Benbow in the fVont, hii man in the centre, and the officera in the rear. The commissioners received him with great politeness, at the same time assuring him, that tlie nature of their employ- ment obliged them to demand a sight of the contents of the sack ; and as they had no doubt of their being what he represented, he could have no objection to comply with their desire. " I told yoUr gentlemen," said the captain, sternly, " that they were salt provisions for roy own use. — C»<;af, throw them on 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 Benbow's adventure, ;^nd his gallant defence against such a number of barbarians. An account of the whole af&tr waa sent to Madrid, and the king was^ so pleased 162 THB BRITISH TUIDENT; with it, that he sent for the English captain to courti received him with the greatest marks of esteem, and not only dismissed him with a handsome present, but recommended him in such strong terms in a letter to James II, that the lcing« upon his arrival in England, immediately gave him the command of a ship in the royal navy. When it was resolved, in 170I« to send a squadron to the West Indies, Benbow was mentioned to King William as a fit officer to command it; but his Majesty observed, that Benbow was bot just returned from that station where he had met with nothing bat difficulties, and that it was reasonable some other officer should take his turn. Some others were accordingly proposed, but either their health or their affairs were so deranged, that they most earnestly desired to be excused. ** Well, then," said the king, jocosely, to some of his ministers, " I find we must spare our beaux^, and send honest Benbow." His Majesty, therefore, sent for him, and asked him whether he was willing t* go to the West Indies, assuring him, that, if he had any objection, he would not take it af ^11 amiss if he desired to be excused. The gallant adiiMrai bluntly replied, that he did not understand such compliments; that be had no right to chuse his station ; but he would cheerfully execute his IV4ajesty's orders to whatever quarter he thought proper to send him.-^He was, accordingly, appointed to the command of the West India squadron. Benbow was one of those officers whom the tars are remarkably fond of claiming as their own; he and Shovel ^e> indeed, deserved favorites with them. They were both sailors, rose by being sailors, and were 2nore proad of that cbacacter than of their flags. By % 5 OR, RECrlSTER OP NATAL ACTIONS. 163 long course of obedience they learned how to command, and directed those who served under them, as much by their example a jy their orders ; and though ihcy were highly distinguished in their profession, yet, after many years employment, left behind them small fortunes but great reputations. On the death of Admiral Benbow, Vice-Admiral Graydon was appointed to succeed him in the command of the ships on ihc: West India station. He, accordingly, sailed from Plymouth on the 13th of March, 1703, with two men of war, some transports with troops, and a convoy of merchantmen, accompanied, likewise, by the Montague and Nonsuch, which were ordered to see him to a certain distance. On the 18(h they fell in with four French ships> forming a part of Du Casse's squa- dron, which were returning, in a very shattered condi- tion, from their engagement with Benbow. The Mon- tague, commanded t^y Captain Cleveland, immediately bore down and began to attack them, but Graydon being under orders not to lose time on his passage by chacing any ships whatever, made a signal to call her off. Proceeding on his voyage, he arrived at Ja- maica on the 5th of June, and ordered a survey to be made of the ships under his command, on which he for- warded the necessary repairs with an alacrity which could have proceeded only from the most hearty zeal in the service of his country. A misunderstanding which arose between the admiral and some of the principal planters, hastened his departure from Jamaica. Leaving M suflicient force for the protection of the island, he re- turned to England, where an enquiry was instituted into his conduct; and though he appears to have acted in 164 THE BRITISH TRIDEKT} ttrict compliance with his instructions, he was dismissed from her Majesty's service. ^ During the absence of (he grand fleet which was dis« patched this summer, unctcr the command of Sir Cioudes- ley Shovel, to the Mediterranean, where nothing of importance was performed, intelligence was received that a fleet of merchant ships we^e lying with their convoy, in Cancale Bay. Orders were immediately sent to Rear-Admiral Dilkes; to attempt to destroy them, and he accordingly lefl Spithead with a small ^uadron on the l?2dof July. On the 26th, at day- break, the enemy were discovered at anchor about a league to the westward of -Granville. The convoy was found to consist of 45 merchant ships and three frigates, which on the approach of the English stood in for the shore. The admiral pursued them as far as the pilots thought it prudent to venture, on which he f»an- ned his boats, and attacked the enemy with such vigor, that, by noon, 15 sail were taken and brought off, six burned and three sunk. The remainder had, in the mean time, got so far up the bay, that the pilots were of opinion the ships could not stand in hear enough to protect the boats. In the morning of the 27 th it was resolved, in a council of war, to detach the smallest Vessels of the squadron to cover the boats and to renew the attack the next day. To encourage the men, the admiral and all the captains accompanied them, and the daring enterprize was most eflectually executed. The three corvettes were first attacked ; the largest, mount- ing 18 guns, was burned by the enemy, to prevent her falling into the hands of the English ; tho second, of It guns, was set on Are by Mr. Paul« first lieutenant of the Kent ; ami th« third, mounting only 8 guns,, w^ OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 165 carried off by Ihe conquerors Of the remaining mer- chant ships, 17 were burned or otherwise destroyed^ so that of the whole fleet only four vessels escaped, by getting under the guns of Granville fort, where it was impossible for the boats to attack them. The queen, to express her sense of this service, ordered gold medals to be struck, and to be presented to the admiral and officers. On the night of the 26th of November, in this year, arose a most tremendous storm, attended with dreadful thunder and lightning, and continued with inconceiv« able violence till seven the next morning. It has been emphatically denominated the great storm. On this occa« sion thirteen men of war were lost and upwards of 1500 seamen, among whom was Rear-admiral Beaumont, pe- rished. The escape of one Atkins, the only person saved out of the admiral's ship, the Mary, a fourth rate, which was lost on the Goodwin Sands, is too remarkable to be omitted. This man/ when the ship was going to pieces, was thrown by a wave into the Stirling Castle, and that ship sinking soon afterwards, he was again thrown into her boat by a violent sea, which washed him from the wreck. Early in 1704, a squadron was sent, under the com- mand of Sir George Rooke, to convoy Charles IIL who was supported by Great Britain in his claim to the Spanish throne, to Lisbon, and then to proceed to the Mediterra« nean, for the purpose of attacking Barcelona. At Lisbon a dispute had nearly arisen, concerning the ceremony of the flag. The king of Portugal required, that on his coming on board the English admiral^ and striking his standard, the English flag should be struck at the same time and continue so till tho two kings went on shore. 160 THE BRITISH TRIDENT. Sir George replied, that while the King of Spain couit- nued on board, he might order the flag to be struck whenever he pleased ; b«t, as the supreme command was invested in him, the moment hi;; Majesty quilted the ship, he wa^ obliged to execute hU commission by hoisting his flag. This conduct sufficiently asserted the honor of the English flag, without giving offence to either of the sovereigns. On the 9th of March Sir George sailed fiom X^isbon, ^nd> in consequence of intelligence which he had re- ceived, he ordered Rear-admiral Dilkes to proceed with ^ small squadron to the souOi-west. The wind was so vjeil^nt the whole of the next^ day and the followbg ^§^U that th^ afii^iral was unable to make sail, but the y\Qat)^;r proving nipre mqderate on the I2lh« lie bore avya)> ^p4 ^9^ came in sight of four Spanish ships, i^iter a short ch^ce and a brisk running fight, three of them struck, bat the fourtii escaped. The prizes proved to b€ the forta i^a^ii or ou gum, •uoomiu* m ..^.^w.. vm iKe same force, and a frigate of 24 guns. They were bound from St. Sebastian's to Cadiz, and were laden with naval stores, the loss of which proved extremely distressing to the enemy. The Santa Theresa was unfor- tunately, test in entering the river Tagus, to which Admiral Dilkes proceeded with his prizes. TAKING OF GIBRALTAR. The attempt on Barcelona having failed. Sir George Rooke resolved to return to Lisbon, there to wait for the reinforcements he expected from England. Two days aAer he had passed the Streights, he fell in off C^pe Lagos, with Sir Cloudesly Shovel and a squadron #1 Ifflmnw ■ iiii- si?!!!'- II i III)!; m OR, RECtSTtR or KAVAL ACTIONS. 167 I of S3 nail of fhe line. On receiving this powerful ac- cession of strength. Sir George immediately calfed a council of war to consider what enterprize should bd undertaken, when it was resolved to attempt the reduc* tion of Gibraltar. On the 31st the fleet entered the bay, and the Prince of Hesse, with 1800 marines, immediately landed on the Isthmus, in order to trut o'fT all communication between the rock and the continent. . The governor being then summoned to surrender, re* plied that he would defend the place to the last extremity. The admiral, accordingly^ gave orders, on tbenomtrigof the 2Qd for cannonading the place, and in five hours the Spaniards were driven from thehr fbrtiflctttions at IheNetV Mole. This was no sooner observed by the a^fftfraf* than he commanded all the boats to be matified and fcrraed, and to make a general attack on thatquUrf^* Captains Hicks and Jumper, who happened-. to b^ neat* est to tbe Mob, soon stormed the ferfifi^hktions with thd vtciost bravery ; but the enemy spriitgiAg a mifie upon (heir, approach, two lieutenants and' forty mth were killed, and abent sixty wounded by thai actldetih Thtf fiaglisht however, made< themselves masters of the gmnd pbtibrm, where they maintained' their grOiind tiH Captain Wbitafacr, with a body of keameflt canie td their assistance; upon whfich they advanced artd took, by storm, a redoubt, siteated betvVeen thd Mole and the town. This success induced the governor to cdpt^ takUeon tbe 24th> and the i*rinceof Hesse took posses- sien of the place. In this daring, enterprize oRfy two lieuteisants, one master, and «bout 60 me» weri^ killed, wd 220woiinded« aiMng wkfivtweie one-captahl «nd ^ lieutenants. 168 THE BRITISH TRlDfii,!*; ENGAGEMENT OFT MALAGA Sir George leaving the Prince of Hesse wiih as many men as he could spare, to garrison Gibraltar, repaired (o Tetuan, to take in wood and water. He then .proceeded up the Mediterranean, in quest of the French fleet. On the 9th he discovered the ene- my, and on the morning of the 13th he came up with them off Malaga, when they brought to with their heads to the southward, the wind being easterly, and forming their line, prepared to receive him. The French force consisted of 52 ships, 17 of which were three deckers, and 24 galleys ; they were very strong in the centre, but very weak in the van and rear, en wlijch account the commander, the Count de Thoulouse, high admiral of France, had placed most of the galleys in those squadrons. The English fleet, which had been joined by eleven Dutch ships, under Admiral Callemberg, consisted of 53 ships of the !me exclusive of frigates, but they were greatly inferior to the enemy in the num^ ber of guns and men, as well as in weight of metal, and unprovided with galleys from which the enemy derived great advantage during the engagement. Sir George to remedy, as much as possible, the . inconvenience under which he labored, ordered two fourth rates with a fifth, a sixth, and two fire-ships, to Ke to windward of him, that if the enemy's van should push through his line with their galleys and fire-ships, they might give them some diversion. This disposition, as Campbell judiciously observes, proved the admiral's ability, and how dexterously he could supply, by good ma- Dageraenf, any deficiencies under which he might labor. ... OR, aSOlSTlR OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 169 A liltle aAer ten in the morning the English bore down - In order of battle, but when t bey came within a little more than musket shot, the enemy set their sails, appa- rently with the intention of crowding ahead of the Eng- lish van. The battle was maintained on both sides for three hours with the utmost obstinacy, in which Sir George Rooke's ship, the St. George, the Royal Catha- rine, and the Shrewsbury suffered considerably. About two the lecny's van began to give way, as did, like- wise, their rear soon aAerwards. The battle, however^ continued in the centre with undiminished fury till night* Several of the English vessels were obliged to leave the line, either because they were disabled, or in want of shot, which had been, in a great measure, expended at Gibraltar. About the middle of the action, the French admiral sent a 70-gun ship to board the Monk of 60 gans, commanded by Captain Mighells, who gave her such a warm reception, that she was obliged to sheer off after three attempts, in which the enemy were re- ' pulsed, notwithstanding her wounded men were each time taken off, and her complement renewed by the galleys. The engagement continued till seven in the evening, when the enemy bore away, and left the English fleet in a very shattered and disabled condition. " This," says Sir George Rooke, in his journal *' was the sharpest day's service I ever saw. Every oSicer in the fleet performed his duty without the least umbrage or reflection ; and I never ob-served the true English spirit m^:*e apparent in our seamen than on this occasion. Sir Cloudedey Shovel, and the other flag officers in our front and rear, say, the enemy did not' behs^ve themselves well in those quarters. 1 am sure VOL. u a 170 THE BRITISH TRIDENT ; "e in (iie centre did (heir duly very gallantly and Ji. ily." Sir Cloudesley's account perfectly coincides with that of the admiral. In his letter, he pays, «' the ships that suffered most in my division were the Warspite, TiU bury, and Swifisure, the rest escaped pretty well, and I the best of all, though I never took greater pains in all my life lo have been soundly beaten ; for I set all my sails and rowed with my three boats a-head, to get alongside of the admiral of the white and blue; but he outsailed me, shunned figliting, and lay alongside ofthe little ships. Notwithstanding the engagement was very sharp, and I think the like between two fleets has never been in my time. There is hardly a ship but what niust shift one mast, and some must shifi all. A great many have suffered much, but none more than Sir George Rooke and Captain Jennings in the St. George." During the night the wind shifted, and brought the enemy to windward, and though the British admiral endeavored the two following days to bring them to another engagement, they cautiously avoided fighting, and at last bore away for Toulon. Considering the great and numerous disadvantages under which the English labored on this occasion, the result was as glorious as, under other circumstances, (he most brilliant engagement would have been. Notwilh- standiBg their disgraceful flight, the French, with (hat characteristic vanity and impudence, by which they have ever been distinguished, not only claimed the vic- tory, but the Academy even caused a medal to be struck, which, however, serves only to pepetuate their own dishonor* OK, RECIITER or NAVAL ACTIONS. 171 The loss sustained by (he English in this tclion, was about 700 men, including two captains and two lieu- tenants. Five captains, 13 lieutenants, and about 1600 men were wounded. The Dutch ships had 400 men killed and wounded. The loss of the French was still more considerable; upwards of 3000 men were killed, among whom were a rear-admiral and five captains. The Count de Thou* louse and a great number were wounded. — No ships were lost on either side. After the battle. Sir George Rooke sailed to Gibral- tar iQ refit, and leaving a squadron in the Mediterranean, under the command of Sir John Leake, he proceeded to England. Enraged at the loss of Gibraltar, the Spaniards resolved to neglect no means for tf overing that fortress, and demanded a French squadr n to co-operate in their roe- dilated attack. The Prince of Hesse, therefore, applied for succour to Sir John Leake, who was at Lisbon with the British fleet. On the 29th of October the admiral entered the Bay of Gibraltar. He arrived very oppor* tunely, for preparations had been made by the enemy for storming the fort that night. His appearance was so sudden, th^t he surprised in the bay three French frigates of 42, 30, and 24 guns; a brigantine of 1 4 ; a flre-ship of 16; a store-ship lull of bombs and grenades, and several smaller vessels. Sir John remained some time cruizing before Gibral- tar, as well for the purpose of harassing the enem^r , as for the protection of the succours that were expected from Lisbon. On the 7 th of December^ the Antelope arrived a2 J72 THE miTisM tuident; ^^ ilh seven transports under her convoy, and two days afterwards the Newcastle with seven more, having on board nearly 2000 land forces. These vessels had a very fortunate escape from a French fleet of 24> men of war, under the command of M. Pontis, whose ships, in order to decoy them, hoisted English and Dutch colors. I'he English made sail towards them, but were becalm- ed, and their suspicions being excited by the manoeuvres of the enemy, they took advantage of a breeze and the darkness of I he night to get out of their reach. The Prince of Hesse, upon the arrival of this reinforcement considered it no longer necessary that the fleet which ivas in very bad condition, should reniain on that station, upon which the admiral sailed to Lisbon, to refit. . Sir George Rooke having resigned the naval com- mand, Sir Cloudesley Shovel was appointed vice-admi- ral of England, and commander in chief of the fleet. Sir George Byng, who had been promoted vice-admi- ral of thn blue, sailed from Plymouth with a squadron of cruizert, and a large fleet of outward*bound merchant ships. After he had seen the latter in safety out of the Channel, he stationed his squadron in such a judicious manner, that he not ^^^y eflectually protected the Eng- lish trade from the depredations of the enemy's privateers, but took firom them, in^a very short time, a frigate of 4i guns, twelve large privateers, and seven merchant- thips, richly laden from the West-Indies. By his suc<* tess and good Conduct, Sir George kept the cliannel clear of cruizers during the remainder of the year, and kepi a considerable portion of the enemy's naval force shut up in the harbor of Brest. The Spaniards having been joined by a body of French troops, in the mean time pushed the siege of • K, RIOIITIR QP NAVAL ACTIONS. 173 Gibfahar lo vigorousfy, (hat the Prince of Hesie was obliged to send to Sir John Leake at Lisbon, requesting him to come iroroedialely to his relief. On (he 6lh of March the British admiral, having been reinforced by Sir Thomas Dilkes with five men v( war and a body uf troops, left the Tagus with a fleet of 35 sail, 23 of which were English and the rest Dutch and Portuguese. On the 9th, at noon, he had sight of Cape Spartcl ; but not having light enough to reach the bay of Gibraltar, be thought proper lo lie to, that he might not be disco« vered from the Spanish shore, as he intended to surprise the enemy in the bay early the next morning; but was prevented by bad weather from sailing so soon as he had designed. About half an hour past five, being within two miles of Cape Cabareta, he discovered five ships making out of the bay. A gun being fired at them from Europa Point, he concluded that the garrison was safe; upon which he immediately gave chace to the enemy, which proved to be the Magnanimous of 74; the Vaisseau of86; the Ardent of 66 ; the Arrogant of 60; and the Marquis of 56 guns. They, at first, made for the African shce, but finding that the English gained upon them, thf y stood back towards the Spanish eoast. At nine Sir Thomas Dilkes, in the Revengei^ together with the Newcastle, Antelope, and a Dutch man of war, got within gun-shot of the Arrogant, which struck after a short resistance. Before one, the Ardent and Marquis were taken by two Dutch men of war, and the Magnanimous and Vaisseau were driven on shore. The former, on board of which was the French commander, M. de Pontis, struck with such force, that all her masts went by the board, and only her Jl)ttU«. ■ from the tafirel to the midships, remained 41 3 174 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; above water, the ehefhy set her' on fire in under the joint command of the Earl of Peterborough and Sir Cloudes- ley Shovel^ and consisted of 2d sail of the line, besides frigates and other small vessels* They were ordered to proceed to the Mediterranean, in order to assist Charles III. of Spain. On the 20th of June they arrived at Lisbon, where they were joined by Sir John Leake, end the Dutch Admiral AHemonde. Having there taken on board his Catholic Majesty aikl the Prince of Hesse, who arrived from Gibraltar, it was resolved in « council of war to make an attempt on Barcelona, iht capital of the province of Catalonia, which was repre- sented as being well affected to Charles's interest. They accordingly appeared before that town on the 1 2th of August, and the troops were immediately landed, under the command of the Prince of Hesse and the Earl of Peterborough. On the 3d of September, Monl- jouic, a strong fort situated or< a hill commanding the city, was taken by storm, wiih the loss of the gallant Prince of Hesse, who was shot through thb' thigh, OR, REGISTER OF HAVAL AOTIOKS. 175 Eight of the ships of war were ordered to cannonade iht place by sea, and (he boinb«vessel» in one day threw vpwards of 4*00 bombs into the place. One of th6 shells which fell into the powder magazine, blew up the Duke de Popoli, the governor, with some of hit best officers. The town held out till the 23d of Sep- tember, when a oaf)i(ulation was signed. The fate of Barcelona decided that of the whole province^ which, with the exception of (he towtt of Koses, immediately declared in favor of Charles. .tc .t« Having accomplished this object, the -British ad- miral, in consequence of the lateness of the sea- ion> returned to England, leaving part of the fleet in 4be MediterrantaiH undtr the command of Sir John Leak*. ■>■'> ' '■•' ■ ■ .-r-rr'-jH The EifZabeth, of 70 guns, commanded by Captain Cross, was this summer taken in the Channel after & Ihort resistance. ORthe*J5th the captain was tried on board the Triumph by a court-martial, at which Sir GeorgeByng presided. It appeared, in evidence, that he night have isaved the ship i(k^ had animated his knen snd behaved with that spirit which he ought to have done. He all^dj^, in his defence, that he had not his full complement of men, that his surgeon was sick, that many of his crew were intoxicated, and would not do their duty. After ft full hearing (he court found him guilty of the charges, and is6titenced him to be cashiered, to forfeit the arrears daetohim, aud to remain a pri- soner for life ; but the Ibtter part of the sentence was remitted. Captain Cross, on every former occasion, had be- haved in such a manner, as to acquire the character of tD active, spirited) and diligent officer. He was never 2 376 THE BRITISH TRIDEKT; restored (o the setvice ; a small pension was settled on him merely to preserve bim from warit, but that being found insofficijent> he was at last reduced fo such indw gence, that out of compassion he was received into Greenwich hospital, in a private station. Here he lived many years as comfortably as it may be supposed that he could under such circumstances, and died in April, 1746. Early in the spring Rear-admiral Sir William Whet- stone was appointed commander in chief in the West Indies, for which station he sailed about the middle of March, with a squadron of five sail of the line and two frigates. He arrived. at Jamaica on the 17th of May, where, hearing that a squadron of the enemy was cruiz* ing oflfHispaniola, he dotached the Montague. to the coast of that island, while he himself proceeded to Car- thagena to intercept several rich vessels which were shortly expected to leave that port. Being disappointed in this object, the admiral, after taking a French 46-gun ship, and two or three privateers, returned to Ja- inaica. Meanwhile the Montague fell in with two French men of war, of 48 and 36 guns. The captain bravely bore down, and engaged them both till night, when they sheered off*. Being still in sight the next morning, he gave orders to cbace and renew the action $ but his officers and men refusing to obey^ he was obliged to desist from the pursuit a,nd return to Ja- siaica, where he submittea the affair to a <:ottrt-martial, by which the office- were broke, and some of the men severely punished. The admiral immediately, on the arrival of the Montague, dispatched the Bristo'. and Folkstone in quest of the enemy ; but the captains, soli- citous only to make prize of the merchant- ships, suffered OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS, 177 n Whel- le West nicldle of and two 1 of May, vas cruiz* le .to the sd to Gar- hicb were appointed ch46-gun id lo Ja- wUh tw« captain |tiU night, the next [encw the obeyi he turn to Ja- Irt-roartial, iftheroCD lly, on the Iristol and Itains, soli- ij, suffered the men of war to escape* For this scandalous neglect^ Captain Anderson^ the senior officer, was tried by a court-martial on his return to Jamaica, and dismissed the service* In the spring of 1706, several acts of parliament were passed for the more speedily manning the navy. By these, justices of the peace, and other civil magistrates were empowered to make search after such seamen as concealed themselves, and were enjoined to deliver them up to such persons as were appointed to receive them. A penalty was attached to their concealment, and a reward offered for their discovery and appre- hension. Sir John Leake, who had repaired to the Tagus to refit his ships, received intelligence, while thus em- ployed, that the galleons equipping at Cadiz were nearly ready for sea. He, in consequence, used the utmost dispatch, and on the 21th of February got under weigh, but the Portuguese having, in the mean tmie, laid an embargo, on all vessels, refused to suffer him to paw. On account of this delay he did not reach Cadiz till the ^8tb, when he found that through the treachery of the Porluguesertbe Spanish vessels had been apprised of his intention, and had sailed the precedtng day with luch a favorable wind, as rendered it impossible for him to overtake them. Upon this Sir John proceeded with his squadron to the Mediterranean, but contrary winds prevented him from entering the bay of Gibri* 'af before the middle of March. Having been joined by Sir George Byng, with a reinfti>rceineht from England, he 1 sailed to the relief of Barcelona, wl^ere Count de Thou* Wse had arrived with a French squadron to co-operate with th« troops, who were besieging the town by land. 17B THE BRITISH TRIDENT; On Sir John's arrival the French admiral abandoned the enterprize, and retired with the utmost precipitation to Toulon ; and two days afterwards the Duke of Anjoa raised the siege, leaving to his rival all his cannon, camp- equipage^ and military stores. . < After this success the English commander sailed to Valencia and Carthagena, which he immediately redu> ced, and then proceeded to Alicant. That town was stormed by the boats of the fleet, but the castle continued to hold out till the 24lh of Augusts In the succeeding ^onth ho compelled the islands- of Ivica, Majorca and Palma, to acknowledge Charles III. as their sovereign! on which he returned to England , leaving Sir George JByng with a squadron at Lisbon. ' A gallant action was performed in the Mediterranean on the 19th of April. Captain Mordaunt, son to the Earl of Peterborough, was proceeding to Genoa with his ship, the Resolution, on board of which were the (earl himself, and hit Catholic Majesty's envoy to the Duke of Savoy, when he was chased by six large French ships of war. The Earl and Envoy, in order to avoid being taken, went on board the Milford frigate, find escaped into Oneglia. The Resolulion had been much shattered in a heavy gale a few days before, and the enemy soon came up with her. Notwithstanding the great inequality of force the English captain made a gallant defence, and, at length, by the advice of his officers, ran the ship on shore, under the guns of a Genoese fort, which, however, afforded him not the least protection. The brave Captain Mordaunt being i woHnded, was carried on shore, and soon afterwards the French commander dispatched all the boats of his | squadron u;}der the cover of a 70-gun ship, for the pur OR, RiciSTBR 07 KAVAt ACTIONS. 179 >ailed to ily redu- wn waa lontinued iCceedir.g jorca and overeign, r George itcrranean ion to Ihc enoa wilh \ wcrelhc voy lolhe six large in order to ord frigate, had been >re» and the anding the lin made a ice of bis guns of a im not the ! pose of boarding the Resolution ; bat they were re- pulsed in the attempt, and obliged to return to their ships. An 80<^gun ship next morning brought up on the stern of the Resolution, and opened a heavy fire upo. her. The officers finding it impossible to save the vessel, wilh Captain Mordaunt's consent set her on fire, to pre- vent her falling into the hands of the enemy. The crew got safe on shore. ^ On the 30th of May, Sir Stafford Fairborne was sent wilh a squadron to Ostend» to co-operate wilh the land forces, under A uverquerque, who was detached by the Duke of Marlborough to besiege that town. The ne- cessary preparations being made, the trenches were opened on the 17th of June, and on the 236 a geneiai attack took place by land and sea. It was kept up with such spirit and fury, that the town was set on fire in several places, and reduced nearly to a heap of ruins. On the 25th the governor capitulated, but the vessels which lay in the harbor were not included in the capitu- lation, and consequently fell into the hands of the con- querors. They consisted of three ships of 70, 50, and 40 guns, six vessels of inferior force, and upwards of 43 iDerchantmen> which the English carried off in tri- umph. On the 1st of May; 1707, the trade to Portugal and the West Indies, sailed from the Downs under convor otthe Royal Oak of 74, and the Hampton Court and Grafton of 70 guns each. The next day being about >;ix leagues to the westward of Beachy-head, ihey fell in with a French squadron, consisting of nine ships of the line, and many privateers mounting between twenty and thirty guns, commanded by M. Forbin. The Eng- lish con^niodore immediately formed a line to receive 18Q TBI BRITISH trident; the enemy, and took into it five of his stoatest mer- chant-sbipsj that by their assistance he might be ena- bled to continue the. contest the longer* and aflTord the convoy time to escape. After ma'Oiaining the en« gagemcnt for two hours and a half, the Graiton was boarded by three men of war, to which, after a most gallant defence, she was compelled to strike. Captain Acton, who commanded her, was killed. The same fate attended Captain Clements, of the Hampton Court, which ship being attacked by three of the enemy's vesiiels, disengaged herself with great difficulty, but as she was bearing away, she was met by two fresh ships, and after having lost her main-mast and fore-top- mast, was obliged to surrender. The Royal Oak, Cap« tain Wilde, bore down to her assistance, but finding her ensign struck, his own ship having eleven feet water in the hold, and being much shattered, he made the best of hi? way to save himself. In the engage- ment that vessel had received several shots under water, from two French men of war, which were on board her at the same time ; but which tnet with such a warm recep* tion, that they were forced to sheer off, much disabled. While the men of war were thus engaged, the eneiD)''!> frigates and light ships took 21 merchantmen; whlchi writh the two men of war, they carried into Dunkirk. It is related, that while the French were plundering the Hampton Court, a midshipman conveyed Captain Cle- ments, who was mortally wounded in the belly, into the long-boat, into which himself, with seven of the crew, crept through the ports ; and that cutting the boat adrift they concealed themselves under the thawtes (ill they were out of the reach of the ships, when, taking to their oars, they arrived safe in Kye harbor. The OK, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. n\ Royal Oak« ran on shore near Dungeness, but was soon afterwards, got off, and af rived, without farther accident, in the Downs. The damages sustained in this action by the Royal Oaic* were scarcely repaired, when that vessel, together ivith the Cumberland and Devonshire of 80 guns, and the Ciiester and Ruby of 50, was appointed to escort a numerous and valuable fleet of merchant-nen bound to Lisbon. On the ) 0th of October, the very day after they sailed, they fell in off the Lizard with the united squadrons of the Count de Forbin and Duguai Trouin, consisting of twelve, or according to some, fourteen sail of the line. The commodore, immediately, took every measure that prudence and the most resolute intrepidity could suggest, for the protection of his con- voy, as well as for the support of his country's honor. The English ships, in the hope of facilitating the escape of the merchantmen, fought with the most determined obstinacy. About noon M. Duguai Trouin, supported by his two seconds, attacked Commodore Edwards, in the Cumberland. In less than an hour his ship had lost her fore-mast, mizen-mast, and bowsprit, so that she was reduced to a peifect wreck, and obliged to surrender. The Devonshire was blown Mp, and the other men of war, after maintaining this un<* equal contest till most of their convoy had escaped, were obliged to strike, with the exception of the Royal Oak, which, though much disabled, got safe into Kinsale. But a misfortune of still greater importance soon afterwards befel the nation in the Idss of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with four ships of his squadron, on their retura from the Mediterranean, where he had commanded vol.. I. R 182 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; during the sumraer. The Association, the admirars sbip, struck in the night upon the rocks called the Bishop and his clerks, near the Scilly islands, and every soul on board perished. The Eagle of 70 guns, Captain Hancock, and the Romney of 50, Captain Coney shared t!ie sarae fate. The Fire-brand fircship was likewise lost, but Captain Percy and 24 of the crew saved themselves in their boat. Lord Dursley, in the St. George, had struck upon the same rocks, but fortunately got off again. The body of Sir Cloudes- ley Shovel was the next day found on the shore, and buried with the others in the sand, but was soon after- wards taken up and interred in V/estminster Abbey, where Queen Anne ordered a magnificent monument to be erected to his memory. '* There is a particular cii :"uidstance,*' says a late navaf historian, " relative to the death of this gallant admiral, which being known only to very few, is (he more interesting. The admiral was not drowned, but after having reached the shore in safety, was, according to the confession of an old woman, treacherously and inhumanly murdered by her. This atrocious act she revealed many years afterwards, when on her death- bed, to the minister of the parish> who attended her; declar- ing she could not die in peace till she had made this confession. She acknowledged having been led to commit the horrid deed for the sake of plunder, and that she had then in her possession, among other things, an emerald ring, which she had been afraid to sell, lest it should lead to a discovery. This ring, which was then delivered to the minister, was by him given to James Earl of Berkeley (in the possession of whose fa- mily it still remains} at his particular request; Sir OR, RBOfSTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS* 185 Clondesley Shovel and himself having always lived on terms of the utmost intimate friendship." The writer states the authority from which he received the above account, for which be acknowledges himself indebted to Lord Romney, the grandson of Sir Cloudesley; so that there is little reason to question its authen* ticity. In the month of September of this year, an action took place near the mouth of the Thames, the account of which we cannot refuse ourselves the satisfaction of introducing. Though some of the particulars may be inaccurate, yet the testimony in favor of the unparal- leled gallantry of an English officer, can scarcely be questioned, as it comes from the pen of a national enemy» and relates, besides, to an affair in which his own coun- trymen were concerned. " Thomas Smith,*' who had once commanded a sloop of war, in her majesty's service, and had been broken at a court>martial for irregular practices, we t to France and offered his services to Lewis XIV, against his native country. Smith burning with rage against England, had his head filled with nothing but schemed for annoying it : among the rest he proposed to the French court to burn Harwich, provided six galleys were placed under his command. The king approved bis project, and gave orders to Commodore Langt^ron at Dunkirk to follow Captain Smith's instructions ~ in the whole of the expedition, and to the intendant to fur- nish him with whatever was requisite for carrying it on. Every thing being in readiness, says the French writer, we put to sea on the 5th of September, in a Hne clear morning, and arrived off Harwich, without using our oars, about five in the evening. But Smith being of R 2 184 THB BRITIfH TRIDBNT; Opinion tliat wc were too early, and might be disco* vered if we came too near the shore, ordered us to stand otr to sea till night, in order to make our descent when it was dark. We had not lain to half an hour, when the man at the mast-head cried out, a fleet to the north, steering west, 36 sail, merchant built, and escorted hy a small frigate of about 30 guns. It was, in fact, a fleet of merchant-ships which had left the Texel, and were making for the mouth of the Thames. ' " Our commodore immediately called a council of war, jn which it was concluded, that without regarding Harwich, we should endeavour to make ourselves mas- ters of the fleet; that this would be doing the king better service than burning Harwich, for which an opportunity would every day ofl^er; whereas such a rich booty as this might seldom occur. These reasons, how- ever, had no influence with Captain Smith, who pro* tested against the resolutions^ declaring that his Majes* ly's orders ought to be obeyed, without being drawn away by any diflerent enterprize, and that we should «teer to the south to avoid being seen by this fleet. ** The council of war, hov/cver, persevered in their resolution, and the result of their deliberation was, an order to the six captains to attack this fleet. They made all possible haste with both sails and oari, and as we mutually approached each other we soon met. " Our commodore bad given orders to four of the gal- leys to get round, if possible, and secure the merchant ships, while our galley which was the commodore, and that of Chevalier Mauvilliers were to attack the frigate which convoyed them. In pursuance of these disposi- tions, four of the galleys took a compass to surround tht OR, RBOISTIR or NAVAL ACTIONS* 185 merchantmen, and to cut ofT their entrance into the Thames, while we bore away to attack the frigate* The captain of the latter perceiving our design, and the danger which threatened his convoy, (ooi( his measures accordingly. He had the character of being one of the most resolute, yet prudent officers in the British navy; and his conduct on this occasion did not behc it. He ordered the merchantmen to croud ail the sail pos- sible, to get into the Thames ; not doubting, for his own part, but that he should be able, with his little frigate, to cut out work enough for six French galleys ; and let the result of the engagement be what it might, he was determined not to yield till he saw all the ships of his convoy in safety. Conformably to this resolution, he spread his sails, and bore down upon us, as if he in* tended to be the aggressor. "Of the two galleys ordered to attack the frigate,our's alone was in a capacity to begin the engagement, as the other had fallen back at least a league behind us» either because she did not sail so fast as we, or her cap* tain chose to let us have the honor of striking the first blow. Our commodore who seemed in no wise dis* turbed at the approach of the frigate, thought our gal- ley alone would be more than a match for the English- man, but he soon found that he was rather deceived in this conjecture. " As we mutually approached each other, we were soon within Cannon shot, and accordingly the galley discharged her broadside. The frigate, silent «.s death, approached us without firing a gun, but seeming stea- dily resolved to reserve all her (errors for a closer en- gagement. Our commodore, however, mistook Eng- lish resolution for cowardice. ' What,' cried he, * i» r3 ISG THE BRITISH TUtDENT I the frigate weory of carryinpf English colors ? And does she come to surrender without a blow f ' This sneer was premature. We still kept approaching each other, and were now within musket-shot. " The galley incessantly poured in her broadside and imall arms, the frigate, in the mean time, preserving the most dreadful tranquillity that imagination can con- ceive. At last the Englishman seemed all at once ttruck with a panic, and began to fly. Nothing gives more spirits than a flying enemy, and nothing was heard but boasting among our officers. ' We could at one blast sink a man of war, that we could, and with ease too. If Mr. English does not strike in two mi- nutes, down he goes, down to the bottom.' All this time the frigate Was preparing in silence for the tragedy that was about to follow. Her flight was only pretended, and for the purpose of enticing us to board her in her atern, which being the weakest part, is that which galleys generally chuse to attack. Against this quarter they endeavor to drive their beak, and then generally board the enemy, afler having cleared the decks with their five pieces of cannon. The commodore, in such a favorable juncture as he imagined the present to be, or- dered the galley to board, and directed the men in the helm to bury her beak, if possible, in the frigate. All the sailors and soldiers stood ready with their sabres and battle-axes to execute his commands. The frigate per- ceiving our intention, dexterously avoided our beak, which was just ready to dash against her stern ; so that instead of seeing the frigate sink in the dreadful encoun- ter, we had ih^ mortification to behold her fairly along side of us; an interview which struck us with terror. Now it was that the English captain's courage was con- 2 OR, RFGISTER or KAVAL ACtlOKS. lit ipicuous ; as he had foreseen what would happen, he was ready with his grappling irons and fixed us fast by his side. His artillery, charged with grape-^hot, began to open upon us; all on board the galley were as much exposed as if upon a raft ; not a gun was fixed that did not do horrible execution, and we were so near as even to be scorched by the flames. The English tops were filled with sailors, who threw liand-grenades among us like hail, that scattered wounds and death wherever they fell. Our crew now no longer thought of attacking, they were even unable to make the hdst defence. The terror was so great as well among the officers ai common men, that they seemed incapable of resistance. Those who were neither killed nor wounded, lay flat and counterfeited death, in order to save their lives. The enemy, perceiving our fright, to add to our misfortune, boarded us with forty or fiRy men, hewing down all that ventured to oppose them, but sparing the slaveii who made no resistance. After thus cutting away ht some time, they were at length repulsed by our still sur* viving numbers, but continued to pour infiernal fir6 among us. " The Chevalier Langeron, seeing himself re^ duced to this extremity, and great part of his creW either killed or wounded, was the only person on board who had courage to wave the flag of distress, in order to call the other galleys of the squadron to hit aid. •* The galley which had lain astern was soon up with us, ond the other four which had nearly made prize of the merchantmen, upon seeing our signal and perceiv- ing our distress, quitted their prey to come to our assist- ance* In consequence of this, the whole fleet escaped 188 THE BRITISH TRIDEKT; in safety into the Thames. The galleys rowed wtth such swiftness, that in less than half an hour the whole six had surrounded (he firigate. Her men were no longer able to keep the deck, and she presented a favorable op- portunity for being boarded. Twenty five grenadiers from each galley were ordered on this service. They met with no opposition, in boarding, but scarcely were they crowded on the deck, when they were agt^in salu> ted in the true English style. The officers of the frigate were entrenched in the forecastle and kept up an inces- sant fire on the grenadiers* Thw rest of the crew, like- wise, did all the execution they could through the grat- ings, and at last cleared the ship of the enemy. Ano- ther detachment was ordered to board, but with no better success : however, it was at last resolved, with hatchets and other proper instruments to lay open her decks, an d by that expedient make the crew prisoners of war. This measure was executed with extreme diffi- culty ; and in spite of their fire, which killed many of the assailants, the crew of the frigate were at last obliged to surrender. The officers were still in possession of the forecastle, and kept up as brisk a fire as before. It was found necessary to overpower them in the same manner, and this was not effected without loss. The whole of the ship's company, excepting the captain, were made prisoners. Taking refuge in his cabin, he fired upon us with the utmost obstinacy, swearing that he would spill the last drop of blood, before he would see the inside of a French prison. The officers, who had by this time been carried on board us, descri- bed their captain as a man perfectly fool-nardy, as one determined to blow up Ihe frigate, rather than strike, and painted his resolution in such strong colors, that • R> REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 18^ even the conquerors trembled* Every one now ex- pected (o see the frigate blown up, while they them* selves must share the danger of such a terrible neighbor* hood. The way to the powder-room led through the cabin* of which the captain still remained in possession, and the explosion of the frigate roust have been attended vvitli the most fatal effects to the six galleys. In this ex* tremity it was concluded to summon the captain in the gentlest terms, and to promise him the kindest treatment if he would surrender. He only repfied by firing as fast as he could. " At length it was found necessary to resort to the last expedi^nti for taking him dead or alive. A serjeant and twelve grenadiers were ordered with bayonets fixed to break open his door, and to kill him if he refused to sur- render. The Serjeant, at the head of his detachment, would soon have burst the door, but the captain who was perfectly prcpafcd, shot him through the head. The grenadier^, apprehensive of the same fate, betook themselvei to flight, nor could all the persuasions of their oi)ic*eri prevail upon them to renew a contest apparently so unequal. They alledged in their vindication, that as they could advance into the rootn only one at a time« tho captain would kill them all one after another. Re« course was again had to gentle methods j intreaty was employed, and at length had the desired success. ** All this seeming resolution, this conduct, which appeared rather the effect of madness than of prudence, was artfully assumed, only tu prolong the engagement till the merchant ships were in safety, which, when the English captain perceived from his cabin window, he began to listen to reason. Still to prolong the time as much as possible, he thtew another obstacle in the way's N--/ I DO THE BRITISH TRIDENT; alledging, that it was beneath him to deliver his sword to any other than the commodore, and desiring that he would come down to receive it; adding, that brave men should only be the prisoners of each other. A truce was accordingly agreed upon, till his demand should be reported to the commodore, who sent word back, by his second lieutenant, that a commander ought never to quit his post or his ship. At length, despising ceremony, when it could be no longer useful, the cap- tain surrendered liis sword without farther parley, and was immediately carried before the cornmodore, who could not forbear testifying some surprise at the diminutive figure, which had made such an extraor- dinary uproar. " He was hump-backed, pale-faced, and as deform- ed in person, as beautiful in mind. Our commodore complimented him on his bravery, adding, that his cap- tivity, and the loss of his ship was but the fortuiAe of war, and that he should have no reason to regret being his prisoner. ' I feel no regret,' replied the little cap- tain, ' my duty enjoined me to defend my charge, though with the loss of my vessel. In what light my services may be regarded at home, I neither know nor care. I might, perhaps, have acquired more honor in the eyes of some, by saving bis Majesty- s ship by flight ; and I should certainly have had more profit, ^s I should still be c(mtinued in command. But this consolation re- mains, that I have served England faithfully. I cannot feel any private loss by an action which enriches the pub- lic and contributes tothe welfare of my country. Your kind treatment of me may not perhaps be without its re- ward. Though I should never have the opportunity of making you a return, you will find some of my country- OR, KEGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. VJl men who have gratitude; and that fortune which now pctf me into your power may one day place you in their's.' " The noble boldness with which he spoke, charmed the commodore, who returned his sword, adding, very politely : * Take, Sir, a weapon, no man deserves bet- ter to wear. Forget that you are my prisoner. But, remember, I expect you for my friend.* There, was soon, however, some reason to repent of this indulg- ence, for the consequence of returning his sword had nearly proved fatal. The captain being introduced into the cabin of the galley, there beheld Smith the traitor, whom he instantly knew. These two could not remain long in each other's company, without feeling those con- trary emotions excited by the highest degree of virtue and vice ; and the little captain burned with the desire of taking vengeance for his country, on its betrayer. Rushing towards him, he drew his sword to plunge it into Smith's breast, exclaiming : ' Perfidious traitor, since the hand of justice cannot inflict the death you merit, take it from mine !' The commodore, fortunately for Smith, was near enough to prevent the captain's design, to the great regret of the latter, who vowed that be should have been better pleased with such an action than if ho had taken the six galleys. Smith represented to the commodore that it was highly improper the pri- soner should remain in the same galley with him, and begged he might be removed to another. This the commodore refused,' alledging, that as he was his pri- soner, he must remain where he was, but that captain Smith had his choice of any of the other five galleys. We took possession of our prize^ which was called the Nightingale.** ■ ; ; s (92 THB BRITISH TRIDENT; We liave been more particularly indaced to give the above detailed account of this brilliant action, because no notice is taken of it by any of our naval historians. It is however, corroborated* by collateral circum- stances, for we lind them all agree in their statement of the re-capture of the Nightingale, at the end of the same year. It appears that Smith, v^as appointed, by the French, commodore to the command of the prize, which was titled out as a privateer, and at the ^nd of the same year, sailed on a crui^ in company with the Squirrel, which had likewise been taken by the enemy. On the 30lb of December, Captain Haddock, in the Ludlow Castle, fell in with these two frigates, each of which carried as many men as his ship. He immediately bore down to the attack,and the enemy lay to till he was within gun-shot, when they made sail from him before the wind. At eleven at night he came up with tb^ Nightingale and took her, and the captain of the Squirrel seized the opportunity to make his escape, while Captain Haddock was engaged in se* curing the prize. In the Nightingale were taken Smith, and several English traitors, whc suffered that fate which ^heir crimes deserved. It is worthy of remark that, in confirmation of the preceding account, a note in a list of the navy says. Smith was hanged for an attempt to burn Harwich. The French having fitted out an expedition at Dun* kirk for the pr.rpose of a descent in Scotland in favor of the Stuart family, took advantage of Sir John Leakeys absence with the main fleet and put io sea. Sir George Byng, who bad been blown from his station off that coast, immediately proceeded in pursuit of this arma* OR, RK^GISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS* 19S ment, which hechased'as far as the Frith of Edinburgh; but the Count de Forbin, who commanded it, man(Bu« vred 80 dexterously, as to effect his escape with the loss of one ship, the Salisbury, an English prize then in the French service, with several persons of quality on board, who had followed the fortunes of the exiled king. ACTION IN THE WEST-INDIES. Commodore Wager, who had been sent, in April, 1707, as commander in chief to the West Indies, re- ceived advice in the spring of the following year, that the Spanish gaHeons, laden with treasure were about to sail from Carihagena, to Porto-bello, on their way to the Havinnah. He was then lying hi the harbor of Fort Royal, but immediately put to sea, with the Expe- dition, Kingston, and Portland of 60 guns, accompa- nied by the Vulture fire-ship. Wilh these vessels he cruised till the 28tb of May, at noon, when the galleons, in all 17 sail, were discovered from his top-mast-head. The eneniy apparently confiding in their superiority of number, kept on their course without shewing any soli- citude to escape. The commodore chased them till evening, when finding they could not weather the island of Baru, which lay between them and Carthagena, they resolved to dispute the matter; stretching, therefore,' to the northward with an easy sail, they drew out, as well as they could, into a line of battle. The three most valuable ships were distinguished by carrying flags. The largest, mounting 64 brass guns, and having on board nearly 700 men, carried a white (lendantA 3>^d was placed in the centre ; the van was led by a ship mounting 44 guns, with the same kind of pendant at her mizen-top-roast head ; and the vice-admiral carrying 64 brass guns, with a pendant at her fore-top-mast head, VOL. I. s 194' tHE Bf-AfSH trident; brought up Ihe rear. These three ships were at Ihc distance of about half a> mile from each other, the inter* vals being occupied by the other vessels of the fleet. Two of these were French ships of 30 and 24 guns, both of which ran ftway at the commencement of the action; two Spanish sloops and a>brigantine likewise stood in for the Iand« and made their escape; so that the force against which the commodore and his two seconds had to contend, still consisted of twelve ships. The coroniodofe instantly made his dispositior., and resolving btmself.to attack the adrtiirah he gave orders to Captain Bridges, of the Kingston, to engage the vice- admiral, and sent his boat to the Portland,, commanded by Captain Windsor, with directions to attack the. rear- admiral. The sun was just setting, when commodore Wager cane up with the Spanish admiral, and commeMied the engagement, which continued an hour^nda half, when the latter blew up. This accident not only disappointed the English commander of his prize, but the^ flaming fragments of the wreck, which descended upon the Ex* pedition, threatened to involve her in similar destruction. She, however, fortunately escaped without damage. The Spaniards now began to separate* upon which the c:ommodore made the signal for his ships to close. He endeavored to. keep sight of the enemy, but could only discover one of their vessels, which proved to be the rear-admiral. He pursued and at ten at night brought her to action. Though it was so extremely dark that he could not discern which way her head lay, he poured his whole broad-si' i*- into the Spaniard's stern, by which she was so much damaged, as to be prevented from making sail. He tbea got to windward of the enemy, 5 on, RBtilSTBA OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 195 and the Kingston and Portland coming up, assisted to take the rear-admiral, which struck about two in the morning. Before sun-rise he discovered one large ship on his •weather-bow and three sail upon the weather-quarter, at the distance of three or four leagues. His own ship having received considerable damage was unable to pursue, them and being besides encumbered with his prisoners, and his prize, he made a signal for the Kings- ton aod Portland to chace. The commodore was, meanwhile, employed in refit- ting the Else pedition and her prize. On the 3 1st he was joined by the Portland and Kingston, the captains of which informed him that the ship they had chased was the vice-admiral, which they had pursued so far among the shoals of Salmadines, off Carlhagena, that they were obliged to tack and leave her, although they had been so near as to fire their broadsides into her. Their lailure in this attempt excited suspicions in the commo- dore relative to the conduct of his captains. Hearing, however, that one of the galleons, a vessel of iO guns, had taken shelter in the island of Baru, he directed them to go and either take or destroy her. She was just coming out when the Kingston and Portland appeared, upon which the crew ran her ashore, and burned her. ' The whole loss sustained by the English in this action, was two men killed and nine wounded on board the Expedition. On the 2nd ot June, Commodore Wager finding his water and provision^ run short, set his prisoners oa shore in the island of ^aru, and proceeded to Jamaica. On the 8th he brought his prize in safety into the harbor of Port lUtyal, where he found the Act of Parliameol s 2 196 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; relative to the distribution of prize-money ; for, before this period, there was no regular system for regulating the division of propei ty taken from the enemy. On this occasion the commpdore exhibited an uncommon instance of rfisix wounded. Among the latter was Captain Ryddell himself, and his second lieo* tenant was shot through the body. The Falmouth had on board 20,0001. of New England money at the time of the engagement.' Government having received intelligence that the French comn^^nder, Du^^uay Trouin was at sea, with a strong squadron, for the purpose of intercepting the homeward-bound West India fleet. Lord Dursley was, bn the 8ih of October, dispatched to cruize in the Soundings., for its protection. During this cruise a sail was discovered, which his lordship ordered Captain Hughes, in the Winchester, to chace. She proved to be a lar^re Dutch privateer, whose commander, on being required, not only refused to pay the respect due to the English flag, but discharged a broadside into Ihe Winchester. An obstinate conflict ensued^ in which the 900 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; Dutch commander, and between thiriy and forty of his men were killed. After cruising about three weeks. Lord Dursley fell in witli corde. Sir John Norris having, this year, been appointed to the chief command in the Mediterranean, assisted in taking the towns of Cette and Agde, on the coast of Languedoc. Standing into Hieres Fay, he discovered a French man of war of 56 guns, lying under the pro- lection of three forts. The admiral immediately de- tached some frigates to destroy or bring her off. This service they performed with such spirit, that both the forts and the ship were soon abandoned and destroyed, with the loss of 35 men killed and wounded by the ex. plosion of a train of powder, which the French had laid in the ship before they left her. On the 3d of May, Captain Cleveland cruizing in (he Suffolk, off* Messina, fell in with and took the French ship, Le Gaillard, pierced for 56, but mounting only 9S guns. Net Icng afterwards the Moor was taken by the Breda and Warspight. She carried 60 guns and being a very fine ship, was added to the royal navy. On the 29th of December, the Pembroke of 60 guns» commanded by Captain ilnnrsey, and the Falcon of I OR, REGISTER Of KAVAL ACTIONS. flOJ^ 32, CapUin Constable, being detached on a cruize by Sir John Norris, fell in with three French ships gf war. They at first conceived them to be English vessels^ but, ^xxi a nearer approach, discovering their error, they- itood from them with all the sail thej could make. There was unfortunately very little wind, and the enemy pined upon them. The Thoulouse of 70 guns first* aide up with the Pembroke, and in less than half an boar was joined by the other tw«, carrying the one 60 and the other 50 guns. The Pembroke made a most obstinate defence against this very superior force. She I was at length compelled to strike, but not till she had I loit her commander the gallant Captain Rumsey, and 140 of her: crew were killed and wounded. The I two smaller ships then pursued the Fakcn; but Cap«^ [tain Constable undauntedly fought both his enemies for Mxne time, and did not surrender till he was himself dan- gerously wounded, and had no more than 1 6 men able I to stand to their quarters. In the summer of this year a small squadron was sent, nnder the command of Captain George Martin, to attack I the French settlement in Nova Scotia. A regiment of marines sailed in this expedition, from England, under^ tbe command of Colonel Francis Nicholson. The com* ' nodore first proceeded to Boston, where he was joined by thirty-one transports, carrying about 2000 land-forces, with whirh, on the 24th of September, he came to an^ anchor in the harbor of Port Royal, the capital of Nova' Scotia. The troops were landed the next day, and the French, after little resistance, capitulated on the 2d of October. The English took possession of the town> to which Captain Martin gave the name of Annapolis, in honor of her Majesty. 00* THE BRITISH TRIDENT; The commerce of France, (his year, sustained very great injuries on the American coast, where upwards of fifty merchant-ships were tai^en by British cruizers. In Newfoundland^ where, notwithstanding their recent losses they had again established themselves, the enemy were equally unfortunate. The Rochester, Captain Aldred^ in conjunction with the Severn and Portland, commanded by Captains Pudner and Purvis, visited the harbors of that island, and destroyed all the French set- slementson shore. Seven ships, mounting from 12 to 30 guns, were taken or burned, an4 only two smaller vessels escaped. The act for registering seamen, passed during King William's reign, was repealed. Though many plans have since been proposed to supersede the obnoxious method of pressing- for the naval service, unfortunately none has hitherto been adopted. — By an act passed this year, any seaman in the merchant-service, who had been disabled m defending or taking any ship, was declared qualified to be admitted into Greenwich hos- pital. On the 27th of June, 1711, the Advice of 46 guns, commanded by Lord Duffus, fell in with eight privateers of the enemy, off Yarmouth. One of the best sailers came up close to him, but not chusing to engage singly, shortened sail and waited for the arrival of the others About ten in the morning five of them came along-side of the Advice,' and hoisted French colors. At eleven they commenced the attack, most oHhem lying on the quarters of the Advice, relieving each other, while the rest kept astern, so that they maintained a continual fire. In half an hour her sails were torn to pieces, and 5he had not a brace or bowling left. Her masts were much "^ jiR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. soj; ing King iny plans )bnoxious )rtunalely lassed this who bad ship, was iwich hos- wounded and most of the shrouds cut ; but yet Lord Duffus, with undaunted intrepidity, continued the en* gagement, keeping his ship under way. At length, after a most vigorous defence, his lordship, overpow^ ered by numbers, having himself received five balls in his body, and two-thirds of his men being killed and wounded, was obliged to surrender. He was carried in great triumph into Dunkirk, where the captors inhu- manly stripped both the officers and men of their wear- ing apparel, and but for the humanity of the inhabitants* they would have been left nearly naked. Unfortunately his country was, not long afterwards, deprived of the services of this gallant nobleman. He was one of those who, in the year 1715, espoused the cause of the Pretender, for which he was attainted by parliament, and committed to the Tower. He was, however, included in the act of grace, passed the fol- lowing year; but, having forfei ted his title and estate, together with all hopes oi prelerment in the naval ser- vice, he retired to Russia, where he was immediately honored with the rank of a flag officer, and in which country he is supposed to have died. The French government convinced by repeated mis- fortune and defeat, of the folly of equipping large fleets, which had never been able cope with those of England, had long since changed their cystem of. naval warfare. They had for some years cont^>nted themselves with sending out otcasionally small squadrons and single ships, in order tokeepup the spirits of the people, by the depredations these cruizers enabled them to commit on the British commerce.. To this policy they ad- hered during the remainder of the war, in which no vot. J, T. 206 THl BRITISH TRFDRNT; naVal action of a decisive or important nature oc- curred, . Sir John Norri.^, who commanded in the Mediterra- nean, having detached the Lion of 60 guns, Captain Galfridus Walpole; the Severn of 5o/ Captain Pud- i^r; and the Lyme frigate, to cruize off the hay of Vado, in the i df of Genoa ; this little squadron disco- vered four French ships, mounting 60 guns each, to which they immediately gave chace. A spirited action commenced, in which the Severn and Lyme sustained so much injury, that they were obliged to put bad.. Captain Walpole, however, continued the chace, and bravely engaged the whole force of the enemy, till his ship^was so much disabled that he was under the neces- sity of desisting from the pursuit. In this encounter (he gallant commander bad th6 misfortune to lose his right arm, and forty of his people were killed and wounded. The Exeter of 60 guns, commanded by Captain Ray- mond, coming up, joined in the chace, and for up- wards of two hours engaged one Of the French ships, which proved to be the Pembroke, taken the preceding year from the English. This vessel is said to have struck to Captain Raymond, but the Exeter was so crippled that he could not take possession of his prize, and was obliged to let her- go. The gazette, however, asserts, that the Pembroke made a running fight, and at last reached (he harbor of Spezza. In the month of May commodore Lyttleton, who the preceding year had been sent as commander in chief to the West Indies, received information that M. Du Qassi had arrived at Carlhagena with, the St. Michael of 74' gunsi the Hercules of 60) the Griffin of 50, and lw6 fri* eS, RBGISTER OP VAV AL ACTIONS. SWi ^aies, to escort the galleons to the Havannah, on their way to Europe. The commodore immediately put to sea wiili five tvv(i»decked ships, and a sloop of war ; on^he 'i6lh of July he arrived off the coast of New Spain* and chased five large! ships into the harbor of Carthagena.. He stood off in the night, and the following morning dis- covered four sail, to which he gave chace. About six at night the two headmost ships of the squadron, the Salisbury and Salisbury's prize, came up with the vice* admiral of the galleons, and began to engage her. They were soon joined by the commodore, upon which the galleon struck. The vice-admiral himself had received a wound, of which he died very soon afterwards. Ano- (her of the ships in compaay, a merchantman, mounting 26 guns, and laden principally with cocoa and wool was taken by the Jersey^ The other two escaped. The galleon proved much less valuable than was ex- pected; Da Casse, from whom she parted company' only two days befote, having removed all the public treasure out of her into his own ship. Notwithstand- ing this c?isappoin(ment, ihe two prizes, though r one of 36, two small frigates, and two borrib-kelches. Thirty-three transports carried out seven complete regi- inents, besides a number of recruits, amounting in the whole to dSGO men, under the command ot Brigadier- general Hill. This formidable squadron left St. Helens on the '29th of April, and first sailed to Boston, to pro- cure a farther supply of stores and provisions. Tliert so much time wa« lo»t, in consequence of unforeseen obstacles, that Sir Hovenden was prevented from pro- ceeding 'o the River St. Lawrence till the 30ih of Jul)'. On the T8lh of the succeeding month the fleet ancliorcd in Gaspee Bay. On the 21'th being^overlaken bv a violent gale from the east, with a thick fog and a strong current, which set the ships on the north shore among rocks and islands, th« whole fleet narrowly escaped destruction. Eight of the transports were cast away,- and near 900 men perished. The following day (h« admiral called a council of sea-ofiicers, in wlrich it was resolved, that in consequence of the ignorance of the pilots, together with the rapidity arid uncertainty of the curr-ents, it was utterly impracticable to go up the river St. Lawrence with the men of war and transports, as far as Quebec The admiral then repaired to Spanish river, where, in a general council, composed of sea and land officers, it was determined, that an attack on Placentia at that advanced season would not be advise- able. The object of the expedition was relinquished, and Sir Hovenden, findir\g his provisions begin to run short, made the best of his way to England. He arri^ aRrBIGISTER OF V AV A^ ACtlONS. 209 ved at Spitfiead ori (he ]2(h of October, and imme? dialely set off for London. Most of the officers were* likewise, on shore, when on the 15th the Edgar of 70 guns, on board of which Sir Hovenden's iiag was ilying, blew up at Spithead, and every soul perished. The buoy > of the Edgar, at Spithead, is placed there to denote the spot on which this fatal accident happened. Nothing of any moment occurred during (he remain* derof (he war. On (he 191h of August, 1712, a sus* pension of liostilities was agreed to, and on the 31st of March, following, a treaty of peace was signed at Utrecht, between Great Britain and France. , The following is a comparative statement of the loss sustained by the navies of the two powers, during this protracted contest: — France. .52 ships of upwards of 20 guns— carrying 3094 guns. England.38 1596 guns. Balance in > , ^ , . favor of > 14 ships, England ) 1498 guns. In the year 1714, an Act of Parliament was passed providing a public reward for any person who should discover the longitude at sea. Tlie bill was brought into the house at the joint petition of Messrs. Whiston and Ditton, founded on the opinion of Sir Isaac New- ton and Dr. Halley. By (his act the Board of Admiralty and some of the great officers of government are ap- pointed commissioners for the investigation of all pro- posals, experiments, and improvements relative to the longitude. If the longitude be determined to one de- gree, or sixty geographical miles, the discoverer is to be rewarded with ten thousand pounds; if to two* t3 ' 810 TnS BRITISH TRIDENT. thirds of a degree, with fifteen thousand, and if to half a degree, with twenty thousand. " On the 1st of Aagust Queen Anne, after a glorious reign of 1 3 years, expired at Kensington, in the 50th year of her age. At her death the royal navy consisted of ] 82 ships of the h'ne and frigates, and about 6fty fire-ships, yachts, &c. Its tonnage was 167,596, and it carried 9,954 gurn^ and about 50,000 men. 211 I NAVJL TRANSACTIONS, From the accession of George I. in 1714, to the conclusion of the War with Spain, in the Year 1730. Hostile noTements of Sweden— Engagement off Cape Passaro— Expedition against Vigo— -Misunderstanding with Rassia — Ac- ' tion with some pirates— Three Fleets dispatched to the Baltic* ' the Coast of Spain, and the West Indies— Dreadful Mortality . ' hi the latter— Gibraltar besieged by the Spaniards, and relieTe4 . bj^ Sir Charles Wager — Death of King George I. — Deplorable State of, the Fleet in the West Indies— Peace concluded with Spainr--Statement of the Royal Navy on the accession of George II. 1 !I£ Swedes haying commiUed several acts of hosti- lity, by seizing and confiscating English merchant-ships in the Baltic, a powerful fie^t was sent thither in 17I5« but without effecting any thing, as the Swedish fleet kept close in their harbors. The English admiraU Sir John Norris, returned in December, leaving a small squadron to co-operate, if necessary, with the navies of Russia and Denmark^ against their common enemy. Intelligence h^&vlng been received that Charles XII of Sweden was meditating an invasion of the British domi« nions, a strong fleet was again equipped and sent to the same quarter, under Sir G eorge B^ng, in 1717, the ap- pearance of which effect tally prevented the Swedes •"om venturing to sea. $ 4(J THB BRITliir TR dent; ENGAGEMENT OFF CAPE PASSAUO. The following year the King of Spain having sent 9 powerful fleet and army to invade Sicily, the British go« vertiment, which had guaranteed the neutrality of the Italian states in the war between the Emperor of Ger- many and the Spaniard:;, determined to send a force to those parts to counteract the designs of the latter. Ac- cordingly on the 15lh of June, Sir George Byng, who had been appointed commander in chief in the Mediter- ranean, sailed Cxom Spitbead with a fleet consisting of twenty sail o^ (be line, two 6re-&hips, two bomb- vessels, a hospital ship, smd a store>ship. He was joined o^ Gi- braltar by Vice-admirsit Corrfwa([ with two men of war, and with this force he anchored; on the I'sl 6£ August, in the bay of Naples. Here the inhabitants of all ranks, who had apprehended a visit from the Spaniard^, bailed him as, their deliverer, and treated him with, the most distinguished marks of respect. Being informed hy the imperial Viceroy,' Count Daun, of the successes .of the Spaniards, in Sicily, and having^ concerted with that nobfeman the measures necessary to be taken, he sailed from Naples on the 6th, ^nd on the 9th arrived off Messina. The Spanish fleet ftaving left rtwrt place the preceding day, he pursued thehl tbrobgh the Streights with all possib'te e^edilioit. On the 10th, at noon, he discovered the whole fleet lying'to in order of battle, and fjonsistiiig of twenty-Seven sail, be- sides two 'fire-ships, fdur bomb-vessels, seven gallies, and several store-ships. It was commanded by Don Antonio de Castaneta, who had under him four rear- admirals. On the appearance of the English fleet, they St jod away in line of battle. The admiral pursued them OR, REGISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. ti$ Ihe rest of the day and the succeedmg night. £^rly on the morning of the I Ith the British fleet had nearly over- taken that of the enemy, when the rear-admiral, the Marquis de Mari, with six men of war, and all the gal- lics, Hre-ships, bomb-vessels and store-ships, separated from the main fleet and stood in for the coast of Sicily. Sir George Byng immeai lely detached Captain Walton, in the Canterbury of 60 guns, with five other ships, in pursuit of them, while he himself continued to chace the main body of the enemy. The Argyle and Canterbury, the head-most 'ships of Captain Walton's detachment, coming up within gun- shot of one of the Spanish men of war, fired a shot across her, as is customary, to bring her to; but as she took no notice of it, the Argyle fired another; and th« Canterbury, which had now approached very near, firing a third, the Spanish ship returned it with her stern chace, on which the engagement immediately com- menced. . In the mean time the Orford, Captain Falkinghamf and the Grafton, Captain Haddock, having come up with the main body of the Spanish fleet, about ten the enemy flred their stern chace guns at those vessels. The admiral still desirous, if possible, of avoiding hostilities, sent orders to the captains of those two ships, not to fire unless the enemy repeated their provocation. As they continued firing, the Orford attacked the Santa Rosa of 64> guns, and took her. The St. Carlos of 60 guns, next struck, without much opposition, to the Kent, Captain Matthews. The Grafton attacked the Prince of Asturias of 70 guns, carrying the flag of Kear-admi- lai Chacon; but the Breda, Captain Harris, and the !! 914 THE BRITISH TRIUBNT} Cap(aih» Captain Hamilton, coming up, Haddock Icfl that ship in a very shattered state for them to take, while he himself stretched ahead aCtcr another ai 60 guns which had kepi firing on his starboard-bow, during his engagement with the Prince of Asturiasi, About one P. M. the Kent, Captain Matlhew% and the Superbe, Captain Master, came up wiili and engaged the Spanish admiral, Castantta, in tlie Royal Philip, of 74 guns, which, with two other siiip^, maintained a running fight Tor two hours, when the Kent bearing down under the. admiral's stern, discharged her broftdiiide and fl41 to the leeward. The Superbe thei) endeavoring to lay him aboard, fell on his weather* quarter^ upon which he shifted his helm, and the Su* perbe ranging up under the admiral's lee-quarter, hQ struck to her. About the same time Sir George 3yng, in the Barfieur, being Astern of the SpanLth ad* miral, and within gun-shot. Rear-admiral Guevara and another 60-gun ship whicK were to windward, bore down upon^him, and after discharging their broadsides clapped upon a wmd and stood in for the land. The British commander immediately tacked and stood after ihem till it was almost night; bat as there was liitle "wind and they hauled away out of his reach, he desisted from the pursuit, and returned to the fleet, vi^hich he ^ned two hours after dark. The Juno of 36 guns was lakefi by the Essex, the Volante of 44, by the Ruperfe and Montague, and the Isabella of 60 guns struck to Rear-admiral Delaval in the Dorsetshire. In this glorious action, which was fought ofT Cape Passaro, about six leagues from the shore, the English lustained very little loss. The vessel which received 0R| REGISTER OF NAVAL A.CTIONS. 215 the most damage was the Grafloii, which being a good sailer her captain cnji^nged several of the eoemy's ships, glways pursuing the headmost and leaving them, when damaged or disabled, to be taken by the ships that fol- lowed hi ra. Captain Haddock was in pursuit of four of (he ships, which escaped, and would in all probability have been the means of taking them, but for want of wind and the shattered state of his sails and rig- ging- Admiral Byn^ lay-to several days at sea to refit (he rigging of his ships, and to repair the damages hrs prizes had sustained. On the 18(h he received the following laconic letter from Captain Walton, who as we have seen, had been detached in pursuit of Rear-admiral Mari :— "Sir, " We have taken and destroyed all the Spanish ships and vessels which were upon tlie coast, the number as per margin. "lam, &c. " G. Walton." Canterbury, off Syracuse, August 16, 171 W. From the marginal list to which Captain Waltoti refers, it appears that he took four Spanish ships of war, one of (hem mounting 60 guns, commanded by Rear-admiral Mari, one of 54, one of 40, one of 24» guns, a bomb-vessel, and a ship laden with arms ; and burned ohe ship of 54 guns, two of 40, one of 30» I fire-ship and a bomb-vessel. ^16 THE BRitisH trident; The following is a list of the Spanish ships, taken and destroyed on this memorable occasion : — TAKEN. Guns. Men. .^oyal Philip 7 4. --...650 Princeof Asiuria8.-..70 550 * Royal 60 400 ^ St. Charles.... 60 400 St. Isabella 60 400 Santa Rosa 60 ..400 * Canta Isidore. ......46 300 Volante 44. ..... 300 * Surprize. 44 250 Juno... tie 250 Tiger 2G 240 * Eagle 24 240 ■" A bomb-vessel 10 - 80 * A ship laden with arms. * Three ships laden with pro- vi«ion$« ■ 614 4460 BURNED. * Pearl 50 300 * Hermionc ..--44. -----300 * Ssperaiice 46. - - . - - 300 * Two ships, two bomb-vessels, and one settee. The ships distinguished by a ^ were taken and froyed by Captain Walton. After this victory the British admir?! sent his prizes (o Minorca^' and immediately dispatched bis son to £ng- OR, RIGlt^YiiK 6f WAt'Al AetlONS. 51? 1 find with Hn accoui^t of lire tn^^a^^tifnetJt. He ^^ most gracfoifsfy received by h« Majesty, ^vho, before he received the official commankratron df the riclory> - had, opoft the repcrt of it, already writtert a letter to the admiral with his own hand. He sent back Mr. Byng with plenipotetitlary powers to his father, to ne- gociate as he should think proper with the drfTerent Ita- lian states, and with a grant to the officers and seA- men of att the prizes thfty hid taken from the Spaniards. Sir George received, also, a ftattei*hig letter from the Emperor of Germany, expressive of his grdtilude for the iignal services he had performed The Spanish naval force bdng no longer in a condi- tion to face that of Admiral Byng, the only service left for him to execute was to keep the shattered remmint of their fleet blocked up in the harburs to which it had fled for refage, alid to render all the assistance in his power^ to the operilions of the imperial dfftty ort shore. Both these objects he successfoliy a^omplished ; for in the course of the following )ear he de'stfoyed two Spanish men of war in the harbor of Messina; and it Was in a great measure Owing to his indefatigable activity and judicious proceedings, that the Spaniards wetfe at length compelled tt) evttcoate the whole island of Sicily. Apprehensions being entertained Ihjit the Spanish government was meditating an ihvhsitm of England in fevor of tlie Pretender, a sqi^adfon was equif^peil for the purpose of making a divetsiott on their own coast, and thus counlenicting their designs. It consisted of five sail of men of war, wn^ coitmianded by Vice-admi- ral Mighells, atid had under cotivoy a great number of transports, on board of which were 4000 troops, with artillery and other necessaries. In thei niNintb of Otjto* voit. I, w 218 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; ber, 1716, this armament arrived on the coast of Gal- licea, and entering the harbor of Vigo, the troops, ^ commanded by Lord Cohhara, were landed, and after a short resistance obh'ged the town to capitulate. In the town and citadel the English found a great quan- tity of arms, ammunition, and artillery ; and in the har- bor they took seven ships, three of which were fitting out as piivateers. The ordnance and stores had been landed at this place out of the ships destined for the ex- pedition to Great Britain, to which the garrison of Vigo had likewise been attached. Two days alter the surren- der of the town. Lord Cobharo detached 1000 men under the command of Major-general Wade, to Pont>a Vedea, a small place at the upper end of the bay of Vigo. The magistrates met ttiem with the keys of the town, in which likewise they found a great quantity of ordnance-stores. The Biddeford man of war and two transports were sent to bring them away ; upon which the troops were re-embarked, and sailed for Eng- land, where they arrived on the 22d of November, with the loss of 300 men. A peace having been coticluded with Sweden, a squadron was this year dispatched to overawe the Em- peror of Russia, who still continued at war with that power, as well as with a view to prevent him from ob- taining too great a preponderance in the Baltic. Sir John Norris, who commanded it, having ejected a junction with the Swedish fleet, the Czar Peter thought it prudent to retire to the harbor of ReveU The Eng- lish commander returned home towards the conclusion of the year ; but the following spring was dispatched on the same service with a strong fleet of twenty sail of the !ine, by which the Russians were so intimidated, that OR, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. €19 they remained quiet in their ports, wilhout allempling any thing against Iheir'enemies the Swedes. A cessation of arms having taken place with Spain, and tranquillity being perfectly restored in the Mediter- ranean, Sir George Byng ordered his whole fltet to return to Englarul, excepting four ships which were left for the protection of trade. The admiral^ himself, returned by land, first waiting on his Majesty at Hano- ver, by whom he was most graciously received. He was soon afterwards appointed treasurer of the navy and rear-admiral of Great Britain. The king likewise elevated him to the dignity of the peerage, by the title of Viscount Torrington, and invested him with the order of the Bath. Russia s^til! continued hostile to the Swedes, and early in I72l, Peter sent a fleet to sea, which committed great depredations on their coasts. A squadron was agaiit sent into the Baltic, under the command of Sir John Norris and Rear-admiral Hopson, to prevail on the Czar to listen to terms of accommodation. It consisted of thirteen sail of the line, besides frigates and bomb- ketches. The appearance of such a formidable force induced the emperor to come to terms, and a peace was concluded, upon which the English squadron re- turned home. Notwithstanding the proclamation for the apprehen- sion of pirates, and the vigilance which had been used for their suppression on the coast of Africa and in the West Indies, those parts still continued to be harassed with their depredations. The most notorious of these pi- rates was one Roberts, an able seaman and possessing vndaunted courage. He had under his command three u 2 I QQO TH,E PRttlSH TllID£KT|t AtQot ships J his own carried 42 guns and 150 men; another :i2 gun8 and 130 men; and the third 94>guQ$ and 90 wen. In the month of April, 1722, Captain (afterwards Sif Chaloner) Ogle, was cruizing in thi^ Swallow, a fourth rale, ofFthc coast of Africa, when he irecelved intelligence that Roberts was in a bay close to Cape Lope^ ; upon which the captain disguised hi$ $hip in such a manner as to give her the appearance of a merchant vessel. His stratagem succeeded so com« pletely, tiiat the pirates conceived the ^wallow to be an unarmed sliip, or at most of incgtmc^rable force; on^ ef them immediately slipped her cabXe and gav« cbace. Captain Oj^le pretended to fly, sind decoyed the pirate to such a distance, that the report of his guns could not, be heard by his associat^es ; upon which be ticked and quickly brought him to aption. Skyrm. the commander of this vessel, a man of great resolution, was wounded by the first broadside, but his people^ aware of the igno* minious f«u3 which awaited them if takenj fought with the utmost desperation, and it was not till after an action of an hour and a half ihey were compelled to surrender., Having taken possession of his prize* Captain Ogle re* turned to live bay with the piratical cobrs hoisted above those of the king. The pirates seeing the black flag ikp* permost, stood out to sea to congratulate theire>iDpanioci on his supposed victory. They were, however, soon on- deceived, for the Swallow throwing off the mask, com- ^aenced a furious alt^k ; and after an obstinate engt^e* mem of two hours, in which Roberts was killed, with 9 great number of his men, both ships struck. Capt. Ogle carried his prizes into Cape Coast Castle^ where the pi- rates were brought in trial. Out of sevenly-foui* who •R, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 22l received sentence of death, fifty-two were executed and hanged in chains along the coast, as a terror to future depredators. In 17 '26, the private intrigues carried on between the Courts of Peter&burgh and Madrid, rendered it ex- pedient to equip three powerful squadrons. The first destined for the Baltic was sent to overawe Russia, and the command of it was given to Sir Charles Wager; On the 17th of April the admiral sailed from the Nore with a flp-^t composed of twenty ships of the line, one frigate, and three small vessels. Its arrival in the Baltio produced the same effect as on all former occasions. The Russian fleet immediately retreated into their own ports, and thus secured themselves from any attack. Sir Charles cruized off Revel till the 28th of September, when, in consequence of the lateness of the season, he left thai station and returned to England. The second squadron was dispatched to the coast of Spain. It consisted of nine sail of men of war, under the command of Sir John Jennings, and had on board a body of land-forces, for the purpose of making a descent if it should be thought necessary. Off Cape St. Mary he was joined by Rear-admiral Hopson, with four sail of the line. Sir John continued to cruize off the Spanish coast, to the no small terror of the government and the inhabitants, till the middle of September, when he re- turned home. ' The third expedition was dispatched to the Spanish West Indies. It consisted of seven ships of the line, and was placed under the command of Vice-admiral Hosier, who was to be joined by several ships already in that quarter. The admiral sailed from Plymouth on the 9 th of April, and arrived off Porto*bello on the 6th V 3 ♦^'v. faa THE uRixisH tridbkt; 6f June. In complianoe with his iiiAlructio^.beconiinuej on that si^ion ior six mih»» lor Ihe purpose of block- ing up the galleons and seizing them if theysbouU ven<» tureotiU At length the diseases^ generakted by thissn- wholesome di«n9te« made soch dreadful ravages anaoog bis crews, that he had scarcely sufficient hands left to na- vigate his &hips to Jamaica. He arrived at thai i^tkod in ]>ecen(iber, and in two roonlks was agatti in a condio tlen to put to s6ei, and to return to his ferner station* Restrained by bis instrnctions from following the natural impulse of his gallantry, and condemned to ingloriout inactivity^ this unfortuiiiate commander again beheld hi« men swept c^ by pestileotiat diseases. His squadron which had at Brnt struck terror into the enemy, hy. de* grees became the object of their ridicule and contempt. Morti/ication for this disgrace, and grief for the vyanton destruction of so many brave men, preyed with such violence upon his spirits, tbat he expired at sea, of chagrin, as it is said, on the 2$d of Auguft, .1727. With re&pest to this expe Campbell very., justly «b8eryes» that " whether it was well or illreomrerted al honie, it was undoubtedly executed with great courage a»d conduct by this unfortunate commander, who lost bis seamen twice over, and wbose sbrps wera totally iuinod by the worms.*' The Spaniards, to resent the insults, which bad been offered Vhem, assembled an army of 20,000 men, under the command of Counts de las Torres, and toward&the P<)»e:clDftion of the year laid siege to ^Gibraltar. Sir Charles Wager, was tber^fore dispatched in January, 1?2I^» with: a 9quadrQn!af&ix sliipsof thalioe^ and two swaHivess^MJa the; reliel of that fortress. He, likewise, carf bid ^^ wilkhii»LS«t«P4«9noGini|»niMof foot ta leiii* 4^ • ' • R,L REQttYtK OF VATAL ACTIONS. ^9§ force the garrison. Oh tbe 2nd of February Sir Charles ifftved at Gibrahar, where he was joined b^icMirsliip^ oS the line, under Admiral Hopson, who had com* manded on that station during the winter. By means o£ this timely assistance the Spaniards were soon obliged to raise the siege. On tbe nth of Jane/ this year» hia majesty. King George I. died at Osnaburgb, in the 68(h year of btf sge, and on the I5th hifison, George II. was prodatmed liing ()( Great Britain. The Court of Madrid hanring acceded to the prejbnt* nary articles for a general peace. Sir Charles Waget returned fron the Mediterraaean in April, 1728, witit fite sliips leaving the renaaixfer at Gibraltar, under the command of Captain Stewart. Numerous com* plaints, l)owever, cootirraed to be made concerning Iho flepredatioescommittedby (he Spaniards, and Ukewiso tke French on our tracUt in the West Indies which in^ duced (he government to mairKain a formidable navdl establishment. . Admiral > Hopson having received orden, while at Gibraltar, to proceed to the West Indies, where ho had been appointed commander in chief in the room of Sir Francis Hosier, arrived on the 29th of January at Jamaica. He had scarcely been on that station three months^ when he was attacked, while cruizing off the Grand Baru,- by a malignant fever, which carried him oif on the 8th of May. The same dreadful mor« taU(y continued to prevail in the fleet, still doomed to inglorious inaction, which caused the loss of the brave seamen who perished to be more deeply regrets ted, than if they had fallen in (he accomplishment of some important enterprize. TkJ^Midlgtisiiion of this f24 THE BRITISH TRIDBMT. country wat loudly expressed against the administration, by whose pusillanimity two admirals, ten captains, and upwards of 4,000 inferior officers and seamen had fallen a sacrifice. The Spaniards still refusing to accommodate matters, it was again found necessary, in 1729, to equip a for- midable fleet, which lay in the channel ready to act on any emergency. This armament, of which Sir Charles Waf;er waii appointed commander in chief, consisted of twenty sail of the line and Ave frigates. It assembled at Spithead, where, in the month of June, it was joined by a Dutch squadron of nine sail of the line and a few frigates, under the command of Rear-admiral SomnieN dyke. . The court of Spain was alarmed by the equip- ment of such a powerful naval force, which hastened i(s concurrence in a treaty of general paciHcation. The combined fleets having produced the desired effect, se- parated in October, and the following year a treaty' of peace was concluded at Seville between Great Britain and Spain. ' At the accession of King George II. in 1727, the royal navy consisted of the following vessels: Ships of the line, including those of 50 guns. .123 Frigates, from 40 to 20 guns 25 • Ditto of 20 guns 28 Sloops IS Fire-ships, bomb-ketches, store-ships, and yachts 14 Total, exclusive of hulks and tenders 203 The tonnage was about 170,000 tons, and to men all the ships completely above 64,000 seamen were re< quired. £25 NAVAL TRANSACTIONS, [ Fcom the Year 1730 to the Peace of Aix la Chepellc in 1^-19. Vei^ations Canduct 9S.^ Spanish Cruisers — Wat witli Spain-* Expedition against the Spauijih West Indies — Porto-Bollo taken by Admiral Vempv— Taking of the Princessa— Expedition of Conunodure Anson-~Atlack of Carthagena— Subsequent Opera- tiuiis in the West Indies — Successes of the British Cruixers— > France fits out a Fleet for the 'ivasion of England — Taking of the Nortbumb«r)«iid---8ir Jofe. E; ^hen loit in the Tictory-* Engagement off Toulon-- C irts Vartial «a the Adnur*le end Officerir^Cftpture of the Eliiabtth— Taking of I^ouisburg— Pro- ceedings in the East Indies-^Anson'a Engagement off Capf Finisterre— Taking of th? Olorioso— Hawke's Engagement oiF Cape Finisterre— Engage ent off the Havannah— Mulin,? in the Chesterfield— Peace of Aix la Chapelie— Losses of the Bel* ligcrent Powers— State of the Britisli Navy. Notwithstanding the treaty which Spain bad concluded with Great Britain, the cruizen of that power stili persisted in aearching British merchant ves* iela, and treated their crews, in variovs instances, with grea^t inhumanity. These aggressions were committed chiefly id the West Indies, to which quarter the E^iglisb gavernmeni, in 1731, dUpalched four twenty-gun ships and two sloops to, cruize ibr the protectioo of com- merce. Thiti measure did not, however^ prevent the Spaniarda- from continviini; their molestations. In the year ITSSt Q^pimn DureiL in the Scarborough of twenty guns, having ondier his protection :a. fteet of ihirty-six naerchant vessals, loading wilh s^ltait th« desolate isiand of Tor« tuga, wa» attacked by Uv4> Spamsh ships of the lin«* The ^glish commandier qaade such 2^ gailaAt defence* rt 22G THE BRITISH TRIDENT; and mancsuvered with such skill and judgment, as lo escape with all Ihe vessels under his convoy, excepting four, which were taken early in the action. In the following year the appearance of affairs in Eu- rope seemed to render necessary an augmentation both of the sea and land forces. Sixty-one sail of the line and thirty-one frigates were put in commission ; parlia- ment voted 20,000 seamen for the current year, and his majesty issued a proclamation, recalling all British sea- men from the service of foreign powers. - In 1735 the parliament voted 30,000 men for the na» val service of that year. A dispute having arisen between the courts of Spain and Portugal, the latter solicited the aid and protection of Britain. A powerful fleet, consisting of twenty- seven men of war, was therefore equipped ; Sir John Norris was appointed to the command of it, and sailed on the 27th of May for Lisbon, where he arrived on the 9th of [une. He was received by the Portuguese as their deliverer; the king himself giving orders that the fleet should be abundantly supplied with fresh provisions, and every thing that could contribute to the comfort of the seamen. In the same proportion as this formidable force elevated the spirits of the Portuguese it repressed the presumption of the Spanish court, which soon agreed to terms of accommodation ; the whole navy of that power amounting, at this period, to no more than thirty, three sail. The impending storm being thus dispersed, the fleet returned home, and was dismantled. The depredations of the Spaniards still continued In spite of the mild and pacific remonstrances of the British ministry. Among other instances of barbarity, a cir- cumstance is said lo have occurred, which tended in no small degree to inflame the minds of the people against IR, REGISTBK OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 227 the Spanish nation, (hough by some it has since been regarded as a political manoeuvre. The: Rebecca brig, of Glasgow, was boarded by a Spanish guarda-costa, and the crew reported tiiat the Spaniards not only treat- ed them with great inhumanity, but even proceeded so far as to cut off one of Jenkins', the master's, cars, which the captain of liie guardacosta gave to Jenkins, tclli/g him to carry that present home to the king his master, whom he would serve in the same manner if he had him in his power. The truth uf this story, as we have observed, has been doubted; it is, however, a fact, that Jenkins, in 1738, made deposition of the circum* stance at the bar of the House ol Commons, where he was examined, with some other masters of West India- men; and being asked by a member what he thought when he found himself in the hands of such barbarians, he replied, with great coolness : — " I recommended my soul to God, and my cairse to my country." Sach was the sensation created throughout the king- dom by this affair, and to such a degree was the public indignation excited, that a strong squadron was fitted out and dispatched to the Mediterranean, ur^der the com- mand of Rear-admiral Haddock, with orders to demand satisfaction of the Spanish court for these repeated in- sults and aggressions. This squadron consisted, at first, of nine ships of the line, but being joined by different rdnforcements, the admiral found himself at the head of a powerful fleet of twenty-one ships. The Spaniards, intimidated, as usual, by the appearance of an arma- ment, which they were informed was intended to win- ter at Port Mahon, professed the warmest desire of bringing the matter to an amicable conclusion. A ne- f2l TBt HRfTISH TRIDENT ; |;ociation was accordingly set on foot, by which \]\c Spanish government hoped to gain time, but as they %%ere still anwiflifig to accede to the terms proposed, a rupture was inevitable. On the 21st of July, 1739, Tetters of marque and re- prisal were issued by the admiralty against Spain, and on the 23d of October war v^s formally declared against (hat nation. TAKING OF PORTO-BELLO. * * An expedition having been planned against ll>e Spa- Dish '.ctlleraehts in the West Indies, Vice-admiral Ver- non was appointed to condact. it. Nine fail of the line fkete accordingly equipped with all possible expedi- tion, |ftd on the 24th of July thrs squadron sailed from Spithead, but was driven back, by contrary winds to Plymouth. Here the admiral was informed that a Spa- nish force was cruizing off Cape Fimstefre, for the no- ' liection of a rich fleet which wa:s daily expected to arrive from Amcrita. On the 3d of August he left Plymouth, ftnd Oft the 9th arrived off the coast of Portugal, where ivceived intelligence tlrat the Spannsh squadroii had Iretufned to Cadiz. He, therefore, left tliree sail of ihe line to cruize fbr the galleomt, and with the remainder ' he proceeded Jo Jamaica, where he wsa joined by the Hampton Court. Here he took on boar4 t*»'o hundred troops, and on the 5th of November set sail for Porto* Belld with the following ships :^The Burford, the ad- miral's ship, of 7X) guns. Captain Watson; the Hampton Court, of the same force. Commodore Brown, and Cap- ' tain ©ent ; the WorcesttsTi the Louisa, and Stafford, each of 60 guns, commanded by captains Mayne, Water* • R, RKGISTER OV NAVAL ACTIONS. 22f If boasci and Trevor ; and the Norwich, of 50 gurw, Cap- tain Herbert. With ihis force (he admiral arrived on the 20lh be- fore Purlo-Bello, and being appreheniiive of driving too i'.ir to the eastward, if lie simuld continue under sail (luring the night, lie came to an anchor about six leagues from the shore. iLarly in the morning of (he 21st Im got under weigh, and tlic squadron stotnl into the bay, ii) order of battle. Al)oiil two in (he afternoon, Cora- luodore Brown, wlio led in the Hampton Court, got clo-^ to a fortress which defended the entrance of the harbor, and from its strcngtli was called the Iron Castic. He iinroediately commenced a furious attack, in whidi be was ably supported by the Burfbrd, Norwich, and Worcester. Ttiese, ships opened a tremendous 6re upoit the castle, which did great execution, and the men placed in their tops galled the Spaniards fio leverely V^ith (heir fire-arms, tliat they were soon comptlied to aban- don their station. Theadmiral observing the works deserted, made the signal for the boats of the dili't^rent ships to land the ma- rines and » body of seamen; At the same time he ap- proached nearer the castle to cover the laindingof (he troops, and by the fire of his small arms drove the enemy from the lower batteries, on which they chiefly depend* ^ From the lower the Spaniards retreated to the f^p* pei> parts of the fortifications, in the utmost consterna- tion, though no breach had yet been made.' The sailors having effected a landing, immediately mounted on #ach other's shoulders and thus scaled the walls of the lower battery ; and drawing up the soldiers afler 'hem, hoisted the English colors. The garrison, which t the begin- iing of the attacki t onsisted of $00 meii* were stili in vei. I, X £50 IHE BRITISH trident; possession of the upper battery ; but the governoj", pa- . nic-struck with the irresistible ardor and impetuosity of the a«M5ailants, soon hoisted the white flag, and surren- dered at discretion. The admiral then proceeded to the attack of the Glo- ria castle, which lay at the bottom of the bay, and more immediately covered the town. In this attack, the ad- miral's ship, the Burford, was most exposed, as those which had worked in ahead of him had fallen to the lee- ward. The fort kept up a heavy fire for some time; but it was returned by the admiral witli such fury that it was silenced the same night. One of the Burford's shot having passed through the governor's house, he vs ' so intimidated by that circumstance, together wit!) in preceding success of the English, that the following morning he sent a flag of truce to the admiral, with articles of capitulation* which were signed the same day; and the town, together with the castles of St. Hieronymo and Gloria, v\«as delivered up to the British forces. Two ships of twenty guns each, and several .other vessels, were taken in the harbor. Ten thousand dollarsj which had arrived a few days before to pay the ^ari\%on, were, by the admiral's orders, distributed among his people, without reserving for himself any portion of the booty. The humanity of the admiral to- wards tire- conquered enemy redounded no less to his honor than the gallantry with which the victory was achieved. The bss sustained by the squadron in this brilliant aflTair did not exceed twenty men. As this place had tjeen the principal refuge of the enemy's guarda-costas, with which they had so greatly annoyed the British trade, having taken on board all Ihe brass Admiral Vernon OR, REOISTEU OF NAVAL ACTIONS, 2S1 ordnance, and spiked aliove eighty iron cannon, ordered the fortificatians to 'he blown up. This service, vrhicb was found to be both (he most dangerous and difficult of any which the squadron had yet met with, heintrnsled to Captain Knowles, cf the Diamond, wha arrived at Porto Bello alter the capitulation of the place, and Cap tain Bosca wen, who served as a volunteer in this expe-' dilion. By the 13th of December the mines were sprung with the greatest eheet, and on that day the ad- miral sailed for Jamaica, having, on his way io that inland. di>patched Captain Rentont", in the Triumph ttnovv, with the intelligence of his success to Kng^ liiud. • ' 'i'his iiews diffused universal joy throughout the king- dom. Addresses to congratulate his majesty on the oc- casion were not only presented by both Houses of Par- liament^ but also by most of the principal towns in the kingdom. The freedom of the city of J^ondon was pre* •ented to the admiral, to whom the thanks of the two Houses of FarUament were likewise voted. On the I8lh of April, 1740, the Lenox, the Kentr and theOrford, three 70 gun ships, commanded by Cap^ tains Mayne, Durelf, and Lord Augustus Fitzroy, cruizing offCape Finisterre, fell in with the Spanish ship Princessa, pierced for 74- gui^s, but then mounting only 6if, This ship was uncommonly high-built, and there- fere possessed the advantage of being able to use hec lower tier of guns in bad weather. She was larger than the British first rales ; her guns were moi^tly of brass, and of extraordinary size : in short, she was universally con* siflcred as one of the finest ships in tiie Spanish navy* V o tSKt TAB BRITISH TRIDENT; She was manned by a Chosen crew of 654 men, and commanded by an officer who enjoyed the highest cha- racter for conduct and courage. As the British ships approached be called together his men, and addressed them in the following words : " When you received the pay 6f your country, you engaged yourselves to stand ail dangers in her cause. Now h the trial ; fight like men, lor you have no hope but in year courage/' Dis- daining to fly, though from such superior numbers, and confiding in the strength of his ship and the uncommon weight and size of his guns, he resolutely brought to and waited for the English ships, which crowded all the «ail they could to close with him. - The action commenced about eleven, the Lenox bringing to on the weather quarter of the cnemy^ while the Kent, which instantly followed, ran to leeward and engaged broadside and broadside. The Orfurd soon afterwards came up, but so strong was the construction of the Princessa, that she received very little damage from the two latter ships; her sides being of such ex- traordinary thickness that few of the balls penetrated Ihem. Tlie Spanish commander, Don Parlo AugusLino de Oera, defended himself with the greatest resolution, and continued the action till five in the evening. Uh ship having lost her top-masts and otherwi-?e sustained great damage, he then struck. This hard-earned prize was carried into Portsmouth, where her extraordinary strength, the gallantry of her captors, and the resolute defence of her crew, obtained universal admiration and appla^ise from those who saw her. In this action the Prhncessa had 33 men killed, and 100 wounded. The Orford and Kent had each eight men killed, and the Le- nox one, the wounded in the three English ships amount- cm, REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. cas- ed to 40; among whom was Captain Diirell, of ifie KenI, who lost one cf his hands. EXPEDITION OF COMMODORE ANSOX. On the 18th of September Commodore Anson sailed from Spithead on an expedition to the South Seas, with a squadron, consisting of the Centurion of 60 guns; the Severn and Glocester of 50; the Pearl of 40; the Wa- ger store-ship, an old Indiaman, which had been pur* chased by government; and the Trial, a sloop, carry- ing eight guns. To these were added two victuallers, the Anna and Indus- ry, one of 200 and the other of 4-00 tons burthen. On board this squadron was a body of land forces, composed of invalid*? and marines, amount* ing together to 470 men, underthe commatid of Colonel Cracherode. The great delay which had taken place in the equipment of this force, and the want of secrecy relative to its destination, had enabbd the Spaniards to send to sea a squadron of superior strength for the pur- pose of intercepting it. On the 25th of October Com*' niodore Anson arrived at Madeira, where he was inform- ed that seven or eight large ships had been seen cruizing to the westward of that island, and were supposed to be tl'.e Spanish squadron under Don Joseph Pizarro. He immediately procured a fast-sailing sloop, which he sent cut to reconnoitre the enemy's force, but she returned without being able to get sight of tfiem. On the 3d of November the squadron proceeded towards the coast of Brasil, and on the 21st of the following month arrived at the island of St. Calhamic in a very sickly condition. Here the commodore remained some weeks, in order to give time to the sick to recover their health, to refit and 3l3 :*M HI n^. ■ QH •^Hh Hi. rilSJi TRIO; :>T ; repair the ships, md io rerruit Ihe stock of water and provisions, i'hese objects being accomplisheclf he left .St. Catharine's on the 18th of January, and three days afterwards the squadron was separated in a violent storm. On the 23d all the ships again joined, except- ing the Pearl, which, aftif a month's absence, overtook the commodore shortly before his arrival at tlie harbor of St. Julian. During this interval she had been chased, and very narrowly escaped being taken by the Spanish squadron ; a minute account of the force and movements of the English having been transmitted, through the treachery of the Portuguese governor at St. Catha- line's, to Pizarro, who was then at Buenos Ayres. The Trial, having lost her main-mast on the passage, -was obliged to take a a new one at the harbor of St. Julian, where they arrived on the 18th of February. This, together with the necessary repairs of the other ships, detained the ^ql^dron till the 27th, when the com- XDodore again stood to sea, and on the 7(h of March passed the streights ofLe Maire. No sooner had they o^eajred tbe streights than they vvere nearly driven on V ore I>y a tremendous hurricane, and for two months were exposed to a constant succession of the most vio- lent tempests. The ships sustained the inost serious in- 'jjury, and the crews became so weak and sickly that they "<VAu ACT. a* a 1 ^"v alive, on the arrival of the commodore^ on (he ' -ihof June, at the island of Juan Fernandez, the fiiacc uijim:.'' dczvous appointed for the squadron in case o s€|.?'a- tion. On the I2lh he was joined by the Trial ; iip, in a state e(|ually deplorable, having only three men, be- sides Captain Saunders and his lieutenant, tit for duty. The Gloucester arrived on the 23d of July, after beat- ing about nearly a month in sight of the harbor. Her crew were reduced to such extremities, that they would, at last, have been unibie to get in, but for the assist- ance they received from the Trial and Centurion. On the 16th of August; the Anna Pink, after experiencing a series of disasters, and narrowly escaping the horrors of shipwreck, likewise arrived with the stores and pro- visions, to the great joy oi the commodore and his fel- low-sofferers. Out of the other ships composing this ill-fated squadron, the Severn and Pearl were obliged to put back, and the Wager store-ship was lost on aii island on the coast of Chiii.^See Mariner's C'ronic/e, ol. ii. . The Anna Pink having been broken >..<> as u'.<;ervice- able, her crew were put on board the C ucesr;:s', which had only 82 sailors left out of 300. The invalids on board her had perished to a man, and oui. o^ ;s marines no more than two survived, ^arly Iv. September, the ships being refitted^ and the sick much recc/ered, the commodore proceeded to sea, and on the 24th oincd the Trial olf Valparaiso. Captain Saunders Ivu^ ..lean- while taken a ship of 600 tons; p ' -»:: Trial having sustained considerable damage in h ^ ists, and being besides extremely leaky., her people were, by the com- modore's orders, removed into the prize, and she wai sunk. 3 ^36 THE BRITISH TklDENTf The two shipi cruized off the coast of Chili willi such success as to take several vessels, and the commodore u'as informed by his prisoners of the disastrous fate of PizarroVs squadron. On the 1 0th of November the Centurion took a rich Spanish ship, and the commodore learned from apas«enger, that a considerable lreas?u re was lying at Paita, a town at no great distance, on the coast of Peru. He immediately determined to proceed thither, and to attempt to surprise the place. For thts purpose he manned and armed the boats, which he dis- patched under th<^ command of Lieutenant Brett, to at- tack the town, under the cover of a dark night. This' business was conducted with «uch spirit and addressy that by the morning this small detachment, consisting only of bS men, were in complete possession of the town and a fort by which it was defended. All the most valuable property and effects, to the amount of 30,000l. were removed into the ships, after which, as the Spaniards refused to ransom the place, it was sfion fire by Mr. Brett. Six vessels w6re taken in the har- bor; five of them were sunk; but the Solidad, which was the largest and best, was carried off by the con- querors, and Lieutenant Hughes, late of the Trial, wms appointed to command her. The total loss sustained by the Spaniards, on this occasion, was estimated at a mil- lion and a half of dollars. On the 1 6th of November* the commodore left Paita, and two days afterwards was joined by the Gloucester, which he had left behind at Juan Fernandez. That ship bad in the mean lime taken two prizes, with specie and silver on boatd^. to the amount of twenty thousand pounds. OR, RBGISTIR OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 237* According lo the original plan of the expedition it had been proposed to make an attack on Panama ; but the lommodore judging thai attempt too hazardous wilh his reduced furce, now resolved to cruize in the track of the galleon expected from Manilla, and bound to Aca- pulco. Some of his prizes being but indilfeient sailers, he ordered three of them to be burned, and proceeded uilh the remainder off i\capuIco, whore he had the mor- tilication to learn that the galleon had arrived safely in that port. He was, however^ induced to continue cruizing off that station, by the intelligence that she would soon sail again on her return to Manilla. No galleon appeared, upon which it was conjectured, and justly, as it was afterwards found, that her departure had been postponed till the ensuing season. The stock of wood and water being exhausted, the squadron was obliged to proceed to the harbor of Chequetan, about thirty leagues lo the westward of Acapulcb, to procure a fresh supply. The crews of the Centurion and Glou- cester were by this time so much reduced, that the com- modore found himself necessitated to destroy his three remaining prizes and to divide their people between those two ships. On the 28lh of Apri! the commodore sailed from Che- quetan. Having no farther hopes of success on the American coast he determined to proceed across the Pa- cific Ocean, and afier refit. ^ng at Macao, in the river Canton, in China, to cruize off the Philippine islands, in the hope of intercepting the galleon on her return to Manilla. After they had been at sea four month', during wliicii iht'ir passage was constanlly impeded eiiher by calms or contrary winds, the Gluuccslerj which was almost r«- m a 238 THE BRITISH IRIDfiNT; duccd to a complete wrei k, was set on fire on the I5lf) of August, ai'ter her crew and (he most valuable ar(icle)vhicb she was ordered to cannonade, and soon silenced it. The Norfolk, Russel, and Shrewsbury were likewise successful in their attack on the forts of St. Jago and St. Philip. The two former received but little injury* having only six men killed; but the Shrewsbury did, not come off so well. Her cable being unfortunately V Y 2 244 THE BRITISH TRIBENT; cut by a shot, she fell (o leeward, so as (o open the mouth of the harbor, where she was exposed nearly seven hours to tlie fire of two of the enemy's batteries, the Bocca Chica, and St. Joseph; and four of their line of battle ships moored across the entrance. Cap- tain Isaac Townshend, her commander, disdained lo quit his station ; till, at night, when the Spaniards had ceased firing, he received the admiraKs order to that effect. His ship was by that time a complete wreck, being entirely dismasted, having 240 shot in her hull, sixteen of which were between wind and water, and 20 men killed and wounded. Meanwhile Colonel Coch- rane landing at the head of 500 grenadiers, took pos- session of the forts from which the enemy bad been driven. ■ The troops, cannon, and stores were now landed; but the soldiers being terribly incommoded by the fire of a fascine battery on the island of Baru, which in- filaded the whole camp, the admiral ordered Captain Boscawen to storm it with a body of 300 saiIor<) and 200 soldiers. The execution of this design was fixed for the i7th, but on account oF the violence of the wind it was deferred till the 19th. It was attended with the most complete success; Captain Boscawen and his gallant party landed on the island and attacked the battery with such intrepidity, that the Spaniards were soon driven from their post. The EngMsh then spiked the guns, and destroyed the carriages, together with the platform^ guard-houses and magazines. On the 23d Commodore Lestock was ordered with a detachment of the fleet to attack the batteries and ships at the entrance of the harbor. After a furious can- nonade, which continued the whole day without OR, REGISTER 6t NAVAL ACtlONS. 2i5 making any viititible impression on the enemy, the admi- ral called off the ships, some of which were much shat- tered. On this occasion fell Lord Aubrey Beauclerk* raptainsof the Prince Frederic, of 70 guns, whose death was justly considered as a national loss. The reader ^«'ilt not be displeased with the following parliculam relative to this gallant young officer. They compose the inscription on the pedestal of the roonu* ment erected to his memory in Westminster Abbey.— "The Lord Aubrey Beauclerck was the youngest son ot Charles, Duke of St. Albans, by Diana, daughter of Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford. He went early to sea, and was maJe a commander in 1731. In 1740 he was sent upon the memorable expedition to Carthagena^ under the command of Admiral Vernon, in his majesty's ship, the Prince Frederic, which, with three others, was ordered to cannonade the castle of Bocca Chica i one of thMe being obliged to quit her station, tho Prince Frederic was e-'tostd not only to the fire from the castle, b^it to that of Fort St. Joseph, and to two ships (hat guarded the mouth of the harbor, which he sustained fbt many hours that day and part of the next, with uncommon intrepidity. As he was giving his com^ mands upon deck, both his legs were shot oflT; but such was his magnanimity, that he would not suffer his wounds to be dressed tiH he had communicated his ordert 10 the first lieutenant, which were to fight his ship to the last extremity. Soon after this he gave some direc- lions about his private aflfair^, and then resigned hit ^Qul with the dignity of a hero and a christian. Thnt was he taken off in the 31st year of his age, an illus(riiya» commander of superior fortitude and cleftteneyi umiable y3 ii t?- 246 THE BRITIIH TRIDIKT : in bis person, steady in bis affectioni, and equalled by few in tbe social and domestic virtues of politeness, mo^ desty, candor, and benevolence.*' On tbe 25tb fort St. Lewis was stormed and carried, witb the loss of only one iqan ; on wbicb tbe enemy sunk tyro of tbeir men of war at tbe entrance of the harbor, and burned another. A general assault was made on Cbe Bocca Chica castle, and a breach being effected. Captain Knowles was detached witb a body of seamen to make a diversion, in order to facilitate tbe approach of General Blakeney, who commanded in chief the nain assault by land. In consequence of this judicious measure tbe castle was stormed by tbe assailants, and a £iriher success was obtained on the same day by the seamen, under Captain Knowles. That officer, accom- panied by Captains Watson, Cotes, Dennis, Cleland, and Broderick, observing the consternation into which ibe Spaniards were thrown, immediately conpeived the bold design of rowing in the boats close under the lee shore, and storming fort St. Joseph. It was accom- plished with equal promptitude, and at ten at night they took possession of the fort which the Spaniards aban- doned after a very slight resistance. Leaving Captain Cotes to guard the fort, he then rowed off to tbe Galh'- €1% of 70 guns, the only Spanish ship that bad not been destroyed, and on board of wbicb tbe flag of the admiral Don Bias, de Leso was then flying. In this vessel he took the captain, two or three inferior officers, and about 60 of their people; the rest of the crew having already quitted her. He then proceeded with his de- tachment to cpt the boom and cables, fixed across the barber fjrom fort St, Joseph to tbe castle of Bocca Chicai OR, REGISTER Of NAVAL ACTIONS. 247 and faittened at each end with three large anchors, so the^ a clear entrance was made into the harbor for the English fleet. The next morning the admiral entered, and was followed by the Burford and Orford, which placed themselves across the harbor, just out of reach of the guns of Castcllo Grande. Captain Knowles, in the Weymouth, got in the same day, and was ordered to run close in to the castle, which he was to cannonade. The Spaniards were so intimidated, that they offered no resistance; upon which the Captain sending his boats on shore, took posscsioii of it without opposition. This fortress mounted Hfty pieces of cannon, andwasanac* quisition of the grea .st importance to the subsequent operations of the army, as it enabled the troops to land within a league of the town, and they would other* wit«e have had three times that distance to march. So far success had attended the British arms, but they were now to experience a mortifying reverse of fortune. On the 12th of April the troops were repulsed with great slaughter in an attempt to storm fort Lazar ; and at the same time disease had made such ravages among them, that on the 24th it was resolved to raise the siege. The seamen were employed till the 8th of May in blowing up the forts under the direction of Captain Knowles, and the Gallicia, which had been converted into a float- ing battery, was likewise destroyed. This business being accomplished, the vice-admiral sailed for Jamaica^ and on the 19th arrived in Port Royal harbor; soon after which he sent home Commodore Lestork with eleven sail of the line and the homeward bound trade under his convoy. I S4S THE BRITISH VaiDEMTf Such was the end of an expedition which cruelly dit* appointed the hopes founded on the powerful force employed in it. It was, however, productive of con- siderable inconvenience to the enemy, who, exclusive Dfthe injury sustained by the harbor and fortifications 6f CaTthagena, lost the folio wing ships on this rcca- iion: — BURNED^. O'Jii.i. Gallicia.... 70 St. Philip 60 SUNK. Conqucstadore .....•• 66 St. Carlos.... ....60 Africa .-..60 Dragon ••••••. *..•... .60 On the 26th of May it was resolved in a council of war, held at Jamaica, to employ the force which had re* turned from Carthagena, in an attempt on St. Jago in the island of Cuba. The fleet accordingly (oiled on this expedition, but in consequence of a dotermination equally ridiculous and unaccountable, the troops were landed on the 11th of July, above sixty miles ftom that filace, instead of immediately assaulting the town Itself. Having continued inactive till the dth of Octo* ber, General Went worth then represented to the admi- ral the impracticability of the enterprtSBe. His opinion being cofirmed by a counc.'l of wao the troops were re* OtL, RKGIITIU or NAVAL ACTIONS. 249 embarked on (he 20th of November, and on the 28lh Uie fleet sailed for Jamaica. During (his last expedition, the boats of the Squirrel, t 20 gun frigate, commanded by Captai f i (afterward* Sir Peter) Warren, discovered a large Spanish priva- teer at anchor close to the shore of Cuba. On the ap* proach of (he English her crew landed and fled into the woods, but were pursued by the Squirrel's people* and many of them killed. During thp pursuit a tar observing a dead Spaniard lying on a Bri ensign, pro- tested be v/ould be d— d if the fellow should rest on such an honorable bed. and rolling olf the body, c«irried away the envign ^vhich he dt* livred to his captain ; who in one corner of it discovered a packet of letters, that proved to be of considerable in^portance. In the con»mencement of 1742, Admiral Vernon having received a re-inforcement of 2000 troops from England, resolved to proceed to Porto-Bello, and marching across the Isthmus of Darien, to attack the rich town of Panama. On (he i8th of January he entered the harbor of Porto-Bello without opposition; the governor and garrison on the approach of the Eng- li: 1 quiuing the town and marching to Panama. Thus rc-inforced it was deemed imprudent to hazard an attack, and theenterprize was abandoned. The animo- sity t)etween Admiral Vernon and Gf^neral Wentwurth had now encreased to such a degree, as to be extremely prejudicial to the service, when, in September, or- ders arrived at Port Royal for the immediate return of both commanders. In December the admiral sailed for England in the Boyne, and was soon fol- lowed by the general, with the remnant of the troopi. l^ V 1?50 THE BHltllil TRIOINT; On the 1 2th of April Ihe Eltham of 40gnns, Captain Smith, and (he Lively of 20 guns, Captain Stewart, being on a cruize off the Virgin Inlands, fell in wilh three Spanish ships, being part of a squadron which had on board a re-inforcement of troops for Carthagena. These vessels were called £1 Coro, pierced for 60, but having only 40 gnns mounted ; and the St. Sebaslian and St. Joachim of 30 guns each. The two English fri- gates immediately gave chace, and havbg come up with the enemy, a most bloody engagement ensued, and was continued till night, when the Spaniards sheered off and with some difficulty reached Porto Rico, with six or seven hundred men killed and wounded. Among the former was the new Governor of Carthagena, The loss of (he British ships was inconsid^-able, but the damage (hey had sustained in their mastt and rigging, prevented lliera from pursuing the enemy. In the year 1743 nothing of importance was per* formed in (he WeK( Indies. Sir Chaloner Ogle who had succeeded Admiral Vernon in the chief command on that station, Hetatched Captain Knowies with a squadron of ships oi war to attack die Spanish settle- ments of La Guira and Porto Cavallo on (he coast of Caraccas. In consequence of the little secrecy observed rt'ladve to (hese expeditions, and the great strength of the points which it had beon agreed to attack, these at(emp(s proved equally unsuccessful vyith that on Car- thagena In both the English ships susta'med consider- able damage, and lost a great number of men. The British crui.^ers were, however, uncommonly successful during (his year, and made many rich cap- tar^.-*-Ci^tain Tucker in the Fowey cruizing off Cape OR. RIOItTlR OP VAVAl ACTIONS. 45 f Corientet fell in with tiid took the St. Joseph le Desi* iktm, a Sptnish register ship, valued at lOO.OOOl. iter* ling. Lord BamiF in the Hastings frigate* after an obstinate conflict of two hours, aiade prize of a vessel belonging to the same nation, which mounted 20 guns, bound from the Havannah to Cadiz, with treasure to the amount of 1,300,000 dollars ; about ten days after- wards, as he was convoying his prize into port, he took a privateer of a force little inftirior. The Litchfield, of fiAy guns. Captain Burnaby, cruizing off Porto Rico, chased a large privateer, which took shelter under a fort in Aguada Bay. The captain immediately landed a body of men, who stormed the battery, spiked and dis- mounted the guns, brought off the colors and burned tho privateer. This service was performed with the loss of only one man, but that of the Spaniards amounted to about 260. Besides destroying two more privateers during this cruize. Captain Burnaby took and carried into Jamaica the St. Raphael of 1 4, and the St. Antonio de las Animas of 22 guns. Captain Qeary, in the Squirrel of 20 guns, fell in ^tth and took, off Madeira, a French ship, the Pierre Joseph, chartered by Spanish merchants, and bound from the Havannah to Cadiz. This vessel contained besides other valuable commodites, sixty-five chests of silver,' each containing 3000 pieces of eight. A circum- stance Connected with this capture is too honorable to Captain Geary's character to be suppressed. Before he tailed on this cruize he had entered into dn engage^ ment with another captain in the navy, to share with hhn whatever prizes they might take during a certain period. The Pierre Joseph was not taken till aflter the expiration of the term of partnership; Captain Geary, 5 t \ f59 THI BRITIia TftJDEMT; however, divided hit iihtre equally with hit friend, uy ing, he knew the latter would have acted in the same manner towardt him, had he been ai Miccesiirul. ' In the month of May the honorable Captain A^Imer, in the Port Mahon frigate, took, aAer a running fight of five houn, the Santa Teresa de Jeius, a Spanish pri- vateer of 16 gunt and 147 men; ten of whom were killed, and fourteen desperately wounded. The Port Mahon had only one man wounded. In the Mediterranean a powerful force under the command of Admiral Matthews was this year employed in blocking up the French and Spanish fleets in the har- bor of Toulon. 7*he admiral having received inlelli- gence that the Genoese had permitted troops to be raised in Corsica for the lervice of Spain, lent Commodore Martin in the Ipswich, together with the Anna galley fire-ship, to take or destroy any vessels of that nation which they might find in the harbors of the island. The commodore proceeded to Ajaccio bay where he found the St. Isidore of 70 guns. The enemy on the approach of the English ships, set fire to the St. Isidore, and en- deavored to escape on shore; but before ad the crew could leave her, she blew up, and a great number perished. Some of the English cruisers were likewise very suc« ceysf:]! on this station. The Romney, in particular, conn- nanded by Captain Grenville, fell in with and and took the Santa Rosa, a Spanish register ship, of 20 guns, va- lued at 120,0001. !. .In I71>4 the court of France, which had long been meditating an attack on Great Britain, and had actually equipped a fleet in the Mediterranean to join that of Samn, formed another project for embairaiting the Oft, RB019TBE or NAVAL ACTIOHS. QbS^ meiiioreii of govemmenf, hy reviving the cau- shot. At two the admiral made a signal for us to leavte off chasing, and come into the fleet. The captain was acquainted with it and would not obey. I know not hfs reason for it. About three we had a hard shower o\ rain, with a brisk gale, and very thick weather. At four, the weather clearing away, we lost sij^hl of the chase, and discovered three ships steering to the west- ward, t Ao of them appearing to be large ships of eqi al force with us, the other a ship of about twenty guns, at the distance of a league. On viewing them, the master said they were strangers ; that two of them were warm- sided ships, and that the other had a whole tier of guns. He persuaded the captain to tack, and stand for the fleet, which he refused, saying, he was resolved to see what lhoi.e fellows were made of. He ordered the men to z 2 ^n '! >. Qix6 tHE BRITISH TAIDSNT; untaot Rtowc'dj nor our top-gallant sails iurled, bclbre the ene- my began to fire on us. At the same time weMuuI not the cabins cleared away, nor were the hammocks stow- ed as they ought to have been. In short, we had no- thing in order. *' At five o'clock we came up wiih the Content, the commodore's ship, of 62 guns. She threw her whole fire, small and great, into us, without doing us any dam* age. Our captain would not stop hfire, nor take any notice of it, but ordered us to bear for the Mars, of 64 giins^ which shjp wa<- somewhat to leeward of us. This was a great miscariiage in tlie action ; for, had we kept (lose to t'le first ship, in all probability we should have di<5abfed her, before her consort could have got to her relief, and at the same time we should have been as well piepared for the other. But our leaving her, and bear- ing^ lor the Mars, gave ihem the opportunity of support* ing each other in the attack they made on us, and also enabled the small ship to lie under our stern. ** On receiving the fire from the Content, our people gave three cheers, and we ourselves began the action by firing on the Mars, The fire was continued by our people^ on the diH'erent ships, as we could bring our guns to bear on them. After the action had continued some time, the men were shot at the helm ; the proper oihccr th9i should have b«en on the quarter^deckj to OR, ntLGiattH OF KAVAL ACTIONS. 257 as&ist the captain, not appearing, tlie helm was neglect- ed/ and the ship, for a time, thrown into the wind, so that she lay exposed to the enemy to act by her as they pleased, we not being able to bring a gun to bear on them. Thoy ranged up to pour their whole fire into us towards night, and the Mars bearing for us, it was thought she intended to board, upon which we cndea- rored to set our main-sail, but were prevented, our lee- sheet being cut by a shot. Having a whole broadsidie ready, it was discharged at once into her. She being much wounded, bore away, and troubled us no more ; we then prepared to receive the other ship, which now began to attack us on the starboard quarter. This be- ing the first time she had attacked us on that side, her fire seemed intended only to favor the retreat of her consort. The night came on : we returned their fire, which had now continued upwards of three hours, and all judged that we had the best c^ it; when there was a sudden call irom the quarter-deck :— ' Leave firing, we have struck !' No one would believe but that the French had struck, as we saw no apparent reason on our side for doing tp. The French still continuing their fire, . the same was returned, and a whole broadside was pre- paring,, when there was a second exclamation of: — ' Damn the rascals ! Leave firing, and hopce your guns ! We have struck !' I believe from the master^ "The captain was brought, just- at that time, mor- tally wounded from the quarter-deck: and leaning against the mizen-mast, the master said : — ' Sir, w hat will you do } For GodYsake consider your men ; they are all killed or wounded. We have not a man left to do any thing : we lie here to be shot at ;' — with many, expressions of the same kind. The gunner begged in. z3 I ill -is i: Qsn THI BRITISH iRlDEJUtt ■like fnanii«r, adding: — ' We shall all be killed ; they are going (a rake UR fore and aft. Dear Captain Watson, Mrike ! -Let uh cut away (he roast! We tihall i;c re> taken to-morrow. Let us disable the ship !' This would have been put in execution had they not been prevent- ed by the people. The carpenter, at this time, came .and reported that the ship was as sound as ever in her hull., and that she made Jiot one inch oF water. The c •«£ bull I wehftil men thai were able and willing to ^htiiitr guns, and would have held it out to lh« lait, OR, RBOISTIR OF MAVAL ACTIONS. 25> iTlhefle had been one officer at hit post to take the com* mand. Added to this, it was nightj and so dark, that tiie enemy knew not the colors were struck : the people would have continued the action longer, had they not been forced to leave off, the enemy being called to for quarter, and desired to come on board with their boats, I believe by the master." In thPs action, in which the bravery 6f the captain and the seamen is as conspicuous as the pusillanimity of his officers, the loss of the enemy was very considerable ; 1 20 of their men were killed and wounded, and the ships received considerable damage. They carried their prize, in great triumph, into Brest. Captain Watson lingered in excessive pain for several days, and even lived to reach that port. The crew, upon their release, were tried for the loss of the ship, and honourably ac- quitted, but the master was sentenced to be imprisoned for life in the Marshalsea. The king having applied to the Dutch for the aid of a naval force, which they were bound by treaty to fur- nish, the States General ordered 20 sail of men of war to be equipped. Part of this squadron was united to the fleet destined to relieve Sir Charles Hardy> who had been blocked up in the Tagus by a superior French force under the Count de Rochambeau. The command of the combined fleet was given to Sir John Balchen, who left Spithead on the 7th of August, with 200 sail of merchantmen under his convoy. The French admi- ral, on his approach, prudently withdrew from his sta- tion, and took refuge at Cadiz, upon which Sir Ciiarles Hardy and Sir John Balchen proceeded to Gibraltar with the stores and provisions intended for the use of thai fortresa. This object being accomplished, the £iig- S60 TRI BRITISH TRIUEITT; lish fleet cruised for some days in (he hope of fali'ng In /nilh Rochambeau, but that wary officer kept close In his place of security till their departure. On the 30lh of September Sir John entered the Bay of Biscay, on hrs return to England ; and on the 3d of October the fleet was overtaken by a violent ttorro, in which many of Ihe ships were much shattered. The Exeter, of 60 guns. Captain Broderick, lost both her main and mizen*mast, and was thrown on her beam ends, so that, to preserve ber from sinking, it was found necessary to throw ovei- board twelve of her lee-guns with aJi possible expedi- tion. On the 4th the Victory parted from the fleet, and WvS never more heard of. She carried Sir John Bal* Chen's flag» mounted 1 lO guns, and was, without en- ception, the finest ship in U,?' navy. She was manned with a chosen crew of 1,100 men, besides 50 volunteers, most of whom belonged to families of the first distinc- tion. It was supposed that she struck on (lie Caskets, a ridge of rocks near Alderney, as the inhabitants of that island heard repeated signals of distress in the night between the ^th and 5th of October ; but on account of the darkness and the violence of the tempest, they were enable even to attenapt to afford any assistance. The loss of this worthy commander, and the premature fate of so many brave men, diffused throughout the nation a sorrow more general than had been ex^perienced since the wreck of the gallant Shovel. As a reward for the Jong and faithful servJces of the admiral, the king set* tied a pension of five hundred pounds a year on his wi* dow, who erected, to his memory an elegant monument In Westmitister abbey. On the 2 4>th of February, Captain Bury, in the Sole- bay, of 20 ^\xna, gave chase to a large ship, and camt 4^ OR, RSOISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. net up with her about nine in the morning. The enemy, when fif&t discovered, displayed French colors, but on approaching within gun-shot hoitited those of Spain, and resolutely commenced the action, by firing a shot across ihe Solebay, which Captain Bury as vigorously return- ed. The contest was maintained with great spirit on both sides, for five hours, when the enemy struck. She proved to be the Concordia, from Vera Cruz, bound to C-adiz, mounting 26 guns, and carrying a crew of 14-0 men, seven of whom were killed, and upwards of 20 wounded. The cargo consisted of 195,000 heavy doi- Urs, besides other valuable commodities. In this en- counter the Soiebay had only seven men wounded. In the course of the summer the Solebay was taken, together with eleven merchantmen under her convoy, by this French squadron under the Count de Rochambeau* On the 29th of July, the Hound and Vulture sloops being off Goree, with the trade .to Rotterdam under their ccnvoy, the former, commanded by Capt. Gordon, gave chase to a French privateer, which struck after an action of an hour and a half. She mounted 10 carriage guns and 9 swivels. Fi\^ of her crew were killed, and se- veral mortally wounded. The Hound, ai liic Hatiie tium, retook a ship which the privateer had just captured. For this spirited action Captain Gordon was promoted to the command of the Gosport, a frigate of 44 guns. ENGAGEMENT OFF TOULON. The fleet under Admiral Matthews still continued (o block up (hat of the French and Spaniards in the harbof of Toulon, but early in the year 1744, M. de Court was M:nt by thefrench government to take the command of 262 THE BRITtSB TAIDENT; their ships, with posidtre orders to put to sea. The force of the united squadrons consisted of 28 sail of the line and six frigates. The English fleet was composed of the same number of line of battle ships, but was more power- ful in frigates. This advantage, however, was more than counterbalanced by the superiority of the combined fleet in point of equipment, both with respect to the number of men and the condition of the ships. It was in the month of January that M. dc Court arrived at Toulon, where, hoisting his flag on board the Terrible, of 74 guns, he assumed the command of (he whole fleet. On the 8th of February Admiral Matthews received intelligence that the combined fleet intended to put to sea the following day. Between three and four that afternoon. Captain Marsh, of the Winchelsea, one of the ships appointed to watch the enemy *s mot ion";, made the signal that some of them were under sail; upon which the admiral gave orders to unmoor and Ic prepare for action, which was done with the utmost alacr?(y aiid expedition. In less than half an hour several of the ene- my could be seen from the English fleet, and before dark Captain Marsh made the signal that 19 sail were in sight. About two in the morning he sent word to the admiral that they had come to an anchor under Cape Sepet. As soon as it was day, those which had come out the preceding night were seen under sail, and soon after- wards the rest were ob<;erved coming out, their number being in all 34 sail. The admiral immediately weighed, the wind blowing very fresh westerly. He expected them to bear down upon him, but soon discovered that they had no such intention, at least for that day, as they kept plying to windward, though there was every ap- pearance of foul weather^ and some of the weatbermost J OR, RIOISTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. 26S ships were at night hull-to. He, Iherefore, stood to and fro in the bay till night, and then anchored, having left cruizers out to watch the enemy's motions. At daj-break of the lOih only fifteen sail of the enemy . were in sight, the rest being concealed b) the island of Porquerolle. Admiral Matthews immediately got under weigh, having but little w ind, and made all the sail he could to come up with em. The enemy at the same time stood towards the English fleet with a light breeze at west. The hostile fleets now approached each other, when that of the French and Spaniards brought to in Iin« of battle; but for want of wind it was night before the British commander could get near them. At dusk he brought (o at the distance of three gun-shots from the enemy, ordering the Essex to lie a mile to leeward of him, and the Winchelsea a musket-shot to the leeward, of the Essex to watch their motions, and to stand after them in case they should rnake sail. Admiral Matthews was now so near the combined fleet that he could count their ships after the moon was down., but at the same time he could not see Vice-admiral Lestock and hris squadron, he having brought to so far to windward that, at the dawn of the following day, when the admiral had made sail and hoisted the signal for the line of battle abreast, Mr. Lestock was full Ave miles astern of him. The combined fleet meanwhile approached with th« greatest regularity. Rear-admiral Rowley led thw van, but could never eome near the French squadron; M. de Court jiome-, times lay-to as if with the intention of waiting for the English, but, when the latter drew near, he again made sail, till he had, at last, left most of the Spanish ships a considerable distance astern. Mr. Matthews being 954 THB BRITISH TRIDKNT; now fully conv.. i (hat he would never come (o s ge« neral engagemen., nd judging (hat his design was to draw him down the Streights, made all (he sail he could af(er the enemy. About half an hour aAer eleven ne made the signal for engaging. His first intention was to attack the French admiral in the Terrible of 7 4 guns; the Marlborough and the Nor* folk were to have been his seconds, and he, accordingly, passed within musket-shot of the Spanish admiral, Don Navarro, in the Royal Philip of 1 1 4 guns, without firing at her. Finding, however, that M. de Court stretched away with all the sail he could, in order in get to windward, the admiral, thinking to intercept some of the Spanish ships, tacked and stood towards the Royal Philip, ordering the Marlborough, Captain Corn* vraW, to do the same. , The engagement commenced about one o'clock ; but the Namur, the admiral's ship, soon received so much damage in her masts and rigging, that Mr. Matthews was obliged to lie* to, and was prevented from giving any assistance to Captain Cornwall^ who was now en- gaged within pistol-shot alongside the Royal Philip, while the Hercule« of 70 guns, the Spanish admiral's second, lay npon his quarter. The Marlborough maintained (bis glorious but unequal conflict, unsupported, three bottrs and a half, during which her yard-arm sometimes tcuched that of the Royal Philip, whose guns were at length silenced. She sheered oflF, followed by her se- cond. The Marlborough was now reduced to a com- plete wreck ; her main and mizen-mast were carried a^way, and the brave Captain Cornwall, disdaining to retreat, had both his legs, shot off while animating his Clew, and soon afterwards* expired. His nephew and «R, RICISTER or NAVAL ACTIONS. S65 lirsl llcutenaut, Frederic Cornwall, emulating (he in- trepidity of his gallant relative, cuntinucd (he actioq with thu greatest conduct and spirit till ho had the mis- fortune to lose his right arm. Meanwhile (he Norfolk, commanded by the honor- able Captain Forbes, engaged the Constant, and after a short amtest drove her out nf the line. Slie bore away, and never shortened sail while she was in sight. In like manner the Merculcs, when attacked by Mr. Matthews, stood away with uil the sail she was able to set. The Namur, the Marlborough, and the Norfolk were the only ships in the adiuifni's division vxhich did tl'.cir duty, all the other captains lying at a cautious dis- tance* so as neither to do nor receive nny damage. Kear-admiral Rowley having, at length, dosed with the PVench ailmiral ubouL two o'clock, began to engage liim and his second astern. The conflict w; main- tained with great vigor lor nearly two hours> during which the adwiral was ably supported by Captain, Okborne, in the Princess Caroline. M. dc Court then sheered off, leaviug his two seconds to secure their rclreat as well as they could. The contest with these ihips did not continue above twenty minutes ,when thoy followed the example of ti;eir commander. These three were the only ships of the Frenw-h division that were en- gaged, the remainder keeping their w ind with the intr ii;. tion of tacking upon and wealliei ing Mr. RowJey. 1 his manoeuvre they were however prevented from oxo- cuting by the leading ships of ihe van, which dexter- ously and attentively pursued the same conduct. By this time the Royal Philip and Marlborough were completely disabled, and the Spanish adrpimrs seconds ■M VOt, 1. 2 A 260 TNE BRfTIIH TftlDtMT; were driren out of the line unable to topport him. In fhiii fitualion Admiral Matlhewt ordered the Anne gal* hy fire-ship (o barn the Royal Philip, and the boats of bis division to tow the Marlborough out of the line. At four o'clock she bore down towards the Spanish ac'miral, who opened a continual fire upon her. Captain Mackay having ordered all hit people off the deck, steered the tbip himself with the match in hit hand. At he passed the Dortetthire he desired her assistance to cover and conduct him, but this was refuted by Captain Burrish ; upon which the unfortunate officer it said to have ex- cfaimed, with a sigh : — *' Then I am going to be sacri- ficed?'* Observing a krge Spanish launch rowing to- wards him, he ordered his gunt to be discharged at her, when the fire-ship suddenly appeared in a blaze and «lmott inttantly blew up ; but at too great a distance to injure the Royal PhiKp. CapUin Mackay, his lieu- tenant, gunner, mate, and two quarter-masters p»> »thed. The Princessa, Somerset, Dragon, and Bedford were now engaged with the rett of the Spani.^h ships a-head, ibut not with that spirit which was necessary to ensure success. Captain Hawke, in the Berwick, indignant at the conduct of his brother officers, stood out of the line, hote down upon the Poder, which vigorously returneil the fire of the English thips, and brought her to close action. When he was within pistol-shot he discharged a broadside into the Spaniard, by which he killed twen- ty-seven of her people and dismounted seven of her lower-deck gunt. She still made a vigorous resistance lor some time; but, at length, having 116 men killed and her main*mast and fore^top-mait being carried •R, ■lOltVlR Of NAVAL ACTIONS* 2t>7 away, the itruck. M. de Court perceiving that if Vice- admiral Lestock should Cake hit vlalion, the Spanish di* viMon must be entirely defeated, and being intent on theif preservation^ he made a signal about three o'clock for the van to tack and go to llie assistance of the rear, ima- gining he had then a fair opportunity of inclosing Adnv- ral Matthews between two fires. But this signal was not put in execution till very late, because Commodor* Gabaret was prevented from tacking by the vigilance of Captains Cooper, West, and Lloyd, in the Stirling Castle^ Warwick, and Nassau. These ships, whilo the French commodore was endeavoring to gain the wmther-gage* kept so well to the wijidward as to pre* vent the enemy from tacking lo toon at they would hav« done. At length, in tpite of their endeavors, the van of the French squadron tacked about five, which obliged Rear-admiral Rowley to tack also, with a view of join* log the centre, which must otherwise have been over- powered by the superiority of the French. The lallet l)Owever did not think proper to renew the engagement. They contented themselves with retaking the Poder». which had not a mast standing. Night now put an end to a content which had been partial, but very severe, und Admiral Matthews hauled down the signal fur battle. The Namar had sustained so much damage, that about eight at night Admiral Matthews removed his flag on board the Russel. At day-break on ti*e 12th, the enemy's fl^et was discovered to leeward, wilii their dis- abled ships in low. The admiral immediately chaced them; the French lying-to in t!nc of battle to windward of tlie Spaniards, most of ihcm hull-to: but as he drew BCtTf che|f made sail, leaving the Poder behind them*. 2 A 2 ■«^' 2cn THE BRITISH TRIDBUT; That ship again fell into the hands of the English, and \vra<;, hy the aflmiral's order, burned by Captain Nerris, of (!ie Essex. On the 13th, in the morning, the admiral made a sig- nal for Vice-aJmiral Leslock and his division to chace above 20 sail of the enemy, which were seen in the W. S. \V. The vice-admiral gained fast upon them, and had not the commander in chief made the signal to rccal the ships in chace, the enemy u'ould have been obliged either to throw off their disabled ships, or to risk a general engagement. The admiral assigned as a rea- son for this measure, that if he had continued ih% pursuit, he might have been drawn too far down th9 Mediterranean, and thus have left the coast of Italy un« protected. After he had lost sight of the enemy's fleet, the admi- ral endeavored to regain his station in Hieres Bay, but vsas prevented by contrary winds and tempestuous wea- ther. He therefore steered for Port Mahon, when he arrived with the fleet on the 17th, where he suspended Mr. Lcstock from his command, for misconduct, and «ent him home in the Salisbury. In this engagement, which reflected disgrace on so- many naval officers, as well as the nation to which they belouijed. Vice-admiral Lestock's division never came into action. Indeed not more than ten ships of the two other divisions were engaged, and in these ninefty-two men were killeil, and 185 wounded, exclusive of those who perished in the fire-ship. In the Marlborough, be- sides the gallant Captain Cornwall, Captain Go itrey» of the marines, and Mr. Caton, the master, were killed. Captain Russel, of the Namur, was mortally wountied. .\ ^R, RSQ1»T£E or NAVAl. A€TfOHt« 269 The ilaaghteron board the combined fleets was much more considerable. The Royal Philip had 500 men killed and woonded; the Neptune 200; the Isabella 300, and the other ships^in proportion to the share they had in the action. Admiral Navarro wt% himself Vfounded ; and among the killed were his captain, Don Nicolas Geraldine ;; Don Henry Olivares, captain of the Neptune, and his first lieutenant. ' ■U We shall here take tlie liberty of debating aJittle from strict chronological order«. for the purpose of stating the result of the various- investigations Which were m^lz into the conduct of the admirals and officers concerned in this unfortunate aflairk — It. was obvious to the nation that a glocious^opportunity of striking an important blow bad been lost.. Admiral Matthews attributed the mis* conduct to Mir. Lestock, end the latter retorted the obarge on tlie commander in chief, while both agreed in censuring, the cooduct of matry of the ceptabs and offi* cers in the fleet;. The House of Commons^ having examined several' effioers relative to thb subject, requested his majesty to give directions for a court*martial to enquire into the conduct of Admiral Matthews, Vice-admiral Lestock^. Captains Burrish, Norris, Williams^ Ambrose, Frog- more, and Dilke; and the lieutenants of his majesty's ship, the Dorsetshire ; together with all the oflicert who might be charged with misconduct in the engagement offToulon: in order that those by whom ^uch discredit had been brought on his majesty's arms, the honor of the mUoa sacrificed, and iiieh an opportuBity lost of doing 2a3 570 THE BRITini TRIDKVT J J» «*« • the most important service U> the comtnon cause, nil^li< bo biouglu lo condiorn piiuisluuent. .,!^ij ^, i\c:coidingly, by hi.i inajcst)*-* commanH, a court- murlial assembled on board ihe London, at. Chatliam, on Ihe 'JSd ofScplember, 17+5.— The four lieutenants of the Dorsetshire were first tried, on a charge pf having «dvised Cnptain Burrish not lo bear do\yn upon the enemy ; but, as it could not be proved,, they wej-e all acquiUed. The court then proceeded to the (rial of Captain Burrish, of the D.QXsetshire, who was cashiered and declared for ever incapable of serving in his ma- jesty's navy. Captain Williams, of the Royal Oak, fvats adjudged unfit to be employed any more: but in consideration of his long services, the court recom- mended him to be continued onlhe half-pay list. He was afterwards, in 1750, appointed a superannuated rear-admiral. Captain Ambrose, of the Rupert, was wntenced to be cashiered, during his. majesty's pleasure, >|ind mulcted one year's pay for the use .of the chest at Chatham. The king, however, restored him soon afterwards to his rank. Captain John Dilke, of the Chichester, was dismissed trom the command of his ship and put on the half: pay list. Captain Frogmorc, of the Boyne, who was likewise implicated iu the charge of misconduct, died on hit passage to Eng- Jand. . ' ■).» \ < ^ Five other captains were tried at the sa;/ a time on charges exhibited against them.by Vicr idmiral Le?tock. Captain Pet t, of the Princessa, and Captain Slaughter, f)f the ^merset, were acquitted; but Captains We>t, Cooper, and Lloydj. of the Warwick, Stirling Castle, and Nassau, were cashiered. This sentence^ however, fippcatfcd cKtrennely severe, as ihey liad behaved widi on, REcrrtTttf of VAVMf Acmovi, 27 1 great bravery during the engagement ; and' ttiey were restored to (hetr former rank in the service. Captain N orris, of the Essex, son of Sir John Norris, i>eing ac- cused by the officers of his ship, and conscious of thi3 justice of the charges alledgcd against him, withdrevr from that investigation which was about to be instituted inlo his conduct. Some say that he passed the remain* derof his life inobsctuity in Scotland, and others that ho retired lo Spain. , ' On the 6'th of May, 1746, the court*roartial assem- bled' on board the Prince of Orange, at Deptford^ for the trial of Vice-admiral Lestock.> The charj^s prefefrt red against him by Mr. Matthews, were to the follow- ing efr»:t:-^That not obeying his sigiials, and faUing too fair astern the night before the.action, he was inca<* pabie of rendering assistance, in consequence of which the enemy escaped; — That he might have stopped the reac-most ships of Doii Navarro's division, . but neg« Icctcd to allack. them ) and that these ships coming up to engage theladmiral;. he was obliged to quit the Royal BliiJip, ! whiqh he had • disabled,' sand /would otheswise have taken ;*--That the vice-admiral had, on this occa« evidently sacifificed the honor of his country, to sion, gratify liis private resentment ; and that while he pre* tended strictly to observe the rules of discipline,, he ihamefuliy set an example of desertion and cowardice ; «— That the admiiial was under the necessity of engaging as he' did, otherwise he would haVe lost the opportunity of engaging at all, as the enemy's ships were all clean, and infinitely superior to the English in point of sailing ; and though the admiral did :h is duty in attacking the Spanish>squadron, the oniy part of the enemy's flett he couJd come up With, yet heihad the mortification ^not le t72 mm% miTisH TAtvtiiv* h • he 86C0ImM tiih^ bjf hit own divitioii W thai of Mr* Leslock* who was therefbra jui% cbaiyeable with the diagrace of the day. On the 3d of June^ the evidence on both tides bein^ doted* the ooart patted the following tentence:-— ** That being of opinion the inferoiation upon which the charge wat founded was not true ; that the evidence in support of the charge was not sufficient io aaake it good; at many witnesses in support of the charae, at^ likewise those in the admiral's defence*, had refuted the whole: the court, therefore^ ananimonsly acquitted Vice* adminil if theiff of ai |battle> aoy lesobi: miscarriage was chargeable to the admiral, who, by hij imprudence at first, in fighting at such a disadvantage, had endangered the whole fleet entrusted to his com- inand, and afterwards by a qu'le contrary conduct, had suflfered the enemy to escape out of his hands. On account of the numberof witnesses to be examin- ed, and the frequent adjournments, the court did not pass sentence till the 22nd of October. It was as follows: '♦ The court, having examined the \\itncs3es produced, as well in support of tbe charge as in behalf of the pri* soner; and having thoroughly considered their evidence, unanimou-^ly resolve : that it appears thereby, that Tho« mas Matthews, Zaq, by divers breaches of duty, was a principal cause of the miscarriage of his majesty's fleet in the Mediterranean, in the month of February, 1744; and that he falls under the fourteenth article of an act of the thirteenth Charles If. for establishing articles and orders, for regulating the belter government of his ma- jesty's navy, ships of war, and forces by sea ; and the court unanimously think fit to ad'udge the said Thomas Matthews to be cashiered, and rendered incapable of any employ in his majesty's service." - ** This sentence, (says a naval historian) however consonant it might be to the stern ?.everity of justice/ was by no means calculated to appease the tumult ofpo» pular opinion. The people, especially those who were unacquainted with the rules of the service, enquired for the man who had acquitted himself in the brilliant and favorite character of a gallant officer. When they found the commander-in-chief engaged in an active and spirit- ed conflict in the centre of their foes, and in vain sooght to discover the leader of a squadron under that com* npander in th&ame fituation swhen they weretold that 13 .' i. tf7* THE BAlTltH TRIDKNT; while the rormer was hurling destruction on the ene* luiet of his country, the latter wat not cvfn within gun* shot I when they heard the brave admiral himself com- plain that he was unsupported, that lie was led a sacri- fice to the resentment of an individual, and thui* deprived of the gratification of bringing the Spanish commander himself into a British port ; they were unable to check the impuUe of a generous indignation ; and those who were too moderate to arraign the justice of the court, were obliged to confess that the code of naval discipline was beyond their c*om prehension." Thus was the country deprived of the services of an able and gallant officer, whose only misfortune it was to be obliged to act with a man, between whom and himself there subsisted the most inveterate animosity. Private pique and personal resentment, were the sole cause of the public disgrace on this memorable occasion. After the engagement off Toulon nothi)*g of ini'poct- •nee occurred, during the year 1744, in the Mediterra- nean,* Admiral Matthews being ordered hone in Septem- ber, he resigned the command of the fleet on that station- to Rear-admiral Rowley. On the Newfoundland station, where Commodore Hardy commanded. Captain Young in the Kinsale, a fri- gate of forty guns, greatly distinguished himselC Hav- ing made prise of a large ship, he put on board her 160 men, and arming her with HO guns, sent her to make an fttempt on some French ships, then at anchor in the har- bor of Fisholte. In entering the harbor, she unfortu- nately grounded three timea ; in swinging off, she fell •thwart the bow of the Moderate, one of the French •hip* cmnym$ 12 guns and 75 men. This vessel waa Quickly cntritd by boardiog* and the was. iiunediatel| • R« RIGIITBR or NAVAL ACTIONS. 275 employed agiintt^rour other armed ships which lay in the harbor. A desperate action commenced ; the enemy defending themselves with great obstinacy five hours and a half, when they all surrendered. These vessels were: the Marquis de Se, of 14 guns and 86 men ; the Jason, of 14 guns and 80 men ; the St. Denis, of 14 guns and 53 men ; and the Due dc Penthievre, of 12 guns and 48 men. This victory was not obtained with* out some loss : ten of the English were killed, and 30 wounded. The sbughter in the enemy's ships was very great. In the West Indies, nothing was this year attempted. On the 20th of October, the island of Jamaica was vt* sited by a tremendous hurricane, by which Port Royal was almost destroyed, and Kingston sustained consider- able damage The greatest part of the fleet was fortu- nately out ona cruise, but eight ships which remained in the harbor, were driven ashore, and five of them wrecked. Ninet/-six merchantmen shaied the same fiite. On the 29th of March, 1745, the Anglesea of 40 guns and 250 men, commanded by Captain Elton, cruising •in the channel, fell in with UApollon, a French ship of SO guns and 500 men, which being mistaken by Captain Elton for ati English vessel, he made no preparations for an engagement, till the enemy began to fire on the Am glesea. The ship was not cleared for action, and the crew were weak and not well disciplined. Captain Elton, convinced of his error, made the utmost exertions to ani- mate his crew, and to recover them from the confusion into which an incident so enexpected had thrown them. A severe action ensued, in which the captain and his first iieulenaat fell, and above 60 of the crew were kiHed 276 THE BRITrSH TRIDENT; and wounded. The ship, being much dinabled, was surrendered by Ihc second lieutenant, Mr. Barker Plni- lipS who, on his return to England, was tried by a cotrt-marlial, held on board the Duke, at Spithcad, and sentenced to be shot. He is said to have inadvertently quilted the deck in the hope of persuading the surviving part of the crew to retuin to tlieir quarters The sen- tence was executed on the 19th of July, in the Princess Royal, at Spithcad. On tht;9th of July, the Lion of 60 guns, commanded by Captain Brett, being on a cruize to the westward of the Lizard, discovered two sail to leeward. Captai"^ Brett immediately bore down upon these ships, one of which was the Elizabeth, a French man of war of 66 guns and 600 men, and the other a small frigate, havmp on board the young pretender, and several officers of dis- tinction, by whom he was accompanied in his attempt to land in Scotland. The Elizabeth was carrying out arms for several thousand men, and 400,0001. .m specie. About four in the afternoon. Captain Breti was within two miles of them when they hoisted French colors, and shortened sail. At five, the Lion ran alongside the Eli- zabeth, and began to engage within pistol-shot. In this situation, the two ships kept up a continual fire at each other till ten* by which time the Lion had lost hermizen- inast, all her other masts and yards were wounded, and her rigging and sails so cut to pieces, that she became quite unmanageable. The Elizabeth, which had sus- tained less injury, took advantage of the crippled condi- tion of her antagor)ist, sheered off, and in less than an hour was out of sight. In this desperate encounter, the Lion bad 45 men killed, and 107 wounded^ Captain Brett himself, with all the lieutenants and the master. OK, REGISTER or KAVAL ACTIONS. 277 ^Ktte among (he latter. The master had his right arm shotoflfinthe beginning of the action, and the lieute- nants, notwithstanding their wounds, refused to leave the deck, where they continued encouraging the men by their gallant example. On board the Elizabeth, the cap- tain and G i men were killed, and 1 44 wounded, and she was so much disabled, that it was with difficulty she reached Brest. The frigate pursued her course, and, on the 27 th of July, landed the pretender at Lochaber. To prevent any succors from being sent to the rebels from France, Admiral Vernon was stationed with a strong squadron in the Downs, while Rear-Admiral Byng was sent with another to cruize off the coast of Scotland. The English privateers were this year extremely for* tunate in cruizing against the enemy. The Prince Fre- deric of 28 guns, commanded by Captain Talbot, and the Duke, of 20 guns. Captain Moorcock, being on a cruize off the Western Islands, fell in with two French ships^ the Lewis Erasmus of 28, and the Marquis d' Antin of 24 guns, which they took after an obstinate engagement. A third, mounting 22 guns, escaped during the action. The privateers had a lieutenant and 12 men killed, and 27 wounded. The enemy lost both their captains, and bad seven men killed, and 12 wounded. Captain Tal- bot proceeded to Kinsale with his prizes, which were im- mensely rich, and was convoyed Irom that port to Bristol by three men of war. The treasure and plate were there landed, and carried in 45 waggons to London. Each sailor's share of prize-money amounted to 850!. On this occasion, the patriotism of the proprietors of the pri- vateers was manifested in a distinguished manner. Their share of the booty amounted to 700»000l. of !!^l, VOL. I. 2 B tn TH& BRITISH TRIOBVTI Mrhich mm (hey made « voluntary tender to the govern* ment to prosecute the war. The offer was accepted^ «nd an interest paid to the proprietors. The Kouli Khan, privateer, Captain Baker, took a Spanish ship fromCarthagena to the Havannah, worth 400,0001. The Surprise, privateer. Captain Redmond, aAer an action of six hours, took a French East India- man with a cargo valued at 130,0001. but, from the number of shot in her hull, she sunk the next day. In the month of July, the Jersey of 60 guns. Captain Charles Hardy, fell in with the St. Esprit, a French ship of 74 guns, at the mouth of the streights of Gibral- tar. An engagement ensued, and was continued from half past six in the evening till nine, when the St. Esprit bore away for Cadiz, with the loss of her fore-mast and bowsprit, and 20 men killed. The Jersey was too much crippled to pursue her. ' A project having been formed at Boston, in New England, to surprise Louisborg, the capital of the island of Cape Breton, Commodore Warren, who command"^ «d at the Leeward Islands, received orders to proceed thithier with such ships as could be spared from thit sta- tion. On the '22nd or April he arrived at Canso, in No- va Scotia, where he found the troops encamped ; they having reacht;d tlie place of rendezvous three weeks be- fore under convoy often stout privateers. On the 29ih the troops were embarked, and the following day land- ed in Gabarus Bay, about a league from Louisburg, while the ships cruized off the harbor to intercept any reinforcements that might be sent from France. On the 19th of May, the commodore, in company with the Mermaid, took, after a short resistance, the Vigilante of (S4e guns and 660 men, commanded by the Marquis de Fort Maison^ bound from Brest to Louisburg^ with stores Olj REGISTER OP NAVAL AGTIONf. S7» tnd proviiions for the garrison. A considerable rein* forcement of thipf toon aflerwards arriving from Eng* land* the siege was pushed willi vigor, and, on the 151b of Juiie« the governor Okpitulated. While Commodore Warren remained on this slationv many very valuable ships were taken by his cruizers, op put into the harbor of Looisburg* from ignorance of its* l^ing in the possession of the English. Among these were La Charmanie and L' Heron from the East Indies^ with cargoes valued at 550,000). sterling, and La Notre Dame de Deliverance, the vessel which shorily before escaped from the Prince Frederic and Duke* privateers^ valued at 600,0001. The Rose of 20 guns and 170 men, commanded by Captain Thomas Frankland, cruiiing on the north side of Cuba, fell in, about day break;, with » large Spanish ship, which appeared, by her working, tebe full ol men. An engagement commenced about seven in the morning, and was maintained with great obstinacy more than five hours, when the enemy strtick.' She proved to be La Conception of 20j|^s and SU6 men, commanded by Adriao Meicaii, anabound-lrom Cartha* gena to Cadiz. In the action she bad nearly 100 men killed, and four of h«r gunft on one side disabledl The Rose had only five men killed and I^ wounded. The Concept ion turned out to be a most valuable prize. Be- sides a cargo of cocoa and hides,, she had en board 70 chests of gold and silver, containing upwards of S00,000i pieces of eight,, diamonds, pearh, precious stones, &c. In the West Indies. Captain David Brodie. in the Merlin sloop of 14 guns and lO&men,. was particularly active. He took from the French five privateers, all o£ superior force to his own ship,, and one from the Spa« 2ik2 280 Tut BKtTISR taibint; niards. Thin spirited officer likewise attacked two 9fa« ntsh xebecs which had taken the Blast and AchilUi sloops, and, after an obstinate engagement, obliged thtm to retire. Captain Brodie derived particular ratisfrclion from this success, as he afterwards learned that those vessels had been fitted out expressly for the purpose of taking the Merlin. Vice-adm»ral Townshend, havtng been sent with • squadron to take the command of the Leeward island Ataiion, arrived on the 3d of October off Martinico, where he continued cruizing in order to intercept the stores and provisions expected from F.aoce for that island. On the 3 1st, a fleet of upwards of 40 sail, was discovered coming round the south end of Martinico, and keeping close under the shore. The admiral instantly gave chace, and soon approached near enough to per« «ei\^that they were a French convoy under the proiec- tion of several men of war, five or six of which appeared to be large ships. The vice-admiral made the signal for a line of battle, but observing that the French command* er was solicitous to avoid an action, he gave orders for a general chace. This measure was so successful that many of the merchant ships were driven to the leeward, aid picked up by the smaller vessels of the squadron. Mr. Townshcnd, meanwhile, continued in pursuit of the escort with the main bjdy. The Ruby of 64 guns, after exehanging a few broadsides was driven on shore by the Lenox, and the French commodore escaped, by running his ship, the Magnanime of 80 guns, ashore, under the protection of the batteries of Fort Royal. Of the merchant ships, upwards of 30 vyere either taken or destroyed. A French frigate of 36 guns, which escaped OR, KEGIITEft or KAVAL ACTIONS. 28) from (be English on this occaiion, was soon anerwardt wrecked off Porto Rico. CoroiBodore B^rnei, who had been sent the preeed- ing year with a small squadron to the East Indie», cruiz' ingoffthe Streights of Sunda, wit4r-hts own ship, th« Deptford of 60 guns, and the Preston of 50, command* ed by Lord Northesk, fell in, on the 254h of Janizary, wiih three large French East IndKamen, ricMy laden. These were the Dauphin, Jason, and Hercules, eacli mounting SO guns, and carrying \iO men. An action immediately commenced, and the enemy made an obsti- nate resistance. Mr. Barnel ordered Lord Northesk to board one of the ships, while he himself attempted ano- ther ; but, at that moment, botK the titler-ropes were cut by the enemy's shot. Having repaired this accident with all possible expedition, the three ships, at length, surrendered, after an action of two hours. The prises were all of considerable value, and, in Europe, would have been worth 300,0001. but being sent to Batavia to be disposed of, they fetched only 80^0001. Ths Med way and Diamond, twa other ships of Com- modore Barnet's squadron^ were ef|ually successful. Be* ing ordered to cruize in- the streights o( Malacca, tliey, on their way thither, put itito Achen, in the island of Sumatra, where they took a large privateer, 6tled out by the French East India Company at Pondicherry. This vessel was afterwards taken into the service as a 40-gun ship, and called the Medway's Friae, They soon after- wards fell in with, and took a French ship from Manilla, which had on board 72 chests of dollars, each contain- ing 3000 ; and two chests of gold, alone worth 30.0001. Excepting an unsuccessful attack on Port L'Orieot, nothing, of consequence was attempted in E|urope, itv 2e3 282 TRE BRITISH TRIDENT; the year 1746, but several gallant actions were foaglit by single ships. On th^ 9th of February, the Portland of ,50 guns. Captain Charles Stevens, cruising off Scilly, engaged the French ship, L'Auguste of 50 guns and 470 men. Ader a close action of two hours and a half, she struck, being entirely dismasted, and having 50 men killed, and 94 wounded. A woman on board the Auguste behaved with the greatest intrepidity during the action ; though many of the men ran from their guns, she stood /irmly to her quarters, continued to frghirand actually di.scharged her musket six times after she was wounded. The Portland had five men killed and 1 3 wounded ; her masts Were much crippled, and her rigging cut to pieces. L' Auguste was taken into the navy, and named the Portland's Priae. On the 2+tb of April, Mr. Brown, master of the Shore* ham, having been put in by Captain Osborne to com- mand a small privateer of two guns and ]'2 swivels, fell in with a Spanish privateer often guns, 18 swivels, and 78 men, which, afler a desperate engagement of six hours and a half, he boarded and took. In the action, in which all Mr. Brown's ammunttion was expended, 46 of the enemy were killed. Two days aHerwards he look another Spanish privateer of five guns, and was, for hi) gallant behavior, promoted to the comiqamt of a sloop of war, ^ On the 8th of October, the Weasel, sloop of 1 2 gun!», Captnm Hugh Palliser, took, after an obstinaic action, two French privateers ; the Gentil of Boulogne, of six gun^, srx swivels, and 48 men, and the Fortune of Hon* fleurof 10 guns, !0 swivels, and 95 men. Captain OR, REGISTER OF VAVAL ACTTONS. 289 Palllser was, in the following month, made a post -cap- tain for this action. On the 1 1th of October, the Notttngharo of 60 guns. Captain Philip Saumarez, cruizing off Cape Clear, fell in with the Mars, a French man of war of 64 guns and 550 men. After a close action of two hours, in which the enemy had 23 men killed, and 19 wounded, she surrendered. The Nottingham had three killed, and nine wounded : her prize was added to the navy. The British privateers were likewise very suceessful. On the 1 3th of March, the Warren and Saltash attacked a French convoy at anchor off Fort St. Louis, Unde> the protection of an armed 8^ip of 10 guns. They took the latter vvith four of the merchantmen, and drove 16 others on shore. The Alexander of 20 six-pounders, and 150 men, commanded by Captain Phillips, being on a cruize, a large ship was discovered at anchor under a small fort in St. Martin's Road, in the island of Rhd. Captain Phil* lipal stood boldly in, boarded her with 50 men, and brought her off. She proved to be (he Solebay of 22 nine pounders, and 230 men, which had been taken by the French two years before. The king, to reward the captain for his intrepidity, ordered a purse of 500 gui- neas, and a gold medal worth 200 more to be presented to him. Captain Fortunatus Wright, commanding the Fame, a privateer of Liverpool, took, during a cruize in the Levant, sixteen French ships, one of which mounted 20 guns, and was manned with a chosen crew of 150 men, expressly for the purpose of taking or destroying the Fame. After a furious action of three hours off the is- land Of Cyprus, the enemy lan their ship ashore, and cs- 284 THB BRITISH TRIDENT; caped ; but the vessel was boarded and brought off by Captain Wright. The Dublin, privateer, took a register-ship worth 100,0001. and another valued at 150>000l. was cap- tured b^ the King George, the Duke, and the Prince Frederic. In the West Indies, vice-admiral Davers, commander- in-chief on the Jamaica station, having received intelli^ gence that M. de Conflans, with four men-oPwar, and a hrge convoy of merchantmen was expected at Mar- ^inico from France, immediately detached Captain Mitchell with a squadron to intercept him. On the 3d of August Captain Mitchell discovered the French fleet, but instead ot' bearing down to attack them, he called a council of war, in which ii was resolved to defer the at- tack till the next morning. M. de Confl^ns, expecting an attack, formed , his line of battle, «nd prepared to defend his convoy. A calm prevented the squadrons from approaching till the afternoon, when a favorable breeze for the ?Lnglisb sprung up^ and every one on board expected to be led on to battle, when, to their utter mortification, a signal was made to haul on a wind, and shorten sail. M. de Conflans, encouraged by conduct 80 disgraceful, now gave chace, and bis head-most ship, coming up with the Lenox, a smart act'oii of tvfo hours ensued. Captain Lawrence bravely defended his ship, and the French rnt^mandGt bore away to rejoin his con- voy. Captain Mitchell was so much alarmed lest the French should continue the pursuit, that he ordered his ships to put out their lights, and to make sail from the enemy. He was soon alterwards brought to a court* martial for his pusillanimous conduct in this action, and though the charges of cowardice and i^lect OR^ REGISTER OF ITAVAL ACTIONS. 295 of duly were clearly proved, such was the lenity of the court, that they only adjudged him to be mulcted five years pay, and to be rendered incapable of ever serving again in the royal navy. Captain Brodie,of the Merlin sloop, siill continued io cruize with his usual activity and success. He this year look two large French ships of great value, after an ob- stinate conflict in which he lost his right arm ; and, foir his bravery and vigilance, was promoted to the com* mand of the Canterbury of 60 guns. Advice having been received in the East Indies, that a squadron of eight men-of-war, destined for the coast of Coromandel, had sailed from the Mauritius, under the command of M. de la Bourdonnais, Commodore Barnet repaired to Madras, for the defence of that set- tlement. The service soon afterwards sustained a se« vere loss in the death of that officer, upon which the command of the squadron on that station devolved on Captain Peyton, who continued cruizing be- tween Fort St. David and Negapalam till the 25th of June, when the French squadron was discovered stand- ing along shore to the northward. The wind being light. Commodore Peytoi could not bring the enemy to action till four in the afternoon. An engagement be- gan, which lasted till seven, when it grew dark. The loss sustained by the English was 14> men killed, and 46 wounded. That of the eiiemy amounted to 27 killed* and 53 wounded- The French ship, Insulaireof 20guns, was dismasted, and so much disablcfd, that M. de la Bourdonnais ordered her to Bengal to refit. She was there lost at the mouth of the Ganges, and all her crew perished. The two squadrons continued near each other during the whole of the next day. Commodore Peyton Sf86 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; summoned a council of war, in which it wa»apeed/tbat in consideration of the bad condition •f the ships, it would be highly prejudicial to the service to hazard a second engagement. In consequence of this resolution the squadron repaired to Trincomal^ in the island of Cey Ion, and the French repaired to Pondicheriy* The conduct of Commodore Peyton on this occasion has been treated with an asperity which he does not ap- pear to have deserved. Those who are so liberal in ^ their censure of that officer^ have certainly forgotten th« great disproportion which existed between bis force and that under M. de la Bourdonnais. The English squa- dron consisted of six ships, carrying 270 guns and 1700 men, while that of the French was composed of eigblL ships, having 398 guns and 3300 men. On .the 6th of August Commodore Peyton appeared off Negapatam, and casae in sight of (he French squa^ dron a few leagues to the southward of Pondicherry, but still thought it prudent to decline an engagement. M. de la Bourdonnais now resolved to lay siege to Madras« •nd proceeded to Pondicherry to make the necessary arrangements. The governor and council immediately sent to commodore Peyton, who was then lying in the road of Pulicat, about eight leagues to thenorthward of Madrai, to inform him of Iht perilous situation of that settlemetit entreating bin to come ta its relief^ but that oflScer not ihioking himself jostifrid in Iiasarding an ac- tion with his crasy ships, and a superior enemy, pro- ceeded to Bengal to refit. Madras was immediately invested both by land and sea, and on the 10th of Sep- tember Governor Morse capitulated. Towards the conclusion of the year Commodore GrifliD arrived firom England with five ships of war. OKt ftieiSTER OP NAVAL ACTIONS. fiS7 which gave the British naval force, in India, a decided sirperiority over ihat of the eneny. ANSON'S ENGAGEMENT OFF CAPE HNISTERRE. At the beginning of the year t747» the French go- vernment remlving to attempt the recovery of Cape Breton, equipped a strong squadron at Bre^S, and gave the command of it to M. de la Jonquiere. Another squadron was at the same time pmpared to sail to the East Indies, and these, for the better protection of their convoys, were ordered to proceed, in company, as far as possible. On receiving this intelligence the English ministry ordered a strong force to be got ready. The command of this fleet was conferred on Vice-admiral Anson and Rear-admiral Warreo, and it consisted of the following ships;— Ships. ' Gum. Conmtnders. ./ George ^nson, Esq. vice. Prince George 90 ^ admiral of the Slue. vCapt. John Bentley. Namur........ 74 J^^'P'' "*""• ^"''^'^ ^^ ( cawen. f Peter Warren, psq. Tear. Devonshire. •••»•«.•• 66 < admiral of the White. t Capt. Temple West. Monmouth. •«...••••.. 64... .....^H. Harrison. Prince Frederic. .. . .«64. • H. Morris. Yarmouth.... .«. . ».. •.64..« . . .-« .Piercy Brett, Princess Louisa 60. ►. ... . — -C. Watson. Nottingham 60 Ph. SauandfeK. - Defiance«.«.......«.60..««.«—.T. Grenvilte. , f88 THE BKITZSH TRIOENTf Pembroke... • .....••.60 Capt.T. Finclier* Windsor ..60.... T. Hanway. Centurion. 50. ........P. Denis. Falkland.: 50... B. Barradell Bristol ... 50 .Hon. W.Montaga Ambuscade. ........ -40 J. Montagu. Falcon ..10.... R. G wynne, Vulcan fire-ship ...... 8.... J. PeUigrew. With this force Admiral Anson sailed on the dlh of AprU from Plymouth and remained of Ushant and Brest till the '20th, when he stood to the south-west, in order to make Cape Finisterre. He cruized off that place till tl;f% 3d of Mayf when the French fleet, consisting of .^8 sail was discovered. Nine of the enemy's ships imme- diately shortened sail and drew into a line of battle a-head.-»-These were :— ~ Ships. lie Serieax ,mm^, 66, L'in vincible .... 74. Le Diamant....56. Le Jason. ...... 52. LeRubis......62. La Gloire. .... .44. L'A pollon ...... 30. LePhilibert 30. La Thetis....... 20. La Vigilante. ... 22. La Modeste. ... 22. Le Dartmouth.* 18. 1 Gani. Men. Commanden. Cm. de la Jonquiere, chef •^^^1 d'escadre. .700* . . . M. de St. George, .450 M. d'Hoquart, .355 . . . . M. de Beccard. .328....M. M'Carty; .300. . . . M. de Salesse. .132.«..M< de Saoton. -170.*.-M. deCelIie> . .M. de Ma^on. .100. .100 .100 « 10. ,.M* de Penocbe* • K, KEGIStEK OF NAVAL ACTIONS. ^99 Meanwhile the ships under (heir protection, atnon^ which were six smart fri^^dtes, or armed vessels, crowd- €3 all the sail 4hey could, in the hope of effecCing (heir escape. The English admiral al first made the signs. for his squadron lo form the line of battle, but Comrrto- dore Warren suspecting that the manoeuvre of the enetny was intended only to gain time and to favor the escape of the convoy, communicated his opinion to Mr. Anson, w\w, immediately took in his signal for the line, and hoisted one for a general chace. About four in the afternoon the Centurion, Captain Denis, having got up with the enemy's !ilemtno«;t ship, began to engage her; and had to sustain the united attack of two of the largesJL French ships which bbrddown to her assistance, till the arrival of iheNatnur, Defiance", and Windsor, which en- gaged the enemy with the greatest spirit. TheNamur, Captain Boscawen, being vigorously attacked by several of the French sliips, the Defiance, Captain Grenville,bore down to his relief. Both these othcers displayed the greatest bravery, and having disabled their antagonists, diey, together with the Windsor, plished forward to pre- vent the enemy's van from escaping. The Devonshire, Commodore Warren, had by this time come up ^ilh M. de \» Jonquiere, in the Serieux, and closely en- |[ttge^ fjirn till the latter struck. The commodore then proc^d^d to attack the Inviticibje, commanded by M. de It. Cjeorge, and was so well seconded by the Pem- bro(te and the Bristol, thai his anlagotiist was quickly dismasted; — On tliis ot:casioh the spirit with which the British Captains fought, canrtot be better evinced than By the following fact: — When the Bristol^ Captain Montagu^ began to engage the Invincible, Captain Fincher in the Pembiroke, endeavoured to get in i^':i \0L,I. 2 c 290 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; between her and tlie enemy, but not finding suilicMcnt room, lie hailed the Bristol, and rcque<;t('d Capiaiii Monlagu to put his helm a-starboard, or tliv*; Pembroke Vr'ouid run foul of Im ship. To this Captain MoiUn^u reph'ed . ** Run foul of me and bo d — d; neither you nor anv man in the world shall come between me and my enemy." — The enemy defended themselves with un- common obstinacy, and it was not till the admiral him- self came up that they all struck, after nn engagement of three hours. The compliment paid by M. Jonquiere to the British admiral on this occasion, is too remarkable to be omitted. Monsieur, (said he, presenting his sword to Mr. Anson), vous avez vaincu V Invincible et la Gloire V9US juit,'^** Sir, you have conquered the Invincible, and Glory follows you ;" alluding to the names of two of the French ships. About seven in the evening the admiral brought to, having previously detached the Monmouth, Yarmouth, and Nottingham, in pursuit of the convoy, which they came up with and took nine sail. Three of these were East I udia ships. The remainder escaped by favor of the night« The loss of the French in this action was about 700 m^n killed and wounded.. One of their captains was killed, another lost his leg, and M. de la Jonquiere re- ceived a wound by a musket-ball in the shoulder. .^ On board the English (leet 250 were kiLtecf. and wounded. Among the former was the gallant com- mander of the De6ance, Captain Grenville, at the. age of twenty-eight years* *' who, (to use the words of the commander in chief), was an excellent officer, and whose death cannot be sufficiently lamented." Being mortally wounded in the thigh by a fragment of his shat- tered ship, he exclaimed when expiring, " How much t>R« REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS* 29 if more desirable it is thus to meet death, than, suspected of cowardice, to fear justice!" He was nephew to Viscount Cobham, who erected to his memory an ele- gant column, ornamented with trophies, in his gardens at Stowe. Vice-Admiral Anson brought his prizes in safety to Spithead. The money found on board them amounted to upwards of 300,0001. which was put into twent^T waggons, and conveyed to London under a military escort. On the 1 3th of June Admiral Anson was created a peer of Great Britain, i|nd Rear- Admiral Warren waft honored with the order of iho Bath* Soon after Vice-Admiral Anson sailed, a squadron of six men of war was dispatched, under the command of Captain Fox, with directions to cruize between Ushanl and Cape Finisterre, fbr the purpose of intercepting s large fleet of French merchantmen, which were ex« peeled from the West Indies. On the 20th of June thi» ^cet, consisting of upwards of 170 sail, was discovered. They were protected by four ships of war, to whiciv Captain Fox immediately gave chace. The French commodore, M. du Bois de la Motte, finding that he had greatly the advantage of the English ships, kept in the rear of his convoy to defend it and favor its escape. Captain Fox continued the pursuit all night, and the next morn- ing the French commander, perceiving that the enemy gained upon him, deserted his charge, and left the mer- chantmen to shift for themselves. Forty-eight of those vessels were taken, and the remainder were so dispersed ' 2 c 2 i. i9i THE BRITISH TRIDENT; that many of them fell into the possession of dificrent cruizers. Sir Peter Warren being ordered with a squadron to crui^te off Cape Finislerre, was informed on the 22d of June that a large fleet of coasters was lying in c** 'iert Bay, a small port to the westward of Cape Ortegal ; he immediately dispatched Captain Roddam in the Viper sloop of li guns, with the Hunter dogger and a priva- teer, to take or destroy them. Captain Roddam stood into the bay, and attacked and silenced a smgll battery, which, after landing, he totally destroyed. He then burned twenty-eight sail of small vesself^ and in two days rejoined the admiral with five others and a Spanish privateer. For this spirited conduct he was soon after- wards promoted to the command of the Greyhound frigate. On the Hlh of July, the Warwick of 60 guns, Cap- tain Erskine, and the Lark of 44, Captain Crooksbankf, Mho was the senior officer, having under their convoy the trade to Newfoundland, fell in with the Glorioso, a Spanish maoof war of 74 guns and 7^0 men, having on* board plate and treasure to the amount of 1,300,0001. The English ships immediately gave chace, which was continued the whole day. About eleven at night the Lark* being a*breast of the enemy, began to fire, and al^iost at the same instant the Warvvix:k> which till then had kept in the wake of the Lark, tacked and stood to the northward. In consequence of this nuanQduvre, the two ships became widely separated; the Spaoiaird seized the opportunity of attacking the Warwick, which fought with great resolution, till her masts, yards,, sails, and rigging, were shattered and torn to pieces. The Lark, meanwhile* havitig little wind, was unable to get up to 0R| REGISTER OF NAVAL ACTIONS. Q$S support the Warwick, till the latter was so disabled as to be utterly incapable of pursuing the enemy, who made off with all possible expedition. The Glorioso got safe into Ferrol, where she landed her plate and treasure, and then set sail for Cadiz. Her passage towards the latter place was rendered not a little remarkable by the many encounters she sustained with British ships. She was first attacked by the Ox« ford of 50 guns. Captain Callis, who, after having en- gaged her for some timt;, was obliged to abandon the contest in consequence of her very superior force» Scarcely had the Oxfijrd quitted her, when she fell in with the King George, Prince Frederic, Duke, and Princess Amelia, better known by the name of the Royal Family privateers, commanded by Mr. Walker, who, after ashort but spirited action, suffered her to pro- ceed. Captain Hamilton, in the Dartmouth, of 50guns» being so near as to hear the firing, bore down upon tho Glorioso and attacked her with great impetuosity. They had not been long engaged when the Dartmouffi blew up, and her brave commander perished, together with his whole crew, excepting seventeen persons, who were taken op by the boats of one of the privateers. The following circumstantial account ci* this catastrophe is given by Commodore Walker in the narrative of his voyages: / '* The unfortunate ship whic i was bl6wn up was the Dartmouth man of war. Captain James Hamilton, who being the night before several leagues to the westward, and hearing iht report of the guns in the late engage- ment, made the best of his way to the point from whence the firing proceeded. In plying up to windward, he i«llin with our chace first, and engaged her before our 2c 3 fi9i THB BRITISH TRIDENT; iliips came up ; so lba(« being the heavlmoft of the fleet, the Darlmouth was imagined by us to be the Prince Frederic. IIo cngagcil the enemy in « rumiing fight, very warmly, fur abuul an hour and a halt with hU bow- cbuce, which the Spaniard as briskly returiwd from hi.i Item, and had come ahuust to a close engageneiU when the Prince Frederic had brought her bow chace to bear, »nd had also begun to engage. In the beginning of this action the Dartmouth blew up, lucky U was for some of her people that the Prince Frederic wa< so near, as she immediately got Qtti her boala to their assistance* ati did likewise tiie Duke* which was also near enough to K>nd her aid. They took up seventeen of then) alive, <:mong whom there was no one of any rank except Mr. O'Brien, who was a young gentleman of Ireland, and then an act- ing lieutenant. He was taken up, having recovered his senses, floating on the carriage of a gun, on which he had been blown out of the 9h»p into the water. He was a young gentleman of great ease in believior, and of a happy readiness of wit, which ttlents he has since improved, so as to gain tiu; esteem, as he before engaged the favor of mankind. His first saJute to Mr. PoUtii was, ** Sir, you must excuse the unfilnesfof my dress to come on board a strange ship, bul reajjy I lefl my own in such a hurry, that I had no time to stay for a change." This easy turn of thought, amidst the melancholy scene lightened the consideration, and verified, the observa- tion, that good-humor h halfway to philosophy. Of all the persons saved, Mr. 0'']^rijsn was the only one who could give any account of the affair, which ws^this: Being sent by Captaia Hamilton with a message to the officer who commanded below, as h« was down betweeo decks, he was met by the gunner who attended the ma?* OR, RECIST«ll or KAVAL ACTIONS. 999 gasine, utaring wildly and trembling. He asked Mr. O'Brien where (he captain wan. " Where should he be» but upon deck ?" replied the lieutenant. ** O, Sir I the magazi.ie " at wbicK word the explosion hap- pened, and he knew no more till he found himself lloat- nig 00 bis new bark in the midst of the sea. Hit escape was the more extraordinary, at he was between decks when the explosion happened ; a circumstance which, it Biigfat nalurally be imagined, would have occasioned lNt«certaiii death; bttt he was pFobably blown out side- ways in tli« sane direction the carriage was sent, and so alighted on it in the wrter ; for he often assured us that he did not get upon it by swimming or catching hold of it, as he found himseU'on it the moment he was sensible." But to return to uie Glocimo. She had now, after so many escapes, nearly reached the place of her destina* tion, when she fell in, off Cape St. Vincent, with the Kussel of 80 guns, commanded by Captain Buckle. This was the first time she had encountered a ship of equal force with herself. Her comnrander, on this oc- casion, behaved with the utmost gallantry, and main- tained an obstinate contest of nearly six hours, during which he had twenty-five men kiltied, when he surren- dered. The number of the Spaniards was to great, that Captain Buckle was obKged to put part of them on board the two privateers, the King George and Prince Frederic, which were in sight during the action. So inferior were the numbers of his own crew, that he was likewise und\er the necessity of taking sixty men froni each of those vessels, to assist in guarding the remainder eftlus prisoners, and in navigating his own ship, together with thepriaei to Lisbon, where he arrived with her in 296 THE BRITISH TRIDENT | safely. la (he aclion ihe Russel had twelve men killed and twenty wounded. HAWKE'S ENGAGEMENT OFF CAPE FIN IJ5TERIIE. ' A nuttierbus fleet of French merchant ships being ready at the Isle of Aix (o sail under the convoy of a strong ^squadron to the West Indies, Admiral Hawke was dispatched to cruize offCape Finisterre, in the hope of intercepting (hem. He accordingly sailed' fron» Plymouth on (he 9th of August, with (h« following ships :»« Ships. GuM> McD» Commanden. r Edwd. Hawke, Esq. rear* Devonshire..... 66^.. 550 -^ admiral of the Red. (Captain» J. Moore» Kent 74.-550....-..-T. Fox. Edinburgh... ... .70. .480 . . H. Cotes. Yarmouth...... 64.-4 10 >.C. Saunders. MonmouL^^ .64. .410..... . ..H. Harrison. Princess Louisa..60..400.........C. Watspn. Windsor ...... .60« .400. T. Hanway« Lion ......... .60. .400. ........ A. Scott. Tilbury . . 60. .400. ... ^ ... R. Harland. Nottingham.... 60. .400....... .P. Slaumarez. Defiance ...... .60. .400. ....... J. Bentley. Eagle .......... 60.. 400. ........G. B. Rodney. Gloucester ..... 50. .300. ........ Ph. Durell. Portland ......# 50. . 300. ^ C . Stevens. Admiral Hawke continued cruizing according to his. instructions, till on ihsi 14(h of Oc(ober, at seven in the • R, RKCISTSa CF NAVAL ACTIONS. 297 lijorning, he discovered the French fleet. A general ciiace immediately commenced, and in an hour the Kngh'sh saw a great number of ships, but so crowded that they could not count them. At ten Mr. Hawke made the signal for i\\e line of battle a-head, and soon afterwards thii Louisa being the headmost and weather* most ship« made a signal for discovering eleven sail of the enemy's line of battle ships. In balf an hour he was hailed by Captain Fox, of the Kent, vvho informed him that they counted twelve very large ships. The French commodore at first mifltook the British fleet for part of his own convoy which bad separated in the night, but discovering his error, on a nearer approach, he directed the Contents of 64 gunt, and all the frigates, to make the best of their way with the merchantmen, atxi drew out the following ships in order of battle:-^ Shipfc Ounit ;LeTonnant....80. L*Intrepide..«,.74, Le Terrible. ,-.7 4., Le Monarque..74. Le Neptune..,. 70- Le Trident..,, 64- he Fougueux.,»64., Le Severn. .•..56.. Men. Comnundeiib rM. de L'Etendeur, chef •822 < d'escadrc. CCapt. M. du Chauflfaut. .686 Count de Vaudreuil, .686.. ..--Count de Guay. .686. ..... M. de Bedoyerre, . 686 M. de Fromentiero. . .630..... .M. d'Amblimont. .650 M. Duvigneau. ,b5Q M. Durouret* Admiral Hawke observing that this manceuvre was designed by the French commander to facilitate the escape of the convoy, and finding that he himself losk time in forming his line, while the enemy was s4andin|^ 293 THE BRITISH TRIDENT; dway from him, made (he signal at eleven for a general chace. When his headmost ships were at a proper dis* tance he made signal for engaging, which was imme- diately obeyed. About noon the Lion and the Prin- cess Louisa, which were the headmost ships of the Bri« tish squadron, came up with the enemy's rear, and began to engage very warmly, passing along their Fii^e of fire, to the van. The French squadron was inferior in point of force ; but had the advantage of the weather* gage. The English admiral, in tiie Devonshire, in pas* sing on to the first ship he could get near, received the «^i8tant fire of several vesgeU, till he came close to the Severn, of 60 guns, which being icon silenced, he ltd her to be taken by the frigate astern. He then hJEiuIed his wind, to assist the Eagle and Edinburgh, which were both closely engaged wiih (he Tonnant, and the latter of which had lost her fore-top mast. This attempt was, however, frustrated. The Eagle having had her wheel shot to pieces, ail the men at it killed, and her braces and bowlings destroyed, fell twice an board the Devon- shire, which drove that ship to leeward, and prevented her from attacking Le Monarque and Le Tonnant with- in such a distance as to do execution. The admiral at length succeeded in his endeavors to close with those two ships; but while engaged with the latter, the breeching of all hi^ lower deck guns broke, and the guns flew fore and aft, which obliged him to shoot a-head, as (hose on the upper aud quarter-deck could not reach his antagonist. Captain Harland of the Til- bury, observing that the Tonnant fired single guns at the Devonshire, in order to dismast her, stood on the other iack between that ship and the enemy, and gave her a very smart fire. OR. REGISTEn Of NATAL ACTIONS. 291 Tiie new breecliings of (he Devonshire were speedily seized, so that she was again soon in a condition to renew the action, by which time the admiral had got almost alongside the Trident, of 64' guns, which ship he imme« dkitely began to engage. He kept up such a brisk fire upon her that she soon struck. The activity and intre- pidity of Admiral Hawke were displayed in a most dis- tinguished manner in this engagement. The Devon- shire had now taken two of the enemy's ships, but not saltsiied with the glory he had already acquired, the British commander bore down within musket-shot of the Terrible, of 74* guns. Having got alongside of her, he attacked her with such fury, that about sev^n in the even- ing the enemy called for quarter. While the gallant admiral was thus employed. Cap- tain Saunders, of the Yarmouth, with unparalleled bra- very, engaged the. Neptune, of 70 guns; and though the Monarch, of the same force, lay for some time on his bow, and another of the enemy's ships on his sternt he fought with such spirit, that after a close action of two hours and a half the two former struck. The Neptune which had 100 men killed and 140 wounded in this des- perate encounter, was so near the Yarmouth when she surrendered, that the crew of the latter jumped on board to take possession of their prize. It was now growing dark ; six of the enem/s ships had struck, and the Tonnant and Intrepide, to escape the fate of their companions, crowded all the sail they could* and endeavored to get away under favor of the night. Notwithstanding the damage the Yarmouth had sustained in the obstinate conflict in which she had been engaged. Captain Saunders could not with pa- llcng.e observe the flight of the enemy» while none of m 5:1 soo THE BRITISH TRIDEVt; the English ships were in pursuit of them. He, thferc- fore, proposed tp Captain Saumare2, in the Notttng- Jiam, and Captain Rodney, in the Eagfe, who were within haif, to stand after them. Those three ships ac- cordingly gave chace ; about eight they came up with the enemy, and engaged them. Unfortunately Cap- tain Saumarez was killed by the first ire from the Ton- nant, which occasioned the Nottingham to haul her vn id. — The Eagle being unable to get near enough to come into action, the Yarmouth had to deal with both the enemy's ships for some time, till they, at length, got out of the reach of her guns^ and escaped. The French behaved in this engagement ivilh uncom- mon spirit, and evinced great judgment in their man- CBuvres. All the ships taken, excepting two, were dis- masted ; they had upwards of 800 men killed and wounded, and among the former the captain of the Neptune. The loss on the part of the English amount- led to 134lci]led, and 558 wounded. Among the for- mer, sii\^e have already mentioned, was Captain Sau- marez. This bfave and excellent officer was one of ihe lieutenants of the Centurion, in the celebrated expedi- tion of Commodore Anson ; and in the year 1746 dis- tinguished himself by the capture sf the Mary, ^s has been already related. At the time of his death he was only 37 years old. A plain monument is erected to his memory in Westiminster Abbey. Sir James Saumarez, whose distinguished services, during the late war, have placed him in the first rank of our naval heroes, is, we believe, his grandson. Admiral Hawke brought to for the night, in order to collect his ships, and the next morning called a coun- cil of war, in which it was decided, that it would be im- prudent to pursue the enemy's convoy. He^ how.everi ^ OR^ EEGISTEE OF NAVAL ACTIONS 301 ^spatched Ibe W«AsqI floop to Commodore Legge at the Leeward Islands to appriaie him of their approach^ thai he might take the necessary measures for intercept- ipg then. In, consequence of this precaution many of the ships were taken by the English cruizers on that station. The admiral then steered for England, and on the 31st of October arrived at Portsmouth, with his prizes, all of which, excepting the Neptune, were pur- chased by gavecnmeni, and added to the navy. In the iblknving month, his majesty, as a reward for his ser- vices, he., >red him with the order of the Bath. • No other naval transaction worthy of notice occurred during the remainder of the year. In January, 174^^ Rear-admiral Sir Edward Hawke being ordered to cruize with a squadron in the mouth of the Channel* discovered a sail, to which the admiral directed the Nottingham, Captain Harland, and the Portland, Cap- tain Stevens, to give chace. The Nottingham got up witb the enemy ibout ten o'clock, but the Portland being the sternmos t ship, did not arrive to support her consort till nearly an hour after the commencement of the action. The sea ran so high as to prevent both the EngKsh ships and the enemy from opening their lowee ports; so that, owing to the uncertainty of firing witb efiect in such a swell, the action was. prolonged till four in the afternoon, when the ertemy struck. She proved to be the Magnahime, of 74' guns, and 686 men, comr manded by the Marquis d'Albert, and was part of a squadron bound to the East Indies ; but, having suffered considerable .damage in 9 lieavy gale of wind, was re- VOL. I. 2 9 302 THE BRITISH TftlOENT; turning (o Brest. In (he encounter the had forty-five men killed and 105 wounded. The NuiHiighani had six« teen men killed aod eighteen wounded'; but the Port*' knd, which had kept constantly on the enemy's quarter, bad only four wounded. The Edinburgh of 70 guns* commanded by Captain Cotcd, having been sent> together with the Eagle, Windsor/and Princess Louisa, of 60 guns each, and the Inverness of 24> guns, to join the «c|uadron under Sir Ed- ward Hawke, fell in with a Spanish fleet off Cape Can- tin. It consisted of the nine following ships of the line :' El Sobervio and Leon, of 74. guns each; Coloriado of 70 ; Oriento. Brillanle, and La Pastora, of 64-; El Ro- sario of 60; Xavier and La Galgo, of 50 guns, which had under their convoy about twenty of battle to receive the English squadron, which being too weak to hazard an engagement with such a superior force, Captain Coles endeavored to cut off some of the convoy, which he observed dispersed and in great con- fiision. He accordingly gave chace and took five, of which three were register-ships bound to Vera Cruz, The Spanish admiral, who meanwhile remained with his fleet in the line of battle, made not the least effort cither to protect his convoy or to recover the captured sliips. The operations in the West'Indies were this year of a mor& interesting nature than they had been for several preceding one<«. Admiral Knowles, who commanded on the Jamaica station, sailed on the L3th of February froraPorl Royal, with the design of attacking the Spanish 5 guns, Bein^ ginal on Po of the On Sore i\ shot 01 of cam Cbates «hips { •come t tone, 1 thigb. ships ] , reachec .close lii ced,in ships t< but the ofFthroi length, i French the gum terms o dron am the form were Ca €R» REGISTBIl Off NAV AL ACTIONS, SOS settlement of St. Jago de Caba, in the island of Hispa* tiiola. In this expedition he was accompanied by Go* vernor Trelawney, and 340 men belonging to his regi- ment. His squadron consisted of the flag-ship of 80 guns, one of 64, five of 60, one of 50, and two sloops. Being obliged by contrary winds to relinquisli his ori- ginal design, the admiral resolved to make an attempt on Port St. Louis, a French settlement on the south side of the island. On the 8th of March the British squadron arrived be* ibre the place, and the same day drew up within pistol- shot of the batteries, defended by seventy-eight pieces of cannon and 600 men, under the command of M. da Chateaunoj'e. The garrison played furiously on the ships as they advanced, and before the Strafford could come to an anchor, her brave commander. Captain Ren- tone, was killed by a shot which took off his leg and thigb. According to the orders of the admiral, the ships never returned the eneroy*s fire till they had , reached the stations assigned them, and had moored in a «lo8e line ahead. A furious cannonade then commen- ced, in the midst of which the French sent some fire- ships to drop on board the Cornwall or the Elizabeth* but the boats being immediately manned, towed them off through a brisk fire of the enemy's musketry. At length, after a tremendous cannonade of three hours, the French ofHcers found it impossible to keep their men to the guns ; their fire ceased, and the governor accepted terms of capitulation. The loss sustained by the squa- dron amounted to seventy killed and wounded. Among the former, the only officers besides Captain Rentone, were Captain Cust, who served as a volunteer on board 2d 2 i i! S04 THC B&ITISH TRIDENT I the Eli'zabefb, and Lieutenant Brebner of (he CornwaU, The enemy had 160 men killed and wounded; and three ships, a snow, and three privateers, were taken in the harbour. Admiral Knowlei having completely destroyed the fortifications, proceeded with his squadron to the at- tack of St. J ago de Cuba. On the 6ih of April he arrived before that place, and the plan of attack being arranged, the Plymouth and Cornwall were ordered to lead into the harbour. As they approached, their commanders Observed that the enemy had laid a boom across the entrance, behind which were moored four vessels filled with combustiblev, ready to be 6red in case the British ships should succeed tn forcing the boota. Carptain Dent, lEiware of the dah^, l^er into which the squadron might be led if he pro- ceeded« took the opinion of his officers, who all agreed^ that, if he persisted in attempting to force the boom, the ships would be exposed to almost inevitable destruction. He therefore hauled off after firing a few broadsides^ upon which the design was relinquished, and the ticfua- €lron returned to Jamaica. At the desire of the admiraK Captain Dent was afterwards tried by a court-martial ibr his conduct on this occasion, bnd ^as -most honorably acquitted. tNGAGEmiENT OFF THE HAvii^NAH. After this failure Admiral Knowles cruized off the Tortuga Bank, in the hope of intercepting the Spanish -plate fleet, expected at the Havannah from Vera Cruz. The LenoX; one of the ships of his squadron, being very Weak and in bad condition,.v^s ordered home to convoy OR, RfiGISTSR OF NATAL ACTIONS. 305 5 a fleet of merchantmen, having previously had twenty* o four of her gqps taken out to enable her to make the pas- sage with greater safety. |^^l it' September the i9th| in the morning/* says an ofBcer on board the l^nox, '/ we spied seven sail^ of large ships bearing down upon us, which proving to be Spanish ; i^en of war, our captain made a signal for his convoy to ^ jBave thjemselves as well as they could. We then stood ; lowards the ei^emy ^ill it was almost dark, when it was .thought prudent to provide for our own safely, having . nearly 200,0001., on board. We had hopes of meeting ,^witb Admiral JCnowles, who was cruizing off the Tor- f.,tuga Bank. We accordingly joined him the next mqrn« iljjngf aiid informed him of what had happened, on which {, we mado sail to ^eet the Dons, and on the 1 st of Octp« ber came up with thena. The Tilbury led the van, the t'jStrafibrd next, and our ship, the Lenox, in the third place. Admiral, Knowlcs, in the Cornwall, perceiving by the enemy's line of battle that the vice-admiral must fall to our share, bid us fall a-stern of him, that the two cominanders night engage each other; we did accord- ..iingly, and so became the fourth »hip, the Warwick K being next, and the Canterbury last. The enemy at this time having their frigates out of the line, the Ox* j(brd|, our smallest ship, was likewise ordered out ; aud at a little past two the Spaniards began to tire, but at too .j^great a distance to do any execution . Soon afterwards .' the admiral made the Tilbury's signal to bear down near the enemy ; but that not being complied with,, he Ered a sltoiortwoat her; however, he himself in the Corn- wall edged down close on the Spanish vice-admiral. We did the same, being very near him, when all hanfagon.i;....^.i94..610....Dondela Pas. 'NdW Spjiln..^.64..610^.. .Don F. Barcella. ROyal Filmily*- .64. -6!0i — . Don M. Forrestal. Galga. • . . • .; ^ . ; 36. . 330. . . .Don P. Gaitecocba. 440 4150 ENGLISH LINE OF BATTLE. Tilbury' .^;^ ...;. ^^ .400. .:• ^Captain, Ch^.P0Wl^|t. Sltaffbrd wi.^'.uul60».i400;>^u.tJ.(......D.'Brodie. CCharles'KnowIes, £sqi near- Cornwall Jhiiifii904^600< admirat'of the Blue, (Captain T«ylor^ I 508 THE BRITISH TBIDBirr; '»o ibq only 56 aboanj.' S ^^- '^^ ^^•'' ^^O^B^W* Warwick 60.-400 T. Inncs. Canterbury 60- -400 Ed. Clarke. * ^ Oxford 50-. 300 Ed. Toll. 426 2900 In this action the Spaniards had eighty-six men killed and 197 men woun.dcd. Among the former were Don T. de St. Justo, Captain of the Conquestadore ; Dun Vincent de Quintana, second captain of the Africa; and Don Pedro Garrecocha, captain of the Gatga : and among the latter. Admiral Riggio, with fourteen other officers. The British squadron had fifty-nine men killed and 1 20 wounded. The conduct of the different officers concerned in this engagement, as well that of the admiral himself, as of his captains, soon became a subject of $erio us investiga- tion. Mr. Knowles is said to have privately propagated charges against individuals under his command, which they, when informed of« were not backward to repel. In their own vindication they even attributed the prin- cipal, if not the only cause, of the failure, to the mis- conduct of the commander in chief. On his return to England he was tried by a court-martial, held on board the Royal Charlotte ykcbt, at Deptford,. on. the I (th of December, 1749. >On .thfi' 20ib the .evidence closed, * when the court unanimously found him guilty of negli- gence, in not bringing up the squadroo in closer order than he did ; for not beginning the attack with so great OR, RICttTIK or VAVAL ACTIONS. IT; impression on the enemy's works, resolved, as the rainy season was fast approaching, to abandon (he attempt, in which he had already lost upwards of 1000 soldiers end seamen. In Novembci he received advice of the cessation of hostilities between the belligerent powers. On the I5lh of October the Ch'jsterfield, of 40 gans, being at anchor off Cape Coast Castle; in Africa, Cap- tain Dudley, who was then on shore, sent off his barge to Mr. Couchman, the first lieutenant, ordeiing him to send the cutter on shore, with the boatswain of the ship, to see the tents struck, and to carry every thing belonging to the ship on board that night. Couch- man, instead of complying, ordered the birge to be hoisted in, and the boatswain to turn all Ir nds on the quarter-deck ; upon which he advanced from his cabiw, with a drawn sword, and declai ed he would stand by ♦hem while he had a drop of blood in his body. He was accompanied by John Morgan, the lieutenant of marines, Thomas Knight, the carpenter, his mate, John Place, and about 30 men with cutlasses, who immediate- ly gave three cheers. Couchman then sent for Mr. Gas- tril, the boatswain, to know if he would join bis party. He replied that he would not, at the same time intreating •Lim to consider what would be the consequences of his -conduct. Couchman then threatened to pUt him in irons, but the boatswain boldly told him, h^ would never join in such piratical designs. He was then ordered into custody, and two centinels placed over him. Couchman then sent for Gilham, the mate of the ship, to whom he made the same proposal ; but the latter de- sired to know whither he was bound and on what account. H6 replied ;—*" to take, burn, and sink; and to settle a colony in the East Indies!" Five or six more wece put • R, REGISTER. OF NAVAL ACTIONS. 311 into custody with the boatswain, but Iheir confinement was not of long duration ; for about midnight Couchman sent for them into the great cabin, pud desired them to sit and drink with him, after which he dismissed them. The next day the boatswain was invited to dinner by the new commander, who began to rail against Captain Dudley, ajid asked him and one of the mates what they thought of the affair. Tiiey both replied they thought it rank piracy; on which Couchman said it was now too late for him to recede, and he had been forced into the measures he had taken by the ship's company. The boatswain represented to him that nothing could justify him in running away with the king's ship. The iieule- nant and carpenter then proposed their signing a paper, but the boatswain replied he would sooner suffer death and in this declaration ke was joined by the mate. When the boatswain had left the great cabin he went to that of the gunner, who was sick and unable to leave it; in order to concert measures for recovering the ship. Couchman's party had seized all the armsf but the gunner informed him that he could furnish twenty pistols. By this time Mr. Fraser and Mr. Gilham, mates, the gunner's mate and yeoman, with the cock- swain of the barge, had joined them, and to this little party the boatswain communicated his design of secur- ing the ship that night. They unanimously and with the greatest alacrity engaged to support him in the at- tempt It now began to be very dark, and the bpat- swain went to sound the ship's company. On the fore- castle there were about thirty men, to whom he, in a prudent manner disclosed his design, and soon convinced them of the necessity for its immediate executior\. The first step was to get up all th« irons on the forecastle; he 312 TIIB BAfYMR TRIOENYI (hen sent for the twenty pistols which were all loaM. He next stationed three men upon the grand magnine,' and two to tliat abaft ; the remainder who had no pts* tots were directed to stay by the irons, ami secure as* many prisoners as he should send. This dispositmn being made, he went directly down on the deck, where he divided his small company into two parties; onie going down the main and the other the fore hatch* way, they soon secitled eleven or twelve of the ring^^ leaders, whom they sent up to the forecastle without the least noise. The two parties then joined and went directly to the great cabin, where they secured* C6uch- man, the lieutenant of marines, and the carpenter, whqm they immediately secured in different parts of the ship, which they brought safe to Portsmouth. For this spirited conduct Mr. ^Sgstril was promoted ttf be the boatswain at the dock-yaid of that port, and the other office^^ who had assisted him were re« ward^. Coachman and his associates were, the fdlowlifg year, tried by a court-martial. He, together wUh^ tiie Keutenant of marines, the carpenter and his mate, the quarter-master, the steward and seven teamen, received sentence of death. The two first weri^ shot, on board the Chesterfield; the four others and one seaman were hanged : but the rest were pardoned by his majesty. On the 17 th of October, a treaty of general peace was concluded and signed at Aix la Chapelle. The following is a comparative vStatement of the losses by sea of the di^erent powers during the war: — ■ It igazine» i no pis- care a» poritipti , whei^ es; ofrie b lwtcti« the T\ng^ I without wdwent rCbuch- arpenter, L parts of ilh. For moled ttf port, anil were re- following ler wit^ his mate, teamen, ert shot, and one ioned bj^ \d\ peace jt of the fring the OR, RfelSXiTiR 0> )^AVAL ACTIONS. SIS ^i*/ ^wdr taken art J deshoyed fy the EngltsL .Of the line. Frigates and Sloops. Total. SpanUh...--l3 4 17 French 20 14 34 33 18 51 l^rge Privateeri and armed Shtjis taken and destroyed , ly the English Ships. Guns. Men. Spanish 40 „. (587 5237 French 129..... 2512 15761 . , Total ,..16» 3199 209y8 Brit'rh shi^s tf war taken and destroyed by the French ,and Spaniards, S Of the line. Frigatcn. Sloops and Flre-shlps. TotaL 2 4... 8 .14 State of the royal navy of Great-Britain at the peace ef Aix laChapelle, October, 1743« Kates. Number, Guns. Men. Tons. First 5 100.-... 850 20CX> Second 11..-. 90 ^750... .1730 Third 17. .. 80 600 15S5* Third ; 27 70 480 1415 Fourth 33 60 400.--. 1191 . Fourth 32.-.. 50 300 105$ Fifth 39 44 250..-. 815 Sixth 47 24 160.... 509 Sloops 3S.... 14..*. 110.... 2Sa VOL. I. € 6 > 3li THE BRITISH TKIDENT; Hates. Namber. Guns. Men. Bombs 10.... 12.... 100... Storeships..... 3....'24>....120... Fire-ships.... 5.... 16.... 45... Hospital-ships 7. v.. 20.... 100... Yachts 49 10 20... Tons. .. 282 .. 694 .. 304 .1895 .. 164 Total 320 12,196 82»845 259,423 Ta END OF VOL. I. ■;jsx: J. Cundee, Primer, IwLant, / ■ ' fi -.„> *,.-■'■ » i •.1