6 *2 W. and M. Naval Expeditions , §cc. 0/ the Englisli, Book I>

1691. The Opinions of the Flag OfficersAn Attempt having been reported to the Queen innpon the Council, Her Majesty was pleased toCamareN let the Admiral know, that tho’ ffie hadBaypropos- by former Orders, sufficiently informede ^ : him what Services ffie expected from

the Fleet; Yet since the French Fleetwas now in Camaret-Bay, and that pro-bably he might have an Opportunity ofattacking them there, ffie thought itought not to be neglected ; Especially,as it was reasonable to believe, the At-tempt might be made, before the Expi-ration of the Time the Council of Warhad limited, for sending Home the greatShips. However, Her Majesty did notablolutely command it; But declaredShe would be satisfied, in this Matter,with the Resolution of a Council ofWar.

But disap- The Admiral called a Council osproved, by War, accordingly, where this MatteraCouncilos Was f a ] <en j nto Consideration ; But theProject was disapproved of, and theirReasons for it alledged, (o)

The five and twentieth of August ,The Admi- the Admiral received farther Ordersral receives from the Lords of the Admiralty, pre-jrefh Orders: p arec ] j n Obedience to Her Majesty’sPleasure, signified at the Cabinet-Coun-

cil-Cp)

And puts to Pursuant to these Orders, the

Sea. Admiral put to Sea, with the very first

Opportunity of a Wind, and, on thethirty-first of August, made the Landof XJJhant ; But not a Sail appearing that

Day, or the next, he steered away for 1691-the Lizzard , ten Leagues, West-South-West, from which Place was the appoint-ed Station. .

If the French had been inclined toJ^L^ renC 'fight, they could not have wiffied a pitting.fairer Opportunity: For they mighthave had the Weather-gage on theirown Coast; But they were satisfied tolay safe in Port, rather than hazardBlows, tho’ with this Advantage. ^

The second of September , our Fleetbeing in the Soundings, so violent a teredoStorm arose, that, for their Safety, they Storm:were obliged to bear up for so dange-rous a Port as Plymouth, (which, faysBishop Burnet, was much censured) ^Where they arrived in a shattered Condi - 10 re tur^tion, with the Loss of the Coronation, a Harbour-Second-Rate, which founder’d off ofthe Ram-head, and the Harwich, aThird-Rate, which ran on Shoar, andwas bulged. And thus ended the fruit-less Transactions of our Fleet for thisYear: For tho’ a Squadron of Englijhand Dutch Ships was formed and order-ed, under the Command of Sir RalphDelaval, to station between twenty andthirty Leagues South-West of Cape -Clear ; Yet, he being four Times beatenback by, contrary Winds, his ;Expedi-tion ended in as little as that of the greatFleet.

In the mean Time, the French, afterthe Battle they lost, on the twelfth ofJuly, and the Surrender of Galloway,

not

3. That when the great Ships could no lon-ger keep at Sea, the most convenient Place forthem to remain at, for farther Orders, was Spit-head.

AnD it was also agreed, that between ten andtwenty Leagues IV. S. W. from Scilly , was themost proper Station for the Fleet to cruise in, soas to enable them to do Service.

( 0 ) That altho’ the Enemy were there, yet,considering the Scarcity of Provisions, and thebad Weather which might be expected, at sucha Season of the Year, it was in no wife advisa-ble to make any Attempt upon them.

They also adhered to their former Opini-ons,

That the most proper Station for the Fleetto ly in was ten or twenty Leagues W.S.W. fromScilly ; And that the Ships ought not to continuein a Body longer than the last of this Month, un-less there lhould be an absolute Necessity; Andif so, not beyond the tenth of September : But itwas thought necessary (if Wind and Weatherwould permit) to go before (JJhant, (and notBrefi) that so the French might know we were atSea, and then forthwith to return to the afore-said Station off of Scilly-

That they were sensible a Battle might be ofgreat Advantage to the Publick, but wished theEnemy would give an Opportunity for it, with-

out putting the Fleet under a Hazard of Destruc-tion, by attempting them in their Harbours, e-Ipecially at the Approach of the Winter-Season.

And, upon considering what Squadron of Shipsought to be kept at Sea, after those with threeDecks should be sent in, it was found ;

That none of those of the States Generalcould continue out, for that their Provisionswould last no longer than the twentieth of Sep-tember, and His Majesty's Orders required theirreturning, by that Time, to Holland: So that, ifthe Queen expected their longer Stay, there want-ed Orders from His Majesty for the fame, as wellas for their Re-victualling; For the King beingStadtholder of that Republick, their Admirals re-ceived all their Instructions immediately fromhim.

_But altho’ it was the Opinion of the Council°s, ” ar i that there was an absolute Necessity fora Squadron to be kept abroad; And that, if asufficient Quantity of Victuals could be provided,a Detachment of proper Ships might be made fora Month; Yet they were cautious in advising theNumber, not knowing what Strength the Frenchwould have at Sea.

(/*), these Orders, he was directed to pro-ceed forthwith to Sea, and to ly in such a Station,as he judged most proper, as well for meeting theFrench Fleet, should they come out again, as for

the