686 W. and M. Naval Expeditions , Scc. oj the Engiiih, Book 1^'

1694.

77k? Com-mand of theFleet givento Mr. Ruf-fe!.

Æ/VCIoudeflyShovel, withFart of theFleets left atSt. Helen's.

AdmiralRuffel failsinto theSoundings,with theReft.

Has Advicewhen theFrench fail-ed fromBrest.

Some FrenchMerchant-fhips destroy-ed in Ber-thaume-Ray.

the Opening of the Campaign. Herewe shall leave His Majesty, to give gnAccount of the Tranfaftions oi theConfederate Fleet.

The King having, before His De-parture, appointed Edward Ruffel,Esq; Sir John Lowther ; Henry Priest-man, Esq; Robert Austen, Esq; Sir Ro-bert Rich, Sir George Rooke, and SirJohn Houblon, Commiflioners for Exe-cuting the Office of Lord High Admi-ral or England and Ireland, the Com-mand of the Main Fleet was conferredon the first of them. This Fleet beingat St. Helen's, and the Forces, designedfor the Expedition against Brejt, ontheir March towards Portsmouth, wherethey were to embark, the Admiral gaveOrder to Sir Cloudesy Shovel, on thethird of May, the Day the King de-parted for Holland, to remain there,with three First-Kates, nine Second-Rates, thirteen Third-Rates, sevenFourth-Rates, four Fifth-Rates, andthree Sixth-Rates, ’till the Men be-longing to them were paid, and, du-ring that Time, to consider, how ma-ny of the Land-Forces (supposed tobe about Six Thousand) each Shipcould ’conveniently take on Board, andwhat Numbers might embark in theTenders left there for that Purpose,wherein he was ordered to advise withLieutenant General Talmarjh.

The Admiral failed, v-ith the Restof the Fleet, and reached the appoint-ed Station, which was fifteen LeaguesS. S. W. from the Lizard, the nine-teenth of May, where he got Informa-tion, from the Master of a SwedishShip, which came from Brest but threeDays before, that the French Squadrondeparted thence, the five and twentiethof April, 0. S. and that forty or fiftyMerchant-ships lay in Bertheaume Bay,bound Eastward, and laden with Corn,Wine, Brandy and other Merchan-dizes, under Convoy of a Man of Waror two. Upon this, he ordered theMonmouth and Resolution, with theRoebuck Fire-ship, to go between theTrade-Way and Main, and endeavour totake or destroy them. Capt. Pritchard,who commanded them, behaved him-

(h) When the Admiral departed from St.He-,fen's, his Fleet consisted of two and fifty EnglishShips of the Line, viv. Six First-Rates, nine Se-cond-Rates, thirtyThird-Rates, and seven Fourth-Rates; T hcDutch were one and forty, that mighthe reckoned of the Line, and seventeenFire-stups.

self with so much Courage and Relo- 1 694'lution, tha,tnotwithstandmg the furiousFire from the Vessels, and the Cannonof the Forts of Conquet-B ay, he broughtwith him, into the Fleet, a large Fly-boat and a Pink laden with Salt, hav-ing forced on Shoar, burnt or funk [fiveand thirty Sail, besides a Man of Warthat was their Convoy, which ran a-mong the Rocks, and soon after blewup, with her two Sloops, of betweenten and fifteen Guns.

Some few Days after, they likewisetook or burnt a good Number of Ships,laden with Provisions, for the FrenchFleet, in the Mediterranean, and drovesome others astioar, which were boundfor Dies and Dunkirk, with Ammuni-tion and Provisions for the Use of thejF rench Army in Flanders.

After this Part of the Fleet hadbeen some Days on the Station, it wasthought proper to repair to Torbay, thatthe Remainder, with the Soldiers,might be the sooner joined. To thisEnd, the Admiral wrote to Sir CloudesyShovel, to let him know, if the Windcontinued Westerly,he had Thoughts ofcoming to Spithead ; But if Easterly, tostay in Torbay for him. According to .this Resolution, being arrived at St. Fhej^sHelen's, the three and twentieth, he R'used his utmost Diligence to distribute fen's-the Land Forces, and compleat theProvisions, that no Opportunity of fairWind might be lost; And Cruisers weresent on proper Stations, to gain Intelli-gence. All Things being ready, he fail- ain .ed, the nine and twentieth, and bystopping of Tides, got off the BerryHead, the second of June, having receiv-ed farther Advice, that the FrenchSquadron was departed from Brest toToulon. (F)

At a proper Station, the Squadronappointed to act with the Land-Forceswas to separate, and steer away for BresiAnd then, the Admiral himself was toshape his Course towards the Mediterra-nean, with the Remainder: But that noTime might be lost, he had preparedOrders, before he failed from St.HelenS,by which the Lord Berkley, was direct-ed to govern himself, (c)

In

General Talmarjh embarked on Board this Fleet,with nine or ten Thousand Men, and a goodNumber of Horses, for the projected Descent. Rust^

(c) Lord Berkeley’s Instructions for attemptingof Brest.

i. He was informed what Ships, both Enghjh

and