683 W. and M. Naval Expeditions , &c of the Engliili, Book Iv*

1694. The sixth ( Rennet says the fifth) theThe Fleet two Fleets separated, and, as that com-feparates • tnanded by the Lord Berkeley came firstto Action, I shall begin with a Relationof his Proceeding, and then follow theAdmiral to the Streights.

The Lord This Lord, arriving the seventh,Berkeley's came to an Anchor between CamaretProceedings■ anc j Be r the au me- Ba y, tho’ continuallyplayed upon by the Enemy’s Bombs;First from Camaret Western Point, thenfrom a Castle on a high Rock, in Ber-theaume-Bay , and lastly, from twoForts, on each Side of the Isthmus goinginto Brest- Road. The same Day, theLord Cutts, and the Marquis of Car-marthen, in his own Gaily, stood in aconsiderable Way into the Bay ; Andhaving taken a good View of it, amidstthe Enemy’s Fire, they returned, andgave the Lord Berkeley an Account ofthe Posture of the Bay, and the Situa-tion of the Castle ; Which they foundvery advantageous to defend the Land-ing Places: (f) It was at first ordered,that the Monk, a Ship of sixty Guns,and the Diamond, of equal Force, shouldgo in ; But the Marquis represented,that those two Men of War would notbe sufficient, to cover the Boats at theirLanding ; Because the Enemy were bet-ter pit pared, and more numerous thanwas expected, and ready to be seconded,on all Occasions, by fourteen Squadronsof Hor le.

Resolution Hereupon, a Council of War wastaken to land called, on Board the Ship fsueen, thenear Brest, eighth of June, at which were present,his Lordship, Lieutenant General Tal-marjh, and all the English and DutchFlag and General Officers, by whom itwas resolved, that the Lieutenant Ge-neral should go on Shoar, with theTroops, as soon as it was possible, andendeavour to make himself Master ofthe Fort at Camaret, and that six otherMen of War should be added to thetwo former to cover him in landing: viz.

and Sir Martin Beckman : Dutch Flag-Officers,Admiral Allemonde , Vice-Admirals Vanderput andSchey; Rear-Admirals Vandergoes and Evertzen :And Capt. Vanderdujfen.

( f) Bishop Bur net lays, that when our FleetBp. Burnet. C ame f° near to fee what Preparations they hadmade,for theirDefence,theCouncil of Officers wereall against making the Attempt; But Talmarphad set his Heart so much upon it, that he wouldnot be diverted from it. He would not be per-suaded, but that the Number of People they sawthere were Rabble, brought together to make aShew; But he was soon undeceived, to his Cost.

The famous Engineer Vauban , whom theKing of France had employed to put Brest, and

the Greenwich, of four and fifty, the 1 6g4‘Charles-Gaily, of two and thirty, theShoreham, of two and thirty, the Dar-kenjlein, of four and forty, the Wefep ofthirty, and the Wolf of thirty, allwhich the Marquis undertook so to post,that they should bear upon the Castle tothe best Advantage.

This was, nevertheless, a Work of Eight Sblgreat Difficulty and Danger; For no e Nyvjit\sooner was the Monk come within Reach gnat D$'of the Enemy’s Mortars, but they be- culty tinlgan to throw Bombs at her from Point Dan & er 'Des Fittest es, and the Western Point ofCamaret-Bay, And the Rest of theShips that followed were furpriz’d withthree Batteries more, which they neverperceived, ’till they felt their Shot. But,under all these Difficulties, the braveMarquis made a Shift to post the eightShips in such Manner, as gave greatSuccour to the Landing-Forces, anddid the French considerable Mischief;Dropping their Anchors, and firing withso much Resolution, that the French be-gun twice to run out of Camaret- Fort;

But they could easily perceive the Ene-my very advantageously intrenched, atevery Place, where there was any Pos-sibility of Landing, and great Num-bers of Foot were drawn behind theTrenches. ,

Amidst these Difficulties, there Some ^could be no Prosecution os that regularLanding which was proposed by the gtFLord Cutts, and had been agreed on. Loss-However, the undaunted General 5 Val-marjh was resolute in the Enterprise,tho’ unlikely to succeed; And therefore,with a small Number of Well-boats,and about nine Hundred Men ( Burnetfays but six Hundred,) he went aslioarsina confused Manner, under a little Rock,on the South-Side of the small Bay ;

But immediately a Detachment of theFrench Marines fell in upon them, withso much Fury, that the Englijh ’wereforced to retire to their Boats, in great

Disorder,

the Places, in the Harbour, which were likely tobe attacked, in a Posture of Defence, wrote to^ King, before the Englijh Fleet arrived :

<c ?" at Majesty need be under no Appre-t tensions, that he had made all the Subter-cc r f neous Passages, under the Castle,Bomb-proof,cc 14 Placed ninety Mortars, and three

r Pieces of Cannon, in proper Places;

c all the Ships were out of the Reach ofct Enemy’s Bombs, and all the Troops ingood Order; That there were three Hundred" Bombardeers in the Place, three Hundred" Gentlemen, four Thousand Men, regular" Troops; And a Regiment of Dragoons just“ arrived,