768

Ann.

Naval Expeditions , <3cc. oj the Englilh,

Book V*

CHAP. y.

Naval Expeditions and Transactions of the English, in Europe, with other Oc-currences, during the Tear, 1703.

T H E Beginning of this Year,both Houses of Parliament ad-dressed the Queen, the Com-mons in Answer to a Messagefrom Her Majesty, concerning an Aug-mentation of HerForces abroad, requir-ed by the Dutch, and the Lords to thankHist, de Fr. Her Majesty for the Communication of^jwLouis, several Letters and Memorials of theCorr 'efpon - States General, for that Purpose ; Anddence and the Commons having agreed, that tenTrade^oftte'Y houfand Men, Foreigners, should bethTcommon hired for this Augmentation, they madeEnemy. it a Condition, and besought Her Ma-jesty, " that England might not be" charged with the Pay of such addi-" tional Troops, but from the Day the" States General should put a Stop to" all Posts, Letters, Bills, and all o-** ther Correspondence, Trade and" Commerce with France and Spain”And the Lords, in their Address, ac-quainted Her Majesty ; " That it was" the Opinion of their House, Her" Majesty’s furnishing Her Quota of the

1703.Annals ojE- Ann.Life of g.Ann.Burnet.Burchett.F. Daniel.De Larrev

which no small Part of our Navy was employed,and some of it from the Fear, 1698. An Expedi-tion which was attended with a continual andjvastExpence, and which cost the Lives of many braveOfficers, Seamen and Soldiers. The Fruits of itthe Reader has seen, and what Proportion theybore to the Cost and Losses of it, I leave him toBurnet. judge. Bishop Burnet speaks freer, and fays. Itended ingloriously, and that many Complaints ofGraydon’ s Conduct were sent after him.

[a) This illicite and clandestine Correspondenceand Trade, carried on by the Dutch , with theCommon Enemy, and which, notwithstanding thisNotice taken of it, was, as it has been said, conti-nued during the whole War, even to the furnish,ing them with Arms and Ammunition, was of sogreat an Advantage to them, that some have ven-tured to say, they were Gainers by the War,while we, out of an Excess of Generosity (but toocommon with us).were plunging ourselves intoDebts and Difficulties, to support the CommonCause, and scorned to take the Advantage of• these under-hand Practices, to the Detriment ofit, tho’ to our own Impoverishment, and notwith-standing we had the fame Right to it asthey.

About this Time, the Dover- Man of Warbrought into Kingjale a French Privateer of twoand thirty Guns, called the Count de Thouloufe,commanded by Captain Grandmaifon Harrington,having on Board her Two Captains more, sixLieutenants, eight Ensigns, and two Hundredeighty-five Men ; And this, alter alharpFight, ofsix Hours, wherein the Privateer had four Menkilled, and twenty wounded, without the Loss ofone Man kill'd in the Dover .

(h] The Marquis of Carmarthen was advanced,

" Augmentation of Troops in the Low I 7 ° 3 ’" Countries would be ineffectual, unless" all Correspondence with France and" Spain, by Letters, or otherwise, be" totally prohibited by the States Ge-tc neral, and all other Her Majesty’s" Allies, (a)

The eleventh of March several Pro- Promt}?**

motions were made in the Navy. (b) ta

tumh

Sir George Rooke’r Proceedings withthe Fleet, in and about the Channel.

The fourth of April, Sir GeorgeRooke, Admiral of the Fleet, was or-dered to take under his Command, thatPart thereof, which was designed forService in the Channel, (c)

H e arrived in the Downs , the twelfth st e a sj M'of April, and there got Information, venture ^that Her Majesty’s Ships, the Salisbury en by d eand Adventure, had met with a Squa- ** enC 'dron of French Ships from Dunkirk , and

(as

from Vice-Admiral of the White , to that of Vice- AnnaBAdmiral of the Red Squadron ; John Graydon , AEsq; from Rear Admiral of the White , to Vice-Admiral of the same Squadron ; And John Leake,

Esq ; from Rear-Admiral of the Blue , tq Vice-Admiral of the same Squadron. At the sameTime, George Byng , Esq; was appointed to beRear-Admiral of the Red-, Thomas Dilkes, Esq;Rear-Admiral of the White-, And Bazil Beaumont ,

Esq ; Rear-Admiral of the Blue. „ rr hltt-

(c) They were five First-, fix Second-, eigh-teen Third-, nine Fourth-, nine Fifth-, and oneSixth-Rates, together with three Bomb-Vessels,six Fire-ships, and three Hospital-Ships; As alsothe Squadron intended for the Mediterranean, un-der the Command of Sir Cloudesty Shovel, in Cafeit should be found for the Advantage of the Ser-vice, to put a Stop to that Expedition.

Bishop Bur net introduces his Account of the Bu/n^Sea-Expeditions of this Year, as follows : Our O-perations at Sea, fays he, were ill-designed, andworse executed; The making Prince George ourLord High Admiral proved, in many Instances,very unhappy to the Nation. Men of bad Designsimposed on him; He understood those Mattersvery little, and they sheltered themselves underhis Name, to which a great Submission was paid ;

But the Complaints rose the higher for that. Ourmain Fleet was ready to go out in May ; But theDutch- Fleet was not yet come over; So Rookewas sent out to alarm the Court of France : Helingered long in Port, pretending ill Health ; Up-oti that Churchil was sent to command the Fleet ;

But Rooke’s Health returned happily for him, orhe thought fit to lay aside that Pretence, and wentto Sea, where he continued a Month : But in sucha Station as if his Design had been to keep far

from