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Rear-Admi-ral Dilkessent on theCoast of Norxnandy.
Anchors cjsojJersey.
Ann. Naval Expeditions ? &c, o/^ the Englilh, Book V*
Mediterranean : But as he did not departso immediately, I shall previously takeNotice of another Expedition, whollyomitted by Mr. Secretary Burchett,which began about the same Time, but ■was much sooner ended.
Rear-Admiral Dilkes Expedition onthe Coast o/^Normandy.
Rear-Admiral Dilkes having, thetwenty-second of July, received Ordersfrom the Council deputed by His Roy-' al Highness, to look for a GrandPartee,said to ly in Cancall-Bxy ; He sail’d, inPursuance thereof, from Spithead, withHer Majesty’s Ships under his Command.The four and twentieth, he ordered theCaptain of the Nonsuch to stretch a-headof the Squadron, and stand as near Al-derney as he could, and sent his Boataslioar to gain Intelligence. On thefive and twentieth, he stood towards theCasquets , for the same Purpose, and, atsix in the Evening, anchored off of theSouth-West Part of Jersey, from whencer he sent Captain Chamberlain, Comman-der of the >S/>y-Brigantine, to the Go-vernour, that he might learn from himthe best Intelligence he could give.
The Goveinour sent to him Captain 1703*.James Lamprier, and Captain Thomas Gets Intelh -Pipon, who were well acquainted withthat Coast, by whom being informed of Frencha Fleet of about forty Sail, plying to the Ships.Windward, on the fifteenth, to get toGranville, the Rear-Admiral, uponConsultation, at a Council of War,with the Pilots, resolved to sail imme-diately, tho’ the Tide fell cross in theNight, that getting clear of the Wester-most Rocks of the Minques, he mightattack the Enemy, by Break of Day,the next Morning.
Accordingly, the twenty-second of ComesttpJuly, by Day-light, perceiving the E -with therm-nemy at an Anchor, about a League tothe Westward of Granville, who, upontheir Approach, got under Sail, andstood in for the Shoar, the Rear-Admi-ral followed them as far as the Pilotswould venture, and found them to con-sist of five and forty Merchant-lhips,and three Men of War. Being comewithin four Foot Water more than the stakesShips drew, he mann’d all his Boats, an d defi r0 Jand the Rest of his Ships did the same. almost all °lBy Noon, he had taken fifteen Sail , tiem 'burnt six, and funk three. The Reststood so far into a Bay, between Auran-che, and Mount St. Michel , that, in the
Judgment
7. If he could prevail with them to make Waragainst France, and that some Act of Hostility wasthereupon committed, he was, on that Occasion,to give such farther Presents as should be judgedproper : And in Case of such a Rupture, and thatthe Dutch Admiral had Orders to treat a Peacewith those Governments, he was to assist him inthe Negotiation.
8. He was also ordered to dispatch two Ships,or more, to Leghorn, some Time before his Re-turn, with Orders to the Senior Captain, to makeUse of all Opportunities of Taking or Destroy-ing any of the Enemy’s Ships, going into, orcoming out of that Port, and to declare the Rea-son thereof to be, because the Grand Duke hadnot strictly kept the Neutrality, with Relation tothe French, nor done Right to Her Majesty's Sub-jects ; For which Reason, the aforesaid Com-manding Officer was to require an immediate Pu-nishment of the Govern our of Leghorn, by remo-ving him from his Employments.
p. Farthermore, he was to require a posi-tive Declaration and Assurance from the GreatDuke, that no Seaman, Her Majesty's Subject,should, for the future, be detained by him, againsthis Will, but permitted freely to embark onBoardthe Queen’s Ships, or those of Her Subjects orAllies. And if, upon those Demands, entire Sa-tisfaction was not made, the Admiral was to re-turn Home by Leghorn, and, by all Ways prac-ticable, to exact it.
10. If he detached any Ships into the Adria-tick Seas, pursuant to other Instructions, he hador should receive, he was to order their Captains,.to take all Opportunities of destroying -any Frc-rcLShips or Vessels, in the Venetian Ports, and to re-quire from that State a Release of Her Majesty's
Subjects detained in their Ships, Gallies or Domi-nions ; And, in Cafe of Refusal, to endeavour totake their Subjects out of their Ships, and to de-tain them, •’till ours were cleared, otherwise tobring them to England. And he was farther torequire of them immediate Satisfaction, and Re-paration, for the Ship and Loading they sufferedto be burnt, by the French , at Malomocco ; Or,if they refused, to do his best Endeavours, tomake Reprizals on them.
11. By other Instructions, from Her Majesty,dated the seventh of May, he was farther order-ed ; That when he had seen the Merchant-Shipsas near to Lisbon, Genoa , Leghorn, and such otherPorts as might be necessary for their Safety, andallotted particular Convoys, to Smyrna, Constan-tinople, and Scanderoon , he should proceed, withthe Remainder of the Fleet, English and Dutch,to the Coasts of Naples and Sicily, and there calla Council of War, of the Flags of both Nations,and also of the Colonels, and Commanders inChief, of the Regiments of Marines and Land-Forces, and with them consider, how he mightbest assist the Emperour’s Forces in those Parts »Not only with the Ships, but the said MarineSoldiers, Mortars, and Guns, in any Attemptsthe said Forces of the Emperour, or others, iyFavour of the House of Austria, should make,and to join, and co-operate with them, in annoy-ing the Enemy, according to what should be a-greed.
i2.lTwas also recommended to him, to take allOpportunities of attacking Cadis , Toulon, or anyPlace on the Coast of France, or Spain, as alsotheir Ships, Gallies, or Magazines, provided suchAttempts might not interrupt the principal Ser-vice he was going upon.