Chap. V.

during the Reign os §}yeen Arm,

*703. vennes ,Marquis

^ Men of. lr a p-

and return from thence, but thede Miremonfs. (£) Besidesthese Persons, sent by Land into theCevennes, there were three French Gen-tlemen, Refugees, (Messieurs Portales ,La Billiere , and Ternpie) com million edto go on Board the English Fleet, tobe Witnesses of Her Majesty’s good In-tentions.

A Council of War, of all the En-glish and Dutch Flag-Officers, being, , assembled, the nine and twentieth ot

service. Augus, on Board the Triumph , where-in, among other Things, it was deba-ted, how to put that Enterprize in Ex-ecution, Monsieur Portales was sent forinto the Assembly, (c) And two Menof War, the Pembroke , commanded byCaptain Arris , and the Tartar , by Cap-tain Cooper , were appointed for thisService. These two Ships failed a headfrom the Grand Fleet, when they leftAltea, and made towards the Gulph ofNarbonne, having the three French Gen-tlemen on Board, and two Amtc A Pi-lots. The next Day, being the fourthof September , they took, near Ivica, aFrench Tartane, of Agde, of about eigh-ty Tun, laden with Corn, and otherCommodities, from the Master of whichthey got Information, that their wholeDesign was discovered, and that theFrench had taken Care to secure their.Coasts. This Account very much sur-prized the French Gentlemen, who nowbegan to despair of Success. It was said,that this Discovery was unluckily madeby some of the French Refuges,sent fromEngland, to inform the Cevennois of HerMajesty’s Intention to assist them.

The eleventh, the Pembroke andTartar took three French Tart anes, and,

'by take

\\T al

\t h

ta nes.

the fifteenth, they entered the Gulph 1703.of Nat borne. The seventeenth, theysailed in Sight of Nat bonne, Vias, andBejiers ; And when they came beforeAgde, Fort Bresson fired four Guns, toalarm the Country, which was present-ly in Arms. Being come before Cette,two French Gallies made directly to-wards them, but soon plied their Oarsto get into Harbour again. The same ,

Day, Captain Arris held a Consultation signals to &on Board the Tartar ; And, pursuant the Shoar ito the Resolution there taken, the Tar-tar was ordered to go a-head, and ad-vance as near the Shoar as possible.

The next Day, she stood in ten FathomWater, and the Pembroke in thirteen,at about two Miles Distance from Land,and there made the Signals as directed. But ' > * e s(d) The eighteenth, two several Con- f *d, ** Wrsultations being held on Board the Pem-broke, and it appearing, by several Cir-cumstances, (to the Satisfaction of theFrench Gentlemen themselves) that no-thing more could be attempted, it wasresolved to make the best of their Way g eturn toto the General Rendezvous ; And, pur- Leghorn,suant hereunto, they sailed for Leghorn,where they arrived, the twenty-third.

We left the Grand Fleet arrived, thenineteenth of this Month, in Leghorn- 1 s i sPf e a -Road. The pe.xt Morning, the Town. ^Leghorn,saluted the Admiral with five Guns, ofwhich Sir Cloudejly took no Notice, norwould he accept the usual Present senthim by the Governour. The latter de-siring to know the Reason of it, hemade him sensible of his Mistake, and,at the fame Time, sent a Message to theGreat Duke of Tuscany, insisting upon aRoyal Salute, as having the Union Flag.

(c) After some Dispute, His Highness

ordered

(it) This Messenger was Mr. David Flotard ,who staid six Days among the Cevennois , and, ha-ving delivered his Message, acquainted them withtheSignals the Englijh Fleet would make,and howthey should answer them by other Signals, andhaving viewed their Troops, the Chief Officersgave Flotard a Commission to sollicit, in theirName all the Protestant Princes and States, intheir Favour, and to assure the Marquis of Mire-mont , that they should be glad to have him fortheir General.

(c) Sir Cloudefy told him, that the Season be-ing so far advanced, and the Gulph of A ar bonneand Lions so dangerous, they did not think it Pru-dence to hazard Her Majesty's Fleet on aCoast un-known, and which had ever been so dreadful to theEnglish Seamen, that, to avoid it, they oftenchose to go a Hundred Leagues out of their Way ;That he was very sorry he could not performhimself so great a Service to the brave Cevennois(whom he called Friends;) But that, pursuant tothe Result of their Consultation, he would order

two Men of War to go upon that Attempt, witha good Quantity of Arms, Ammunition and Mo-ny. And that if they had the good Fortune tospeak with their Friends, and to deliver themthose Things, it would be easy for them to con-cert Measures with the Cevennois , for their far-ther Supply and Relief.

(d) The three French Gentlemen finding theSignal was not answered, proposed to the Cap-tain to go themselves, with a Boat well-armed, tothe Shoar, in Order to get Intelligence 5 Whichthe Captain readily approving, the Boat was or-dered to be got ready, by Break of Day, the eigh-teenth, and the Tartar to go nearer the Shoar, toprotect them. But, at the appointed Time, ithappening to be Calm, and the two Gallies beincrgot out of the Mole, and lying on their Oars, rea^dy to intercept any Thing that durst approach theLand, it was not thought adviseable to venture theBoat.

(e) They alledged, that they gave no moreGuns to Sir John Narborotigh, the Duke of Graf.

ton ,

Burchett-