^hap. VI.
during the Reign of §lyeen Ann.
1704. terranean, in Search of the Enemy’sFleet, (b)
The Admiral having, in the meanTime, received Orders from the Queen,not to attempt any Thing on the Coast,without the Approbation of the Kings4 r . of Spain and Portugal, and having re-°f ceived Proposals from Their Majesty’s,to undertake something on the Coast ofAndalujia, a second Council of War wascalled, the seventeenth, on Board theRoyal Katberine, the Fleet being then^solver! to about seven Leagues to the Eastward ofTetuan ; And the Resolution of thear ' Council was to make a sudden Attemptupon Gibraltar, (c)
According to this Resolution, theFleet sailed over from the Bar bary-Shoar, the twentieth, in the Night, andthe twenty-first got into that Bay. Thesame Afternoon, at three o’Clock, theMarines, both Engli/h and Dutch, to% V 2 ' the Number of eighteen Hundred, with* anded. ^ pffi nce Q f Hfejse a t the Head of them,were put on Shoar, on the Neck ofLand, to the Northward of the Town,Place to cut off any Communication with theintoned. Country. His Highness, having postedhis Men there, sent a Summons to theGovernour, to surrender the Place, forthe Service of His Catholick Majesty;Which he rejecting, with great Obsti-nacy, (d) the Admiral gave Order, thetwenty-second, in the Morning, thatthe Ships which had been appointed tocannonade the Town, under the Com-mand of Rear-Admiral Byng, and Rear-Admiral Vanderdujjen, (e) as also thosewhich were to batter the South-Mole-Head, commanded by Captain Hicks,of the Tar mouth, should range them-selves accordingly; But the Wind blow-ing contrary, they could not possiblyget into their Places ’till the Day wasspent.
(b) It was also resolved, at the Desire of theKing 7 of Portugal, to send some Ships to the Ter-ceras, for the Security of his Fleets coming from
b , Brazil. . _
Vr chett. (c) At this Council were preient, with the Ad-miral and Sir Cloudefly Shovel, Sir John Leake,Rear-Admiral Byng , and Sir James IViJhart, withthe Dutch Flag Officers abovementioned : Andsince it was concluded not to be practicable to at-tempt any Thing, on Cadiz, without an Armyto assist in it, they resolved to land the MarineSoldiers, English 2iv\ Dutch, under the Commandof the Prince of Hejfe, in tne Bay of Gibraltar, tocut off that Town from any Communication withthe Main, and, at the fame Time, to bombardaud cannonade the Place, and endeavour to reduceit to the Obedience of the King of Spain ; TheConquest of which important Place, they prudent-ly judged, if it could be performed, would gain
In the mean Time, to amuse the E- 1704.nemy, Captain Whitaker was sent in, 4 Frcnc kwith some Boats, who burnt a French \ r ff eerPrivateer, of twelve Guns, at the OldMole. The twenty-third, soon afterBreak of Day, the Ships being all plac-ed, the Admiral gave the Signal forbeginning the Cannonade, which was oibraltarperformed, with very great Fury, a -cannonaded.bove fifteen Thousand Shot being made,in five or six Hours Time, against theTown ; Insomuch that the Enemy weresoon beat from their Guns, especiallyat the South-Mole-lde-xd.
The Admiral hereupon considering,that by gaining that Fortification, theyshould of Consequence reduce the Town,ordered Captain Whit alter, with all theBoats armed, to endeavour to possesshimself of it, which was performedwith great Expedition ; But Captain ^ SoutJl _Hicks, and Captain Jumper, who lay Mol t-headnext the Mole, had pushed on -Shoar taken.with their Pinnaces, and some otherBoats, before the Rest could come up ;Whereupon the Enemy sprung a Mine,that blew up the Fortifications upon theMole, killed two Lieutenants, and aboutforty Men, and wounded about sixty :
However, our Men kept Possession ofthe great Platform, which they hadmade themselves Masters of, and Cap-tain Whitaker landing, with the Rest ofthe Seamen, which had been orderedupon this Service, they advanced, andtook a Redoubt, or small Bastion, half A RedoubtWay between the Mole and the Town, ta ke n -and possessed themselves of many of theEnemy’s Cannon. (/') The Admiralthen sent in a Letter to the Governour,and, at the same Time, a Message tothe Prince of Hejfe , to send him a pe-remptory Summons, which His High-ness did accordingly; And, on the
four
great Reputation to Her Majesty's Naval Strength,in those Remote Seas, and prove a most sensibleMortification to the Spaniards , who have always ‘accounted it one of the chief Keys of that King,dom.
(d) His Answer was, that the Garrison hadtaken an Oath of Fidelity, to their natural Lord,
King Philip V. and that, as faithful and loyalSubjects, they would sacrifice their Lives, in theDefence of the City.
(e) Thev were twelve Third-Rates, and fourFourth-Rates, with six Ships of the Dutch.
J) It being Sunday, all the Women were at ntheir Devotion, in a little Chappie, about four hturcbett,Miles from the Town So that our Men werebetween them and their Husbands, which was avery great Inducement to the Citizens, to obligethe Governour to capitulate.