796 Ann. Naval Expeditions , &c. of the Englilh, Book ^ *

3 704. was very sharp, and in his Opini-on, the like, between two Fleets, hadnever been in his Time. Of the wholeFleet, he said, there was hardly a Shipbut was obliged to shift one Mast, andmany all; Insomuch that there were notthree Spare-top-masts left in the Fleet.

Sir George Rooke, in his Letter, withan Account of this Fight, says; Hemust do the Officers the Justice to fay,that every Man in the Line did his Du-ty, without the least Umbrage for Cen-sure or Reflection; And that he neverobserved the true Englijh Spirit so ap-parent and prevalent in our Seamen^ ason this Occasion.

Admiral Callemberg , in his Letterto the States General, fays, they spentsuch a vast Quantity of Powder, in thisFight, that they were obliged to haveCartridges filled during the Action. (/)The English Our Fleet having entirely, lost SightFleet returns . the Enemy, as I observed above,to 1 ra tar. Q eor ^ e ca p ec [ a Council of War, in

which it was determined to repair, withthe Fleet, to Gibraltar ; (m) And hav-ing staid eight Days there to refit, andsupplied that Place with Men and Pro-visions, he failed from thence, the fourThe Admiral, and twentieth of August. The six andwith Part of twentieth, being out of the S freightsEngland**^ Mouth, he gave the necessary Ordersto Sir John Leake, (») and then continu-ed his Voyage, with those Ships, whichwere in a Condition to come home;He arrived at Spit head, the five andtwentieth of September, (0) and, thenine and twentieth, waited on the Queenand Prince, at Windsor, who receivedhim very graciously, and expreflbdthemselves very well satisfied with hisConduct.

(?) I should now, as I have hitherto done,with Regard to other Actions at Sea, give theEnemy’s Account; But as they differ little or no-thing from our Relations, and even Father Daniel ,and the Paris Gazet, allow every Circumstance ofthem, (except what I have above remarked) dur-ing the Action, I have only to observe, that tho'they have no farther Title to a Victory, thanthe Account the Reader has seen above (whichagrees with their own) can give them, yet theylaid claim to it, upon the only, and evidentlyfalse, Pretence of our Fleet having left themMasters of the Place of Battle, and De Deum wasfung, on that Account, in Paris , by the King'sCommand, with as much Solemnity, as if theyhad gained the most compleat Victory.

P.nrrheit. (rn\ The Intent was to secure the disabledZhips there, and to repair their Masts, Yards,Sails, and Rigging, where arriving, and the bestAffiftance being given to that Garrison, that pol-

libly could be, it was resolved, that au such Ships

I should now return to Sir John iqoipLeake, and give an Account of his Pro-ceedings after Sir George's Departure ;

But as that would carry me too far intothe following Year, I shall reservethem for the ensuing Chapter, and, inthe mean Time, give anAccount of someother Transactions, which came withinthe Compass of the Year. .. ,

And first, I should be guilty of an S t sss e j)fe 4unpardonable Neglect, should I not, at Marlbo-least, mention the most important and rough-glorious Transaction not only of thisYear, but of the whole War, I meanthe unparallel’d Success of Her Maje-sty’s Armies at Schellenburg and Hoch-stedt, under the Great Duke of Marl -borough. However, as I should do In-justice to the Actions themselves, aswell as to all the brave Officers andMen concerned in them, ffiould I at-tempt a Description of them, in th e nar-row Limits I am here tied down to; And,besides, as we have already so many am-ple Accounts thereof, I shall contentmyself with having taken Notice ofthem, and refer to our Historians forthe Circumstances of those ever-memo-rable Exploits. .

The ninth of OBober, Sir Gloudesty Se,veraI jcdShovel, and several of his Captains, went ^gfted*to Windsor, to wait on Her Majesty,and his Royal Highness, by whom theywere graciously received; And HerMajesty was pleased to confer the Ho-nour of Knighthood, on Captain JohnJennings, Commander of the St. George,.for his Signal Service, in the late Sea-Fight, in the Mediterranean. Not longafter,, the Queen conferred the sameHonour, on George Byng, Esq; Rear-Admiral of the Red Squadron, and on

Thomas

as were in a Condition for Winter Service shouldbe put under the Command of Sir John Leake sThat such as were not so, but might safely pro-ceed to England , should repair thither, and thatthose in the worst Condition should go to Lisbonto be refitted.

(n) He was ordered to take under his Com-mand, two Ships of the Third-Rate, nine of theFourth, four of the Fifth, one Sixth, and a Fire-ship, and proceed with them to Lisbon, fromwhence he was to fend four to England , with theTrade.. He was also to take under his Commandsuch Ships of the States General as should be ap-pointed for Winter-Service, in those Parts, and toemploy the whole, in guarding the Coasts of Spainand Portugal , and for the Security of our Trade,and the Garrison of Gibraltar.

( 0 ) They were five Second-Rates, five 3udtwenty Third-Rates, four Fourth-Rates, six Fire-Ihips, two Hospital Ships, and a Yacht.