820 Ann. Naval Expeditions , &c of the English, Book ^

1707.

Conferenceof the Flag-

Valette, before Toulon. The first Thingthey did was to work on a Line, whichbegun at La Valette, and was to extendas far as the Sea, in Order to have Com-munication with the Fleet, and receivethence Artillery and Provisions. Theseventeenth, Admiral Shovel, with someof the chief Officers of the Fleet, wentto the Camp, and had a Conference withhis Royal Highness, and the Rest ofthe General Officers, at the Head Quar-ters, where they dined.

Our Historians give no Account ofwhat passed at this Conference'; But the

did those he had sent to Genoa and Leg- 170/'horn, with the Transports that wereloaden with Ammunition and Provisionsfor the Army. (k)

The second of August , the Batteries, .

on both Sides, began to play ; And the t i e sod 4fame Day, the Confederate Fleet came Toulon,to an Anchor in the Road, where theymet with some Success, as well thatDay as the following. (/) The fourthearly, the Besieged made a vigorousSally, with such Success as broke theNeck of the Design, (m) The fameDay, the Wind was so violent, that the

and General French'pretend, that Prince Eugene, and Ship, on Board of which Sir Geor

Officers. several other General Officers, were forretiring in Time; But that the Duke ofSavoy, insisted on their going on withthe Enterprize. Sir Cloudejly, however,would not be induced to venture theConfederate Fleet into the Harbour, (ashis Royal Highness, and some of theGenerals advised) ’till the Forts whichguarded it were in the Postesiion of theLand Forces.

The French The Enemy being now justly appre-desiroy some hensive of a Bombardment, were in suchShips’ in the Consternation, that they sent away theirHarbour. Gallies, the twenty-first, for Marseilles,and to prevent their whole Fleet beingfired, funk about twenty of their Menof War in the Harbour, ten, or more,of which were of three Decks; Andthey did it, in such a Manner, as ren-dered them unfit for Service ever after.

(0

fails'tfthe Soon after this four third Rates, andHyeres. five Dutch Ships joined the Admiral, as

ae

Byng had hoisted his Fla-g^ lost her An-chors, and fell foul of a Dutch Man ofWar, which received some Damagethereby. Notwithstanding the Confea

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rates had some Success, after this, yetthe Duke and Prince Eugene were nowconvinc’d of the Impossibility of carry-ing on the Siege with Success, and,there-fore, began to withdraw some Cannon,in Order to beffiip’d again, and madethe necessary Dispositions to embarktheir sick and wounded.

The tenth, the necessary Dispositions

rye To® 9

ar»

'•Oils

were made for the March of the Army ; ^Tossi 00And, at the fame Time, the Fleet drew bomber id-as near the Place as possible, and fiveBomb-Vesiels, supported by the LightFrigats, and the Boats of the Men ofWar, under the Command of Rear-Ad-miral Dilkes, advanced into the Creekof Fort St. Lewis, and, notwithstand-ing the Enemy’s great Fire, bombardedthe Town and Harbour, from that Day,

at

Annals of (/) There were, at that Time, fix and fortyjlhAnn. Men of War, from a Hundred and ten to fifty

Guns, besides nine and twenty Frigats, Firelhipsand other Vessels of small Force, in the Harbour.

(Æ) He appointed some Frigats, not only tokeep open the Communication by Sea, but to pro-tect the Duke of Savoys Boats passing to and fro,and to awe the Enemy in Villa Franca and Mana-co ; Besides which others were sent on proper Ser-vices.

One Hundred Cannon were landed from theFleet for the Batteries, with two Hundred Roundsof Powder and Shot, and a considerable Numberof Seamen, to serve as Gunners: And Cordage,Nails, and Spikes, with all other Things wantingfor the Camp (for indeed they were but poorlyfurnished) were supply'd from the Ships, so thatAffairs had then a very good Face.

(/) A Squadron under Rear-Admiral Dilkesforced the Enemy to abandon a Battery, of tenGuns, which the French having nailed up, andfendered useless, the Allies threw them into theSea. The next Day, some Ships of the Fleet ad-vanced farther into the Road, to shut up the Har-bour close ; And Fort St. Lewis was battered withsuch Success, that all the Guns which defepded itwere silenced.

(m) They forced most of the Confederates out BurchA-of the Works, and took Possession to the Right, Annals ojwhere they continued all Day, and upon their go- A An 0 'ing off, destroyed them, drawing away eight orten Guns into the Town, in which Action therewere killed and wounded, on the Duke of Savoy’sSide, above eight Hundred Men, among whomwere the brave Prince of Saxe-Gctha, and someOfficers of Distinction.

This Attempt being made with such Numbers,it put the Troops under great Apprehensions, andthe Generals Were of Opinion, it would not beproper to carry on the Siege; Since, while theDuke of Savoy's Army decreased, the Enemy ra-ther gather’d Strength; Insomuch that, on thesixth, (the Author of the Annals of Queen Annsays the fifth) His Royal Highness desired the Ad-miral would immediately embark the Sick andWounded, and, by Degrees take off the Cannon,if).Order to his raising the Siege, which from thisT- uue was only turned to a Cannonading and Bom-bardment. He then acquainted him, that he de-signed to decamp the tenth, in the Morning, ar.uhaving express'd his Satisfaction in the good cer-vices of the Fleet, and the grateful Sense he shouldretain of them, desired it might accompany the'

Army as far as the Far.