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

1708. The Admiralty, in the mean Time,Sir George had fitted out a Fleet, with such incre-halfnha dibleDiligence, (e) that, (without di-Squadron . minilhing the Convoy provided for theLisbon- Fleet,) (f) Sir George Bpng , andthe Lord Durjley, sailed from Deal, to-wards the Coast: of Dunkirk, the sevenand twentieth (Mr. Burchett says, the sixand twentieth) of February , in theMorning. (g) The same Day, aboutNoon, Sir George came to an Anchor,in Graveling- Pits,and, immediately after,went into a small Frigat, and sailedwithin two Miles of FlemiJh-KozA, forIntelligence. (Jo) The French were sur-prized when the British Fleet appearedoff of Mar dyke ,, and put a Stop to theEmbarkation of the Troops; (i) Butthe French King was so fully bent onthe Design, that he sent positive Ordersto re-embark the Troops and put toSea, with the first fair Wind.fails from'* The sixth of March, at four in theDnakirk. Afternoon, the French Fleet sailed fromthe Road of Dunkirk ; (Æ) But the Windchanging, about ten, they were obligedto come to an Anchor, in Newport- Pits,where they continued ’till the eighth, inthe Evening, when, the Wind chop-ping about, they set Sail again, steer-ing their Course for Scotland .

Sir George Sir George Byng, in the mean Time,purfaes'tfhetm

who came back wish his Fleet into theDowns, the second of March , and wasconsiderably re-inforced, (/) set Sail a-gain, the sixth; And, on the ninth, atten in the Morning, being betweenDunkirk and Calais, he received Intel-ligence from Major General Cadogan,from QJlend, of the Sailing of the Dun-kirk Squadron from the Pits of Newport .(m) He immediately pursued them,leaving Rear-Admiral Baker, with hisDivision, and four other Men of War,to convoy such Troops, as might bethought necessary to send from thenceto Scotland or England, an,d the thir-teenth, saw the French Fleet, in thethe Mouth of the Firth, off of whichPlace, he anchored the Night before.

Monsieur Forbin heard, it seems,the Signal for our Ships to come to An-chor, and knowing the Meaning of it,immediately sent a Boat on Board of e-very Ship in his Squadron, orderingthem to put out their Lights, and tofail, one by one, out of the Firth, andsteer a North-East Course, ’till theystiould come off of the Town of St. An-drews. (n ) This they did ; But bothWind and Tide being against them, SirGeorge discovered them in the Morning,and, pursuing them; (0) took the Sa-lisbury, in which was a great Number

of

170&*

Discovers

them on t"Coast ofScotland*

Couti&fthe PurfrPand takes

the Salisb*.rf

Burchett, p) Sir John Jennings, Vice-Admiral of theBed, was ordered to go down the River, and ha-sten the Ships fitting out, to the Dawns, as well asothers in the River Medway. Captain ChristopherMyngs, at Portsmouth, had Orders to fend awaythose Ships which, were at Spithead, and SirGeorge Byng was afterwards ordered thither, t©hasten them away, by two or three at a Time, andto take Men from those in the Harbour, or Mer-chant-lhips. Rear-Admiral Baker was ordered toproceed with the Ships at the Fore to the Downs ;And every one of these Flag-Officers had their far-ther Instructions how to proceed, as the Circum-stances of Things might require.

A We f (f) It consisted of twelve Britijh and five DutchJ 1 Men ,of War, under the Command of Sir John

^ ‘ ' Leake.

( g ) Sir George had under his Command, threeand twenty British, and three Dutch Men of War,and one British Fire-ship. hAr.Burchett says fourand twenty Ships, viz. Three Third-Rates, twelveFourth-Rates, six Fifth-Rates, and three Sixth-Rates, besides a Fire-ship. The Flag-Officersthen with him, were Sir John Jennings , the LordDurjley , and John Baker, Esq;

(st) He had, from thence, a View of the Shipswhich lay there; He counted seven and twenty inall small and great, all lying with their Top-sailsloose; Besides what lay within the Heads, abovethe Forts. And, the next Day, learned from a Fi-sherman taken from the Shoar, the Number andStrength of them; That about ten Thousand Menwere ready to embark; That they expected everyDay Ships from Brest j And that the Pretender wasarrived at Graveling,

(i) The Count de Forbin, who commanded the Memoirs &Squadron, and who was not wont to be backward, Forbin-had no Opinion of this Enterprise: He represent-ed to the King, his Master, that he might perhapsget out of D«»UH-Harbour, and land tbeTroops;

But could not answer for his Majesty's Ships.

(k) They took the Opportunity of Sir GeorgeByng’s being forced from his Station by highWinds,and drove back to the Downs: Whither he, like-wise, in some Measure, repaired, that he might besupplied with such Necessaries, as, in the Hurryof his first Departure, he could not be furnishedwith.

(I) He had now, with him, above forty Shipsof the Line, besides Frigats and Fire-ships; Hav-ing been joined by Captain Walker with some Shipsfrom the Westward.

sti) Upon this Intelligence, he called a Councilof War, and according to the Resolution taken init, set Sail immediately, inPurfu-it of the Enemy,having first made a Detachment of a strong Squa-dron, under the Command of Admiral Baker,with Instructions, to convoy the Troops, whichwere embarked at Ofrend, and to look after theShips still remaining in the Road of Dunkirk.

st) M. Forbin fays, that while they were in theFirth of Edinburg, they put out Signals, lit upFires, and fired Cannon, to give Notice to theFriends of the Pretender to rife in his Favour;But to no Purpose; Not a Soul appeared: Thro'Fear, says Father Daniel, of the Enemy’s (theBritijh') Fleet, and the numerous Body of Troopswhich where there.

( 0 ) M. De Forbin fays, that after he got Sightof the Englijh Fleet, finding himself embayed, pur-sued,

Memoirs

Fosbin-1

it