Chap. XIIL

during the Reign of §tgis'n Anil;

1708.

Returns tobirt-RoyalKeys.

Sai.

a ih again.

T^e Expe-dl tiou da-

IfS'dly

1 bunder.

jdvice of1 e Gallionset ng a*

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The sixth of April, the Commadoreanchored at Port-Royal-Keys, and gave, Orders for a Supply of Provisions, aswell as that all the Ships should be ina Readiness for the Sea. Provisions be-ing taken in, the thirteenth, a Councilof War was held, ( h) and, pursuant toa Resolution there taken, the Comma-dore set Sail, the next Day. Abouteight or ten Days afterwards, he gaveChace to several Ships, off of BoccaChicca, some of which escaped into Car-thagena, and others he lost Sight of inhazy Weather.

The Beginning of May, (/) being offof the Baru, the Masts of the Expedi-tion were much damaged by Thunder;And about the Middle of this Month,the Squadron watered in the Bay ofGuira. (£) The seventeenth, the Port-land pined them from the Bajlimentos,and brought Advice, that the Gallionswere ready to fail; But had Notice oftheir lying there. (/)

The tvventy-third, the ^-r-r-Sloopjoined the Commadore from the Bafti-mentos, and brought a Letter from Cap-tain Pudner, with Advice, that theGallions, being thirteen Sail, were atSea, coming for Carthagena . (m) Theseven and twentieth, the Commadore,hearing nothing of the Gallions, beganto apprehend they had given him the

Slip, and were gone for the Havana- W 0 ^*The eight and twentieth, in the Morn-ing, he saw two Ships, in the Harbourof Car thagena ; About ten he discoveredthree Sail, and, about twelve, law fe- ^dorTgetsventeen, bearing S. and S. S, W. be-Sight oftween the Baru and Friend’s Island ; He th ™.immediately resolved to attack them,with his small Squadron. It was calm’till three, and then, a small Galespringing up, at N. and N. N. E. fairWeather, he bore down upon them;and was in Hopes of being near thembefore Night: But they, finding theycould not weather the Baru, tackedand stood to the Northward; with aneasy Sail. They did not endeavour toescape, not believing he would dare toattack them, on such unequal Terms;

But drew into a Sort of Line of Battle. 1

0)

The Commadore had before beeninformed, that the three Admirals(which had always worn Flags ’till now)had all the Many. He, therefore,thought, if he could get them three, itwould be the best Service. According-ly he called to the Kingjlon, which wasnear him, to attack the Vice-Admiral;and sent his Boat to the Portland to en-gage the Rear-Admiral, while he him- Admiral ,self made up to the Admiral, and en- dnd engagesgaged her. He thought he should have ^ er ‘

i° C no

{h) It was resolved, that as only the Expedi-tion and Kingston , with the Fire-ship, were thenfit for the Sea, an Attempt on Puerto Bello was,at that Time, impracticable ; But, as the Galli-ons, with the King’s Mony, intended to fail inMay, it was now resolved, that what Ships couldbe made ready, which, at most, were only theExpedition , Portland , Kingston , and Fire-ship,should go over to the Spanish Coast, and watch theMotions of the Gallions: And off the Baru wasthought the properest Place to ly. at, still theygot Intelligence. Several Prizes were taken bydifferent Ships, and the Commadore himself tooktwo Spanish Ships in the Kingston , on the NorthSide of Cuba off Baraco, where some of the Crewgot afhoar. Some Ships were always cruising, andsome em ploy'd as Convoys to the Trade; which,at that Time, was considerable.

4nn a j 1 (i) The Author of the AnniilS of ghieen Ann

^ 4 n J °J fays, that the Commadore being off of Carthage-

n ‘ na, the second of May , discovered a Sloop com-ing from the Southward, by which he got Intelli-gence, that there were thirteen Gallions, andthree Fire-ships, lying at Puerto Bello , ready tofail. _

fk) ABOUT this Time, a Jamaica Privateertook two French Prizes, one laden with Wine and0 Brandy, and the other with Salt.

4t PL Biff (/) This Month, likewise, Captain Coleby,tu top e . Commander of a Privateer-Sloop, with about aHundred Men, meeting with fourteen Sail ofBrigantines and Sloops, laden with valuable Goods,going from the Gallions at Puerto Bello , to Pana-

^uuvuj m LUC iVUKC 01 AHJOU'S Crliard

ship, with between seventy and eighty Men, brav-ly fought the Guard-sloop, and two others, whichstood by her, for tWo Hours, and took her andfix more. The Spaniards offered Captain Colebya Hundred and eighty Thousand Pieces of Eight,for the Ransom of the Sloops, which he refused,brought five of them into Jamaica , and the othertwo, after he had taken the Goods out, he gaveto the French and Spaniards, to carry them a-shoar.

( m ) The Sloop had himself seen them off ofCape St. Blasts , coming to the East-ward. Uponthis Advice, the Commadore thought it advise-able to ly pretty near the Harbour’s Mouth, andbeing informed by Captain Pudner , that the Spa-niards had got a Brigantine and a Sloop, for Fire-ships, thought proper to keep this Sloop someDays, and employ'd her to stand off and on, nearthe Shoar.

(n) The Admiral had a White ox Spanish Pen- ,

dant, at her Main-top-mast-Head, in the Center • BurchefLThe Vice-Admiral the fame Pendant, at herFore-top-mast-head, in the Rear ; And the Rear-Admiral the fame Pendant, at her MiZzen-top-mast Head, in the Van ; About half a Mile fromone another, and other Ships between them. Ofthe seventeen Sail, two were Sloops, and one aBrigantine, which stood in for the Land. Therewere, likewise, two French Ships among them :

One of about thirty, and the other four and twen-ty Guns, which, running away, had no Share inthe Action ; The Rest were Spaniards .