HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
347
thus far, in providing a force apparently formidable, they were, according totheir usual custom, extremely fearful of venturing them in action more thannecessity absolutely required. The English admiral, Russel, in one of hisprivate letters to the earl of Nottingham, completely establishes this charge:“ I had resolved,” says he, “ at a council of war, to have gone myself with asquadron of fifty ships to the westward of the cape, ofFTorne head, the passageto Conquet road, in hopes to'have met with those ships the Dutch lost sight of,which I do most extremely repine at: for had they gone away, after losingsight of them, when I proposed to have gone with part of the fleet, they musthave fallen in with them : ’twas a great error in part of seamanship, for theyknew we had no occasion for them with us. Indeed, we have chased likeprivateers, and not in monsieur Tourville’s method, in line of battle ; butthese things are past, and we must bless God for the good fortune we havehad.” The remainder of the year was consumed in uninteresting cruizes, andin watching the defeated enemy, services, which at best perhaps, were littleconsequential; and which were certainly rendered still less so, by the peculiarmanagement of the states general in their maritime affairs. Mr. Russel, inthe course of his correspondence with the earl of Nottingham, very brieflyand pointedly explains the motives of their conduct. The letter bears date the23 d of June 1692 , little more than three weeks after the victory off La Hogue,and stands as a very convincing as well as curious proof, that on the first
moment when victory had
silenced
all terror, the natural bent and
inclination
Guns.
Guns.
Noord-Hollandt
68
Leyden
64
Gelderlandt
- 64
Casimir
72
Tergoes
54
Amsterdam
64
Delft
54
Haerlem
64
Hoorn
54
Zeelandt
64
Gaesterlandt
50
Veliie
64
Medemblick
50
Maegt-Van-Dort
64
K on ing-W i lhelm
92
Veere - -
62
Brandenburg
92
Zurickzee
60
Seven-Provintzen
-76
Schatterschoff
50
Everste-Edele
74
Ripperda »
50
Frisia
72
Stadenlandt
50
Elswont -
72
Provintz-Van-Utrecht
44
Gelderlandt a
72
Edam
40
Muyden
72
Raedhuijsen-Van-Haerlem -
40
Ridderschap
72
Zeyst
30
of