nour to convoy him over the fecond time; and, on the fecond of May, landed him fafely in Holland.

We fhall not launch out into all the parti culars of the fea-fight near La-Hogue that foon followed, in the year 1692, but confine ourfelves to the share admiral Rook had in it; that he fought during the action as bravely as any officer in the fleet, no body ever yet queftioned that I know; but the French line of battle being broke, and the English and Dutch fquadrons purfuing about four in the afternoon, of the twenty- fecond of May, eighteen fail of the French, being got eastward of Cape-Barfleur, hawled in for LaHogue, where our ships anchored about ten at night, and lay by till about four the next morning; at which time the admiral weighed again, and flood in near the land, but the flood coming on he anchored.

At two in the afternoon he weighed again, and plied clofe in with La-Hogue, where were thirteen fail of the enemy's hips hawled in very near to the fhore.

On Monday, the twenty-third, the admiral fent in vice-admiral Rook, with feveral men of war, fire fhips, and the boats of the fleet, to destroy those ships; but they had got them fo far in, that none but the fmall frigates could do any service. However, Mr. Rook himself boldly went in with the boats, and burned fix of them that night, and about eight

the

the next morning burned the other seven, together with feveral tranfport fhips, and fome veffels with ammunition; wherein not only Mr. Rook, and all the officers, fignalized themselves, but the men behaved likewife with the greatest refolution and gallantry.

Surely malice itself can never suggest any thing against an action fo fignal and glorioutly executed. His majefty was fo extremely well pleafed with Mr. Rook's conduct, bravery and intrepidity throughout the whole of it, that he fettled a penfion of ten thousand pounds a year upon him.

The ill fuccefs of the English fleet in 1693, was injurious to the whole nation; but when his majesty, upon his return from the Netherlands, could not forbear, even in parliament, to take notice of the mifmanagement of our naval affairs laft fummer, he was fo far from thinking Sir George had any ways been wanting in his conduct and duty, that he was pleased to appoint him, in the beginning of February, to be vice admiral of the red; and in the month of April, as a further teftimony of his favour, he appointed him, together with Edward Ruffel, efq. Sir John Lowther, of Whitehaven, baronet; Henry Prieftman, efq. and Sir John Houblon, knight; to be lords-commiffioners for execut ing the office of lord high-admiral of England and Ireland: but this was not all, his majesty would accumulate more promotions upon him,

and

and about the fame time advanced him from vice-admiral of the red to be admiral of the blue.

King William having diffolved the parliament on the feventh of July, 1698, and a proclamation being iffued out on the thirteenth, to call another, Sir George Rook was chofen a member for Portsmouth; in which truft, none durft offer to fay, that he did not dif charge himself with the utmolt application and fidelity.

The year 1699 being a year of peace all Europe over, that of 1700 gave Sir George a fresh opportunity to fignalize his conduct in the Baltic for a ftrong confederacy having been formed by the czar of Mufcovy, the king of Denmark, and the king of Poland, against the young king of Sweden, and his brotherin law the duke of Holftein; and the Dane having actually invaded that duchy, the king of England and the ftates-general not only interpofed their good offices or mediating an accommodation, but fitted out squadrons of men of war, in order to fail into the Sound, the more effectually to forward the fame, his Bri tannic majefty thought no body fo fit for this fervice of admiral, and a fort of plenipotentiary, as Sir George Rook, of whofe abilities and fidelity he had had fo long experience.

Sir George, before the end of May, arrived with the fquadron under his command before the Maefe, and went himself to the Hague to confer with the ftates deputies

about

about this grand affair. He went aboard again in a few days, and, being joined by the Dutch fquadron under the command of lieutenant admiral Allemond, they were detained, for feveral days, on the Dutch coafts by contrary winds; however, they made a shift, before the end of June, to arrive at Gottenburg; and, on the eighth of July, entered the Sound without any oppofition.

The English admiral faluted the caftle of Cronenburg with three guns, and a like number was returned; the Dutch admiral gave nine, and the caftle fired three in return.

The whole fleet confifted of thirty men of war, befides fire-fhips, bomb-vessels, and tenders. The Swedish fleet having, in like manner, put to fea, when they came to an anchor near one another, on the fifteenth, near Landfcroon, beyond the Ifle of Vere (upon which the Danish fleet retired under the guns of the citadel of Copenhagen).

It is very remarkable, that, though the English and Dutch fquadrons came to affift and fave the Swedes from ruin, that the latter took no notice of them that evening, all the next day, and part of the morning of the feventeenth; when the English admiral, having wifely weighed matters, and puifuing his orders for precedency, commanded a fignal to be made by a small Dutch frigate, as if she were a neutral ship, for all flags to come on board; where he reprefented the cafe fo effectually to the Swedes, who expected to have

the

the chief command, that, upon his return to his fhip again, and the fignal given, the whole fleet of English, Dutch, and Swedes readily failed under his command to Copenhagen, which they pretended to bombard a little, without fcarce any damage done; though we have been affured, by fome intelligent perfons prefent, they could have laid the city in afhes.

But the admiral's inftructions and defigns tended only to peace; which being foon after happily concluded at Travendall, Sir George returned home, about the middle of September, with the general applaufe of the people, for the great prudence and conduct he had fhewn in fo nice and ticklish a conjun&ture.

In the fpring of the year 1701, his majesty was pleafed to conftitute Sir George Rook to be admiral and commander in chief; but the war against France not breaking out, on this fide of Europe, till next year, there was no naval enterprize yet undertaken by him. In the mean time, king James II. dying at St. Germains, and the French owning his pretended fon for king of England, chafed the people of England to a high degree; and his majefty, in this juncture of affairs, thinking fit to call a new parliament, Sir George Rook was again elected for Portfinouth; and the day of meeting, which was the thirtieth of December, being come, the commons were dirested to go and chuse their speaker.

The