The court were for Sir Thomas Littleton tooth and nail; and the king himself, with all juft deference to his memory, interested himfelf in that election fo openly, and to fuch a degree, that fome of his best friends did not think well of it. The oppofite party were entirely for Mr. Robert Harley's being speaker.

Now comes on Sir George's grand crime, and it was fuch a fin, in the eyes of fome people, as the fcripture declares fhall never be forgiven. The brave gentleman having always the good of his country at heart, and, by reafon of his long experience in maritime affairs, being the more willing and capable to deliver his mind upon this occafion, gave his opinion against Sir Thomas's being put into the chair; not out of any disrespect to the gentleman, whom he knew to be very capable of the great truft, but upon account of his being treasurer of the navy, which office required the utmoft application and attendance. in the war that was like to enfue; wherein, in all probability, he himself was to act a main part; as indeed it afterwards came to pass : but king William III. dying on the eighth of March, and queen Anne fucceeding to the crown, things took another turn, and the clamours which had been begun to be raised againft Sir George, for the prefent ceased; and her majefty, being moft fenfib:e of his great fervices and true merit, was pleafed to confer, befides the command of the fleet, an

additional honour and truft upon him, by ap pointing him vice-admiral and lieutenant of the admiralty of England, and lieutenant of the fleets and feas of this kingdom.

Being commander in chief with the duke of Ormond in the expedition against Cadiz, but that expedition failing, on the twenty-first of September, the admiral, coming home with the whole fleet, fent the Eagle, the Sterlingcaftle, and the Pembroke, with fome tranfports, to water in Lagos bay, where they arrived on the twenty fecond. The land-officers on board the Pembroke went immediately on fhore, having with them Mr. Beauvoir, a gentleman of Jersey, chaplain of that ship; who there getting certain intelligence that the galleons and their convoy had put into Vigo, he acquainted captain Hardy with it, who, without delay, imparted the news to captain Wifhart, who commanded the Eagle and all the fquadron: upon which information, a confultation of captains was immediately held; wherein it was refolved, that this intelligence was of that importance; that a fhip should be fent to acquaint Sir George Rook with it; and, as captain Hardy had the best failor, and was master of the intelligence, captain Wishast ordered him to fail a head to find out the fleet; which he happily effected on the fixth of October, when he acquainted Sir George Rook with the whole matter.

The admiral imparted the fame immediately to the Dutch admiral, declaring it his opi

nion that they fhould all fet fail directly for Vigo. The Dutch admiral readily concurred with Sir George, who the next day called a council of flag-officers; wherein it was refolved, Thats as the attempting and deftroying the French and Spanish fhips at Vigo would be of great advantage to her majefty, and no less honourable to her and her allies, and tend, in a great measure, to reduce the exorbitant power of France, the fleet should make the best of their way to that port, and fall on immediately with the whole line, if there were room fufficient for it; otherwife to attack the enemy with fuch detachments as might render the enterprize most effectual and tuccessful.

The French admiral, to do him juftice, had taken all human precautions to fecure his ships and the Spanish fiota; for he not only had carried them up beyond a very narrow freight, defended by a caftle on the one fide, and platforms on both fides of the ftreight, where he had planted his best guns, but had likewife laid athwart it a ftrong boom, made up of mafts, yards, cables, top-chains, and calks, about twelve yards in circumference, and kept fteady by anchors caft on both fides of it.

Our brave admiral, not at all difcouraged with this, fo foon as the confederate fleet came to an anchor, which was on the eleventh of October, before. Vigo, as aforesaid, called a council of the fea and land general officers; wherein it was concluded, that, fince the

whole fleet could not attempt the enemy's hips where they lay, without apparent danger of running foul one upon another, a detachment of fifteen English and ten Dutch men of war, with the line of battle, and all the firefhips, fhould be fent in, with orders to use their beft endeavours to take or deftroy the enemy's fleet; that the frigates and bombveffels fhould follow the rear of the detachment, and that the great fhips fhould move after them, and go in, if there fhould be occafion, that the army fhould, at the fame time, land and attack the fort on the fouth fide of Rodendella, and thence proceed on where they might moft effectually annoy the enemy; that, because it was not known what depth of water there might be, the attempt fhould be made with the fmalleft fhips; and, that, to give the better countenance to the fervice, all the flag-officers should go in with the fquadron.

For the better performance of these refolutions, the admiral, with great zeal and unwearied vigilance, spent almoft the whole night in going from fhip to fhip, in his own boat, to give the neceffary directions, and to encourage both officers and feamen to discharge their duty.

The next day, about ten in the morning, the duke, having landed his men, and marching to attack the enemy by land, and at their platforms and forts, it was impoffible the.

brave admiral could remain an idle fpectator; and therefore, as foon as the land forces were got on hore, he gave the fignal to weigh; which was accordingly done, the line formed, and the fquadron was briskly bearing up the boom; but when the van was got within cannon fhot of the batteries, it fell calm, fo that they were constrained to come to an anchor again.

However, not a long time after, it blowing a fresh gale, vice-admiral Hopfon, in the Torbay, being next the enemy, cut immediately his cables, clapt on all his fails, and, bearing up directly upon the boom, amidst all the enemy's fire, broke through it at once, and caft anchor between the Bourbon and L'Esperance, two French men of war, which count Chateaurenaud had placed near the boom, and with unparalelled refolution received feveral broadfides from them.

The reft of vice admiral Hopfon's divifion, and vice-admiral Vandergoes, with his detachment, having weighed at the fame time, failed a breaft towards the boom, to add the greater weight and force to the fhock; but being becalmed they all ftuck, and were obliged to hack and cut their way through. A fresh gale blowing again, the Dutch admiral made fo good ufe of it, that, having nicked the paffage which the brave Hopfon had made, he boldly went in and made himself master of the Bourbon.

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