their gallies and firefhips, they might give them fome diverfion. They bore down upon the enemy in order of battle, a little after ten o'clock, when, being about half gun-fhot from them, they fet all their tails at once, and feemed to intend to ftretch a-head and weather them; fo that the admiral, after firing a chace-gun at the French admiral to lay for him, of which he took no notice, put the fignal out, and began the battle, which fell very heavy on the Royal Catharine, the St. George, and the Shrewfbury, About two in the afternoon, the enemy's van gave way to our's, and the battle ended with the day, when the enemy went away, by the help of their gallies, to the leeward In the night, the wind, fhifted to the northward, and in the morning to the weftward; which gave the enemy the wind of us. They lay by all day within three leagues of one another, repairing their defects; and at night they filed and flood to the northward. On the fifteenth, in the morning, the enemy was got four or five leagues to the windward of our fleet; but a little before noon we had a breeze of wind easterly with which the admiral bore down on them till four o'clock in the afternoon; but being too late to engage, they brought to, and lay with their heads to the northward all night. On the fixteenth, in the morning, the wind being fill easterly, hazy weather, and having го no fight of the enemy or their fcouts, they filed and bore away to the weftward, fuppofing they would have gone away for Cadiz; but, being advised from Gibraltar, and the coast of Barbary, that they did not pass the Streights, our admiral concluded they had been fo feverely treated, as to oblige them to return to Thoulon. The admiral faid, he muft do the officers the juftice to fay, That every man in the line did his duty, without the leaft umbrage for cenfure or reflection; and that he never obferved the true English spirit fo apparent and prevalent in our feamen as on this occafion. This battle was fo much the more glorious to her majesty's arms, because the enemy had a fuperiority of fix hundred great guns, and likewife the advantage of cleaner fhips, being lately come out of port; not to mention the great ufe of their gallies in towing on or off their great ships, and in fupplying them with fresh men as often as they had any killed or difabled. But all thefe difadvantages were furmounted by the prudence and good conduct of the admiral, his officers, and the undaunted courage of our sea-men. Of the English, there were one thousand, fix hundred, and thirty-two wounded; and fix hundred and eighty-feven flain; befides thirty-one officers wounded, and eight flain; in all, killed and wounded, two thousand, three hundred, and fifty-eight. The chief officers killed were Sir Andrew Lake and captain Cow. This their gallies and firefhips, they might give them fome diverfion. They bore down upon the enemy in order of battle, a little after ten o'clock, when, being about half gun-fhot from them, they fet all their tails at once, and seemed to intend to ftretch a-head and weather them; fo that the admiral, after firing a chace-gun at the French admiral to lay for him, of which he took no notice, put the fignal out, and began the battle, which fell very heavy on the Royal Catharine, the St. George, and the Shrewfbury, In About two in the afternoon, the enemy's van gave way to our's, and the battle ended with the day, when the enemy went away, by the help of their gallies, to the leeward. the night, the wind fhifted to the northward, and in the morning to the weftward; which gave the enemy the wind of us. They lay by all day within three leagues of one another, repairing their defects; and at night they filed and flood to the northward. On the fifteenth, in the morning, the enemy was got four or five leagues to the windward of our feet; but a little before noon we had a breeze of wind eafterly with which the admiral bore down on them till four o'clock in the afternoon; but being too late to engage, they brought to, and lay with their heads to the northward all night. On the fixteenth, in the morning, the wind being ftill easterly, hazy weather, and having no fight of the enemy or their scouts, they filed and bore away to the weftward, fuppofing' they would have gone away for Cadiz; but, being advised from Gibraltar, and the coast of Barbary, that they did not pass the Streights, our admiral concluded they had been fo feverely treated, as to oblige them to return to Thoulon. The admiral faid, he must do the officers the juftice to fay, That every man in the line did his duty, without the leaft umbrage for cenfure or reflection; and that he never obferved the true English fpirit fo apparent and prevalent in our feamen as on this occafion. This battle was fo much the more glorious to her majesty's arms, because the enemy had a fuperiority of fix hundred great guns, and likewife the advantage of cleaner fhips, being lately come out of port; not to mention the great ufe of their gallies in towing on or off their great fhips, and in fupplying them with fresh men as often as they had any killed or difabled. But all thefe difadvantages were furmounted by the prudence and good conduct of the admiral, his officers, and the undaunted courage of our sea-men. Of the English, there were one thousand, fix hundred, and thirty-two wounded; and fix hundred and eighty-feven flain; befides thirty-one officers wounded, and eight flain; in all, killed and wounded, two thoufand, three hundred, and fifty-eight. The chief officers killed were Sir Andrew Lake and captain Cow. This y. This done, and the admiral having left two thoufand English marines in Gibraltar, with a fufficient quantity of ftores and provisions, and forty-eight guns, befides one hundred that were in the town before, and the season of the year being far advanced, he returned bome with the great fhips, and was very favourably received by her majefty, and his royal highness the lord-high-admiral; and the queen was congratulated by the houfe of commons upon the victory obtained by her fleet under the com mand, and by the courage and conduct, of Sir George Rook But, notwithstanding all this, there were fonnd to be fome people fo wicked, partial, and malevolent, that nothing bad enough could be faid by them of the admiral's conduct and enterprizes. Some of thofe pretend an high esteem and value for Sir Cloudefly Shovel if therefore they are willing to take his word for Sir George, he fays, The engagement was very sharp, and he thought the like between two fleets had never been at any time; that a great many of the ships had fuffered much, but none more than Sir George Rook and captain Jennings in the St. George. And as for the Dutch, who were never backward to complain, if they thought any of our admirals tardy in their duty, admiral Calemburg, upon this occafion, wrote to the states, That, in a council of war, called by Sir George the day after the fight, it appeared, that admiral Rook, with the centre, had ben e..gaged |