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captain Rook did not at all favour the defigns. concerted by that prince against his country, there was indeed nothing but meer neceffity, I mean the want of good officers, that made the king entertain him, and fome others, in his fervice.

Captain Rook, upon the landing of the prince of Orange in England, and the fuccefs of his arms, coming into the Downs, under my lord Dartmouth's command, king James, his admiral, there readily concurred to have feveral officers in the fleet, that were known, or at least fufpected, to be. Papifts, to be dif miffed from their employments; and indeed this gentleman in particular, as much affected to the religion and liberty of his country as any in the navy could be, engaged in his ftation early and heartily in promoting the happy re volution that enfued.

Arthur Herbert, efq. being, on the fourteenth of March, appointed admiral of the fleet by his majefty king William, the admiral thought fit, about the end of April, to fend captain Rook with a squadron of ships to the coaft of Ireland, to affift the generals of the land-forces in the reduction of that kingdom.

His majefty king William finding his prefence to be abfolutely neceffary in Holland, in that great congrefs to be held at the Hague concerning the operations of the enfuing campaign, in, and concerting proper measures to, bring down the over-grown greatness of France,

no

no body was thought more proper to be trufted with the guard of his royal perfon in that voyage than Rook, then rear-admiral; and it is the more remarkable, because this was the first time of his majefty's going over into Holland fince he had been king of Eng.

land.

The admiral failed out of the Downs on the twenty-fixth of January, with the fquadron of men of war under his command towards Margate-road; and his majefty embarking at Gravefend, they put to fea on the feventeenth, and, after having encountered great dangers from the ice on the coast of Holland, he landed fafely, a little to the northward of the Maefe; and the rear-admiral having honourably and faithfully discharged his great truft, and continued on that coaft till he faw the yatchts and small frigates harboured, he returned with the fquadron, on the twenty-fifth, to Margate-road. I am not pofitive, but I believe the rear-admiral was, in like manner, the perfon appointed to convoy his majesty home again. I am fure he failed to the eaft ward with a fquadron of men of war on the fifteenth of March, but returning on the twenty-firft of the fame month, in the Charles galley, from the coaft of Holland, where his majefty was not ready to embark, the king took the opportunity, about the middle of April, of returning with part of the Dutch fquadron for England: however, making no long stay here, rear-admiral Rook had the ho

nour

nour to convoy him over the fecond time;: and, on the fecond of May, landed him safely 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 ourselves 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 shore.

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 fervice. However, Mr. Rook himfelf 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 likewise with the greatest refolution and gallantry.

Surely malice itfelf can never fuggeft 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 pleafed 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 executing the office of lord high-admiral of England and Ireland: but this was not all, his majesty would accumulate more promotions upon him,

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