Hogue, where our fhips anchored about ten at night, and On Monday the 23d of May he fent in Mr. Rooke, then was burnt by our boats; captain Fowlis attempted the Royal Sun, but was fet on fire by the enemy's fhot, yet deferves 6 as well as the others." (w) Monfieur Fourbin, contrary to the opinion of father Daniel, blames the conduct of his admiral, in this latter part of the action. • The general, fays he, neglecting to improve the advantage, which he had, of efcaping, refolved, for what reafon I could not imagine, to come to anchor, at the entrance of the Race, instead of fheering off quite, as he fhould have done, not being in any ⚫ condition to continue the fight. At last an unexpected accident ⚫ completed our ruin. The fhip, in which the admiral was, with feveral others flipped their anchors, and were thereupon driven by the tide upon the enemy. Monfieur de Tourville, who faw himself in danger, being unwilling to expofe the whole fleet, which was a⚫bout to follow him, and which would infallibly have been ei⚫ther taken or funk, took down his general's flag. Upon this monfieur de Pannetier, commander of a fquadron, put up a flag as a fignal to rally, and thereby faved the remainder of the fleet. Thofe, which followed the general's fate, ran themfelves afhore at La Hogue, 'where fourteen of our fineft men of war were unfortunately ⚫ burnt. I faved mine, though bored through and through, and following the remainder of the fleet, which were in no better condition than myself, we made for the road of St. ⚫ Malo's,' French F C French did not attempt to engage the English at fea, but 1692. contented themselves to prejudice their trade by their smaller fhips of war and privateers (x). (x) According to a relation, which we find in Kennet, the French loft five great fhips in the fight, (which father Daniel however contradicts) one of which was monfieur Gabaret's, admiral of the blue íquadron, of ninety odd guns; fo that in the whole one and twenty of their biggeft fhips were deftroyed, befides the two frigates, and other fmall veffels. And, had it not been for the foggy weather, few of the reft would have escaped. On our fide not one fhip was loft, but the fire-fhips, which were spent upon action; and befides real-admiral Carter and colonel Haftings, not one commiffion officer. The Dutch admiral Allemonde gave an account of this action to the ftates-general in the following letter. This' here I was informed by the captain of a French fire-fhip, who was taken prifoner, that about twelve of the fhips, which had engaged your highneffes fquadron, and to which he had given chace, were got, in among the rocks; upon which I prepared to go and deftroy or burn them. But as I was ready to put my defign "in execution, I found that admiral Ruffel was giving orders to the fame purpofe. I immediately offered him your light frigates and fire-fhips to aflift his hips, and immediately gave the neceffary orders, in cafe he fhould make use of them. But as yet I know not whether those frigates and firefhips were employed or not. All that I can affure your high mightineffes, is, that the fame day they took a refolution to' deftroy these fhips, they burnt fix of the largeft, being thips of 'three decks; and this day the 1692. This fervice being over, the admiral failed out of La Hogue bay on the 25th, and ordered Sir John Afhby, who was returned without doing any execution on the other part of the enemy's fleet, to run with a fquadron of English and Dutch along the French coaft, as far as Havre de Grace, and to look out for thofe five fhips, which he faid he had feen standing eastward, But even in this he had no better fuccefs than before (y). Remark. The refolution, with which the French bore down upon Burchet, our fleet, was not a little furprizing; for they were not above fifty fhips (z), from one hundred and four to fifty-fix guns; and it was thought by fome to have occafioned at first some jealousy amongst the English; but, if that was really the cafe, it was foon blown over, for every one endeavoured to do what he was able. And as for monfieur Tourville's running this hazard, it is attributed to the pofitive orders, which he had from his mafter, to fight the English fleet; which, had he thought fit, he might have avoided, even after they faw each other, for he was feveral leagues to the windward. And it is faid, that, when he called his flagofficers together, they unanimoufly gave their opinions not to engage; but that he at laft produced an order under the orders are given out to burn the transport vessels, which are in the bay of La Hogue, to the number of three hundred, if it may be done with fafety. But, I fear, it will be very difficult, because the water is very fhal< low, where thofe veffels lie and great refiftance may be made from the land-fide. I therefore leave the fuccefs of the defign to providence. On the other hand, it has been refolved in a grand council of war to reduce our fleet to fifty or fixty great hips, fail away to the inland of Ufhant, and f endeavour to take all the enemy's fhips that fhall come off, ar defign to go into Breft, and to fend the reft of the men of war, with fome fire-fhips, to fcour the coafts of France, as far as Dunkirk; to seek and deftroy, if poffible, the feattered remnants of the French fleet, that have fteered their courfe to the east. I am, Moft high and mighty lords, ⚫ Yours, &c. O. ALLEMONDE.' (y) Bifhop Burnet tells us, that leagues; but then the pilots preSir John purfued them fome tending danger, he came back fo that twenty-fix of the French fhips, which if he had pursued by all appearance he had deftroy-. ed, got into St. Malo's. Burnet, II. 93. (z) Father Daniel and monfieur Fourbin fay, but fortyfour. French French king's own hand, which fhewed them the neceffity there was for their fo doing (a). These orders were undoubt edly given him upon a prefumption, that our great ships and the Dutch could not poffibly join Sir Ralph Delaval's and rear-admiral Carter's fquadrons, then cruifing on their coaft, before he might have had an opportunity of coming up with them. And indeed, had not admiral Ruffel failed from the river at the very time he did, contrary to the opinion of the pilots, the winds, which afterwards happened, would have prevented his coming timely to their affiftance; fo that the enemy might, in all probability, have had equal, if not greater fuccefs, than we had over them. And here it may be obferved, that although the confederate fleet was confide rably ftronger than the French, yet were the latter beaten by an inferior number; for by reason of the calm, and the thickness of the weather, it was not poffible for many of the Dutch fhips, or of the blue fquadron, to engage; whereas had they been favoured with clear weather, and a gale of wind, it is very probable, that not so much as one of the French fhips would have escaped (b). is not to be doubted, but if the 'to the ground, by the blow our (a) Father Daniel takes no notice of all this; but on the other hand says, that several difappointments, occafioned by contrary winds, obliged count de Tourville to come to an engage-project of a descent, which fell ment. What monfieur de Fourbin fays of this matter may in fome measure clear it up. The ' views of France, fays he, and the project of a descent into England, were now no more a fecret. King James was already gone to La Hogue, where he was ready to embark at the head of twenty thousand men, ' and waited only the fuccefs of ⚫ a battle with the English, which ' monfieur de Tourville had or⚫ders to give even at a hazard, if 'occafion required it. It was ⚫ indeed neceffary to run this rifque, in order to make the defcent fecure, for there was nothing could be an impediment to it but the English Acet. It (b) This is Burchet's account, the greatest part of which is taken from admiral Ruffel's letter to the earl of Nottingham, dated from Portsmouth, June 2, 1692. See Lettres historiques, II. 108. 1692. 1692, It was believed, that if this fuccefs had been pursued with vigour, confidering the confternation with which the The vic- French were ftruck, upon such an unusual and surprising tory not blow, the victory might have been carried much farther than purfued as it was. But admiral Ruffel was provoked by fome letters it might. and orders, which the earl of Nottingham fent him from Boyer. King James's letter to the French king on this defeat. Burnet. Burchet. the queen, which he thought were the effects of ignorance; The lofs of the French fleet was fenfibly felt by king James, who thereupon writ to the king of France, That he had hitherto, with fome conftancy and refolution, fupported the weight of all his misfortunes, fo long as he himself was the only fufferer; but he acknowledged, that this laft difafter overwhelmed him, and that he was altogether comfortlefs, in relation to what concerned his moft chriftian majefty, through the great loss that had befallen • his fleet. That he knew too well that it was his own unlucky ftar which had drawn this misfortune upon his forces, always victorious, but when they fought for his interefts; which plainly let him fee, that he no longer merited the support of fo great a monarch. He therefore intreated his moft chriftian majefty, no longer to concern himself for a prince fo unfortunate as himfelf, but permit him to retire with his family to fome corner of the world, where he might ceafe to obftruct the ufual course of his most christian majefty's profperities and conquefts, and where nothing could more contribute to his confolation, than to hear of the quick return of all his wonted tri⚫umphs both by fea and land, over both your enemies (fays he) and mine, when my intereft fhall no longer be intermixed with your's.' The king of France endeavoured to alleviate his affliction by a kind anfwer, wherein he promised never to forfake him in the worft of his extremities. End of VOL. XIII. and I. of CONTINUATION. |