23 method was laid down of fupplying them conftantly from Lisbon. 1704. Sir George Rooke, after he had fupplied Gibraltar, fail- The ened again into the Mediterranean, and, in conjunction with gagement the Dutch fleet under vice-admiral Callemburgh, met off off MalaMalaga the count de Thoulouse with the whole French ga. fleet, which was much fuperior to the English in number, Burnet. and had many gallies with them, that were of great use. Sir George Rooke called a council of war, in which it was refolved to engage the enemy; but there was not due care taken to furnish all the flips with a fufficient quantity of powder, for fome had wafted a great part of their stock of ammunition before Gibraltar; however they had generally twenty-five rounds, and it had feldom happened, that fo much powder was fpent in an action at fea. On the 13th of Auguft, as the two fleets engaged, fir Cloudefly Shovel advanced with his fquadron to a clofe fight, for it was the maxim of our feamen to fight as near as they could; and he had the advantage, and the enemy's van gave way in no little confufion, as did their rear foon after, being no lefs vigorously attacked by the Dutch. But the enemies being very ftrong in the center, and fome of the English fhips being obliged to go out of the line for want of fhot, (occafioned by the great expence of it at Gibraltar) several of fir George Rooke's own fquadron fuffered very much. About feven in the evening, one of the French admiral's feconds advanced out of the line, and began a close fight with the St. George, commanded by fir John Jennings, but, notwithstanding the St. George had already fuffer'd much, the met with fuch rough treatment, that he had difficulty enough to rejoin the line, after the lofs of both her captains and many of her men. The engagement continued till night parted them, and, if the French had come to a new engagement next day, it might have been fatal, fince many of our hips were without fhot, whilst others had enough and to fpare. In this long and hot action there was no ship. on either fide, that was taken, funk, or burnt. The English made a fhew the next day of preparing for a fecond engagement, but the enemy bore off, to the great joy of our fleet. The French fuffered much in the action, and went into Toulon fo difabled, that they could not be put in a condition to go to fea again in many months. They left the fea, as the field of battle, to the English; fo that the honour of the action remained with us, though the nation was not greatly elated with the news of a drawn battle at fea with the French: 1704. French: It was long before a certain account of the action was brought to England; but the modefty, with which the French king wrote of it to the archbishop of Paris, put us out of all fears; for, whereas the French ftile was very boafting of their fucceffes, in this cafe it was only faid, that the action was to his advantage. From that cold expreffion the English concluded, that the victory was on their fide. When the full account was fent home from our fleet, the partialities on both fides appeared very fignally. The tories magnified this as a great victory; but perfons fkilled in naval affairs, differed much in their fentiments, about fir George Rooke's conduct in that action, fome not only justifying, but extolling it as much as others condemned it (a). (a) Sir Cloudefley Shovel's letter on this occafion was as follows. "This brings news of my "health, and that we are on our way homeward: That "which fends us home fo foon, " is a very harp engagement 66 we have had with the "French: Our number of ་་ fhips that fought in the line "of battle were pretty equal: "I think they were forty-nine, "and we fifty-three; but fir 66 Sir gave me an opportunity of coming as near as I pleased, "which was within pistol fhot, "before I fired a gun, thro' "which means, and God's af"fiftance, the enemy declined us, and were upon the run "in less than four hours, by "which time we had little "wind, and their gallies towed "off their lame fhips and "others as they pleased; for the "admiral of the white and "blue, with whom we fought, "had feven gallies tending up"on him. As foon as the enemy got out of the reach of our guns, and the battle "continuing pretty hot aftern, "and fome of our fhips in the "admiral's fquadron towing "out of the line, which, I un"derftood afterwards, was for "want of fhot, I ordered all "the fhips of my divifion to "flack all their fails, to clofe "the George Rooke referved fome line in the center; "this working had that good "effect, that feveral of the "enemies fhips a-ftern which "had kept their line, having "their top-fails and fore-fails fet, Sir George Rooke after the engagement, failed to Gib- 1704.. raltar, where he ftayed eight days to refit; and, having fupplied that place with men and provifions, failed from thence, Sept. 4. and returned home with the great fhips, leaving behind him N. S. eighteen men of war, under the command of fir John Leake, both for the defence of the coaft of Portugal, and to be in readinefs to fuccour Gibraltar, if there fhould be occafion. The fuccefs of affairs in Portugal this year was by no Affairs of means answerable to the expectation of the allies. Portugal. After feveral councils of war held in the prefence of Burnet. their Catholic and Portuguese majefties, which paffed not Hift. of without fome difputes between duke Schomberg and the Europe Portuguese generals and minifters; the auxiliary forces of Lamberti. "fet, shot up a-breast of us, as "the rear-admiral of the white "and blue, and fome of his "divifion; and the vice-ad"miral of the white and fome "of his divifion; but they were fo warmly received be"fore they got a broad fide, "that with their boats a-head, " and their sprit fails fet, they "towed from us without giving "us the opportunity of firing at "them.. ; "The fhips, that fuffered "moft in my divifion, were the "Lenox, Warfpight, Tilbury, "and Swift-fure; the reft efcaped pretty well, and I the " best of all; though I never "took greater pairs in all my "life to be foundly beaten "for I fet all my fails, and "rowed with three boats a"head, to get a long-fide with "the admiral of the white and "blue; but he out-failing me, "fhunned fighting, and lay a"long-fide of the little fhips: "notwithstanding, the engage t ment was very sharp, and, I "think, the like between two "fleets never has been in any VOL. XVI. Eng "time. There is hardly a fhip, that must not shift one "maft, and some must shift "all; a great many have suf"fered much, but none more "than fir George Rooke and "captain Jennings in the St. "George. God fend us well "home: I believe we have "not three fpare top-mafts, nor "three fishes in the fleet, and I judge there are ten jury-masts now up. After the fight, we "lay two days in the fight of "the enemy, preparing for a " fecond engagement, but the "enemy declined and stood from " us in the night." 66 Another writer expresses himfelf thus: "The fea-fight, "though very bloody, was far "from being decifive, not a fhip being loft on either fide. ""Tis certain the enemy were "fuperior to as, both in weight "and number; and, however many among us blamed the " conduct of the admiral, he "came off, when all things "are impartially confidered, "much better than could have "been expected. Both fides D "claimed 1704. England and Holland began to land, the 16th of March, N. S. duke Schomberg had warmly infifted, that these auxiliaries might keep in a body; urging the inconveniences that might attend their feparation. But the king of Portugal being unwilling to truft the defence of the frontier towns to his raw and undisciplined troops, and there happening fome coldnefs between the English general and monfieur Fagel, who commanded the Dutch forces, at their very first interview, the English infantry had their quarters affigned obliged to leave them, left they should futpect our weak"nefs, and force us to be defperate." During the action, were killed and wounded of the English two thousand three hundred and fifty-eight; of the Dutch four hundred; fir Andrew Leake, captain of the Grafton, captain Cow of the Ranelaugh, lieutenant Jennings of the St. George, the third lieutenant of the Shrewf bury, and the first lieutenant of the Lenox, were all the of ficers of their rank that were killed; captain Myngs, captain Baker, captain Kirton, captain Jumper, captain Myghels, lieutenant Edifbury, and lieutenant Leftock, were wounded, as were two lieutenants of the Barfleur, and the chaplain, feven or eight leutenants more, three mafters, and about as many boatswains and carpenters. On the French fide were killed the baily of Lorrain, commodore of a fquadron, and the count de Thouloufe's fecond; five captains, of which three were knights, a commiffary of marines, fix lieutenants, and five fea enfigns. Among the latter, the marthal de Chateaureg nault's fon, and the fieur de Bollem Villers, the count de Thouloufe's gentleman; the count himfelt was wounded in the forehead, fhoulder, and thigh; the count de Relingnes had his leg fhot off; the marquifs de Herhault, intendant of the fleet; monfieur du Caffe, commodore of a fquadron; monfieur de Chateauregnault; the count de Philepaux, the count de Cominges, monfieur de Valincourt, the count de Thouloufe's fecretary, seven captains, eight lieutenants, and about one hundred and fifty other officers were wounded. figned in Olivenza, Elvas, Portalegre, and other places in the province of Altejo; and the Dutch were fent up the Tagus towards Abrantes. The king of Portugal, by his treaties with England and Holland, had engaged to furnish horfes to mount the cavalry and dragoons of thefe two nations; but, whilft the king of Spain, Charles, was detained in Holland and England by contrary winds, the French ambaffador in Portugal, with great induftry, had bought up the beft horfes of that kingdom; fo that, moft of the horfes, which his Portuguese majesty's officers afterwards provided for the English and Dutch auxiliaries, being neither of a fize nor ftrength fit for fervice, fcarce one third part of the troopers and dragoons were mounted this campaign. Neither was there better provifion made for fick foldiers, who, after fo tedious a paffage, could not but be very numerous, and of whom many died for want of attendance and neceffaries. Another caufe of the ill fuccefs of the campaign was, that, though the king of Portugal himfelf expreffed the best intentions poffible, he was much governed by his minifters, who were all in the French interefts. They had an army, but they had made no preparations for taking the field; nor could they bring their troops together, for want of provifions and carriages. The forms of their government made them very flow, and not eafily acceffible. They were too proud to confefs that they wanted any thing, when they had nothing; and too indolent to exert themfelves, in order to execute what was in their power to do; and the king's ill health furnished them with an excufe for every thing, that was defective and out of order. The priests, both in Spain and Portugal, were fo univerfally in the French interest, that even the house of Auftria, which had been formerly fo much in their favour, was now in difgrace with them. Their alliance with heretics, and bringing over an army of them to maintain their pretenfions, had made all their former services be forgotten. The governing body at Rome did certainly engage all their zealots every where to fupport that intereft, which was fo determined on the deftru&tion of herefy. The English and Dutch generals were likewife upon ill terms with the Portuguese, Duke Schomberg, by his title of captain general of the queen of Great Britain's forces in Portugal, ought certainly to have commanded, at least, all the English and Dutch auxiliaries: And it had been no bad policy in the king of Portugal to have made him likewife commander in chief of all his forces; a poft which the duke's father had formerly executed in that kingdom with fuch fuccefs, that he refcued D 2 |