LIVES

OF

THE ADMIRALS:

INCLUDING

A NEW AND ACCURATE

NAVAL HISTORY.

CHAP. 1.

The Naval History of Great Britain from the Accession of King George II. to the End of the War in the Year 1763.-Continued from the preceding Volume.

* overtures of A.D.

ABOUT the close of the preceding year,
accommodation were made on the part of France by
Monsieur Rouille, secretary of state, in a private letter
to Mr. Fox, secretary of state to his Britannic majesty.
But as this application was calculated only to amuse the
English ministry, in order to gain time, it produced no
other effect. The French, having now augmented their
navy very considerably, ordered all the British subjects
in France to depart the kingdom; published an edict for
the encouragement of privateers; seized every English
vessel in their ports, and sent their crews to prison. They
then began to threaten us with an invasion; and, in order
to give this project an air of probability, were extremely
busy in their military preparations on the coast of the

1756.

British Channel. But the design of these preparations was merely to divert our attention from their armaments in the Mediterranean, where the blow was really intended. The king, the ministry, and their adherents in parliament, were, however, so completely duped by this French manœuvre, that Hessian and Hanoverian troops were sent for to protect us, and the repeated authentic information concerning the equipment and destination of the Toulon fleet totally disregarded. There never was a more flagrant example of obstinate infatuation.

At length the destination of the armament at Toulon was so certainly and universally known, that the British ministry started suddenly from their apathy, and, like men just awakened from a sound slumber, began to act before they had recovered their senses. It was known to all Europe, that the French squadron at Toulon consisted of thirteen ships of the line, and that fifteen thousand land forces were there ready for embarkation; nevertheless, only ten British ships were ordered for the Mediterranean, and the command was given to Admiral Byng, a man whose courage and abilities were yet untried. With this squadron, not completely manned, without either hospital or fire-ship, he sailed from Spithead on the 7th of April. He had on board Major-general Stuart, Lord Effingham, Colonel Cornwallis, and about forty inferiour officers, whose regiments were in garrison at Minorca; also a regiment of soldiers to be landed at Gibraltar, and about a hundred recruits.

Admiral Byng arrived at Gibraltar on the 2d of May, where he found the Louisa, Captain Edgecombe, who informed him, that he had been driven from Minorca by a French squadron of thirteen ships of the line, commanded by Monsieur Galissoniere, who had landed fifteen thousand men on that island. Admiral Byng gave immediate orders for the ships to complete their provisions and water with all possible expedition. On the third day after his arrival he went on shore to confer with General Fowke,

the governor of Gibraltar, concerning a battalion to be transported to Minorca. When the admiral demanded this battalion, the governor produced three several letters of instruction from the war-office, which he could neither reconcile with each other, nor with the order given by the admiralty to Admiral Byng. These several orders, which were then compared and considered by a council of war at Gibraltar, being matter of importance to every future commander, whether at land or sea, I must entreat the reader, before he proceeds, to consider attentively Admiral Byng's instructions, and then to read carefully the orders sent from the war-office to General Fowke, which he will find at the bottom of this page.

The council of war, after mature deliberation, determined not to part with the battalion required; first, because it appeared by Lord Barrington's first letter, that the fuzileers were to remain at Gibraltar; and, secondly, because it was the opinion of the engineers who were well acquainted with Minorca, that to throw succours into St. Philip would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. But this resolution of the council of war was certainly wrong; for though it appeared by Lord Barrington's first 'letter, that the fuzileers were to remain at Gibraltar, that order was evidently contradicted by Admiral Byng's instructions of a later date, and the order for sending a battalion to Minorca was repeated and confirmed. However,' the council of war consented that one captain, six

• Lord Barrington's letter to General Fowke, dated the 21st of March, says, “The king has ordered the royal regiment of fuzileers ❝ to embark immediately for Gibraltar, and that upon their arrival “you are to make a detachment equal to a battalion, from the four "regiments in garrison, to Minorca." The second letter, without any reference to the first, repeats the order for embarking a battalion on board the fleet for the relief of Minorca, in case there was any probability of its being attacked; and the third letter, dated April 1, orders the governor to receive such women and children, belonging to the fuzileers, as Admirał Byng should think fit to land,

subalterns, fivè drums, and two hundred and thirty-five privates, should be embarked, to supply the deficiency of those left at Minorca by Captain Edgecombe, and without, which his ships would have been of little service in case of an engagement. With regard to Admiral Byng's orders, though they were in many respects conditional, his orders to save Minorca, at all events, were positive and explicit, and that he ought to have effected, even at the risque of sacrificing his whole fleet. Be this as it may, he sailed from Gibraltar on the 8th of May, and on the 16th arrived at Majorca, where he was joined by the Phoenix, Captain Hervey, who confirmed the intelligence relative to the French fleet and the siege of St. Philip. He then steered for Minorca, but having contrary winds, did not make that island until the morning of the 19th, when he saw the English flag still flying on the castle of St. Philip, and several bomb-batteries playing upon it from the enemy's works. There have been British admirals, who, at such a prospect, would have sworn to relieve the garrison, or perish in the attempt! Early in the morning the admiral despatched Captain Hervey, in the Phoenix, with the Chesterfield and Dolphin, with orders to reconnoitre the entrance into the harbour, and, if possible, to convey a letter to General Blakeney. * Captain Hervey got round

* Though this letter from the adıniral was not delivered, it is necessary that the reader should know its contents; because no circumstance ought to be concealed which may, in any degree, tend to elucidate a transaction attended by such serious consequences.

"To General BLAKENEY.

"SIR-I send you this by Captain Hervey, of his majesty's ship "Phoenix, who has my orders to convey it to you, if possible, together "with the enclosed packet, which he received at Leghorn. I am

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extremely concerned to find that Captain Edgecombe was obliged "to retire to Gibraltar with the ships under his command, and that "the French are landed, and St. Philip's castle is invested; as I flatter myself, had I fortunately been more timely in the Mediterranean "that I should have been able to have prevented the enemy's getting a footing in the island of Minorca. I am to acquaint you, that Ge

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the Laire before nine o'clock in the morning; he made. signals to the garrison for a boat to come off; but without effect, and the admiral, about this time, discovering the French fleet, ordered him to return.

Admiral Byng now stood toward the enemy, and about two in the afternoon made a signal for the line of battle a-head. He then distributed as many seamen as could be spared from the frigates, on board such ships as were most in want of hands, and converted the Phoenix into a fireship. At seven in the evening the French squadron, being then about two leagues distant, tacked, in order to gain the weather-gage; and the English admiral, not choosing to relinquish that advantage, also put his ships about.

On the 20th, in the morning, the weather being hazy, the French fleet could not be discovered; but it became visible before noon, and at two o'clock Admiral Byng made a signal to bear away two points from the wind and engage. Rear-admiral West was then at too great a distance to comply with both these orders; he therefore bore away seven points from the wind, and with his whole division attacked the enemy with such impetuosity, that

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"neral Stuart, Lord Effingham, and Colonel Cornwallis, with about "thirty officers, and some recruits belonging to the different regiments "now in garrison with you, are on board the ships of the squadron ; “ and shall be glad to know by the return of the officer, what place "you will think proper to have them landed at. The royal regiment "of English fuzileers, commanded by Lord Robert Bertie, is likewise on board the squadron, destined, agreeable to my orders, to serve 66 on board the fleet in the Mediterranean, unless it should be thought necessary, upon consultation with you, to land the regiment for the “defence of Minorca ; but I must also inform you, should the fuzilecrs "be landed, as they are part of the ship's complements, the marines “having been ordered by the lords commissioners of the admiralty on board of other ships at Portsmouth, to make room for them, that "it will disable the squadron from acting against that of the enemy, "which I am informed is cruizing off the island; however, I shall "gladly embrace every opportunity of promoting his majesty's service "in the most effectual manner, and shall assist you to distress the enemy and defeat their designs to the utmost of my power."

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