The same to the same.
Navy Office, this 10ᵗʰ Decembʳ, 1703.
My deare Son,
Your letter of the 17ᵗʰ Novʳ past, giveing me accᵗ of the unhapy disaster of your ship being run ashore by a Dutch pilot and of your happy getting off againe, I recᵈ 3 or 4 ds. after its date; but, hopeing you might have gote away before an answer could arrive you, I forbore answering it to you to Helvoet Sluce. I have just now recᵈ yours of the 7ᵗʰ instant, Tuesday, and, to our great joy, the accᵗ of God Almighty’s wonderfull preservation of you in the late most dreadfull storm,[a] wᶜʰ no man liveing can remember the like. I perseave you have had an accᵗ of the most sad and lamentable efects of it heere in England, not only in the losse of our shipp[ing], but about 1500 men in the Queen’s shipps. I shall not eneumerate yᵉ perticulars of the losse, only that Capt. Emes,[] wᵗʰ his wife and son and all yᵉ men in yᵉ Restauration, lost on yᵉ Goodwin, and poore Tom Blake drowned at Bristoll in yᵉ Canterbury store ship cast away. The Dorcetshire we have accᵗ of her being on yᵉ back of Yarmᵒ Sands, cruseing, I supose for want of anchors and cables, and hope yᵉ Association is cruseing in the sea on the like occasion. My deare son Nicᵒ hapend to be sick on bord her, as Sʳ S. Fairebone[c] wrote me from the Downes. I sent Tom Apleby imediatly to Deale to bring him up; but the ship sailed yᵉ morning before he gote downe. I hope he will come well home to us. Pray God the Russell may be got of yᵉ sands and into Helvoet Sluce.
Wee haue 7 or 8 vessells wᵗʰ anchors and cables in Harwᶜʰ or Oasely bay, ready to put to sea when we heare where Sʳ Stafford is. Sʳ Cloud. Shovell I hope now safe at the Nore; his mainemast cut downe after he had drove 3 leagˢ from yᵉ Longsᵈ, very neare the Galloper. Yᵉ Sᵗ Geo. and R. Oake, now at Blackstakes, rode out yᵉ storme wᵗʰout damage; and the Cambridge I beleive the same. The 4 ships that broke from their ground takle was the Association, Russell, Revenge, and Dorcetshire. The Revenge was in Solebay some tyme since, and furnish wᵗʰ anchors and cables from yᵉ Nottingham and another man of warr yᵗ went out Yarmᵒ roads to looke for our shipps. Capt. Kerr[d] in yᵉ Revenge gave accᵗ that he saw yᵉ Association, Monday last was sevenight; so that we are in hope she is very well. I shall not inlarge, only to give you our kind saluts. Pray God send you wᵗʰ yᵉ King of Spaine well out that place and over to us. My harty and humble service to Sʳ Geo: Rooke.
I am your most afecᵗ father,
R. H.
[a] On the 26th November.
[] Fleetwood Emms.
[c] Sir Stafford Fairborne, Vice-Admiral of the Red.
[d] William Kerr. Dismissed the service, in 1708, for joining in a contraband trade with the enemy.
Captain Edward Whitaker[a] to Sir Richard Haddock.
Dated on board her Majᵗⁱᵉˢ ship Dorsetshire, in Gibralter Bay, July yᵉ 29ᵗʰ [1704].
Sʳ,
I heare give you an accoᵗ of our good success, especially what has related to my own particular part. July 21ˢᵗ we anchor’d here in yᵉ Bay, and about 4 in the afternoon landed about 2000 marrines, Dutch and all. I commanded yᵉ landing with three captaines more; all which was don wᵗʰ little opposition. About 40 horse came downe from yᵉ towne, wᶜʰ was all; and they run away soe soon as our guns began to play upon them. We landed about 2 miles from the towne, in yᵉ Bay, and march’d directly to the foot of the hill, were they posted themselves within muskett shott of the gates; so cutt of all manner of communication from yᵉ land. We hove into yᵉ towne this evening about 17 shells. The Prince of Hess[] landed with us and immediatly sent a summons to the Governer, wᶜʰ did not returne any answer tell the next morning, and then the Governer said he would defend the towne to the very last. Then Admirall Byng, who commanded the cannonading, began to draw up all his ships in a line before the towne; but, it proving little wind, could not gett in with them all, so that we did little this day. There was three small ships in the old mold, one of which annoy’d our camp by fireing amongst them, having about 10 guns lying close in the mold and just under a great bastion at yᵉ north corner of the towne. I proposed to Sʳ George[c] the burning her in the night. He liked itt; accordingly ordered what boats I would have to my assistance; and about 12 at night I did it effectually, wᵗʰ the loss of but one man and 5 or 6 wounded.
July 23rd. At 4 this morning, Admˡ Byng began with his ships to cannonade, a Dutch Rear Admˡ with 5 or 6 ships of theirs along with him; which made a noble noise, being within half shot of the towne. My ship not being upon service, I desired Sʳ George to make me his aducon to carry his comands from tyme to tyme to admirall Byng, which he did accordingly; and after about 2 hours continuall fireing sent me with orders to forbare. Upon this I went to every ship in the line wᵗʰ this orders, and coming on board Capt. Jumper,[d] in yᵉ Lenox, found him extraordinary well posted within muskett shott of the new mold head, and had beat them all out of yᵉ battery and of the mold, so that I beleived we might attack it with our boats. I went immediatly and acquainted Admˡ Byng wᵗʰ it, who ordered all the boats to be man’d and arm’d. From him I went to Sʳ George and gave him my oppinion that the mold might be attack’d. He immediatly made the signall for all the boates in yᵉ fleet, and gave me the command of yᵉ attack, wᵗʰ 3 or 4 captaines along wᵗʰ me. I made all the hast I could with orders to Admirall Byng to send me accordingly; but some of the boats got ashore before I could reach them, wᵗʰ little or no opposition. Severall of our men gott into yᵉ Castle; upon which it blew up. We had kill’d between 40 and 50 men. Most of all the boates that landed first were sunk; about 100 or two wounded; upon which, all yᵗ remain’d came running downe and leap’d into the water, being so mightyly surprized. I landed within a minute after the accident, and rallied our men. We went over a breach in the wall but one at a time, and took possesstion of the hill. I immediatly sent Capt. Roffy[e] and Capt. Acton,[f] wᵗʰ between 40 and 50 men, and took possesstion of a bastion of 8 guns within less then half muskett shott of the towne wall: and there we pitch’d our collours. Soon after, Admˡ Byng came ashore to me and sent in a drumer wᵗʰ a sommons, who returnd in about 2 hours wᵗʰ a letter in answer that they would surrender the next day; wᶜʰ they accordingly did. I beleive I had wᵗʰ me, at the first onsett, between 2 and 300 men; but we grew in a very little time to neare 1000. This was the manner we took Gibralter, which I hope we shall maintaine.
I hope, Sʳ, youle excuse this trouble I give, butt, beleiving that every boddy here rights att this tyme uppon this occation, I could not forbeare giveing my very good friend Sʳ Ricᵈ this perticuler accᵗᵗ of yᵉ whole matter; which I dont doubt butt Capt. Haddock will give yᵉ much yᵉ same accoᵗᵗ. Pray please to favour my spouse with a line or two, feareing mine should miscarry. My most humble servis to my good lady and all yʳ good family. I beg youle make use of this as farre as you shall think fitt, itt being a trew accoᵗᵗ of yᵉ whole matter.
I am
Yʳ most harty humble Serᵗ and kinsman to serve, whilst
Edwᵈ Whitaker.
P.S. This is rite all in a hurry, so yᵗ I hope youle excuse me.
[a] Afterwards knighted and Rear-Admiral. This letter has been printed by Charnock in his Biographia Navalis; but it is worth re-printing.
[] George, Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt.
[c] Rooke.
[d] Afterwards Sir William Jumper, Commissioner of the Navy.
[e] Kerril or Kerrit Roffey.
[f] Edward Acton, killed in action in 1706.
Nicholas Haddock[a] to his Father Sir Richard Haddock.
Sᵗ George in Barcelona Road, this 1ˢᵗ of May, 1706, O.S.
Honᵈ Sʳ,
This comes to you by the Faulcon pink, which is sent home express wᵗʰ the good news of our releiving Barcelona in the greatest extremity. The French had made preparations for a generall assault that very day we came; and it must have been infallibly taken, had we not had the luckiest passage imaginable (being but five days from Lisbon to Cape Martin, where we joynd Sʳ Jno. Leake).
Saturday last in the morning, when were about 5 leagues to the wᵗward of Barcelona, my Lord Peterborow came of to the fleet wᵗʰ twelve hundᵈ soldiers embarqued in felucas and boats, and in the afternoon got in and landed them, wᵗʰ all the soldiers out of the transports and most of the marines of the fleet. We have now about nine thousand soldiers in the towne. The French army consisted at first of twenty thousand; four of wᶜʰ, horse under the command of the Duke of Anjou.[] Their loss during this seige is computed to be five [thousand] including a thousand sick and wounded they have left behind, when they raised the seige, wᶜʰ was at twelve aclock last night. They have left 50 peices of brass cannon mounted and 15 mortars, and are now bound to Roussilion. They will find great difficultys on their march. The Miquelets,[c] being very numerous and all in arms, will destroy a great many of ’em before they get out of Catalonia, it being a close country. The French squadron before this place consisted of 26 saile, line of battle ships. They sailed the night before we came, having intelligence of us by their scouts. They were all the supply the army had for provisions, for the Catalans have not given them the least; nor could a man of ’em stirr from his tent a musquet shot out of the Camp but they killed him. We are now sending four ships with 6 hundred soldiers for Girone, to reinforce that garrison, lest the French should make any attempt on it, it lying in their way.
I hear there is an express come to Barcelona from my Lord Gallaway, giving an account of his being got to Toledo and on his march for Madrid. The lucky turn Providence has given to our affairs in these parts I suppose will be joyfull news in England; and this being the first certain accᵗ you’l have, this long letter wont seem tedious.
I can expect no letters from you till Sʳ Clowdsly joyne us, and then do hope shall hear of your welfare and some good news in return of all this, which, with my duty to yʳ self and mother and love to all friends, is from,
Honᵈ Sir,
Yʳ dutifull Son,
Nˢ Haddock.
P.S.—We have had an eclipse of the sun to-day; lasted above two hours, and for a quarter ’twas total and as dark as night. Wᵗ it may portend, I leave to the learned. Our fleet consists of 50 saile in the line; 13 of wᶜʰ, Dutch.
[a] Afterwards Admiral.
[] Philip V. of Spain.
[c] Irregulars of the militia of Catalonia.