While Byng was on his way, General Blakeney, the Governor of the island, was besieged by the Due de Richelieu in the castle of San Felipe. Byng sailed on May 8, and was off Majorca on the 10th, where he was joined by the Phœnix (Captain Hervey), who confirmed the news brought by Captain Edgcomb to Gibraltar. Byng’s fleet consisted of the—
| Ramillies (90) | Kingston (60) |
| Culloden (74) | Defiance (60) |
| Buckingham (68) | Louisa (56) |
| Lancaster (66) | Portland (48) |
| Trident (64) | Deptford (48) |
| Intrepid (64) | Chesterfield (40) |
| Captain (64) | Phœnix (22) |
| Revenge (64) | Dolphin (22) |
| Experiment (22) | |
On the 19th the British fleet was off Port Mahon. Byng saw the Union Jack still flying on the castle of San Felipe, but several French batteries were bombarding the walls. His orders were to save Minorca at all hazards. These orders were positive and explicit, and it was his duty to carry them out at whatever sacrifice. The sight of General Blakeney still holding out and hoping for relief would have aroused the ardour of most men. The French fleet came in sight, and Byng stood towards it, making the signal for line of battle ahead at 2 P.M. The French, being about two leagues distant, tacked to gain the weather-gage, and Byng did the same. Next morning was the 20th. It was hazy in the forenoon, but at noon it cleared, and Byng made a signal to bear away two points from the wind and engage the enemy.
Rear-Admiral West, with his division, bore away seven points, and attacked the French fleet with such impetuosity that several of their ships were put out of action. The French centre kept its position, and Byng did not advance. This prevented West from following up his advantage. If the Commander-in-Chief had shown equal zeal, the French fleet would have been defeated and Minorca saved. As it was, by holding back he gave Admiral Galissonière time to retreat out of danger. The wind enabled Byng to fight if he would, when a complete victory would have been the result. But he would not.
On the absurd plea that Gibraltar might be in danger, Admiral Byng returned to that fortress, and Galissonière took up his former station off the entrance to Port Mahon. Blakeney and his gallant companions were abandoned to their fate. Nevertheless, they held out until June 28, after a brave defence of ten weeks, when the Governor surrendered to the Duc de Richelieu on very honourable terms.
Admiral Byng arrived at Gibraltar on June 19, where he found Commodore Broderick with a reinforcement of five ships of the line. The Commander-in-Chief therefore resolved to return to Minorca, and was making preparations for a second attempt. In the midst of this tardy activity the Antelope frigate arrived with Admirals Hawke and Saunders and Lord Tyrawly on board. Their orders were to supersede Admirals Byng and West and Governor Fowke, and to send them home under arrest. Sir Edward Hawke at once sailed for Minorca, but found the French flag flying over the castle of San Felipe. Admiral Galissonière had retired to Toulon, and there was nothing left to be done.
The people of England were furious at the loss of Minorca, venting all their rage on the unfortunate Admiral and none on the incapable Ministry which had shown apathy and want of foresight and capacity, and had neglected measures which, if taken in time, would have made Port Mahon safe from attack.
The prisoners arrived at Portsmouth in July. Admiral West was graciously received by the King and made a Lord of the Admiralty. General Fowke was dismissed the service. Byng was taken to Greenwich, where he remained a close prisoner until December. He was then brought back to Portsmouth, to be tried by court-martial. The Court sat for a month. Admiral West deposed that there was no reason why the rest of the fleet should not have engaged the enemy as closely as he did; also that there was no signal for giving chase when the enemy retreated. General Blakeney said that boats might have passed between the garrison and the fleet, and that if the troops ordered for his relief had been landed he could have held out until the arrival of Sir Edward Hawke. Captain Gardiner, of the flagship, deposed that he advised the Admiral to bear down on the enemy, but without effect, and that the Admiral took command of the Ramillies entirely upon himself on the day of the action. The court found that he had not done his utmost to destroy the ships of the enemy that it was his duty to engage, but that this did not proceed from want of courage or disaffection.
Lord Anson, the First Lord of the Admiralty, resigned, and was succeeded by Lord Temple, who had to discuss the sentence with George II. He drew a parallel between Byng’s conduct at Minorca and George’s own conduct at Oudenarde in 1708; leaving the King to draw the necessary inference that if Byng deserved to be shot, George deserved to be hanged. The King said afterwards: ‘Temple is so disagreeable a fellow that there is no bearing him.’
Admiral West, when he found that it was in tended to shoot Byng, resigned his seat at the Admiralty. His evidence against Byng had been damning, but he would not be a party to his execution. Nor would he serve afloat under such a Ministry, saying that ‘he was determined to forego anything rather than serve on terms which subject an officer to the treatment shown Admiral Byng. He was not convicted of cowardice nor of disaffection, but of misconduct, an offence never till now thought capital.’ Admiral West was of opinion that the word ‘negligence’ in the Article of War was only intended to refer to one of those two crimes, cowardice or disaffection—‘that is, negligence proceeding from cowardice or disaffection.’ He said that was the opinion of the House of Commons when the Bill was before them. Admiral Forbes, another Lord of the Admiralty, who held similar views, resigned at the same time.