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.