PART diate advantage by fuch attempts, yet by har

II. raffing their country, the Spaniards would have ~ been tired of the war; they would have dif1741. regarded the influence of France, and while the British fleet in America fwept the Spanish trade before them, if they had suffered equally in Europe, fo much as to have compenfated the lofs and expences of the British nation, this would have induced the haughty Spaniard to have stopped the violence of war, by a speedy and honourable conclufion, which would have been attended with the happieft confequences to the British nation, and ought to have been the fole and principal aim of this expedition. For if, in Queen Elizabeth's time, Admiral Drake, though he had no land forces on board, landed at feveral places on the coaft of Spain, and ravaged the whole country: if he could enter the harbour of Cadiz and the river of Lisbon, burning a great many Spanish Ships, and this at a time when the Spaniards were more powerful than in the prefent age: if, the next year, 7,000 English under the Earl of Effex, actually took the town of Cadiz, burning, finking, or taking, every fhip in the harbour: if in the reign of Queen Anne, the English forces attacked the fame place, and though, through mifconduct, they failed of fuccefs against the city and harbour of Cadiz itself, yet they did the Spaniards great damage, and got a wealthy plunder at port St Mary's: and if the Duke of Ormond and Sir George Rooke, with the fame fleet, in its return, on the 12th of October, 1702, made the famous and fuccessful attack upon Vigo, where they took and destroyed twenty French men of war and thirteen Spanish galleons! What might not the British nation, who above all others are more fond to hear of

fieges and battles in time of war, when fo great CHAP. a navy lay hovering over the Spanish coaft, what III. might they, and what ought they not to have expected from it? For as the Spanish trade was 1741. inconfiderable, and that little they had, being prevented by the ftation of Admiral Haddock, they could not be diftreffed much at fea by the English it was therefore the business of the British commanders, to attack them at land in Europe as well as America; with this difference, that in Europe they ought to have attacked without any defign to hold, and whereas in America they ought to have attacked no where, but with an intention to retain their conquefts, at leaft during the continuance of the war. There was a fair and open opportunity to revive the antient glory of the British flag, to convey the name of Norris to latest pofterity, with a luftre equal to the reputation of Drake or Raleigh; yes, this was a time, when the pride of Spain might have been as feverely chastised, as in the days of the illuftrious Queen Elizabeth: but inftead of any exploits worthy the character of the English admiral, and fuch a well appointed fleet, after intimidating the poor Spaniards, by cruizing on their coaft for fome time, the admiral dispatched the Naffau and Lenox to join Admiral Haddock; and, leaving part of his fquadron on a cruize, on the 22d of Auguft returned to Spithead, with the Victory, St George, Royal Sovereign, Duke, Cambridge, Bedford, Elizabeth, Buckingham, and the Scipio and Blast firefhips, to the general diffatisfaction of the British

nation.

THOUGH the fleet under Sir John Norris, had uselessly and ignominiously floated in the caftles of indolence, along the coafts of Spain, carry

PART ing the British lion in manacles, even in the IL very fight of his prey: yet the valour and activity of the British feamen was not every where 1741. extinct: this was no where more apparent, than in the actions of the gallant Capt. Ambrofe, who commanded the Rupert man of war of 60 guns, then on a cruifing ftation in the bay of Biscay: he had taken the St Antonio de Padua, a privateer belonging to St Sebaftians, of 16 guns and 150 men; as alfo another privateer, called the Biscaya, mounting ten carriage and two fwivel guns, with 119 rugged, able-bodied, defperate men on board; who had taken twentythree English prizes fince the commencement of the war, but now, after a fmart engagement, bowed to the British flag, which has always difappointed the barbarity of ruffians, like thefe, remorseless in their profperity, and as impenetrably uncompaffionate to the miseries of the poor fufferers in their power, as, on their own Biscayan mountains, are the favage wolves, when pinched with hunger, to the unhappy traveller perifhing beneath their ferocity. Capt. Ambrofe, having brought his two prizes into Plymouth, failed again on another cruize; and on the 18th of September, as he was cruizing in the bay of Bifcay, off cape Machiacaca, in the evening, he faw a fail from the maft head, to windward, which he chased all that night and the next day, and after chafing her about feventy-three leagues, coming up with her about eleven at night, took her after fome refiftance, and brought her into Plymouth. This fhip proved to be the Duke de Vendome, the largest privateer belong. ing to St Sebaftians, of the dimenfions of the English twenty gun frigates, mounting twentyfix carriage guns, and was manned with 202

ftout

ftout feamen, commanded by Don Martin de CHAP. Areneder, a Frenchman, as was alfo the crew III. moftly of foreign nations, and among them nineteen English, Scotch, and Irish, who were 1741. taken out of the Spanish prifon, and forced by the intendant, to proceed on the cruize.

As St Sebaftian was again overftocked with British prizes, taken in great numbers by the Spanish privateers; Capt. Ambrofe immediately proceeded to cruize on his ftation in the bay of Bifcay. On the 7th of November he faw two fail to the windward, and giving them chace, at the fame time obferved a fail to chace him, which happened to be a Spanish privateer of twenty-four carriage and twenty fwivel guns, and 187 men, commanded by Don Francifco de L'Arrea, which had been nine days out of St Sebastian on a fuccefslefs cruize. Capt. Ambrofe difregarding her, continued his first chace; and on coming up with them, did not fire, as ufual, to bring them too, to prevent giving any fufpicion of what he was to the fhip that chaced him; but fent his boat on board, and finding they were dutchmen, apprized them of his intention to deceive the privateer. Accordingly the captain reefed his fails and trimmed his fhip, and the Spaniard, fufpecting her a confort of the dutchmen, crouded fail, and by dufk was within two leagues; when Capt. Ambrofe fhortened fail to wait for her, hoping she would run him on board, before the perceived her mistake. When the privateer got within a mile, the dif covered the force of the Rupert, and hauled upon a wind upon which Capt. Ambrofe followed her, with all the fail he could make. On the 8th, at two o'clock in the morning, the Rupert got within gun fhot of the privateer; VOL. I.

Tt

but

PART but the moon juft then going down, and it II. coming on dark, fhe clapt upon a wind, and

the man of war loft fight of her. At day-break 1741. Capt. Ambrofe faw her, three leagues on his bow, chafing an English merchant fhip; but, feeing the Rupert, the privateer crowded away again, the wind blowing hard; Capt. Ambrofe followed her clofe, when the wind failing, darkness coming on, and the privateer ufing oars, the efcaped a fecond time. The 9th Capt. Ambrofe difcovering the privateer again about three leagues to windward, purfued her all day, and began to engage her at half an hour past midnight: the action lafted till two in the morning, when the Rupert boarding her, fhe ftruck, and called for quarter. The privateer had twelve men killed in the engagement, two their arms and legs fhot away, and the captain and many more of her men dangerously wounded; the Rupert loft but one man, who tumbled overboard in boarding the privateer. The Spaniards were completely fitted out with a great quantity of fmall arms, cutlaffes, pole-axes, and many more inftruments of war, but had met with no prize in that cruize.

As a recompence for the conduct and vigilance of Capt. Ambrofe, in fuppreffing the Spanifh privateers, the merchants of London, in grateful remembrance of fuch fignal and fingu lar fervices, prefented him with a large filver cup, exquifitely wrought, with his arms curioufly chafed on one fide, and on the other a reprefentation of the Rupert chafing a Spanish privateer. And the merchants of Bristol alfo, to testify their efteem for the captain, prefented him with a piece of plate of 100%. value, on the fame account.

ON