An
Account
of
the
Late
Actions
at
Sea
,
BETWEEN
THE
Saint
Alban's
and
Happy
Return
,
Two
of
Their
Majesties
Men
of
War
,
and
Twenty
Four
Sail
of
French
Ships
,
With
their
Convoy
of
36
Guns
,
near
the
Port
of
Cherbourg
;
with
an
Account
of
the
Sinking
the
Convoy
,
and
taking
Twenty
Sail
of
Merchant
Men.
18.
Febr.
1690/1.
In
a
Letter
from
a
Merchant
at
Plymouth
.
LICENSED
,
Feb.
17.
J.
F.
According
to
Order
.
SIR
,
ON
Wednesday
last
a
Dutch
Privateer
of
Friezland
,
called
the
Prince
,
of
Eighteen
Guns
and
Twelve
Peteraroes
,
brought
in
here
a
French
Prize
,
which
she
took
out
of
a
Fleet
of
Twenty
Four
Sail
of
Merchant-Men
,
Bound
for
Havre
de
Grace
to
Nantce
,
Bourdeaux
,
and
several
other
Ports
about
Vshant
,
they
Sail'd
out
of
the
Port
of
Havre
de
Grace
,
on
Monday
last
.
The
Captain
of
the
Privateer
says
,
That
just
as
he
came
away
he
saw
the
Saint
Albans
,
and
the
Happy
Return
,
Two
of
Their
Majesties
Men
of
War
,
falling
in
with
the
said
Fleet.
And
Yesterday
Arriv'd
here
a
Fly-Boat
of
Two
Hundred
and
Fifty
Tuns
,
and
Thirty
Five
Men
,
Taken
by
the
Happy
Return
:
They
give
an
Account
,
That
the
Saint
Alban's
was
Engaged
about
Two
hours
with
the
French
Convoy
,
a
Man
of
War
of
Thirty
Six
Guns
;
That
a
short
time
after
the
Saint
Alban's
had
Shot
down
her
Main-Mast
,
and
brought
her
on
Board
;
the
Man
of
War
ran
a
Shore
,
and
there
Stranded
a
little
after
;
having
between
five
and
six
Foot
of
Water
in
the
hold
,
but
most
of
the
Seamen
were
Sav'd
:
That
at
the
same
time
that
the
Saint
Alban's
was
Engaged
with
the
Man
of
War
,
the
Happy
Return
fell
in
among
the
Merchant-Men
,
that
they
did
not
doubt
but
they
had
Taken
most
of
them
.
P.
S.
Just
now
a
Vessel
is
come
in
here
from
the
Fleet
,
and
brings
an
account
,
That
Their
Majesties
Ships
had
Taken
Eighteen
Sail
more
,
there
being
but
Four
Ships
of
the
whole
Fleet
escaping
.
The
Ships
in
general
are
from
an
Hundred
to
Three
Hundred
Tun
Burthen
;
and
notwithstanding
they
had
no
Loading
but
Ballast
,
(
they
going
to
fetch
Wines
,
Brandies
,
&c.
)
yet
the
Masters
of
the
Vessels
,
Merchants
,
Factors
,
and
between
Five
or
Six
Hundred
Seamen
,
that
were
on
Board
the
Fleet
and
Convoy
,
are
of
no
small
Value
,
and
will
prove
very
advantagious
to
Their
Majesties
Service
;
for
by
the
Exchange
of
these
Prisoners
,
we
may
have
as
many
English
Seamen
as
will
Man
out
Four
of
Their
Majesties
Fourth
Rate
Men
of
War
,
being
intermixt
with
some
Land-Men
;
besides
the
Twenty
Sail
of
Ships
,
with
their
Furniture
,
&c.
cannot
be
Valued
at
less
than
One
Hundred
Thousand
Livres
.