“ Sr, please to keepe this intelligence to yor selfe, least it should come from me, being privately advized me. I hope, when our victualling is out, we shall come over to tallow; wch God graunt, that I may not fayle of my earnest desire of seeing you before you goe forth. I intend sodaynly to send to the Vice Admirall to know where we shall be disposed by him or otherwise from the Comissrs of Admiralty. Sr, I have not other at present. Wth my humble request to ye Allmighty for yor preservation, I remayne
Yor most loveing and obedient son till death,
Richard Haddock. ”

“ God Almighty goe along wth us and give us victory over our enemyes. I know I shall not want thy prayers and the well wishes of all my deare relations for my preservation. We have a brave fleet and, in the maine, well mand. For our parts we doe not complayn, haveing neere 900 men on bord us; ye Duke 1000, I beleive, and upwards. It is probable, before we ingage, we may have ye ships in the river ioyne wth us, wch are 10 or 11 men of warr and 4 fire ships. I desire we may put our strength in God Almighty; but soe noble a brave fleet have not bine seene together in our dayes. ”

“ This day came into us the Katherine, Princes, and Advice, wth 2 fire ships more; soe yt I supose we are neerer 90 then fowerscore men of warr, upwards 25 fireships, amongst wch my unckle R. H. is come. The Dutch fleet not soe many men of warr as we, I beleive, by 8 or 10 saile, many small vessells and fire ships. Had it pleased God yesterday to have given us faire weather, God assisting, we had given a good acct of or actions; our men briske and brave and very ready and willing to fight. ”

“ What number of men slaine in the fleet, know not. This night we stood to the northwards with our foresaile and mainetopsailes only. Most of the Dutch fleet, at 12 aclock at night, tackt away from us; the remainder tackt after them at 2 aclock.
5. Betwixt 4 and 5 we tackt of after them; stood of wth 2 topsailes; put out our Jack flagg. Called a council of warr to know the condition of our fleet; found our ships to be shatred in our masts and rigging, not to be repaired in the sea ”

“ Severall of ther ships we disabled, wch we forced into leewards. Trump, whose squadron we ingaged wth ours, shifted his ship once, if not twice. What number of men we have lost in the fleet not yet know; I believe not 500. In our ship not above 20, as I can learne; some mortality wounded, others dismembred. Amongst our dead men is poore Capt. Wasey, who first lost his arme close to his shoulder, and about 6 howers after dyed of his wounds. My brother Joseph very well; was wth me last night after ye bataile. My unckle Richard very well: he hath burnt his ship ”

“ Our ship is in a very good condition and very thite. I beleive our stay in India will be the extreme of our tyme, for at present noe prospect of a freight for Europe; and I feare the brave trade of Bengall will be lost, at whch the Dutch and French rejoyce, that this trade may wholy fall to them.
I have not elce to add; only please to present my duty, respects, [41] and love to all our deere relations and freinds. Thus, wth my due respects to yor selfe and my good lady sister, doe remaine,
Honble Sr, yor affectionate bro. and Sert, whilst
Jos Haddock. ”

“ We gote up our anchor and came to saile wth all the fleet, but anchored againe and birth’t our selves in our anchoring posture agreed on, to say: the flaggs to ride N. and south of each other, 4 cables length distant; and the ships of the severall divissions to ride N.W. and S.E. from there flaggs, 2 cable length distant of one side and the other; the flagg ships as they are ranged in ther line of bataile. This day we struck some broken gunns down into hold, and some whole, to the number of tenn, to stiffen our ship if posible. ”

“ These only serve to advize you of our wellfare, hopeing and earnestly praying to the Lord that ye like good health atends you yt, blessed [4] be God, we injoy. These I hope will find you safe arrived at Leghorne. My last from the Downes gave you an acct yt we were ordered over hither to take the command of this squadron that now lyes wth us before this place. [a] Since or arrivall heere, wch is 14 dayes since, not anything of action hath ofered worth yor advice; the good we doe heere is only to keepe there men of warr in yt are in, and prevent those comeing in wth there prisses yt are abroad. ”

“ About 7 at night we were up wth them in a lyne, as they lay in the same posture very orderly to rece us; but, finding it would have bine darke before we could have well began with them, being about 4 or 5 miles to leewards of us, ye wind at W.S.W., we thought it not convenient to ingage them. Ye night following, upon there tacking of, we tackt in ye reare, ye whole fleet following to keep them to [13] leewards of us, as we did yt night by our twice tacking againe. Yesterday morning it proved a very thick fogge. We wth our division anchored, standing in wth the Banks of Flaunders of Oostend. ”

“ I was very thankfull for his respect he exprest towards you, but I knew not before yt I might be soe bould wth him as to desire such a favor. You saild hence ye Fryday evening; and Satuarday, by 10 in ye forenoone, we were soe neare ye head of Beachy yt noe shipp could or did passe [2] by us, but we spake wth in hopes of meeting you. Surely the wind blew the harder to deny me yt hapynes. God in mercy goe alongst with you and preserve you from the rage of unreasonable men. I shall not be wanting, as I am bound in duty, to make it my earnest request to God for yor preservation. ”

“ 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, [b] 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. ”

“ Our people in the house defended themselves bravely, killinge sevl of the Moors; but by the firsness of the fire were forct to surrender themselves on tearmes to have ther lives and good useage. The next day Capt. Heath (who went ashoare wth the soulders—Capt Sharpe comanded the small vessells and boates that were to goe over the barr, leaveinge mee in comand of the ships in the roade) went up with all the soulders and seamen to Balasore towne by watter and landed short of old Balasore fort, the wch they soone tooke; soe marcht into the towne, few or noe people beinge left to oppose them ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ God send us peace at home and abroad; but, if these faile us, peace wth God will beare up our spirits in the greatest dificulties yt doe atend our earthly pilgrimage.
Sir, my wife desires you please, at yor arrivall at Vena, to buy for her a foiled stone of the measure I conseave was given by her sisters to Brother Andrew at Leigh; as alsoe a pott ketle and 2 stue panns, one lesser than the other; as alsoe a jarr from Leghorne, with wt other things nessesary for a howse, to ye value of £3 in fower pound in all, which shall be thankfully repayed. ”

“ This morning we have acct from a good hand from Oostend yt they sent in 6 or 7 disabled ships to Flushing, two whereof sunck in going in. They likewise sent on shore 400 or 500 wounded men, and, as they advize from Oostend, comd was given not to speake of the fight at Flushing. So doe beleive, till they recrute ther strength, we shall not heare of them; however, we are not wanting to prepare ourselves agt they come. The Swiftsure is this day come to us; had like to have bine snapt Tuesday last by the Amsterdam squadron yt came into the Schoon Velt tyme enough to fight. ”

“ These are to give the an acct of my wellfare and good health, wch I blesse God I doe injoy. We are now at anchor neere Dungenesse wth our whole fleet, consisting of 80 men of warr, English and French, about 20 or 22 fireships, and many small vessells besides. We have bine tydeing it up from the Isle of Wind (sic) . Ever since [11] Wedensday last the winds have hung easterly. The Dutch fleet, we heard yesterday, were at ye North Forland. We doe our utmost endeavor to get to them, if they have a mind to fight us. To ye westwards of ye Downes they may easely be wth us ”

“ This Sonday the wind hath blowne very hard at W.S.Wt.; forct us in ye afternoone to strick our topmasts and get our sprit-saile yard under the boltsprit. This day severall of the French ships broke from ther ground tackle, but brought up againe wth other anchors and rode fast.
26. This Monday, in the forenoon, the wind continued bloweing hard at W.S.W., as did also the night past, but not so violently as the day formerly. In the afternoone the wind dullered. We sett our topmasts and got up or yards; our neighbours the Dutch did the like also. Toward evening indiferent faire weather. ”

“ Being in hast, have not tyme to wright any body else. If my bror Bradenham be in towne, shew him this letter. I two dayes since recd a letter from Mr. Clarke, ye apothecary, wth a case of spiritts, come very opertunely (as he wrights me) to raise my courage, but I have not yet tasted them. Pray returne him my kind thanks. I hope shall survive this warr to make him amends. My deare, I should be glad to heare from the, but I know not how. I shall not be wanting to give the a constant advice, as opertunity presents, of my [14] wellfare and our actions. ”

“ Our soulders (but seamen more espetially) have comitted many inhuemane actions in the towne, plundringe not only Moors but sevl Portugeese houses, and killed sevl innocent people. We have had the greatest loss in this axtion, vizt. 4 men killd and 3 wounded. Ther names are: Mr. Starland, 3d mate, Henry Grove, cheife trumpetter, Christopher Hogg, and Jno Hinton, who very indiscreetly [40] went out wth sevl more seamen to a garden house, expectinge great plunder, were cut off, sevl of them, by a party of horss. The 3 wounded are Henry Roxby, Frans Johnson, and Jno Smart. ”

“ Sir, litle of novelty ofers at present, only of great preparations for ye fitting out seavrall great shipps, as ye Resolution, Naiesby, and Andrew, from Portsmo; ye Tryomph, Victory, Vantguard, and Entrance, from Chatham. I cannot give you an acct, ye occasion or upon wt designe ye shipps are prepared; only suppose it may be to be in a readynes to defend our selves if any treachorus act should be ofered by the Hollander, who will have 70 saile men of warr out very sodainely, as is certainely reported. I hope noe act of hostillity against us is intended. We have iust cause to feare ye worst ”

“ I pray God they faile not in there undertakeings; and, although treachery be hateful and odious throughout the world, yet doubtles ’twill prove hapye for our poore traders when such a considerable place as yt is, a neast of roages, shall be routed. ”

“ Its said yt, for a considerable summe of mony, the towne of Ostend is to be delivered up to ye King of Fraunce by the Governor and inhabitants of sd place, they being in such a sad condition by reasone of the extreame burden yt lyes upon them.
For security of performance there is a considerable man, who hath confirmed the accord wth the K. of Fraunce, now wth Marshall d’Aumon, that belongs to Ostend, who hath ingaged his life for performance. ”

“ Sir Richard Haddock to his son Richard. Navy Office, this 27th Novr, 1702.
Deare Son,
I have yors of yesterday’s date, from the Downes, wch brings us the joyfull tydeings of yor safe arrivall there. Yor long passage from Newfoundland put us in great feare of your wellfare, and perticularly your mor hath bine for a month or 5 weekes crying for you and yor brother Nics safety; but blessed be God you are both come well home. ”

“ 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 ”

“ There flaggs hang as a waft for about 1⁄2 an hower, and afterwards furld them; the Admll fired a gun to lewards, filld, and stood away to ye etwards. We answerd him with another; lay by and drove all night. These men of warr came there from ye coast of Portugall, ye Ld Updam Admll, as I was informed by Sr Richard Stayner at my returne into ye Downes. ”

“ There ordered to send downe 7 or 8 frigtts and as many fireships, to ride twixt the Oase Edge and Redd Sand, [g] and the rest to birth themselves N.N.E. and S.S.W. one of each other, at ye Nore.
15. This Sonday the wind hath bine from north to W.S.W.; little wind till evening. It then blew hard, westerly. This day we had intelligence, by a Hellicar land [h] dogger, that 17 saile of Dutch men of warr were rideing without the Gonflitt. Yesterday he was on bord them. ”