In addition to my letter of the 13th instant, containing the particulars of the action of the 11th, and which I have not been able to send away until this day, I have to acquaint you, for the information of the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, that, from the wind continuing to blow on the Dutch coast, the ships have had great difficulty in keeping off the shore, and that we have unavoidably been separated. On Friday last the wind blew strong from the W. S. W. to the W. N. W. and continued so to do until Saturday morning: it then shifted to the north, when I made the signal to wear, stood to the westward, and fortunately anchored here last evening, the Venerable being so leaky, that, with all her pumps going, we could but just keep her free. This morning I observed the ships named in the mar

gin* at anchor near us, three near the Kentish Knock, and three in Hosely Bay. The wind is at N. W. and much against the disabled ships: I have therefore sent the Lancaster and Beaulieu out to render them assistance.

Sir Thomas Williams, in the Endymion, who joined me the day after the action, I also sent in shore, to keep by and assist the disabled ships; and I am informed that, in the course of the night, he fell in with a Dutch ship of the line off the Texel, and had engaged her, but I have not heard the particulars.

I am, Sir,

Your most obedient, humble servant, ADAM DUNCAN.

Evan Nepean, Esq. The following is the account of this important victory, as given to the Dutch government by admirals De Winter and Story.

"With the deepest impression of grief I inform you, that yesterday morning, October 11, we discovered the English fleet. I immediately formed into a line of battle on the starboard tack, and did every thing in my power to keep the ships as close together as possible, but my orders for this purpose could not be completely obeyed, on account of the unsteadiness of the wind, the high sea, and the bad sailing of some of the vessels. At eleven o'clock the enemy attacked the rear of the line, which they broke through with great resolution. This I saw with sonie pleasure, because I always entertained hopes that the rest of the fleet would close up, and therefore I made a signal to the headmost ships to slacken sail. This,

however,

however, was of no avail. We came into action successively in an irregular manner. My ship was engaged at one time with two, and afterwards with three. The Hercules, which was the second in the line from me, took fire, and drove towards me, by which means I was obliged to shift my station, and approach a fourth English ship, being that of the admiral. All my running rigging was now torn to pieces, and while I was endeavouring to make a signal for some of the ships to come to my assistance, the flag-line was shot from my hand. In the mean while the Wassenaar, by the captain being wounded early, and the loss of a great many people, was obliged to strike, as did also the Haarlem, the De Vries, the Delft, and the Jupiter, whose main-mast went by the board. This I was, in some measure, prevented from seeing, by the thickness of the smoke and the closeness with which I was engaged. Every thing being at length shot away, and having lost a considerable number of men, I never theless endeavoured to force my way through the five English ships, with a view of making for port, or of giving an opportunity to some of the fleet not yet disabled, to afford me assistance, but my attempt was not successful. At two o'clock all my three masts went overboard; but I still continued to defend the wreck for half an hour, when, having no further hope, seeing the rest of the ships at a distance, and finding that my flag was shot away, I ordered the people, one half of whom I had already lost, to stop firing, and at three o'clock an English frigate approached me, the captain of which came on board, and carried me to admiral Duncan. The Gelykheid

I saw

lay to the windward of me. also that she made no longer resistance, and had ceased firing; her running rigging was all in pieces; but why she struck, I know as lit-. tle as I do of the Admiral de Vries, the Delft, and the Haarlem. The Hercules lost her mizen-mast, and took fire, which brought her as well. as me into the midst of the English fleet, and she has also been captured. With the behaviour of my officers and crew, I am perfectly satisfied. I recommend them to you as men who defended themselves to the last, and continued faithful to their admiral. Both sides fought with fury, and many men have fallen. The English also have sustained great loss. They had retired to Yarmouth, with nine sail of the line, in order to refit. On Saturday evening they received intelligence that we were at sea; on Monday they again sailed, hav ing re-victualled in twenty-four hours, and having received eight other ships from Portsmouth and the Downs, in the room of the eight which were under repair. They had altogether sixteen sail of the line, among which there was only one 50, the greater part of the rest being ships of 74 guns. Behold then the most unfortunate day of my life. Every exertion that depended on manœuvres or personal courage, was made by my self and many others on board, but in vain. Our enemies respect us on account of the obstinacy of our defence. No action can have been so bloody, for it was fatal to us. I shall have the honour of sending you a more accurate and minute account, as soon as I find an opportunity. I at present take advantage of a permission from the English admiral, to give you this short notice, and to call your care

and

and attention to a number of prisoners, whose bravery and courage deserved a better fate, and particularly to the crew of the Vryheid. I recommend to you the poor widows and orphans, and the wife and children of my worthy captain, Van Rossum, whose thigh was shot off at half past two. He is still alive, but there are little hopes of his recovery. Two cadets, one of which is my nephew, have each lost the left leg; the rest of my officers are well. Cranenburg, the lieutenant of marines, only is dead. Of the state of the other ships I can give no account, nor do I know what loss they have sustained; the English do not know themselves. I am informed, however, that vice-admiral Reyntjes has been wounded also, and that he is on board admiral Onslow. Meurer is well; but captain Holland, of the Wassenaar, was mortally wounded in the beginning of the action, and lost a great many men.

"I trust and hope that I shall be permitted to return to Holland, in order to justify myself further.

"I am your unfortunate ad miral,

"DE WINTER." Official letter of rear-admiral S. Story, to the Committee for Maritime Affairs at the Hague. "On board the States General, Oct. 14, 1797.

"After having happily gained the offing with the squadron of the republic on the 7th of Oct. we continued to cruize along the coast by making tacks towards the Bree Veertien.-We fell in with no vessels until the 11th, when, at eight in the morning, we were informed by the men upon the outlook at the topgallant-mast-head, that the English fleet, amounting to thirty sail, was then to the wind

ward of us. paring to engage was immediately made, and afterwards that for forming a line of battle in three divisions on the larboard tack. The wind was then N. N. E. and the village of Egmont bore east northeast, distant two leagues and a half. The English fleet, which bore down upon us with the wind abaft, formed in a line towards the south; then ranged en echiquier (chequerwise), it came right upon us. At half past twelve began one of the most obstinate engagements, perhaps, that ever took place on the ocean. At the commencement of the action, the greater part of the English fleet broke through our line. Two of their largest vessels then engaged one of ours. Their line consisted of twenty ships, six of which carried 84 guns; the others were 74's and 64's. The ships engaged on both sides throughout out the whole line; thus we were attacked both to windward and leeward.

The signal for pre

"All the vessels, as far as I could observe, fought with equal courage. The behaviour of the of ficers and crews is above all praise. I engaged admiral Duncan's ship and another of 84 guns. The States General was between these two vessels, each of which was not more than the length of the ship from us. The same thing took place throughout all the line. Every part of my rigging was soon shot away: but we got astern of them in such a manner, that the English admiral was obliged to wear, and to drop astern also. All his rig ging appeared ready to give way, and most of it came down some time after. The ship of 84 guns, with which I still remained engaged, was immediately seconded by a 74, in the room of admiral Dun

can'

can's ship. We maintained a most obstinate action with these two ships, and continued fighting until three o'clock.While we were constantly repeating broadside after broadside, a fire broke out in our stern and between decks; but it was soon extinguished. All the ships were now so much disabled, that they could no longer be managed, and drove about in the greatest confusion. It was no longer possible to fire a single gun. The standing rigging of each mast was carried away: the masts, topmasts and yards were all wounded: the running rigging was entirely shot away; and the sails all torn to pieces. I had twenty killed, and forty severely wounded. Every brace was shot away; as were also the wheel, the tiller-ropes, &c. In a word, every thing was carried away; we had shot in every part of the hull; and in this wretched state we floated about at the mercy of the waves.

"New braces were got up as soon as possible; and at four o'clock we stood towards the English fleet. But my officers then made a report to me, that the ship was filling fast with water; and I was under the necessity of shortening sail. The evening set in with thick rain, which prevented us from seeing any of our ships, but a few which had formed the rear of the line. I then collected all the vessels belonging to my division that I could discover. At midnight I found I had got together eleven sail. I endeavoured, with them, to collect the remainder of the squadron, and stood again towards the English fleet.

"At day-break we saw them to windward of us, at a short distance astern. There was then none of our ships of the line a-head of us,

but we observed two ships making for the Texel; upon coming near them, we found they were English; they made sail, and we were not in a condition to chase them. I then continued to steer towards the Texel, and I observed the hulls of three vessels floating near the spot where the battle was fought. On the twelfth, in the evening, I got safely into the Texel with the ships I had collected.

"Health and fraternity,

"S. STORY." The following is a translation of the detailed official account sent by admiral de Winter to the Batavian government.

On the 7th of October, in the year 1797, at 10 o'clock in the morning, the wind E. by N. blowing a light breeze, the Dutch fleet, consisting of four ships of 74, seven of 64, four of 50, two of 44, two of 32, two of 24, four brigs of 16 guns, and two advice-boats, under the command of vice-admiral de Winter, cleared the Texel, and got safely out to sea. On the night of the same day, and at the dawn of the succeeding morning, six sail of the English were discovered, a few miles to windward, the wind being then S. W. upon which the signal for a general chase was made; but the ships being much smaller in number, and better sailers than the Dutch, gained so much upon the fleet, as well with regard to distance as to the wind, that it would have been highly injudicious to spread our ships too much. We therefore desisted from chasing, and continued our course, standing out more into the offing, towards the flat of the Meuse, with a view to meet a 64-gun ship, which was expected from thence to join the fleet, and also to encounter and give battle to the Eng

lish fleet, in case we should fall in with them in our course, while steering to the westward.

On the 8th, 9th, and 10th, the wind continuing westerly, and very variable, the Dutch fleet worked up a great way, till within eight German miles E. by S. of Lowestoffe, whilst five of the English ships, consisting of the Russel, of 74, the Isis, of 50 guns, the BeauFieu and Circe frigates, and Martin sloop, constantly kept to windward of our fleet; whence we concluded, that their object was to observe our motions, and that they had probably sent advice to the English ports, in order to collect their ships, with a view of attacking the Dutch fleet with a superior force. Supposing that the English fleet was not yet out, and this small fleet of observation becoming very troublesome to us, we resolved to avail ourselves of the darkness of the night, in order to detach the best sailing ships of the fleet under a press of sail, in hopes of getting to windward of them by break of day, and thus enabling ourselves to attack, or at least chase away, those unwelcome observers: but on the 10th in the evening, we received information by some merchant ships, that the English fleet, consisting of 15 sail of the line, frigates, sloops, &c. making 25 in the whole, was at sea, at the distance of about ten German miles from us, to the N. N. E. In consequence of this intelligence, the order for detaching some of our ships was recalled, and in the course of the same night our fleet was collected so as to be in close and compact order at the break of day. The wind then being N. W. the Dutch fleet edged away to the N. N. E. for the purpose of reaching our place of rendezvous, off

At break of day, the wind be ing N. W. with inconstant airs, squalls, and a turbulent high sea, the Batavian fleet was about eight miles off Scheveningen. Several of our ships being sent to hail some merchant ships, then passing abreast of the fleet, and standing to the S. and S. S. W. a frigate brought advice to the admiral that the English fleet was steering for the Texel. Being perfectly assured of this, the admiral made a signal for all ships to repair to their respective squadrons, and to form close together, and then put about, under easy sail, steering E. by N. and E. N. E. to afford time for those ships now to leeward the speedier to join the fleet, and then to stand in shore. He also made the signal to prepare for battle; the before-mentioned English squadron continued steering about N. N. E. under press of sail, and making signals, whence we concluded that they had got-sight of the English fleet.

At half an hour past eight, we got sight of the land, which we discovered to be the Wykerdyns, bearing east at the distance of four to five German miles from us. At this time the fleet had again hauled the wind. At nine o'clock we discovered the English fleet, consisting of about twenty sail, in the N. N. W. towards Kimmen, at the distance of four to five German miles, and coming down before the wind; a signal for which being immediately made by vice-admiral Reyntjes, admiral de Winter threw out the signal to form the line of bat

tle,