t-martial he referred to the 'First article of
the Additional Fighting Instructions as given to the fleet by me at
the beginning of the expedition,' and this article is identical with
No. 1 of Boscawen's set.

How much older the articles were, or, indeed, whether any were issued
before the Seven Years' War, has never yet been determined. From the
illogical order in which they succeed one another it would appear that
they were the result of a gradual development, during which one or
more orders were added from time to time by the incorporation of
'expeditional' orders of various admirals, as experience suggested
their desirability. Thus Article I. provides, in the case of the
enemy being inferior in number, for our superfluous ships to fall out
of the line and form a reserve, but it is not till Article VIII. that
we have a scientific rule laid down for the method in which the
reserve is to employ itself. Still, whatever may have been the exact
process by which these Additional Instructions grew up, evidence is in
existence which enables us to trace the system to its source with
exactitude, and there is no room for doubt that it originated in
certain expeditional orders issued by Admiral Vernon when he was in
command of the expedition against the Spanish Main in 1739-40. Amongst
the 'Mathews and Lestock' pamphlets is one sometimes attributed to
Lestock himself, but perhaps more probably inspired by him. It is
dedicated to the first lord of the admiralty, and entitled _A
Narrative of the Proceedings of his majesty's fleet in the
Mediterranean_, 1741-4, including, amongst other matter relating to
Mathews's action, 'some signals greatly wanted on the late occasion.'
At p. 108 are some 'Additional signals made use of by our fleet in the
West Indies,' meaning that of Admiral Vernon, which Lestock had
recently left. These signals relate to sailing directions by day and
by night, to 'seeing ships in the night' and to 'engaging an enemy in
the night,' and immediately following them are two 'Additional
Instructions to be added to the Fighting Instructions.' The inference
is that these two 'Additional Instructions' were something quite new
and local, since they were used by Vernon and not by Mathews. They are
given below, and will be found to correspond closely to Articles
I. and III. of the set used by Boscawen in the next war. Since,
therefore, in all the literature and proceedings relating to Mathews
and Lestock there is no ref