as it was day, the
wind veered at once, on which we put our ship about, and the chase fired
first upon the Duchess, which was nearest her in consequence of the
change of wind. The Duchess returned the fire briskly; and we in the
Duke stood as near as we possibly could, firing our guns as we could
bring them to bear upon the enemy. At this time the Duchess was athwart
her hawse, firing very fast, and such of her shot as missed the enemy
flew over us and between our masts, so that we ran the risk of receiving
more harm from the Duchess than the enemy, if we had lain on her quarter
and across her stern, which was my intention. We therefore took our
station close along side, board and board, where we kept plying her with
round shot only, using neither barshot nor grape, as her sides were too
thick for these, and no men appeared in sight.

She lay driving, as we did also close aboard of her, the enemy keeping
to their close quarters, so that we never fired our small arms unless
when we saw a man appear, or a port open, and then we fired as quick as
possible. We continued thus for four glasses, about which time we
received a shot in our main-mast which much disabled it. Soon after
this, the Duchess and we, still both firing, came back close under the
enemy, and had like to have fallen on board of her, so that we could
make little use of our guns. We then fell astern in our birth alongside,
and at this time the enemy threw a fire-ball into the Duke from one of
her tops, which blew up a chest of loaded arms and cartouch-boxes on our
quarter-deck, and several cartridges in our steerage, by which Mr
Vanburgh, the agent of our owners, and a Dutchman, were very much burnt;
and it might have done us much more damage if it had not been soon
extinguished. After getting clear, the Duchess stood in for the shore,
where she lay braced to, mending her rigging. The Marquis fired several
shots, but to little purpose, as her guns were small. We continued close
aboard for some time after the Duchess drew off; till at last we
received a second shot in our main-mast, not far from the other, which
rent it miserably; insomuch that the mast settled towards the wound, and
threatened to come by the board. Our rigging also being much shattered,
we sheered off and brought to, making a signal to our consorts for a
consultation; and in the interim got ordinary fishes up to support our
main-mast as well as we could.

Captains Courtney and Cooke, with ot