evenue to whom they should be paid. The
desperate leaders of the rebellion, who had violated the laws of the
kingdom, called in the French, authorized the depredations which had
been committed upon protestants, and rejected the pardon offered to them
on the king's first proclamation, were left to the event of war, unless
by evident demonstrations of repentance they should deserve mercy, which
would never be refused to those who were truly penitent. The next step
taken by king William was to issue a proclamation reducing the brass
money to nearly its intrinsic value. In the meantime, the principal
officers in the army of James, after having seen him embark at
Waterford, returned to their troops, determined to prosecute the war as
long as they could be supplied with means to support their operations.

VICTORY GAINED BY THE FRENCH.

During these transactions, the queen, as regent, found herself
surrounded with numberless cares and perplexities. Her council was
pretty equally divided into whigs and tories, who did not always act
with unanimity. She was distracted between her apprehensions for her
father's safety and her husband's life: she was threatened with an
invasion by the French from abroad, and with an insurrection by the
Jacobites at home. Nevertheless she disguised her fears, and behaved
with equal prudence and fortitude. Advice being received that a fleet
was ready to sail from Brest, lord Torrington hoisted his flag in the
Downs, and sailed round to St. Helen's, in order to assemble such a
number of ships as would enable him to give them battle. The enemy
being discovered off Plymouth on the twentieth day of June, the English
admiral, reinforced with a Dutch squadron, stood out to sea with a view
to intercept them at the back of the Isle of Wight, should they presume
to sail up the channel, not that he thought himself strong enough to
cope with them in battle. Their fleet consisted of seventy-eight ships
of war, and two-and-twenty fire-ships; whereas, the combined squadrons
of England and Holland did not exceed six-and-fifty; but he had received
orders to hazard an engagement if he thought it might be done with any
prospect of success. After the hostile fleets had continued five days
in sight of each other, lord Torrington bore down upon the enemy off
Beachy-head, on the thirtieth day of June, at day-break. The Dutch
squadron, which composed the van, began the engagement about nine in
the morning; in about