d been tampered with; and
was instructed to amuse the Jacobites with a negotiation. King William
no sooner arrived in Holland than he hastened the naval preparations
of the Dutch, so that their fleet was ready for sea sooner than was
expected; and when he received the first intimation of the projected
descent, he detached general Ptolemache with three of the English
regiments from Holland. These, reinforced with other troops remaining in
England, were ordered to encamp in the neighbourhood of Portsmouth.
The queen issued a proclamation, commanding all papists to depart from
London and Westminster: the members of both houses of parliament were
required to meet on the twenty-fourth day of May, that she might avail
herself of their advice in such a perilous conjuncture. Warrants
were expedited for apprehending divers disaffected persons; and
they withdrawing themselves from their respective places of abode, a
proclamation was published for discovering and bringing them to justice.
The earls of Scarsdale, Litchfield, and Newburgh; the lords Griffin,
Forbes, sir John Fenwick, sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, and others, found
means to elude the search. The earls of Huntingdon and Marlborough
were sent to the Tower; Edward Ridley, Knevitt, Hastings, and Robert
Ferguson, were imprisoned in Newgate. The bishop of Rochester was
confined to his own house; the lords Brudenal and Fanshaw were secured;
the earls of Dunmore, Middleton, and sir Andrew Forrester, were
discovered in a quaker's house, and committed to prison with several
other persons of distinction. The trainbands of London and Westminster
were armed by the queen's direction, and she reviewed them in person:
admiral Russell was ordered to put to sea with all possible expedition;
and Carter, with a squadron of eighteen sail, continued to cruise along
the French coast to observe the motions of the enemy.

ADMIRAL RUSSEL PUTS TO SEA.

On the eleventh day of May, Russel sailed from Rye to St. Helen's,
where he was joined by the squadron under Delaval and Carter. There he
received a letter from the earl of Nottingham, intimating that a
report having been spread of the queen's suspecting the fidelity of the
sea-officers, her majesty had ordered him to declare in her name that
she reposed the most entire confidence in their attachment, and
believed the report was raised by the enemies of the government. The
flag-officers and captains forthwith drew up a very loyal and dutiful