1799 - British and Dutch Fleets, Expedition to Holland


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1799 Expedition to Holland 307

Gun-ship  
74 Ratvison Captain -------- Greig. Russian
66 Mistisloff Captain A. Moller.
64 Monmouth Captain George Hart.
Ardent Captain Thomas Bertie.
Belliqueux Captain Rowley Bulteel.
America Captain John Smith
Overyssel Captain John Bazely
Veteran Captain Arch.- Collingwood Dickson
54 Glatton

Captain Charles Cobb.

50 Isis Vice-Adm. (b.) Andrew Mitchell.
Captain James Oughton.
Romney Captain John Lawford.

Frigates, Melpomène, Latona, Shannon, Juno, and Lutine.

On the 15th, at 10 a.m., Admiral Lord Duncan, in the 74-gun ship Kent, Captain William Hope, joined and took the command of Vice-admiral Mitchell's squadron. At noon a gale from the south-west began to blow, and continued, with slight intermission, until the morning of the 20th ; at which time the fleet, consisting of 200 sail of square-rigged vessels with troops on board, 11 luggers and cutters, and 50 flat-bottomed boats, lay about 16 leagues from the Texel. A calm succeeded the gale, and delayed the progress of the expedition until the next day, the 21st ; when the outer ships of the Dutch in the Texel were seen to be moving further in. On that evening the whole British fleet anchored, within two miles of the shore, off a spot called Kirkdown. On the 22d, at 8 a.m., which was as soon as the tide served, the transports weighed, for the purpose of re-anchoring within half a mile of the shore; and shortly afterwards the Cobourg cutter, having on board Captain Robert Winthorp of the Circe frigate, and Colonel Frederick Maitland, departed from Lord Duncan's ship, with a flag of truce, to the Dutch Admiral Story.

While the transports were anchoring, and the gun-boats and smaller vessels getting ready to receive the troops, and just as the ships of war had made sail to stand into the Texel, the wind, from a fine easterly breeze, shifted to the south-west, with every appearance of a gale. Such of the transports as had anchored quickly weighed again, and the whole stood off from the land. By noon it began to blow very hard, and continued to do so during the remainder of that, and the whole of the two following clays and nights ; but, on the morning of the 25th, the weather cleared up, and the wind again blew a fine breeze from the north-west.

The British officers, who had been sent in with the flag of truce, took with them, first, an invitation from Admiral Duncan to Admiral Story, to deliver up his ships for the use of the Prince of Orange ; next, a proclamation by Sir Ralph Abercromby, addressed in a similar strain to the Dutch troops ; and lastly, a proclamation, signed by the Prince of Orange himself, and addressed to Dutchmen in general. To the first, Admiral

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