ftanding the ill behaviour and almoft total inactivity of the van fquadron (the French under the count d'Eftrees,) the gallantry of the English again prevailed over the obftinacy and fuperior numbers of the Dutch; and the duke had, a fecond time, the fatisfaction of returning a conqueror, and in triumph. A well known political event taking place foon afterwards, deprived the nation of all further fervice from his highnefs, as well in the civil, as military line; this was the paffing of the Teft Act in 1673. From that time, till his acceflion to the throne, he lived totally unconnected with the fervice. But one of the fift fteps taken by him after that happened, was to new model, and arrange the management of the navy, which had been miferably neglected, and fuffered to fall to decay during the latter part of the preceding reign. To his extraordinary attention and zeal, we are indebted for that very fleet which was afterwards fo gloriously, and fuccessfully employed in checking the ambitious projects of his old friend and ally, Louis the fourteenth; a fleet which, though it rendered fo little fervice to the caufe of its founder, confifted, at the time of his abdication, of no less than one hundred and feventy-three fail, an hundred of which were fourth rates and upwards. The fubfequent part of his life being totally irrelevant to our prefent purpose, we have only to remark, on the character of James the fecond, that however inattentive he might have been to the welfare of his kingdom, and his own glory, confidering him in his exalted character of a fovereign, yet, in the earlier part of his life, before his religious prejudices had inveloped, and clouded his better understanding, no man was more the idol of the people, and few have taken greater pains to render himself the object of their favour. Burnet, who cannot be fufpected of partiality to him, admits him to have been naturally candid and fincere, and a firm friend, 'till religion wore out his firft principles and inclinations: -that in his youth he was brave, infomuch that he was perfectly idolized by the great Turenne :-and, according to the good bishop's phrafe," came to know all affairs of the fea very particularly."

* Although in the latter part of his life no one, perhaps, ever did more to incur and merit their diflike.

ALLEN, Sir THOMAS,-of Loweftoffe, in the county of Suffolk, having been always warmly attached to the cause of royalty, and ferved as commander of a fhip in the part of the fleet which revolted to the prince of Wales, was appointed to command the Dover on the 24th of June, 1660, this being among the firft fhips commiffioned by the duke of York. In 166г he commanded, firft, the Plymouth, and, fecondly, the Forefight; the Lyon, in 1662, and the Rainbow in 1663. In the fame year he was appointed commander in chief (as commodore only) of the hips and veffels in the Downs, and had, on this occafion, the fingular privilege allowed him of wearing the union flag at his main top. He hoifted it on board the St. Andrew. In the following year (1664) he had the fame command, with the fame privilege attached to it, renewed. On the 11th of Aug, 1664, he was appointed commander in chief in the Mediterranean, to fucceed fir John Lawfon, who was ordered to return home. He failed on this fervice in the Plymouth, in company with the Crown, which was put under his orders. Having arrived at Tangier, and communicated his inftructions to fir John, he entered upon his command, hoifting his flag at the main-top-maft head, as his commiffion fpecially authorifed him to do on the departure of his predeceffor. Early in the enfuing fpring, being then on a cruife with his fquadron, confifting of eight or nine fhips, off the Streights mouth, he had the good fortune to fall in with the Dutch Smyrna fleet, confifting of forty fail, under convoy of four men of war. Having just before received intelligence that war was declared, by England, against the States General, he hefttated not a moment to attack them. The Dutch having, according to their ufual cuftom, drawn the ftouteft of their merchant fhips into the line to fupport, and affift their men of war, the conteít was obftinate. But in the end Brackel, the Dutch commodore, being killed, their line broken, and several of their fhips funk, four of the richest were captured; one of which had received fo much damage in the action, that the unfortunately foundered on her paffage to England: the reft of the fleet took refuge

Hift. of Loweftoffe, p. 111.

in Cadiz, where they remained blocked up for a time, till the return of the admiral to England liberated them from their confinement. In the beginning of this year he had fhifted his flag from the Plymouth to the Old James: and on his return to England, in the month of June following, juft after the engagement with the Dutch, was promoted to the rank of admiral of the blue*. He commanded that fquadron during the remainder of the year, having his flag on board the (afterwards unfortunate) Royal James; but no farther general action took place. In 1666 he was appointed admiral of the white, and still continuing on board the Royal James, was detached, (in confequence of exprefs orders from the king, to prince Rupert, who was himself on board the Royal James with fir Thomas,) with his fquadron, to oppofe the French, against whom war had just been declared, and whose fleet was reported to be then coming up the channel for the purpose of joining the Dutch. This intelligence proving falfe, prince Rupert, and fir Thomas Allen's divifion, returned juft in time to turn the scale in favour of the English, and refcue the duke of Albemarle, who had been hard preffed by the fuperior numbers of the Dutch, during a fight of three days continuance. The English were not long ere they had complete fatisfaction for this temporary apparent advantage. On the 25th of July the two fleets met a fecond time, and an action commenced about noon the fame day, fir Thomas Allen who continued to command the van, or white fquadron, making a moft furious attack on the Dutch admiral, Evertzen. The Friezland and Zealand squadrons, which he had the chief command of, were totally defeated; he himself, together with his vice and rear admiral, killed; and the Tolen, commanded by Bankart, vice-admiral of Zealand, taken, and foon afterwards burnt, together with another large man of war. In fine, as no man was ever more deferving of fuccefs, fo did no one ever obtain it more completely. Fortune ftill continuing to favour gallantry, fir Thomas captured, on the 18th of September, the Ruby,

*Befides having a fpecial commiffion to act as vice admiral of the fleet, then under the command of the earl of Sandwich, he alfo, on the 24th of the fame month, received the honour of knighthood. a French

B 3

a French man of war mounting 54 brafs guns, commanded by monfieur De la Roche. This fhip, which was quite new, was esteemed one of the finest in the French navy. She had mistaken fir Thomas's fquadron, which then lay off Dungeness, for her own, and, confequently, furrendered almost without refiftance. In the year 1667, owing to the penury of Charles the fecond, and the duplicity of the Dutch, who had the art to deceive the British court into a belief that peace fhould take place early in the fpring, we had no grand fleet at fea; but fir Thomas, who fhifted his flag, on this occafion, into the Monmouth, had the command in chief of a small squadron fent to cruise to the weftward; and of a fecond, in the fame year, deftined for a foreign expedition, but which, it is believed, never went to fea. Be that as it may, nothing worth recording took place in either service, In 1668, on information being received that the French fleet, under the duke of Beaufort, was at fea, fir Thomas was fent, with a difcretionary power, to obferve their motions; but nothing material took place during a long cruise at the entrance of the Channel. In the middle of August he failed for the Streights; and having arrived off Algiers on the 8th of October, by his peremptory behaviour he quickly difpofed the government to propofe equitable terms of accommodation, which were immediately drawn up, and executed. Sir Thomas failed from thence for Naples, where fuch honours were fhewn him as proved fo highly difagreeable to a Dutch fquadron then lying there, that they left the place in the greatest difguft. The fame refpect was alfo fhewn him at Leghorn. From thence he returned to Algiers, where, having received every affurance that the treaty of peace he had lately concluded with them would be faithfully obferved, he returned to England in the month of April. No fooner, however, was he clear of the Streights, than the Algerines, highly elated at his abfence, and conceiving it would be at least a day fomewhat diftant, ere vengeance could be taken of their perfidy, began to renew their depredations; fo that having hoifted his flag on board

*This trivial circumftance is mentioned only to prove how highly the honour of the British flag was maintained by fir Thomas.

the

the Refolution, he was a fecond time difpatched to Algiers to compel an obfervance of that peace we had vainly flattered ourselves with the hopes of enjoying from their juftice. He failed from Plymouth on the 22d of July, having under his command eighteen men of war, befides firefhips and other veffels, making in all twenty-nine fail, and arrived on the 30th of the fame month at Cadiz. On the 6th of Auguft he appeared off Algiers, and a negociation not taking place, he immediately prepared to inflict a proper chastisement, which he did by taking, or deftroying a confiderable number of their corfairs. This petty and inconfiderable warfare was continued for fome time: and in the following year he was, at his own earnest request, recalled. He was fucceeded in his command by fir Edward Spragge. Having arrived at St. Helen's on. the 3d of November, 1670, he retired from command for fome time *; and was, on his arrival in England,. probably as a reward for his former fervices, appointed comptroller of the navy. However, in March 1678, he was again appointed commander in chief of his majesty's fleet in the narrow feas, having hoifted his flag for that purpose on board the Royal James. This was occafioned by the probability of war with France; but that foon paffing away, fir Thomas again returned to his former peaceable, and honourable retirement, a retirement highly neceffary to the latter days of an officer who had ferved fo honestly, and behaved fo gallantly. The time and place of his death is not positively known.

ASHFORD, Andrew, was appointed captain of the Hawke ketch, in the year 1660, by commiffion from his royal highnefs the duke of York, at that time lord high admiral of England; and, in 1664, was promoted to the command of the Guinney, a fourth rate of thirty-eight guns. As it does not appear, either by history, or fuch private information as we have been able to procure, that he ever commanded any other fhip, we may naturally conclude he either retired from the service, or died foon afterwards.

BARTON, John,-commanded the John ketch in the year 1660. In the year 1664 he was promoted, by the duke of York, to the command of the Blackmore pink,

*To his feat at Somerly, which he had purchased.