cruise under Federigo Spinola against the Dutch; and she explained that she had been sent to the admiral by the Nonpareil and Dreadnought, which were at the moment detached.
Leveson at once ordered Monson to rejoin him, and the ships then in company, i.e., the Warspite[1] (flag), Garland, Nonpareil, Dreadnought, Adventure, and the two captured vessels, proceeded off Cezimbra, and that very night exchanged a few gunshot with the galleys there.
Early in the morning of June 2nd, a council of war was summoned on board the commander-in-chief, and after considerable discussion, it was determined to attack next day.
The place and shipping were most advantageously situated for defensive purposes. The town stands at the head of a bay which affords a good anchorage in northerly winds. Before the town, and close to the waters, was a strong and well-armed fort, and upon a hill behind the town was a fortified convent commanding the whole. Immediately under the fort lay the great carrack. Behind a neck of rock on the west side of the bay lay the eleven galleys, so disposed with their sterns foremost, that with their bow guns, of which each had five, they could cover the advancing English, while they were themselves protected by the rock, so long as the enemy remained out of gunshot of the fort and the carrack. In addition the place was full of troops.
On June 3rd, a breeze springing up at about 10 a.m., the admiral weighed, fired a warning gun, and hoisted his flag at the maintop. The vice-admiral hoisted his at the foretop. It had been arranged that Leveson should lead in and anchor as near as possible to the carrack, and that the other vessels following should fight under sail, striking as opportunity might offer and occasion suggest; but this plan was not followed out. Leveson led in as stipulated, but Monson, who entered last, instead of fighting under sail. luffed up as close to the shore as he could, dropped his anchor, and hotly engaged town, fort, carrack and galleys all at once, fighting both broadsides simultaneously, while Leveson, owing to the mismanagement of his master, drifted altogether out of the roadstead, and his ship was unable to enter it again until next day. Leveson in person, however, missed very little of the action, for he shifted his flag to
- ↑ The Repulse, being leaky, had been sent home, and Laveson had shifted his flag to the Warspite. As her master proved incompetent , he later shifted it to the Dreadnought.
