The early autumn was occupied in watching, but in vain, for the home-coming San Domingo convoy. On October 21st, Monson, in the Swiftsure, chased a galleon under the castle of Cape St. Vincent, and gallantly attempted to run alongside and carry her by boarding. He was prevented from doing this by the cowardice or ineptitude of the man at the helm, who bore up at the critical moment; and in the result he found himself exposed to a very heavy fire which, in his own words, "rent his ship so that a team of oxen might have crept through her under the half-deck, and one shot killed seven men." During the fight a Spanish squadron looked on from the westward, and several English men-of-war from the eastward, neither caring to intervene for fear of being hit by friends as well as by foes. Monson, during the night, extricated his ship, and after an ineffectual attempt to reach Terceira, returned to England, dropping anchor in Plymouth Sound on November 24th. The other ships came home independently.
The Dreadnoght and Mary Rose, both very sickly, had returned before the admiral. The Adventure arrived an hour after him, reporting that she had fallen in with the home-coming Brazilian fleet, and had been badly mauled by it, but had taken nothing. The Paragon had captured a rich prize laden with sugar and spices. As for the Qittance, she had pluckily engaged two Dunquerquers, and had borne herself very well with them, but had unhappily lost her captain, Browne, in the action.[1]
This was the last naval expedition of the reign of Elizabeth. That great queen died on March 24th, 1603.
- ↑ Monson's 'Tracts,' and MS. in Cott. Library.
