Chap. III. of the E N G L I S 
liave a naval Force left in the River of St. Laurence.^ he 
was to appoint fuch Part of the Squadron to remain 
there as might be judged proper for taking Care to make 
fuitable Provifion for the Maintenance and Repair of 
fuch Ships j and the like Liberty was given as to any 
of the f mailer Veffels, fuch as Tranfports or other wife, 
or to make life of any of the Enemy’s Ships that might 
be taken, if proper, to bring into Europe fuch Go- 
vernors, regular Troops, religious Perfons, or others 
whom the General, by his Inftrudlions, was diredfed to 
fend away from Canada with Commiffaries, Stores, and 
Provifions for their Tranfportation. 
Thefe Services being diredled, he was to take on board 
the General, if he fhould think fit to return, and fuch 
of the Forces as might not be left in Canada^ and haften 
with the Squadron and Tranfports out of the River; 
and if the Seafon of the Year would permit, he was to 
proceed to, and fummon and attack, Placentia in New- 
foundland., in fuch manner as General /////fhould diredl; 
which Service being over, he was to order fuch Ships of 
War as did not properly belong to the Squadron under 
his Command, to return to their feveral Stations, diredf- 
ing the Makers of the Tranfports which he fhould have 
no Occafion for, to go and feek Freight either upon the 
Continent of America or in the Iflands, to eafe the Public 
of the farther Charge of them, and for the Benefit of 
the Trade of Great Britain. Laftly : It was recommended 
to him, as it was to the General of the Land Forces, to 
maintain a conftant good Underftanding and Agreement, 
and on all Occafions to render each other all neceffary 
and requifite Affiftance ; and if any Differences 
fhould arife between them, upon any Conftrudtion of 
Command, or the Nature of Command in the Service, 
or otherwife howfoever, the Queen was pleafed to referve 
the Determination of the fame to herfelf, at their Return 
to Great Britain, without Prejudice to either of them in 
fubmitting to each other for the Good of her Majefly’s 
Service. 
And that he might be fufficiently informed of her 
Majefty’s Defign upon Canada, and of the Preparations 
diredted to be made for the carrying it on, to the Go- 
vernors of New York and Majfachufets Bay, and New 
Hants ; as alfo of the additional Inftrudtions to the Go- 
vernors of New York, and of thofe to Francis Nicholfon, 
Efq; and the feveral Governors of the Colonies of Con- 
nediicut, Rhode IJland, Providence Plantation, and Penfyl- 
vania. 
Thefe were the Contents of the Queen’s Orders to 
Sir Hovenden Walker, prepared without fo much as con- 
fulting the then Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, 
either as to the Fitnefs of ,the Ships appointed for the 
Expedition, or the Nature of the N avigation ; but on 
the contrary, the Defign on which they were bound was 
rather induftrioufly hid from them, as may appear by 
iome Letters to Sir Hovenden Walker, before he failed 
from Spithead, by which the Secretary feemed to value 
himfelf very much, that a Defign of this Nature was 
kept a Secret from the Admiralty, who, had they been 
confulted, would not, I am apt to think, have^advifed 
the fending Ships of eighty and feventy Guns -to ^lehec, 
lince the Navigation up the River of St. Eaurence, was 
generally efteerned to be very dangerous ; nor were their 
Lordfhips permitted to know any thing of this Matter, 
at leaf; not in Form, until Advice received, that the 
French were equipping a confiderable Squadron at Breft, 
which fome of the Miniftry might be apprehenfive were 
defigned to mitrctpt Fix Hovenden Walker’, but it was too 
late to take any proper Meafures for preventing it, if the 
Enemy had really had any fuch Intention. Having thus 
given a brief Account of what Steps were taken to fet 
forth this Squadron, which, ere it returned, put the Na- 
tion to a very confiderable Expence, it remains that we 
accompany them on the Expedition, and I fhall give as 
particular an Account of their Proceedings as the Papers 
which I have before me, will enable me to do. 
Sir Hovenden Walker v/as under Sail with the Ships of 
War and Tranfports off of Dunnofe on the 29th of April, 
1 71 1 ; but coming off of the Start the iff of the next 
Month, a wefterly Wind obliged him to put in at Ply- 
mouth ; being the Length of the Bead Man the 4th, he 
VoL. II. Numb. 90. 
H ?>/ AMEPvIC A. 313 
met with the Kent, and Plymouth, vTich Ships he 
took vdth him fome Leagues into the Sea, and then 
left them to their former Service of cruizing from the 
Soundings. The 24th of June he arrived at NantaJkeG 
near Bojlon in Nav England, having then with him five 
Ships of the third Rate, fix of the Fourth, one of the , Filth, 
and two Bomb-Veffels. But not meeting with that ready 
Affiftance which v/as expecled from the Government and 
People of that Country ; it was the 20th of July before 
he failed from thence, and then he was on his Way to 
^ebec, with the Britijlo and New England Forces. The 
14th of Augufihst got the Length of tliQ'Bird JJlands 
which lie about two hundred and fifty Leagues from 
Cape Ann ; and having fent the Chefter, Leopard, and 
Saphire, to cruize between Placentia and Cape Breton, on 
the Ifland oppofite to Newfoundland, expedted their join- 
ing him in his Paffage to ^lebec ; the former of which 
Ships had taken and fent into Bofton, before he failed 
thence, a Ship of about one hundred and twenty Tons, 
with ten Guns, and had feventy Men on board, whereof 
thirty were Soldiers for the Garrifon of Sfyehec. 
The Leojloff, Feverjloam^ Enterprize, and Yryton*% 
Prize, all fmall Veffels, which were ftationed at New York 
and Virginia, he ordered to join him off of Cape Breton., 
being impowered by her Majefty’s Orders fo to do, if he 
fhould find it neceffary, and this the rather becaufe they 
mi^ht be of good ufe to him in his Proceeding up the 
River to ^ebec, which Navigation moft of the People 
with whom he had fpoken reprefented to be very danger- 
ous ; and therefore he rightly judged the Humber and 
Bevonjhire, which mounted eighty Guns each, too big 
to be ventured thither ; for which reafon he fent them 
home, and fhifted his Flag on board the Edgar, a Ship 
of feventy Guns, General Hill removing into the Windfor, 
which carried ten lefs ; but fince he had Information that 
a Ship of fixty Guns, and another of thirty, were ex- 
pefled from France very fhortly ; he ordered the aforefaid 
Ships, Humber and Bevonjhire, to cruize in the Opening 
of the Bay of St. Laurence, until the laft of Auguft, and 
then to purfue their Voyage home. 
He had very fair Weather until he got into the afore- 
faid Bay, when it came changeable, fometimes thick 
and foggy, and other while calm and little Winds, and 
the Navigation appeared to be intricate and hazardous. 
The 1 8 th of Auguji, when he was off Gafpe Bay, near the 
Entrance of the River Canada, it blew frefh at North- 
weft, and left the Tranfports fhould be feparated, and 
blown to Leeward, he anchored in that Bay ; where, flay- 
ing for an Opportunity to proceed up the River, he 
burnt a French Ship which was a fifhing, not being able to 
bring her off. The Wind veering wefterly the 20th of 
Auguji, he had Hopes of gaining his Paffage *, but the 
next Day Afternoon it proved foggy, and continued fo 
all Night and the Day following, with very little Wind 
till the Afternoon, when there was an extreme thick Fog 
and it began to blow hard at Eaft-fouth-eaft, which, 
rendering it impofiible to fleer any Courfe with Safety, 
having neither Sight of Land or Soundings, or Anchor- 
age ; he, by the Advice of the Pilots then on board him, 
both Englifo and French, who were the befl in the Fleet, 
made the Signal for the Ships to bring to with their 
Pleads Southward, at which Time it was about eight at 
Night, believing that in that Pofture they fhould not 
come near the North Shore, but rather have driven with 
the Stream in the Mid-channel ; but on the contrary, as 
they lay with their Heads Southwards, and the Wind 
eafterfy, in two Hours Time he found himfelf on the 
North Shore among the Rocks and Iflands, at leafl fifteen 
Leagues farther than the Log-line gave, where the whole 
Fleet had like to have been loft, the Men of War efcap- 
ing with the utmoft Difficulty ; but eight Tranfpqrt Ships 
were caft away, and almoft nine hundred Officers, Sol- 
diers, and Seamen perifhed. 
The French ^ Pilot, who, as it was faid, had been forty 
Voyages in this River, and eighteen of them in Command, 
informed him, that when it happens to be fo foggy as to 
prevent the Sight of the Land, it is impoffible to judge 
of the Currents, or to fteer by any Courfe ; for he himfelf 
had loft two'- Ships, and been himfelf near the South, in- 
4 L fomU'ch 
