This Declaration, instead of satisfying, made the Officers ten times more curious:  But when they saw their General going with a Resolution to lie out all Night at Sea, in an open Boat, attended with only one Officer; and understood that he intended to row out in his Felucca five or six Leagues distance from the Shore, it is hardly to be express’d what Amazement and Concern surpriz’d them all.  Mr. Crow, the Queen’s Minister, and others, express’d a particular Dislike and Uneasiness; but all to no purpose, the Earl had resolv’d upon it.  Accordingly, at Night he put out to Sea in his open Felucca, all which he spent five Leagues from Shore, with no other Company than one Captain and his Rowers.

In the Morning, to the great Satisfaction of all, Officers and others, the Earl came again to Land; and immediately began to put his Men into the several Vessels which lay ready in Port for that Purpose.  But at Night their Amaze was renew’d, when they found their General ready to put in execution his old Resolution, in the same Equipage, and with the same Attendance.  Accordingly, he again felucca’d himself; and they saw him no more till they were landed on the Mole in Barcelona.

When the Earl of Peterborow first engag’d himself in the Expedition to Spain, he propos’d to the Queen and her Ministry, that Admiral Shovel might be join’d in Commission with him in the Command of the Fleet.  But this Year, when the Fleet came through the Straites, under Vice-Admiral Leake, the Queen had sent a Commission to the Earl of Peterborow for the full Command, whenever he thought fit to come aboard in Person.  This it was that made the General endeavour, at all Hazards, to get aboard the Fleet by Night; for he was apprehensive, and the Sequel prov’d his Apprehensions too well grounded, that Admiral Leake would make his Appearance with the whole Body of the Fleet, which made near twice the Number of the Ships of the Enemy; in which Case it was natural to suppose, that the Count de Tholouse, as soon as ever the French Scouts should give Notice of our Strength, would cut his Cables and put out to Sea, to avoid an Engagement.  On the other hand, the Earl was very sensible, that if a Part of his Ships had kept a-stern, that the Superiority might have appear’d on the French Side, or rather if they had bore away in the Night towards the Coast of Africa, and fallen to the Eastward of Barcelona the next Day, a Battle had been inevitable, and a Victory equally certain; since the Enemy by this Means had been tempted into an Engagement, and their Retreat being cut off, and their whole Fleet surrounded with almost double their Number, there had hardly been left for any of them a Probability of Escaping.