AN OLD SEA-DOG

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 183, 18 December 1886, Page 12

AN OLD SEA-DOG

Ajjmrai FiOebiit Blake, of Cromwell's time* Js the subject of a new volume in the "English Worthies Series," the author being; David liannay. Blake was a quiet country gentleman and Tvl.P, until be waa nearly fifty years of age ; yet between the yoart* 3 G IS and 1 6-37 he beat the famous Dutch A&mirala of hie day ; humbled Portugal on tha fc'ea ; chastised the piiates of Algiers and '« unig ; battered, down the forts on Tunis Bay, supposed to be impregnable, and bui-nod nsne of the Dey's ships ; defeated the Spanish ships at Cadi/, and, as a climax, captured &ix Spanish treasure ships in theneop ana narrow-mouthed bay of Santa Crux de Teneriffo, bristling with forta. Blakfs ran the gauntleb of the castles at th&' noufcb of the bay, and co engaged the Spanish f-hips that they must be under firo also if tho ehoro batteries continued In fire on him. Mv Hannay thus outlines the fight : "' Wind an€l tide suited on the morning of April 20, 1C57, when, tf lake reached the boy and stood in at once under a press of cauvaa. During four hours (he battle raged, chiefly with tho galloons. On buaid the smaller ships and in raany of the batteries the Spani&h gunners txjubfc have <*tood idle, watching the battle in tho middle of the harbour as well as the clouds of smoke rolled on shore by the sea breeze would allow them. The unmasked batteries were swept by the fire of Blake's gunuors, and the smoke lifted only when. tha six galleons had struck, one after anoiher. Thon tho English crew boarded and drove the Spaniards out, to swim ashore or drown on the way. For the moment this success only increased Blake's danger, since the Spaniards could now use all fcheir guns, with the certainty that they could only hit an oiicmy. The galleons would still screen tha English ships, bat tho p.nzg crews mu=t have suffered heavily. It was found impossible to bring* out the trof.<?urephipp, and oiders were given to fire them. When the flames had caught, tho Englisn, in the confidence of tm-ir superiority ieU upon the small ships anchored under the lorts and fired them also. By iMs timo the tide had begun to turn, and tho Euglldh fleet d lifted out, loaving the sixteen galleons and pataches blazing in a groat &emi-ctrcle between them a:id the batfcQi-ic?. At rki& moment the wind, whickharl been Mowing Ptcadily into the bay, voered x'oisnd and bogan to blow equally atoadTy land. It was not squally, with ca'.ii*, from the mountains, bub a alionp, even breeze, before which the English fleot tewaicied its position oif Cadiz «ith ei^e. ships had shattered the forts, sunk the Spanish thipq, and got free of tho hnibojr befoie the Mind turned, but. its opportunpn^ and tho trifling price paid for the victory "- as MrHannaj concludes — " v,-ent to makr up the marvollous character of the fijehfc The total loss to the English in kMed ami wounded bad boon less fchon 20D men The loss of the Spiniards is paid to have been frightful." This was doing wj.i for a man who, up to the age of foity-niiio, ha'} been a landsman. Before thaf, ho-; ">v3j, he h;->d been a valiant aud f-nccetsfu) leaner in Cromwell's militia. In lAiiliaintnt ho had cut no greac figure. "Thought at S uitaCruz wasso miraculous,'" says the Furl of Clarendon, "that all the mon who knew tbe place wondered <hat any ?ober m;n, witii what courage soever endowerl. v jnlci have undertaken it, and they could ra^il> \-prsnodo themselves to believe what theye v bad done, while the Spaniards comfort,^ tiumaehes v.ith tha belief that thoy wore i.^vil'. and not mon, who had destroyed J-hern in pnoh a manner " Biake died cf dl-eaee a short time after this wondorful sea battlo. One of bis seivants, Mf Boar, quiintly Raid of his habita : "Gen. Blake pn'icd himself aboard his ship with '•uch of »-ij mon as could bo admitted to that dut" with him, and the la«ft thing he did aflor he bad ghen the commands word ti h»p men m oidcr to rotiro to his bed was to pi ay with the aforementioned Air Bear. Men th^t was over ho was won't to Bay, ' Thuin is, biir.g me the cup of sack,' w'u''h ho did, v.ith a crust; of bread. He woula then t-it down and give Thomas liborty to do the fMmo, and mquiie what news ho hud to his Dridgewat6r men that day, anc talk o f the pooplo and affairs of the place."