More and more troubled that the squadron did not appear, Rambure, after a time, turned back and went in search of it.  As he approached the mouth of the river, which he had so lately entered, he heard a great noise of cannon out at sea, and a short time afterwards he saw many vessels of war there.  Approaching more and more, and quitting the river, he distinguished our squadron, chased by twenty-six large ships of war and a number of other vessels, all of which he soon lost sight of, so much was our squadron in advance.  He continued on his course in order to join them; but he could not do so until all had passed by the mouth of the river.  Then steering clear of the rear-guard of the English ships, he remarked that the English fleet was hotly chasing the ship of the King of England, which ran along the coast, however, amid the fire of cannon and oftentimes of musketry.  Rambure tried, for a long time, to profit by the lightness of his frigate to get ahead; but, always cut off by the enemy’s vessels, and continually in danger of being taken, he returned to Dunkerque, where he immediately despatched to the Court this sad and disturbing news.  He was followed, five or six days after, by the King of England, who returned to Dunkerque on the 7th of April, with his vessels badly knocked about.

It seems that the ship in which was the Prince, after experiencing the storm I have already alluded to, set sail again with its squadron, but twice got out of its reckoning within forty-eight hours; a fact not easy to understand in a voyage from Ostend to Edinburgh.  This circumstance gave time to the English to join them; thereupon the King held a council, and much time was lost in deliberations.  When the squadron drew near the river, the enemy was so close upon us, that to enter, without fighting either inside or out, seemed impossible.  In this emergency it was suggested that our ships should go on to Inverness, about eighteen or twenty leagues further off.  But this was objected to by Middleton and the Chevalier Forbin, who declared that the King of England was expected only at Edinburgh, and that it was useless to go elsewhere; and accordingly the project was given up, and the ships returned to France.

This return, however, was not accomplished without some difficulty.  The enemy’s fleet attacked the rear guard of ours, and after an obstinate combat, took two vessels of war and some other vessels.  Among the prisoners made by the English were the Marquis de Levi, Lord Griffin, and the two sons of Middleton; who all, after suffering some little bad treatment, were conducted to London.