Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 05.djvu/186

 dey, convinced by the arguments put in force at Tunis, entered into a friendly agreement; and, in anticipation of his later instructions, he was, by the beginning of June, at Cadiz, off which he cruised during the rest of the summer. The strain on his ships and the health of his ships' companies was very great; and as winter approached he determined, in accordance with the discretion entrusted to him (, i. 724) to return to England, where he arrived on 9 Oct.

In the following spring, as soon as the season permitted, he returned to the same cruising ground in company with Colonel Edward Mountagu, appointed also general at sea. Mountagu remained during the summer, and with Blake and the bulk of the fleet had gone to Aveiro in September, when Stayner [see ], in command of the light squadron, fell in with, captured, and destroyed the Plate fleet (8 Sept.), with a loss to Spain estimated at nearly two millions sterling in treasure alone, exclusive of the ships and cargoes (Narrative of the late Success, &c., published by order of parliament, 4 Oct. 1656). After this severe blow to the enemy, several of the larger ships, with Stayner and Mountagu, went home for the winter. Blake continued on the station, and early in April 1657 he had news that a large fleet from America had arrived at Santa Cruz of Teneriffe. In a council of war he announced his resolution of going thither and attacking it. They sailed on the 13th, made the land on the 18th, and on the morning of the 20th by daybreak were off Santa Cruz. By signal from a frigate ahead they learned that the West India fleet was still in the bay. ‘Whereupon,’ says the official report, ‘after a short conference how to order the attempt and earnest seeking to the Lord for his presence, we fell in amongst them, and by eight of the clock were all at an anchor, some under the castle and forts, and others by the ships' sides, as we could berth ourselves to keep clear one of another and best annoy the enemy. They had there five or six galeons and other considerable ships, making up the number of sixteen; most of them were furnished with brass ordnance, and had their full companies of seamen and soldiers, kept continually on board. They were moored close along the shore, which lies in a semicircle, commanded as far as the ships lay by the castle, and surrounded besides with six or seven forts, with almost a continued line for musketeers and great shot.’ This was the position which Blake, with a fleet barely superior in nominal force to that of the enemy, had attacked at the very closest quarters, with the result that before evening every Spanish ship was burnt, blown up, or sunk, and by seven o'clock the English ships had all drawn off; not one was lost. ‘We had not above fifty slain outright and 120 wounded, and the damage to our ships was such as in two days' time we indifferently well repaired for present security. Which we had no sooner done, but the wind veered to the south-west, which is rare among those islands, and lasted just to bring us to our former station near Cape Santa Maria, where we arrived 2 May following’ (Narrative, &c., by order of parliament, 28 May 1657). The news of this great victory, of the daring and success of this extraordinary attack, which compares with the most brilliant of naval achievements, excited the greatest enthusiasm in England. A public thanksgiving was ordered for 3 June, and the Protector wrote (10 June): ‘We cannot but take notice how eminently it hath pleased God to make use of you in this service, assisting you with wisdom in the conduct and courage in the execution; and have sent you a small jewel as a testimony of our own and the parliament's good acceptance of your carriage in this action’ (, vi. 342). The jewel referred to was a portrait set in gold and diamonds, the cost of which amounted to 575l. (Notes and Queries, 5th ser. vi. 444). We may suppose that it reached Blake in safety, but nothing further is known of it. A story has been told and repeated that Blake's brother, Benjamin, commanded a ship at Santa Cruz, was there guilty of cowardice, was tried by court martial at Blake's order, was sentenced to death, with a recommendation to mercy, to which the general yielded, and sent the culprit home with an order ‘he shall never be employed more.’ The story is utterly false. Benjamin Blake went out to the West Indies with Penn, and was appointed by him vice-admiral of the fleet left there, under Goodsonn as commander-in-chief. Between these two a quarrel arose, apparently as to the right of command. The details are not known, but the result was that Goodsonn sent his second in command home (25 June 1656;, v. 154). From beginning to end the general had nothing to do with the matter, except indeed that, out of respect to him, the case was not pressed as it otherwise might have been.

With the destruction of the Spanish fleet, Blake's work before Cadiz was finished. He was ordered to return to England. He did not live to reach it. His health had long been extremely feeble; and worn out by the fatigues and excitement of the campaign and by what the doctors called ‘a scorbutic fever,’ he died on board his ship, the George, at the