On the sixth, Granville underwent the same fate, and then the fleet returned to Portsmouth.

The bomb vessels being refitted, the fleet sailed round to the Downs, where four hundred soldiers were embarked for an attempt upon Dunkirk, under the direction of Meesters the famous Dutch engineer, who had prepared his infernals and other machines for the service.

On the first day of August the experiment was tried without success.

The bombs did some execution; but two smoke ships miscarried.

The French had secured the Ris-bank and wooden forts with piles, bombs, chains, and floating batteries, in such a manner that the machine-vessels could not approach near enough to produce any effect.