ef, refused to start, feeling bound
by the land grave's express orders to keep all his divisions together.
The king became exceedingly impatient, for the delay set an incalculable
amount at stake--at last the Hessian minister at London, General von
Schlieffen, took upon himself the responsibility of this urgent matter,
and Heister, with a spirit of true faithfulness to service, went over
with his Hessian troop ships to the remaining squadron at anchor at St.
Hellens in the immediate vicinity.

The fleet as gathered here numbered 100 sailing vessels, among which
were 2 men-of-war with 50 cannons, 4 frigates of 36 cannons, and 2
fire-ships for the protection of the transports and provision ships.
These vessels carried in all about 12,500 land troops, of which the 7400
Hessians were distributed in 52 ships. William Hotham, their Commodore,
was on the man-of-war Preston. When the ship captains had received from
him the signaling directions and their sealed instructions (which may be
opened only after a ship has sailed in order to learn its destination),
he gave the signals to weigh anchor and to sail by means of a cannon
shot and the displaying of a flag. This was on the evening of the 6th of
May.

Very soon an adverse and violent storm arose, the sea became turbulent
and there was much seasickness. No one could stand upright in the
cabins, everything was tossed about pell-mell and sailors fell overboard
and could not be saved; yet the fleet by the evening of the 9th was
sailing with calmer weather through the dangerous region of the Scilly
Islands, where, over a mass of rocks and reefs a warning lighthouse
stood. After sunset the last land was seen to disappear under the
horizon, the promontory, Landsend. On the next day the cables, which
usually are on the capstan, were coiled on deck; still greater waves,
and more violent motions of the ship indicated that the vessels had
reached the great ocean. Who may be the master of the ocean was made
evident during the very next few days to the astonished soldiers, when a
Danish and later two Swedish East Indian ships were passing through the
fleet; these then lowered their flags and a sail of the middle mast, as
soon as they were within the distance of a shot. This was the mark of
esteem which every foreign ship on meeting an English man-of-war or
squadron in the Atlantic Ocean was to render to it, as indicating the
recognition of Great Britain's sovereignty there.

A perfect c