My Lord—Presuming upon the liberty your Lordship was pleased to give me by your last commands when I left the town, this comes humbly to lay before your Lordship some proposals for the directing her Majesty's forces at sea at this juncture, whereby the trade now designed abroad may be the less exposed, a countenance given to Portugal, and our own coasts in no danger to be insulted.

By all our advices there is reason to apprehend the chief strength of France for this year's service at sea will be made up at Cadiz. There is already advice of thirty-two men-of-war there, most of them capital ships. The five ships that so unluckily met the five Dutch men of war, convoy to the St Ubes [Setubal] fleet, are also gone that way, so may we reckon are those four that sailed t'other day from Brest; leaving as I have been informed six more behind them, all capital ships, in Brest Water ready to sail; what is gone or to go from the other ports of France being not altogether certain, but that it may be reasonably conjectured the enemy intends Cadiz for the rendezvous of all their force. Therefore, this squadron of ours and the Dutch intended now abroad being not above forty sail (and those not of the biggest ships), I presume this squadron will not be thought strong enough to take the chance of meeting the present strength of France by sea joined together, they having their galleys besides, which will be of great service to the enemy upon the latter part of the battle, for then is their play to gall our lame ships and put them into a very great hazard of falling into their hands.