The admiral pursuing the main body of the Spanish fleet, the _Orford_, Captain Falkingham, and the _Grafton_, Captain Haddock, came up first with them, about ten o'clock, the Spaniards firing their stern-chase guns. The Spaniards repeating their fire, the _Orford_ attacked the _Santa Rosa_, of sixty-four guns, and took her. The _St. Carlos_, of sixty guns, struck next, without much opposition to the _Kent_, Captain Matthews. The _Grafton_ attacked warmly the _Prince of Asturias_, of seventy guns, formerly called the _Cumberland_, in which was Rear-admiral Chacon; but the _Breda_ and _Captain_ coming up, Captain Haddock left that ship, much shattered, for them to take, and stretched ahead after another ship of sixty guns, which had kept firing on his starboard bow during his engagement with the _Prince of Asturias_. About one o'clock the _Kent_, and soon after the _Superbe_, Captain Master, came up with and engaged the Spanish admiral of seventy-four guns, who, with two ships more, fired on them and made a running fight till about three; and then the _Kent_, bearing down under his stern, gave him her broadside and fell to leeward afterwards; the _Superbe_, putting forward to lay the admiral aboard, fell on his weather-quarter; upon which, the Spanish admiral shifting his helm, the _Superbe_ ranged under his lee-quarter; on which he struck to her. At the same time the _Barfleur_, which carried the English admiral, being astern of the Spanish admiral, within shot, and inclining on his weather-quarter, Rear-admiral Guevara and another sixty-gun ship, which were to windward, bore down upon him, and gave him their broadsides, and then clapped upon a wind, standing in for land. The admiral immediately tacked and stood after them until it was almost night; but there being little wind, and the enemy hauling away out of his reach, he left pursuing them and rejoined the fleet two hours after night. The _Essex_ took the _Juno_ of thirty-six guns, the _Montague_ and _Rupert_ took the _Volante_ of forty-four guns, and Rear-admiral Delaval, in the _Dorsetshire_, took the _Isabella_ of sixty guns. The action happened off Cape Passaro, at about six leagues' distance from the shore. The English received but little damage: the ship that suffered most was the _Grafton_, for, being a good sailer, her captain engaged several ships in succession, always pursuing the headmost and leaving the ships he had disabled or damaged to be taken by those that followed him. The admiral lay by for some days at sea to refit the rigging of his ships and to repair the damages which the prizes had sustained, and on the 18th received a letter from Captain Walton, who had been sent in pursuit of the Spanish ships which had made for the Sicilian shore under the Marquis de Mari. The letter is singular enough to deserve notice. It ran thus:-- "SIR,--We have taken and destroyed all the Spanish ships and vessels which were upon the coast, the number as _per_ margin.