"I am, etc., "GEORGE WALTON. "CANTERBURY, OFF SYRACUSE, _August 16th, 1718_." The ships that Captain Walton thrust into his margin would have furnished matter for some pages in a French relation of the engagement; for, from the account they referred to, it appeared that he had taken four Spanish men-of-war--one of sixty guns, commanded by Rear-admiral Mari, one of fifty-four, one of forty, and one of twenty-four guns with a bomb-vessel and a ship laden with arms--and burnt four men-of-war, one of fifty-four guns, two of forty, and one of thirty guns, with a fire-ship and a bomb-vessel. THE STORY OF CAPTAIN HORNBY AND THE FRENCH PRIVATEER. The difficulties under which merchantmen carried on their trade with foreign countries before the navy had reduced to order the highway of the seas, is well illustrated in many a narrative of adventure with pirates and fights with privateers, which equal in the heroism and daring they display the proudest stories of naval conquest. The following story taken from Young's "History of Whitby" is a case in point. Mr. Richard Hornby, of Stokesley, was master of a merchant ship, the _Isabella_, of Sunderland, in which he sailed from the coast of Norfolk for the Hague, June 1st, 1744, in company with three smaller vessels recommended to his care. Next day they made Gravesant steeple in the Hague; but while they were steering for their port, a French privateer, that lay concealed among the Dutch fishing-boats, suddenly came against them, singling out the _Isabella_ as the object of attack, while the rest dispersed and escaped. The conquest was very unequal, for the _Isabella_ mounted only four carriage guns and two swivels, and her crew consisted of only five men and three boys, besides the captain; while the privateer, the _Marquis de Brancas_, commanded by Captain André, had ten carriage guns and eight swivels, with seventy-five men and three hundred small arms.