On the other hand, these two Circumstances had fill'd all our Ports with unusual Fleets of Ships, either just come home or outward-bound, and consequently the Loss among them was very terrible; and the Havock it made among them, tho' it was not so much as every body expected, was such as no Age or Circumstance can ever parallel, and we hope will never feel again. Nay, so high the Winds blew even before _that we call the Storm_, that had not that intolerable Tempest follow'd so soon after, we should have counted those Winds extraordinary high: and any one may judge of the Truth of this from these few Particulars; That the _Russia_ Fleet, compos'd of near a hundred Sail, which happen'd to be then upon the Coast, was absolutely dispers'd and scatter'd, some got into _Newcastle_, some into _Hull_, and some into _Yarmouth_ Roads; two founder'd in the Sea; one or two more run a-shore, and were lost; and the _Reserve_ Frigat, their Convoy, founder'd in _Yarmouth_ Roads, all her Men being lost, and no Boat from the Shore durst go off to relieve her, tho' it was in the Day-time, but all her Men perished. In the same previous Storms the--Man of War was lost off of _Harwich_; but by the help of smaller Vessels most of her Men were sav'd. And so high the Winds blew for near a Fortnight, that no Ship stirr'd out of Harbour; and all the Vessels, great or small, that were out at Sea, made for some Port or other for shelter. In this juncture of time it happen'd, that together with the _Russia_ Fleet, a great Fleet of Laden Colliers, near 400 Sail, were just put out of the River _Tine_: and these being generally deep and unweildy Ships, met with hard measure, tho' not so fatal to them as was expected: such of them as could run in for _Humber_, where a great many were lost afterwards, as I shall relate in its course; some got shelter under the high Lands of _Cromer_ and the Northern Shores of the County of _Norfolk_, and the greater number reach'd into _Yarmouth_ Roads. So that when the Great Storm came, our Ports round the Sea-Coast of _England_ were exceeding full of Ships of all sorts: a brief account whereof take as follows. At _Grimsby_, _Hull_, and the other Roads of the _Humber_, lay about 80 Sail, great and small, of which about 50 were Colliers, and part of the _Russia_ Fleet as aforesaid. In _Yarmouth_ Roads there rode at least 400 Sail, being most of them Laden Colliers, _Russia_ Men, and Coasters from _Lynn_ and _Hull_. In the River of _Thames_, at the _Nore_, lay about 12 Sail of the Queen's hir'd Ships and Store-ships, and only two Men of War.