par Selon les Éphémérides de St-Pierre et Miquelon, version Emile Sasco et Joseph Lehuenen, il est inscrit, sous la date du 4 avril 1702 le texte suivant : « Le capitaine anglais Leake, après avoir détruit les établissements de la baie des Trépassés, de Sainte-Mary, Colonet et de Saint-Laurent, démantèle le fortin de Saint-Pierre, armé de 4 canons ! »
Ce texte des Ephémérides concerne le raids et expéditions punitives sous le commandement du vice-amiral britannique, John Leake. C’est sous le règne de la reine Anne que John Leake fut dépêché à Terre-Neuve pour mener des expéditions contre les Français dans le contexte de la deuxième guerre intercoloniale (1702-1713), connue en Europe sous le nom de la guerre de Succession d’Espagne. Dans le cadre de ce conflit, les colonies anglaises de la Nouvelle-Angleterre se liguèrent contre la Nouvelle-France alors que les anglais de Saint-Jean de Terre-Neuve organisaient des raids contre les établissements français de Plaisance et de la côte du Chapeau Rouge.
C’est grâce aux écrits d’un numismate et héraut d’armes britanniques, Stephen Martin-Leake, sans filiation aucune, que nous connaissons les faits d’armes des raids du Capitaine Leake à Terre-Neuve. Ce livre s’intitule « The life of Sir John Leake, rear-admiral of Great Britain ».
Chef d’escadrille, John Leake fut dépêché à Terre-Neuve pour détruire les établissements et la flotte de pêche française, ses instructions lui furent communiquées par l’amiral Churchill, officier de marine britannique.
Sir, — I have proposed to the Prince, your going to command a squadron to Newfoundland ; you will be a Chief de Squadron ; l I hope it will be agreeable to you. I desire you would keep this to yourself, and let me hear from you by the next post.
I am your friend and servant,
George Churchill.
Lors d’une expédition, Leake s’en prit aux établissements français de St Laurent et de St Pierre. À St Laurent, trois navires furent attaqués par les bâtiments britanniques le Montagu et le Medway. Leake se dirigea alors vers Saint-Pierre, le 1er septembre, mais fut freiné par des vents défavorables et l’étroitesse du port. Ils mouillèrent au large de Saint-Pierre dans l’attente d’une météo plus clémente. Le lendemain, alors qu’ils se dirigeaient enfin vers le Barachois, huit navires français s’échappaient par la passe du Suet. Le pilote s’étant trompé sur l’emplacement du Barachois, qu’il pensait être à l’ouest de l’île, le temps de la correction, quatre autre navires français s’échappaient pas la passe du Suet. Ils ne furent poursuivis par crainte des nombreux rochers et basses dans cette partie du port.
Vers la fin septembre, l’escadre, formée du Commodore, le Montagu, le Lichfield, l’Assistance et le Looe, furent à nouveau dépéchés sur la côte du Chapeau Rouge alors que le Medway, le Charles Galley et autres navires furent envoyés vers Saint-Pierre avec l’ordre de détruire tout ce qui pouvait être trouvé dans son port.
Selon les écrits de Stephen Martin-Leake, ce sont plus de 51 navires français qui furent capturés ou détruits. Des 29 navires saisis, 16 furent emmenés en Angleterre, 6 vers Lisbonne, 5 vendus à Saint-Jean et un navire de 120 tonnes armés de 12 canons fut laissé pour protéger le port anglais de Terre-Neuve.
En revanche, 22 autres navires furent brulés avec leur cargaison ainsi qu’une bonne partie de la cargaisons abandonnée par les navires s’étant échappés.
Le seul regret du capitaine Leake ? De n’être pas arrivé plus tôt sur Terre-Neuve, convaincu que les raids effectués auraient été plus conséquents. Quant à Plaisance, ni l’établissement, ni le fort ne furent attaqués ou saisis dans le cadre de cette expédition britannique de 1702.
The life of Sir John Leake, rear-admiral of Great Britain
by Martin-Leake, Stephen, 1702-1773 [Source]
Captain Leake is appointed Commodore of a squadron to New- foundland. He proceeds thither, destroys the French trade and settlements there and returns to England
DESTRUCTION OF SETTLEMENTS
With the rest of the squadron he proceeded towards St. Lawrence and the island of St. Peter’s (both of them very considerable settlements of the French at the entrance of Fortune Bay). Being off of St. Lawrence, he discovered three sail, whereupon he left the Montagu and Medway to endeavour to get them out ; and then to follow him to St. Peter’s.
The 1st of September, in the morning, he was fair in with St. Peter’s, with an intention of going into that harbour, but it blowing hard and likely to be bad weather, that it would be difficult to ride with a spring upon their cable, if they should meet with any opposition, as also a narrow harbour, and the ground without it very broken that the least miscarriage in anchoring might endanger them, the Commodore thought it advisable not to attempt going in till fairer weather.
Accordingly he stood off from the shore ; but by good fortune, next morning, there being a fine breeze, they made in for the harbour, as they thought, and saw eight ships and small vessels off of the easternmost point of the island, to which giving chase, they found the pilot had been under a mistake, for the Commodore dis- covered the harbour was on that side, and in it seven or eight ships at anchor ; so that had the weather been proper, and he had borne away the morning before for the place the pilots had always taken for the entrance of the harbour, he would not only have run the hazard of being driven to leeward of the island, but also of falling on a ledge of rocks, which lay off the westernmost end of the island At noon he took one of the ships, laden with fish, and leaving the Lichfield in chase of another, himself tacked and plied in for the harbour, to secure the rest. But when he was within a quarter of a mile of the entrance, he discovered four sail, endeavouring to make their escape from the South Channel, which the pilots had affirmed to him was not navigable for any vessel that drew above five or six feet water : and observing that the rest loosed their topsails to go out the same way, he concluded they were very small ships, and thought it to no purpose to chase them, for it was then about seven at night, and the wind right out of the harbour, which was not above half a mile over, and a dangerous rock in the middle of it, which appeared a very little above water ; so that there was no attempting to turn in. Whereupon he drove under his top- sails till it was dark, the better to amuse the enemy, but his real design was to stand for the South Channel to intercept them, had not the haziness of the weather prevented him ; by which means they escaped, except one laden with salt, taken by the Lichfield. In the morning he plied in for the shore to look into the harbour, and by four in the afternoon was within a league and a half of it, but only saw two small vessels there. It continuing to blow hard, and all the enemy’s ships being got out of the harbour, he bore up to join the Lichfield, which he did in the evening.
CAPTURE OF FRENCH SHIPPING
Next day the Commodore sailed from St. John’s, with the Montagu, Lichfield, Assistance, and Looe, in order to visit Bonavista, the most northern plantation we had in those parts, where he judged he might most probably be furnished with pilots for Chapeau Rouge ; the rest of the squadron, viz. the Medway, Charles Galley, and the fireship, he left with orders to go to St. Peter’s and destroy what they could meet with in that harbour, and then to cruise off of Cape Race and the banks of Newfoundland, until the 25th of the aforesaid month of September.
[…]
Nor were there to the northward, as he said, any other fortifications than that of St. Peter’s, and even that but a small fort, of no more than six guns ; so that indeed, had there been the best pilots they could have desired, it would only have been lost time, and running a very great hazard to have gone thither.
The 19th of September the Reserve came in from surveying the harbours of Trinity and Carbonear, and the 2nd of October the Medway and Charles Galley (with a small banker the latter had taken) came in from St. Peter’s, the fort whereof they had demolished, and burned and spoiled the enemy’s habitations, boats and stages, and entirely destroyed that settlement. There now only remained to convoy the trade to Europe.
RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION
In this expedition 51 ships were taken and destroyed. Whereof 29 were taken amounting to 3235 tons and 207 guns ; and of them 16 were brought to England, 6 were sent to Lisbon, 5 sold at St. John’s, 1 of 120 tons and 12 guns was left there for the security of the harbour, and the other sent to France with the prisoners. The remainder, to the number of 22, were burnt with their cargoes, as well as a great part of the cargoes of those that escaped, who were glad to get away half loaded, or anyhow to avoid the fate of the rest : besides the burning and destroying Trepassy, St. Mary’s, Collonet, Great and Little St. Lawrence, and St. Peter’s, all very considerable settlements of the French at Newfoundland, and of the greatest importance for carrying on their fishery in those parts, and breeding of seamen. The advantage would however have been greater by destroying and taking more of their ships, if the Commodore could have got thither sooner ; but he did not receive his com- mission till the 24th of June ; and, being obliged to convoy the trade from England to Virginia, New England, and the West Indies, he was forced to wait their time. Notwithstanding which, he left England the 22nd of July, and arrived at Newfoundland the 26th of August : so that no greater dispatch could have been used on his part ; and considering these circumstances, it was extraordinary he could take and destroy so many.
