So say our almanacs, directly in opposition to the fact, that king
William III. did not land until the next day, the 5th: we have only to
look into our annals and be assured that the almanacs are in error.
Rapin says, “The fourth of November being Sunday, and the prince’s
birthday, now (in 1688) thirty-eight years of age, was by him dedicated
to devotion; the fleet still continuing their course, in order to land
at Dartmouth, or Torbay. But in the night, whether by the violence of
the wind, or the negligence of the pilot, the fleet was carried beyond
the desired ports without a possibility of putting back, such was the
fury of the wind. But soon after, the wind turned to the south, which
happily carried the fleet into Torbay, the most convenient place for
landing the horse of any in England. The forces were landed with such
diligence and tranquillity, that the whole army was on shore before
night. It was thus that the prince of Orange landed in England, without
any opposition, on the 5th of November, whilst the English were
celebrating the memory of their deliverance from the powder-plot about
fourscore years before,” &c. Hume also says, “The prince had a
prosperous voyage, and landed his army safely in Torbay on the 5th of
November, the anniversary of the gunpowder treason.” These historians
ground their statements on the authority of bishop Burnet, who was on
board the fleet, and from other writers of the period, and their
accuracy is provable from the public records of the kingdom,
notwithstanding the almanac-makers say to the contrary. It must be
admitted, however, that the fourth is kept as the anniversary of the
landing of king William, a holiday at different public offices.
* * * * *