He hoped that, with their help, the army of Marshal Noailles would be able to take Barcelona, to subdue the whole of Catalonia, and to compel Spain to sue for peace.

Accordingly, Tourville's squadron, consisting of fifty three men of war, set sail from Brest on the twenty-fifth of April and passed the Straits of Gibraltar on the fourth of May.
William, in order to cross the designs of the enemy, determined to send Russell to the Mediterranean with the greater part of the combined fleet of England and Holland.

A squadron was to remain in the British seas under the command of the Earl of Berkeley.

Talmash was to embark on board of this squadron with a large body of troops, and was to attack Brest, which would, it was supposed, in the absence of Tourville and his fifty-three vessels, be an easy conquest.
That preparations were making at Portsmouth for an expedition, in which the land forces were to bear a part, could not be kept a secret.
There was much speculation at the Rose and at Garraway's touching the destination of the armament.

Some talked of Rhe, some of Oleron, some of Rochelle, some of Rochefort.