Relac, am nova e verda deira, em que se da conta do feliz successo que teve hua esquadra de cinco navios Olandezes de guerra, que hiao a cargo do General Duardo Esprago Cavalleiro Ollandez, derrotando & queimando sete navios de Turcos, dentro do porto de Buxia - Llosa, Agostinho Sanz da (Malta s.n., 1673)
Sir Edward Spragge or Spragg, whose name is Frenchified as Edward Sprague (1629-1673), was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Sprague was an Irish officer who fought for England after the restoration of King Charles II. In 1670 and 1671 Spragge fought the Barbary pirates on the Revenge (a warship).
The Barbary Corsairs or Pirates operated out of the principal Mediterranean ports of North Africa - Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers - terrorising all shipping in the region and mounting raids against coastal settlement throughout Europe in search of slaves. In the spring of 1671, Edward Spragge sailed with a fleet to Bougie Bay ("Buxia" or Béjaïa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Béjaïa)), near Algiers, where on 8 May, after a sharp fight, he burnt and destroyed ten corsair ships.
Rare pamphlet, which was originally published in Spanish reporting a letter by Edward Spragge to the consul of the English nation in Granada. Printed by Pedro Castera as 'Nueva relacion y traslado de una carta escrita por el excelentissimo señor don Eduardo Espragg, general de la armada del serenissimo rey de Inglaterra, y de la Gran Bretaña, a don Onofre Colston, consul de la nacion inglesa en el reyno de Granada, y residente en la ciudad de Malaga, &c., donde se le da cuenta de la feliz victoria, y destrozo que ha hecho en los Turcos, en el Puerto de Buxia, navios que echo a pique, capitanes, y moros que murieron' (Malaga, 1671) (https://iberian.ucd.ie/view/iberian:129216)
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) made a painting about this battle. For more information see: https://www.rct.uk/collection/405215/the-attack-on-shipping-in-bugia-8-may-1671-iii
Keywords: Spragge, Edward -- Sir -- c.1629-1673; 17th Century (1601-1700); Military history; Maritime transport; Bejaïa (Algeria); United Kingdom; Netherlands