THE ROYAL NAVY-ANCIENT AND MODERN.*

(Continued from Vol. XXV. page 180.)

N 1653, General Monk was on board the 'Vanguard.' Blake's orders were to intercept the Dutch coming from the Isle of Rhé. The States General having heard of the great naval preparations made in England, had despatched an express to Van Tromp, desiring him to return with all speed,

and to endeavour to prevent the English from putting to sea by blocking up the river Thames. Van Tromp, in obedience to these orders, drew near the isle, or rather peninsular of Portland, in the Channel, when, to his surprise, he fell in with the English fleet, consisting of upwards of sixty sail. His own strength amounted to seventy-three menof-war, with some three hundred merchantmen in convoy.

The Dutch fleet was divided into four squadrons, commanded by Van Tromp, De Ruyter, Evertzen, and the Admiral of the Northern Quarter. At eight o'clock on the morning of the 18th of February these four squadrons, following their course up the Channel, with the advantage of the wind (as their own historians assert), began the fight when only a few of the English ships had come up; and this agrees with the English account, which is to the effect that the Triumph,' on board of which were Admirals Blake and Deane, with twelve other vessels, engaged "board on board" with the main body of the Dutch fleet for nearly six hours.

From "British Battles on Land and Sea," by James Grant; Cassell & Co.; and other sources.

B

The Triumph' received a great number of shots in her hull, and was becoming sorely pressed by the enemy, when she was gallantly supported by a well-directed fire from the guns of the Fairfax,' under Captain Sir John Lawson. Surrounded by several of the largest vessels in the Dutch fleet, these two ships had some two hundred men killed and wounded. Blake was among the latter, and his captain and secretary were among the former. Both fell by the side of Blake, and the 'Triumph' was so shattered in her hull and rigging as to be incapable of acting on the two subsequent days. The wound received by Blake was inflicted by an iron bar, which also carried away a great part of Admiral Deane's breeches.

The whole English fleet having by this time come up, there ensued one of the most furious and sanguinary battles of this short and most absurd war-absurd so far as the original cause was concerned. So hotly were the Dutch battered by successive broadsides, and so perilously were their decks swept by the fire of musketry, that about four in the afternoon twenty-six of their principal vessels became so crippled that they drew out of the range, and left the rest to continue the engagement. During this time an English ship, the Prosperous,' forty-four guns, was boarded and taken, sword in hand, by De Ruyter; but his own ship had nearly the same fate at the hands of the crew of the Merlin,' by whom the 'Prosperous' was retaken. Captain Mildmay, of the Vanguard,' was killed. Many ships were found to be disabled, but of the fleet none were taken or lost save theSamson,' which, being so battered as to be totally unserviceable, was scuttled and sunk by the crew.

As for the enemy, they had seven men-of-war taken or sunk, one of them carrying an admiral's flag; and besides these the Dutch historians mention one commanded by a Capt. Winkelim which blew up, and another which was destroyed by fire. They also say that Van Tromp, when attacking Blake, forebore firing until he came within musket-shot of him and let fly a broadside; then, tacking about nimbly, he fired a second at him on the same side. Then flanking him again on the other side he thundered off a third, which did such great execution that nothing but groans and lamentations were heard on board his ship, which, after this, fought retreating, and was pursued by Van Tromp. The very disabled state in which the Triumph' remained at the close of the action in some degree corroborates the Dutch account; but there was undoubtedly great slaughter on board the ship of Van Tromp. De Ruyter had his main and