548 Charles II. Naval Expeditions, &c. of the Englilh, Book III

CHAP. XXXIII.

Sundry Engagements at Sea, between the Englisti Admirals Blake, Monk, Dean,Penne and Lawson, and the Dutch Admirals, Van Tromp, De Ruyter., VanGalen, De Witte, and Evertzen, with other Transactions, in the Tear, 1653.

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The Duke ofGloucestersent out of theKingdom.

T H E Beginning of this Year,fVilliam Duke of Gloucester, thelate King’s youngest Son, whohad been hitherto confined tothe IJle of fright, and educated as aprivate Gentleman, was, by Order ofParliament, sent out of the Kingdom toDunkirk, from whence he went to visithis Sister at Breda, and afterwards toParis, to his Brother.

Blake and Dean’s three Day’s Engage-ment with the Dutch, under Commandof their Admiral Van Tromp.

Notwithstanding some Clamourwas raised against Blake for his Conduct,in the late Action, the Parliament de-clared their Approbation of it, by con-tinuing him in the Command of the nu-merous Fleet, which they fitted out,with great Expedition; (a) And thisFleet was no sooner at Sea, than a verygood Opportunity offered of trying theirValour, upon more equal Terms thanin the former Engagement.

The Englilh With Blake, were join’d Monk, and^defthfcom- Dean, the former having been sent formand of out of Scotland for that Purpose; AndBlake, their Orders were to fail to the West-Monk an W a rc J j to intercept the Dutch Fleet,eanC ’ coming from the Ifland of Rhee. Upon

Advice of the great Preparations which *653-were made in England the States sent an Aststiock'Express to Fan Tromp, who was then R ap i n .at the Hie of Rhee, to return with all ColumnsExpedition, and endeavour to prevent D°f lrat g'the English from coming out, by block- Annaies^ing up the River; But Tromp, to his Provincesgreat Astonishment, when he was got &to the Height of Portland, fell in with Michel dethe English Fleet, consisting of between Ruyter.sixty and seventy (or as some makethem eighty; Sail. y an xrotfP'

The Dutch Fleet consisted of se- Leven dejventy-six (or, as they themselves own z ee-HeWseventy-three) Men of War, (b) hav-ing three Hundred Merchant Ships un-der their Convoy, (c) The four Squa-drons, into which thisFleet was divided,were commanded by Van Tromp, DeRuyter, Evertzen, and the Admiral of

the Northern Quarter. The eighth ofFebruary, about eight in the Morning,th e Dutch, following their Course upthe Channel, with the Advantage of theWind (as their Writers fay) began theFight, when but one Part of the EnglishFleet was come up: And conformableto this, our English Historians fay, thatthe Triumph,, in which were the Admi-rals Blake and Deane, with twelve Ships j-/ jC y yjgtfmore, the Rest of the Fleet being not /fe Do^yet come up, engaged, Board on Board, Portland-with the Body of the Dutch Fleet, for

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Whit Jock. (a) The Parliament passed several Resolutions

for the Encouragement of Seamen: As,

(1.) That some Pay should be advanced thembefore-hand.

- (2.).That some Subsistence should be paidtheir Families during their Absence.

(3.) That for every Ship taken, which shouldbe adjudged good Prize, they should have fortyShillings per Tun; And six Pound for everyPieceof Cannon taken or found in the Prize Ships, tobe equally distributed according to their Quali-ties ; And that they should have ten Pounds forevery Cannon, which Ihould be on Board anyShip, which they Ihould fink or fire.

(4.) That whosoever should inroll themselves,within forty Days, in the Parliament’s Service,should as a Gratuity, receive a Month’s Pay, notto be placed to Account.

(5.) That Hospitals Ihould be erected at Do-ver, Deal and Sandwich, for sick and woundedSeamen brought on Shosr, and a Stock settled

for Maintenance of them, and of other lick andwounded Men, who, by Reason of their Diseasesand Wounds, could not be brought on Shoar.

These and other Encouragements caused Sea-men to come flocking into the Service of the Par-liament.

fb) Rapin fays, the English were much supe-. VairA-riour to the Dutch, inNumber of Ships, and that *the States had provided, on their Side, twentyShips to joyn their Admiral, in his Paflage Home,but could not effect their Purpose, by Reason ofcontrary Winds.

If this be the Battle which Clarendon places in Claret 1 0Jan. (and it can be no other,) according to him,the Dutch Fleet consisted of above a Hundred

Men of War, and the English were much infe-ribur.

. ( c ) Some Accounts fay but two Hundred and/fifty, 1 and forme Dutch Writers but one Hundred.

Aipd fifty.