'WXLIII.

from the I. oj James I. to the Revolution

were not so much adhered, to, as mighthave been expected from the Contentsof His Majesty’s first Instructions, (e)The second of September, Sir RogerStrickland had Advice from one of theScouts, that five and twenty Sail of theDutch Fleet, sixteen of them great Ships,were ofi of Goree , on the Coast of Hol-land, some of them under Sail, 'withthree Flags, viz. Admiral, Vice-andRear-Admiral; And that they all laywith their Topsails loose, upon theWindward Tide.

M , os King James thinking His Squadron

l ° ^Nore^ (which tho’ but very weakly manned,was, for what Reason is not easy to beconceived, forbid to press Men, evenout of homeward-bound Merchant-Ships) not of sufficient Strength to inter-cept the Dutch, ordered them to retireto the Buoy of the Nore ; But command-ed, that two of the cleanest Frigatsshould ply off of Orfordness , and thatupon the first Approach of a ForeignFleet, one of them should immediately

1 688 .

repair to the Nore, and give Notice 1688.thereof, and the other remain in herStation, to observe whether the saidFleet made up towards Harwich, or theRiver, and then also to come to theNore, and give Advice thereof, with theusual Signal. And that the Motions ofthe Dutch Fleet might be the betterknown, it was recommended to Sir Ro-ger Strickland, as a Matter of greatestImportance, so to employ all the Scout-Vessels, as that he might have fromthem, and King James himself fromhim, the most frequent and exact Ac-counts of their Proceedings on their ownCoasts, and of their Departure thence.

The Beginning of Oblober, King Lord Dart-James appointed the Lord Dartmouth, moath ap-Admiral of the Fleet, who diligently pp nte d 4 d-apply’d himself towards the hastening -p/^. ^

to the Buoy of the Nore all Ships andVessels which were fitting out in the RFvers ‘Thames and Medway, and receivedInstructions, as underneath, for his Go-vernment. (A)

7 R The

(e) “He let Sir Roger Strickland know ; that" having considered well of what he had propo-“ fed, and debated the same with several of the" moll experienced Commanders, and Masters,“ He was fully convinced, that it could not, in“ any wife, be convenient for His Service, to“ put the fame in Execution ; For that the Gun-“ fleet, at such a Season of the Year, was a very" ill Road, and that if the Wind should hang" Easterly, he would be liable to be driven up“ the River by the Dutch , which ought above" all Things to be avoided. Wherefore, He di-" rected him to go out of the Downs, with the" first Easterly Wind, and to place himself be-“ tween the North-Sand-PfoA, and the Kentish" Knock, there to continue under Sail, in the“ Day-time, and at Anchor, in the Night, if fair“ Weather; But if it happened to blow hard," and that the Dutch Fleet did not appear, to“ proceed by the Back of the Goodwin Sand to" Bologne Bay, and there remain until he was fa-“ tisfied they were either passed down the Chan-“ nel, or gone up the River ; In the former of“ which Cafes, it was recommended to him, to“ follow them, as near as he judged convenient,“ until they were between the Lizard and Scilly,“ and finding them proceeding farther, to return“ to St. Helen's Road, or Spithead ; But if they“ bent their Course into the River, he was to-- endeavour to return by the Back of the Good-“ w j n , and to get the Wind of them. For the" Rest.it was left to him to proceed, as he should“ judge most proper, with this only Caution,“ that as soon as the Wind came up Westerly," and that not any of the forementioned Cafes“ happened, he was to repair to the Downs.“ These Directions, rather to proceed to Bologne" Bay, than the Gunfleet , were determined upon“ solemn Debate, the Day before they bore Date,“ (viz. the six and twentieth of August') in King“ James’s Closet, at Windsor, the following Per-« sons being present, who were particularly sum-“ moned from London ; namely, the Lord Dart-“ mouth, Mr. Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty,Sir John Berry, and three elder Brothers of the

“ Trinity -House of Deptford Strand, Captain At-" kinfon, Captain Mudd, and Captain Rutter, to-“ gether with Captain John Clements.

(f) Instructions to the Lord Dartmouth,

JAMES R.

“ YTThereas We have received undoubtedV» “ Advice, that a great and sudden In-" vasion from Holland, with an armed Force of“ Foreigners, and Strangers, will be made fpee-“ dily, in an hostile Manner, upon this Our“ Kingdom; Our Will and Pleasure is, that all“ necessary Orders being by you issued, for the" hastening Our Ships and Vessels, now fitting" forth out of the Rivers of Thames and Med-" way, and from Portsmouth,' together with those“ now at Sea, under the Command of Sir Roger“ Strickland, Knight ; Vice-Admiral of Our" said Fleet, to their intended Rendezvous, at“ the Buoy of the Nore, (a perfect List of which" Ships, Fire-lhips, and other Vessels, is here-“ unto annexed,) you do, with all poffible Dili-“ genes repair on Board our Ship Resolution ,“ Captain William Davis, Commander, or such“ other of Our Ships, as you shall now, or at“ any Times hereafter, think sit to bear Our" Flag, as Admiral, upon taking upon you the" Charge and Conduct of Our said Fleet, and“ what other Ships, shall, at any Time, hereaf-" ter, be by Us set forth for re-inforcing the“ same. Which Fleet, and every Part thereof,“ We, (out of Our entire Reliance upon your“ approved Loyalty, Valour, Circumspection,and Experience) do hereby authorize and em-“ power you to. lead, and by Our Orders, to di-ll rect and dispose of, at all Times, and in all<« Emergencies, as you in your Discretion shall“ judge most conducing to Our Honour, and the“ Safety of Our Dominions, and particularly in“ the preventing the Approach of any Fleet, or«< Number of Ships of War from Holland, upon

" any