HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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In three or four days after his quitting port, Sir Robert had the fortune tofall in with his expected prize. It consisted of seventy-two large, and valuablyladen merchant vessels, protected by five stout ships of war, exclusive of thatcommanded by Van Ness, the admiral. The Dutch, having received timelynotice of their adversary’s approach, had, according to their usual custom,selected from among their merchant vessels twenty of the most considerable,mounting from twenty to forty guns each, so that this addition of strength ap-peared to raise them above any attempt that might be made by an armamentso very inferior as that of their antagonists was, and the refusal of surrender be-?came the signal for action. It was continued during the whole of the day,without any other advantage to Britain, or to Holland, than the acquisition ofhonour, for the night separated them without either party sustaining any loss,independent of that which was occasioned among the crews. The Britishadmiral having received, on the ensuing day, a reinforcement of three frigates,and two or three smaller vessels, the encounter was renewed with equal spirit,and better hopes. It ended, however, as indecisively as the first had done.A repetition of conflict for the third time, ended indeed to the discomfiture ofthe Hollanders, but little to the advantage of the assailants. One of the shipsof war belonging to the former, being that of their rear-admiral, mountingfifty-four guns, was boarded and taken possession of by captain John Holmes,who commanded the Gloucester; but this ship had previously received so muchinjury, that it sunk soon afterwards. The remainder of the fleet and convoyeffected their escape, with the exception of four merchant ships only, whichfell into the hands of the assailants.

The duke of York, who took upon him the command of the grand fleet,having collected the whole of his force early in the month of May, preparedagain to enter the lists with his former antagonists. Its force is variouslyrepresented by the historians of different countries, just as their inclination orprejudice has swayed them. While the Dutch, on one hand, have raised it tono less than one hundred and forty sail, including frigates, fireships, and ten-ders, some of the English writers have sunk it far below half that number.The most candid and liberal accounts, however, admit, that the British divisionconsisted of sixty-five ships, then esteemed as fit to be stationed in the line,exclusive of frigates, and the other necessary attendant vessels ; and that thewhole of the force, when united with the division sent, as his quota to thenew alliance, by Louis, amounted to upward of an hundred sail. The Dutch,

who,