226
HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
that the growing power and consequence of Britain, surrounded as she atthat time stood by her numerous enemies, was the real spring which gavemotion to the newly created league, and that the ulterior intentions, or prin-ciples of which, were by no means meant to affect other countries. By strictlyconforming to that general system of promoting commerce, even throughchannels which reason might consider impolitic, Holland, and the United Pro-vinces had, contrary to the faith of existing treaties,, and what had, till thattime, been considered the law of nations, supplied the enemies of Britain witha variety of commodities which formed, as it were, the power of carrying onwar, and without which civil aid the fleets of France and of Spain, toge-ther with the cruizers of America, could scarcely have ventured to sea as theydid, in defiance of the force prepared to oppose them. This inequitable andinjurious conduct had long been in vain complained of. Britain, after disavow-ing all encouragement to a contrary practice on her part, (for, in truth, shestood in no need of such assistance,) insisted on the propriety of every country,when at war, relying solely on its own means of support and provision, insteadof claiming the extraneous help of any foreign country whatever. Her com-plaints were disregarded ; the interception even of fleets so laden as to haveestablished complete proof of the inequitable conduct which created publicmurmur on the part of the Britifh nation, caused no relaxation of the principle.Slight and equivocating answe’s soon swelled into a peremptory refusal of com-pliance, and at length an avowed determination on the part of the Hollandgovernment to persevere in the conduct which had given offence, and defendthe resolution by the grand ultimatum and arbiter of national disputes, produceda regular warfare *.
The
*'The DUTCH Navy, added to those Vessels brought forward during the continuance of the War, con-sisted of the following Ships.
Ammirael General
76
Nassau
-
64
Prins Willem (lost)
Stillingwerf
N
-
64
Jupiter N - -
4
Unie
-
-
64
Maese
74
WasseJmonde
N
64
Sept Province N -
74
Wassenaaer
N
•
64
Venganza N
70
Zelandia
N
-
64
Ammirael Ruyter
68
Zudbeveland
64
Hollandia (sunk off Dogger Bank)
68
Hercules
N
m
60
Van Leyden
68
Kortenaer
-
-
60
Utrecht N
68
Mars (taken in
the West Indies)
60
Amsterdam
64
Prins Frederic
m
60
Gueldreland N
64
Zeirichsee
-
60
Glint horsh