How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves Part 6

The French, at the same time, began to establish a regular marine, having fifty s.h.i.+ps and twenty galleys in their navy. And now, for the first time, was showed their superiority over the Spaniards, on which Cardinal Richelieu ordered the following motto to be placed on the stern of the largest: "Even on the main, our Gallic lilies triumph over Spain."

A fund was now established by the king for the relief of maimed and s.h.i.+pwrecked or otherwise distressed sailors in the merchant-service, and for the widows and children of such as should be killed or lost at sea.

To form it, sixpence per month was deducted from the pay of sea-officers, and fourpence from all sailors' wages from the port of London. This fund was placed under the management of the Corporation of the Trinity House.

In 1640 the first frigate, the _Constant Hardwick_, was built, under the direction of Peter Pett. The king added ten more s.h.i.+ps to the Royal Navy, which, at the commencement of the Civil War, consisted of eighty-two sail.

THE COMMONWEALTH.

We now come to that period when one of the greatest men who ever ruled England was to raise her to the highest position among the nations of Europe.

Numerous engagements had taken place between the s.h.i.+ps adhering to the king, chiefly under the command of Prince Rupert, and those of the Parliament, under Warwick, Dean, Popham, and Blake. Blake having finally dispersed Prince Rupert's s.h.i.+ps, was appointed commander-in-chief of the British fleet. He was at first employed in reducing the Scilly Islands and various places in the West Indies and America, which still held out for the king. On war breaking out with the Dutch, he was summoned home to take command of the fleet sent against them. The Dutch had long been jealous of the commercial progress made by the English, who everywhere interfered with their trade, and they only now sought for an opportunity to break with their ancient allies. It was not long wanting. England claiming the sovereignty of the seas, insisted that the s.h.i.+ps of other nations should strike their flags whenever they met them. On the 14th May, Captain Young, the commander of an English man-of-war, fell in with a Dutch squadron off the back of the Isle of Wight. The Dutchman refused to strike his flag, on which Captain Young, without further ado, fired a broadside upon the Dutch commander's s.h.i.+p, which induced her to haul down her flag. This was the commencement of hostilities, which were long carried on between the two nations--the Dutch, notwithstanding the gallantry of Van Tromp, De Witt, De Ruyter, and other admirals, being in most cases defeated by Blake, Penn, and other naval commanders.

Soon after this Admiral Van Tromp put to sea with a fleet of upwards of forty sail, under pretence of protecting the Dutch trade. He was met coming into the Downs by a squadron, when he stated that he was compelled to put in by stress of weather. The English commander immediately sent notice to Blake, who was lying off Dover. Blake at once sailed in search of Van Tromp, and on approaching, fired to put the Dutchman in mind that it was his duty to strike his flag. Blake commenced the action with but fifteen s.h.i.+ps, and with them, for four hours, fought the Dutchmen till, late at night, he was joined by the rest of his fleet. By this time two Dutch s.h.i.+ps had been taken and one disabled, the English having lost none, when Van Tromp bore away and escaped.

In the Mediterranean, Commodore Bodley, in command of four English s.h.i.+ps, fought a gallant action against eight Dutch s.h.i.+ps, commanded by Admiral Van Galen. The Dutchman laid the English commodore's s.h.i.+ps aboard, but having been thrice set on fire, he sheered off with much loss. The second s.h.i.+p, which then took her place, was also beaten off, having lost her main-mast. Two others next attacked the commodore, but were defeated; though the English lost a hundred men, killed and wounded. The _Phoenix_, an English s.h.i.+p, had meantime boarded one of the commodore's a.s.sailants and carried her, but was in turn boarded and captured by another Dutch s.h.i.+p, and taken into Leghorn Roads. Here Captain Van Tromp took command of the _Phoenix_. The Dutchmen, thinking themselves secure, spent their time in mirth and jollity on sh.o.r.e, when Captain Owen c.o.x, now serving in Commodore Platten's squadron, hearing of what was going forward, manned three boats with thirty men in each.

In addition to their weapons, each man was provided with a bag of meal to throw in the eyes of the Dutchmen. Captain c.o.x pulled in during the night, and got alongside the frigate at daylight. The boats' crews had each their appointed work; one had to cut the cables, the second had to go aloft and loose the sails, while the third closed the hatches and kept the crew in subjection. Van Tromp was below, but hearing the alarm, he rushed out of his cabin, and discharged his pistols at the English, who were by that time masters of the frigate. Finding that his s.h.i.+p was captured, he leaped out of the cabin window, and swam safely to a Dutch s.h.i.+p astern. The _Phoenix_ was carried off in triumph, and reached Naples in safety. Of course, the Grand Duke of Tuscany remonstrated, and ordered Commodore Flatten either to restore the _Phoenix_ or to quit Leghorn; he was determined not to do the former, and sending to Commodore Bodley, who was lying at Elba with his small squadron, it was arranged he should come off the port, and draw the Dutch away. This he did. Commodore Van Galen's squadron, at the time lying off the port to intercept him, consisted of sixteen sail; while, besides the _Alfred_, of 52 guns, he had only the _Bonaventure_, of 44 guns, the _Sampson_, of 36, the _Levant Merchant_, of 28, the _Pilgrim_ and _Mary_, of 30 guns. He contrived, however, to let Commodore Bodley know his position, who attempted to draw the Dutch off, and clear the way for his squadron. Van Galen, after chasing for some time, perceiving Platten's squadron, returned to attack it. During the action which ensued, the _Bonaventure_ blew up, while Van Galen lost a leg from a shot, of which wound he died. Commodore Bodley's squadron having now joined, the action became general. Captain Cornelius Van Tromp, who attacked the _Sampson_, was beaten off, but she was directly afterwards destroyed by a fire-s.h.i.+p. The _Alfred_, the _Levant Merchant_, and _Pilgrim_ were all overpowered and taken, and the _Mary_ alone effected her escaped, and joined the squadron of Commodore Bodley.

Another desperate action soon afterwards took place between the Dutch and the English in the channel, the English having 105 s.h.i.+ps, and the Dutch 104. The action had lasted about an hour when Admiral Dean, the second in command, was cut in two by a cannon-shot. Monk, the commander-in-chief, seeing him fall, threw a cloak over his body to conceal it from the seamen. The s.h.i.+p of Van Kelson, the Dutch rear-admiral, was blown up after this. From eleven in the morning till six in the evening the battle raged, when the Dutch endeavoured to escape. Blake joined the English fleet during the night, and pursued them. About noon the battle was renewed, and for four hours continued to rage. Van Tromp grappled Admiral Penn's s.h.i.+p, the _James_, and attempted to board, but was repulsed, and was boarded in return. The English having driven the Dutchmen below, Van Tromp ordered the deck to be blown up, when numbers of the boarders were killed, though he escaped. His s.h.i.+p was again boarded by the crews of the _James_ and of another s.h.i.+p, and he would have been captured had not De Witt and De Ruyter bore down and saved him. The battle was decisive; eleven Dutch s.h.i.+ps were taken and thirteen hundred prisoners, while seven were sunk, two were blown up, thus making twenty s.h.i.+ps taken and destroyed.

Grand naval engagements were carried on in those days with very little order or regularity, each s.h.i.+p singling out an antagonist, and attacking her as opportunities offered. Even then, however, some of the more sagacious naval commanders discerned that this was not the wisest plan for gaining a victory. Sir William Monson, one of the most skilful admirals of the period, observes, that the most famous naval battles of late years were those of Lepanto against the Turks, in 1577, of the Spaniards against the French, 1580, and the English against the Spanish Armada, in 1588. After making various remarks, he continues: "The greatest advantage in a sea-fight is to get the wind of one another; for he that has the wind is out of danger of being boarded, and has the advantage where to board and how to attempt the enemy. The wind being thus gotten, the general is to give no other directions than to every admiral of a squadron to draw together their squadron and every one to undertake his opposite squadron, or where he should do it to his greatest advantage, but to be sure to take a good distance of one another, and to relieve that squadron that should be overcharged or distressed. Let them give warning to their s.h.i.+ps not to venture so far as to bring them to leeward of the enemy, for it would be in the power of the enemy to board them, and they not to avoid it."

The strict ordering of battles by s.h.i.+ps was before the invention of the bowline, for then there was no sailing but before the wind, nor any fighting but by boarding; whereas now a s.h.i.+p will sail within six points of thirty-two, and by the advantage of wind, may rout any force that is placed in that form of battle--namely, that of the Spanish Armada, to which he is referring. The Admiralty, however, did not appear to agree with Sir William Monson, for the following instructions were issued:--"You are to take notice, that in case of joining battle you are to leave it to the vice-admiral to a.s.sail the enemy's admiral, and to match yours as equally as you can to succour the rest of the fleet, as cause shall require, not wasting your powder nor shooting afar off, nor till you come side by side."

The more sagacious commanders saw, that in order to ensure victory, something beyond a vast host of s.h.i.+ps fighting without order was necessary, and perceived that the fleet which fought in line was in most cases victorious. The fiercest action of this period was fought on the 9th and 10th of August, when the English fleet, under Monk, came in sight of the Dutch, commanded by Admiral Van Tromp, who had with him many other celebrated officers, and nearly a hundred s.h.i.+ps of war. Monk had about the same number of s.h.i.+ps, which he drew up in line. The English manoeuvred to gain the wind, but Van Tromp, who had it at the first, kept it with advantage, and drew up his own fleet in a line parallel to that of the English, when, bearing down upon them, he began the battle with so great a fury, that many s.h.i.+ps were soon seen dismasted, others sunk, and others on fire. A spectator, who was on board a vessel at a distance, describes the scene: "The two fleets were now enveloped in a cloud of smoke so dense that it was impossible to form a judgment of the fierceness of the battle otherwise than by the horrible noise of the cannon with which the air resounded, and by the mountains of fire which every now and then were seen rising out of the smoke, with a crash that gave sufficient notice that whole s.h.i.+ps were blowing up. The battle lasted for eight hours, and was the most hard fought of any that had happened throughout the war. The Dutch fire-s.h.i.+ps were managed with great dexterity, and many of the large vessels in the English fleet were in the utmost danger. The _Triumph_ was so effectually fired, that most of her crew threw themselves into the sea, though others remaining behind put out the fire. Admiral Lawson engaged Admiral Ruyter, killed and wounded above half his men, and so disabled his s.h.i.+p, that she was towed out of the fleet. About noon Van Tromp was shot through the body by a musket-ball as he was giving his orders. This greatly discouraged the Dutch, so that they began to beat to windward, and to engage only in retreating, having but one flag still flying. As the smoke cleared off, the two fleets were seen in a condition which showed the horrible fury of the conflict in which they had been engaged. The whole sea was covered with dead bodies, with fragments, and with hulls of wrecks, still smoking or burning. Throughout the remainder of the two fleets were seen only dismasted vessels, and sails perforated through and through by cannon-b.a.l.l.s. The English pursued them, but being afraid of the shoals, they came to an anchor six leagues off the Texel." The loss of the Dutch amounted to 6200 men, including Admiral Van Tromp and Evertzen, with many other persons of distinction, with twenty-six s.h.i.+ps of war sunk or burnt. On the side of the English, 7 captains and 500 men were killed, and 5 captains and 800 men wounded, besides which three of their s.h.i.+ps were destroyed. Among the English s.h.i.+ps were several merchantmen, and in order to take off the thoughts of their captains from their owners' vessels and cargoes, Monk sent them to each other's s.h.i.+ps, a scheme which answered perfectly well, no s.h.i.+ps in the fleet having behaved better. He also, it was said, to save time, issued orders at the commencement of the fight, that no quarter should be given or taken.

This, however, was not so strictly observed, but that 1200 Dutchmen were saved from the sinking s.h.i.+ps. On this occasion the Dutch set the example of fighting in line, though in their case, owing to the desperate valour of the English, the plan did not succeed as well as it did on many other subsequent occasions. Not without difficulty did the English s.h.i.+ps get back to England. This victory compelled the Dutch to sue for peace.

It was at this time that the following song is supposed to have been written, showing the spirit which animated the nation. It is probably, as will be seen, the original of "Ye Mariners of England."

"When gallants are carousing In taverns on a row, Then we sweep o'er the deep When the stormy winds do blow."

"Jack," however, was to have his consolation, for at the end, as we read--

"When we return in safety, With wages for our pains; The tapster and the vintner Will help to share our gains.

We'll call for liquor roundly, And pay before we go; Then we roar on the sh.o.r.e When the stormy winds do blow," etcetera.

The gallant Blake's latest achievement was the capture of numerous Spanish galleons, after a desperate battle off Teneriffe. He, however, did not live to receive the fresh honours Parliament was ready to bestow on him, as he died on the 17th of August, on board the _George_, just as she was entering Plymouth Sound. As Clarendon says of him: "He was the first to infuse that proportion of courage into seamen, by making them see by experience what mighty things they could do if they were resolved, and taught them to fight in fire as well as upon water; and although he had been very well imitated and followed, he was the first to give an example of that kind of naval courage which leads to bold and resolute deeds."

The first duty of the English fleet after the restoration had been determined on was to bring over Charles the Second, who landed in Kent on the 23rd May, 1660.

CHAPTER NINE.

CHARLES THE SECOND AND JAMES THE SECOND--FROM A.D. 1660 TO A.D. 1689.

The object of Roman Catholic France was to keep Protestant England embroiled with Holland, and in the profligate Charles the Second, a willing instrument was found for carrying out her designs. War was declared, and the Duke of York took command of a fleet consisting of 109 men-of-war, and 28 fire-s.h.i.+ps and ketches, with 21,000 seamen and soldiers on board. The Duke having blockaded the Texel, was compelled at length for want of provisions to return to England, and immediately the Dutch fleet sailed out under the command of Baron Opdam, Evertzen, and Cornelius Van Tromp. Directly afterwards nine merchant-s.h.i.+ps of the English Hamburgh Company and a frigate of 34 guns fell into their hands.

Opdam at all risks was ordered to attack the English, which he did, contrary to his own opinion, while his opponents had the advantage of the wind. At first the battle appeared tolerably equal, but the Earl of Sandwich, with the Blue Squadron, piercing into the centre of the Dutch fleet, divided it into two parts, and began that confusion which ended in its total defeat. The Duke of York, who was in the _Royal Charles_, a s.h.i.+p of 80 guns, was in close fight with Admiral Opdam in the _Endracht_, of 84 guns. The contest was severe, the Earl of Falmouth, Lord Muskerry, and Mr Boyle, second son of the Earl of Burlington, standing near the duke, were killed by a chain-shot. In the heat of the action the Dutch admiral's s.h.i.+p blew up, and of five hundred of his gallant men, among whom were a great number of volunteers of the best families in Holland, only five were saved. A fire-s.h.i.+p falling foul of four Dutch s.h.i.+ps, the whole were burnt. Shortly afterwards three others suffered the same fate. The whole Dutch fleet seemed now to be but one blaze, and the cries of so many miserable wretches who were peris.h.i.+ng either by fire or water was more frightful than the noise of the cannon.

The English gave their vanquished enemy all the a.s.sistance they could, while with continued fury they a.s.sailed the rest. The English lost but one s.h.i.+p, while they took eighteen of the largest Dutch s.h.i.+ps, sunk or burnt about fourteen more, killed four thousand men, and took two thousand prisoners, who were brought into Colchester. Among them were sixteen captains. As the bards of old stirred up the warriors of their tribe to deeds of valour, so the naval poets of those days wrote songs to animate the spirits of British tars. The following lines are said to have been written on the eve of the battle by Lord Buckhurst, afterwards Earl of Dorset:--

I.

To all you ladies now on land We men at sea indite, But first would have you understand How hard it is to write; The muses now, and Neptune too, We must implore to write to you.

With a fa, la, la, la, la.

II.

For tho' the muses should prove kind, And fill our empty brain; Yet if rough Neptune rouse the wind To wave the azure main, Our paper, pen and ink, and we Roll up and down our s.h.i.+ps at sea.

With a fa, la, etcetera.

III.

Then if we write not by each post, Think not we are unkind, Nor yet conclude our s.h.i.+ps are lost By Dutchmen or by wind, Ours tears we'll send a speedier way-- The tide shall bring them twice a-day.

With a fa, la, etcetera.

IV.

The king, with wonder and surprise, Will swear the seas grow bold, Because the tides will higher rise Than e'er they used of old, But let him know it is our tears Bring floods of grief to Whitehall stairs With a fa, la, etcetera.

V.

Let wind and weather do its worst, Be you to us but kind, Let Dutchmen vapour, Spaniards curse, No sorrow shall we find; 'Tis then no matter how things go, Or who's our friend, or who's our foe.

With a fa, la, etcetera.

VI.

And now we've told you all our loves, And likewise all our fears, In hopes this declaration moves Some pity from your tears; Let's hear of no inconstancy, We have too much of that at sea.

With a fa, la, etcetera.

Notwithstanding this defeat, the Dutch in a short time were again ready for battle. The fight lasted without interruption from three in the morning till seven in the evening. The remains of the Dutch fleet made sail for the Texel, but were not pursued by the duke. "After the fight," says Burnet, "a council of war was called to concert the method of action when they should come up with the enemy. In that council, Penn, who commanded under the duke, happened to say that they must prepare for better work the next engagement. He knew well the courage of the Dutch was never so high as when they were desperate. The Earl of Montague, who was then a volunteer, and one of the duke's corps, told him it was very visible that remark made an impression upon him; and all the duke's domestics said, `He had got near enough--why should he venture a second time.' The d.u.c.h.ess had also given a strict charge to all the duke's servants to do all they could to hinder him to engage too far. When matters were settled they went to sleep, and the duke ordered a call to be given him when they should get up with the Dutch fleet. It is not known what pa.s.sed between the duke and Brouncker, who was of his bed-chamber, and then in waiting, but he came to Penn as from the duke and said, `The duke orders the sail to be slackened.' Penn was struck with the order, but did not go about to argue the matter with the duke himself as he ought to have done, but obeyed it. When the duke had slept, he upon his waking went out upon the quarter-deck, and seemed amazed to see the sails slackened, and that thereby all hopes of overtaking the Dutch was lost." It was not the only occasion on which James the Second showed the white feather.

Of the unfortunate Dutch officers who escaped, three were publicly shot at the Helder, four were ordered to have their swords broken over their heads by the common hangman, and the master of the vice-admiral to stand upon a scaffold with a halter about his neck under the gallows, while the others were executed, and he was afterwards sent into perpetual banishment. Two more were degraded and rendered incapable of serving the States more.

Before long the Dutch had their revenge. Charles being easily persuaded to lay up his s.h.i.+ps and pocket the money voted for their maintenance, the Dutch, prompted by the French, who promised their a.s.sistance, rapidly fitted out a fleet under Admiral Van Ghendt. To deceive the English, he sailed for the Firth of Forth, which he entered, and after firing away to little purpose for some time, took his departure, and joined De Ruyter, who with seventy sail of s.h.i.+ps appeared in the mouth of the Thames on the 7th of June, 1667. A squadron was immediately despatched up the river, when the fort of Sheerness was burnt and plundered, though bravely defended by Sir Edward Spragg. Monk, Duke of Albemarle, hastening down with some land forces, sank several vessels in the entrance of the Medway, and laid a strong chain across it; but the Dutch, with the high tide and strong easterly wind, broke their way through and burnt the _Matthias_, the _Unity_, and the _Charles the Fifth_, which had been taken from them. The next day they proceeded with six men-of-war and five fire-s.h.i.+ps as far as Upnor Castle, but met with so warm a reception, that they advanced no farther. On their return they burnt the _Royal Oak_, and damaged the _Loyal London_ and the _Great James_. They also carried off with them the hull of the _Royal Charles_, which the English twice set on fire, but which they as often quenched. Captain Douglas, when the enemy had set her on fire, having received no command to retire, said it should never be told that a Douglas had quitted his post without orders, and resolutely continuing on board, was burnt with his s.h.i.+p, falling a glorious sacrifice to discipline, and showing an example of no common bravery.

While the Dutch were in the Thames, a large number of their merchantmen, however, fell into the hands of the English, amply recompensing the latter for the loss they had sustained. The gallant action of Captain Dawes, commanding the _Elizabeth_ frigate, must be mentioned. Falling in with fifteen sail of Rotterdam men-of-war, he fought their rear-admiral, of 64 and five others of 48 and 50 guns, and presently fought the admiral, of 70 guns, and two of his seconds, yet got clear of them all. Shortly afterwards he engaged two Danish men-of-war, of 40 guns each, in which action, after four hours' fight, he was struck by a cannon-ball, crying with his last breath, "For G.o.d's sake! don't yield the frigate to those fellows." Soon after, his lieutenant being desperately wounded, and the master who succeeded him slain, the gunner took their places, and so plied the two Danes, that they were glad to sheer off. The English anch.o.r.ed within a mile of them during the night to repair damages. The next morning they expected the Danes again, but though they were to windward and had the advantage of the current, yet they would not venture--upon which the English, after having saluted them with a shot of defiance, bore away for England.

A squadron under Sir Edward Spragg was sent out to punish the Algerines for their piracies. He drove many of their s.h.i.+ps on sh.o.r.e and burnt seven, each carrying thirty-four guns. In the same year, 1670, the captain and first lieutenant of the _Sapphire_ were condemned to be shot for cowardice, having run from four sail which they supposed to be Turkish men-of-war, and also for getting the s.h.i.+p on sh.o.r.e, by which she was lost, contrary to the opinion of the master and crew, who offered to defend her. The sentence was executed on board the _Dragon_ at Deptford.

The peace of Breda terminated for a time the contest with the Dutch.

War was, however, soon again to break out. The statesmen Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauderdale, the initial letters of whose t.i.tles gave the name of the Cabal to their ministry, now formed a scheme for rendering the king absolute; Charles, acting under the influence of the King of France, who agreed to a.s.sist England in humbling the States-General. Every slight offence committed by the Dutch was magnified into a sufficient reason for engaging in a fresh war with the States, till it at last broke out with great violence. The English had formed an alliance with the French, when their united fleets, under the command of Prince Rupert--the English having sixty men-of-war and frigates and the French thirty--encountered the Dutch under De Ruyter, who had about seventy s.h.i.+ps. De Ruyter bearing down with his fleet in three squadrons prepared to attack the Prince himself, while Tromp engaged Spragg and the Blue Squadron, the English admiral having, contrary to the express orders of Prince Rupert, laid his fore-topsail to the mast in order to stay for him. The French admiral had received orders to keep aloof, which he in part obeyed, while owing to Spragg's too daring conduct Prince Rupert found himself separated from a large portion of his fleet. The fiercest engagement was that between Tromp, in the _Golden Lion_, and Spragg, in the _Royal Prince_.

For long they fought s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p, till the _Royal Prince_ was so disabled, that Sir Edward Spragg was forced to go on board the _Saint George_, and Tromp quitted his _Golden Lion_ to hoist his flag on board the _Comat_, when the battle was renewed with incredible fury. The aim of the Dutch admiral was to take or sink the _Royal Prince_, but the Earl of Ossory and Sir John Kempthorne, together with Spragg himself, so effectually protected the disabled vessel, that none of the enemy's fire-s.h.i.+ps could come near her, though this was often attempted. At last the _Saint George_, being terribly torn and in a manner disabled, Sir Edward Spragg designed to go on board a third s.h.i.+p, but before he was got six boats' length a shot, which pa.s.sed through the _Saint George_, struck his boat, and, though her crew immediately rowed back, yet before they could get within reach of the ropes the boat sank, and Sir Edward was drowned. The fight continued till sunset, when darkness and smoke obliged them on all sides to desist, the English having all this time maintained the fight alone against the whole Dutch fleet, while the French continued to look on at a distance.

The English could not claim this action as a victory, for though the Dutch carried off no trophies, they had decidedly the best of it. The English officers, however, behaved with the greatest gallantry, and had they not been so shamefully deserted by their pretended allies, would have won the day. Prince Rupert highly praised the conduct of the Earl of Ossory for the way in which he bore down to the rescue of the _Royal Prince_. Sir John Chichely and Sir John Kempenthorne, as did many others, behaved with conspicuous courage, while several commanders of distinction lost their lives. The conduct of the gunner of the _Royal Prince_, Richard Leake--whose son became the famous Sir John Leake--is worthy of mention. Before Sir Edward Spragg quitted the s.h.i.+p, she had lost all her masts, the larger number of her upper deck guns were disabled, and 400 of her crew, out of 750, were killed or wounded.

While in this disabled condition, a large Dutchman, with two fire-s.h.i.+ps, bore down on her for the purpose of effecting her capture or destruction. The lieutenant who had been left in command, believing that it was hopeless to resist, was on the point of striking, when the gallant Leake, calling on the crew to support him, took the command, and so ably fought the remaining guns that both the fire-s.h.i.+ps were sunk, his large a.s.sailant compelled to sheer off, and the s.h.i.+p preserved from capture.

The nation, discovering that England had become the mere tool of France, loudly cried out for peace with Holland, which was signed in London on the 9th of February, 1674. By this treaty it was agreed on the part of the Dutch that their s.h.i.+ps, whether separate or in fleets, should be obliged, as a matter of right, to strike their sails to any fleet or single s.h.i.+p carrying the King of England's flag.

Very considerable improvements were carried out in the naval service during Charles the Second's reign by the influence of the Duke of York.

In 1662 a judge-advocate, John Fowler, was first appointed to the fleet.

In 1663 an established number of seamen was fixed to each s.h.i.+p of war according to her rate, and servants were at this time first allowed to the captains and officers. Under this rating it was usual for officers to take a certain number of young gentlemen to sea, who, in consequence, gained the name of mids.h.i.+pmen. They are often spoken of as captains'

servants or cabin-boys, signifying that they were berthed and messed in the cabin--not that they had of necessity menial duties to perform. An allowance of table-money was first established to the flag-officers; a Surgeon-General to the fleet was also first appointed by warrant from the Lord High Admiral.

In 1666, in addition to the complement of men borne on board a s.h.i.+p bearing the flag of an admiral, fifty men were allowed; to a Vice-Admiral, twenty; and to a Rear-Admiral, ten.

We have the first instance in this year of gratuities being allowed to captains in the navy who were wounded in battle.