merchantmen hastened back to the nearest English port for shelter. The Council roused itself to action. Lord Arlington sent despatches to the Lords-Lieutenant of the eastern and southern maritime counties, requesting them to give orders to the militia of their respective shires to be in such a readiness that upon the shortest warning they may assemble and be in arms for the defence of the coast, in case of any attempt or appearance of the enemy's fleet; taking care in the meantime that the several beacons upon and near the coast be duly watched by the respective hundreds in which they are, for the preventing any surprise or sudden descent of the enemy.' They were also to present an imposing, even if hollow, front to the foe. His Majesty,' continues Arlington, 'commands me particularly to mind you that, in all places where you shall be obliged to make head or appear to the enemy, you make the greatest show you can in numbers, and more especially of horse, even though it be of such as are otherwise wholly unfit and improper for nearer service, horse being the force that will most discourage the enemy from landing for any such attempt.' Fireships were hastily collected and fitted with ingredients from the Tower; whilst competent men were to be pressed into the service without the authorities staying for warrants or orders. The time will not permit the observation of these forms; pray use all possible despatch,' writes Sir W. Coventry, who a few days ago was suggesting reduction.

Along the coast the militia were rapidly getting under arms, and the Deputy-Lieutenants of Kent, acting in conjunction

with the governors of the different forts, were arranging the best measures for defence. The Lord-Lieutenant of Essex was ordered to send to Lee such of the troops as were not already despatched to Harwich. Half the militia of Hertfordshire were ordered to Barnet. Half the militia of Surrey were marched to Southwark and Lambeth, whilst the other half were commanded to hold themselves in readiness at the shortest notice. The men of Wiltshire and Berkshire were sent to protect the Isle of Wight, those of Dorsetshire to Portland and Weymouth, whilst a detachment from Hampshire was told off to Portsmouth. At Harwich the young Duke of Monmouth, with a large body of the aristocracy and the country gentry, was on guard, awaiting the arrival of the Dutch. The fortifications along the coast were under the special inspection of the Duke of York. Sir Edward Spragg, nicknamed the 'Irish Papist' by the people who hated him on account of his religion, protected the Medway. At Gillingham a strong chain was thrown across the river, and beyond it lay the King's ships. To complete the measures adopted for the safety of the country, orders were issued that no accounts should be printed of the whereabouts of the men-of-war, nor any news circulated except under directions from Government, ‘such a course being dangerous when the enemy are masters of the seas.'

Undeterred by these preparations, the squadron of De Ruyter bore up towards the coast of Kent, and the thunder

1 State Papers, Domestic, June 4-10, 1667.

of his guns could be plainly heard at Harwich and Dover bombarding some helpless village or maritime hamlet. The following account of the proceedings of the Dutch 'in the river of London, and in the haven of Chatham, and the Isle of Sheppey,' is from a curious journal printed at Amsterdam, a copy of which is now amongst the State Papers.1

'The Dutch fleet,' it begins, set sail June 1, 1667, under command of Lieut.-Admiral de Ruyter. On the 4th a heavy storm arose from the south-south-west, by which some ships were forced to cut their anchors; but on the 7th they again came safely to anchor before the river of London. On this the Admiral put out a signal for all the principal officers to come on board and hold a council of war, how they might best sail up the river of London, with some of the lightest ships, to see whether they could there take some of the King's ships. Thereupon on the 9th seventeen ships of war, four advice boats, and four fire-ships sailed up the river Thames, under command of Lieut.-Admiral Van Ghent, with whom went De Witt as deputy of their High Mightinesses the States-General, in the ship "Agatha." The same evening they arrived between Queensborough and Gravesend, but there being nothing to be done there, on the 10th they came back to Queensborough, where De Ruyter had some ships to support them.

'Having returned to the river of Rochester, conquering

1 State Papers, Domestic, June 13, 1667. 'Description of the attack made by the Dutch fleet on the English ships in the Thames at Chatham and the Isle of Sheppey, and of all their proceedings from June 1-13, with a plan of the Thames and an engraving of the engagement.'

the Island of Sheppey and Queensborough, a stronghold lying thereon, they thought good to attack the fort of Sheerness, which the English were beginning to make, a little while before, for the defence of the passage to Rochester and Chatham. Our cannons so stormed the place that the enemy left it, before Colonel Dolman, who had been sent for by some messengers, had arrived. Our people found there an entire royal magazine, with heavy anchors and cables, and hundreds of masts. Our people took on board the ships as many of the cables, masts, and round woods as they could, and they also acquired fifteen heavy pieces, shooting balls of 18 lbs. ; the rest was destroyed or rendered useless, and the magazine burnt. The damage done to the English at this island was estimated at more than four tons of gold. It is a beautiful and fruitful island. Every one was strictly forbidden, on pain of heavy punishment, to injure the inhabitants in life or goods.'

Sheerness in the hands of the Dutch, De Ruyter pursued his victorious progress by sailing up the Medway to bombard Chatham, and to attack the King's ships riding at anchor, to guard the invulnerable chain that had been thrown across the river.

'On the 12th,' continues the Dutch journal, 'the wind

1June 11.-This morning Pett (ship-builder to the Admiralty) writes us word that Sheerness is lost last night after two or three hours' dispute. The enemy hath possessed himself of that place; which is very sad, and puts us in great fears of Chatham.'-Pepys' Diary.

'Sheerness Fort was not in posture of defence, for the which Sir R. Spragg is much blamed.' To Lord Conway.-State Papers, Domestic, June 15, 1667.

being east-north-east, the Hollanders sailed before the tide about four miles up the river of Chatham, under command of Thomas Tobias. There they made a severe attack. Before their coming the English had sunk there seven fireships, and enclosed the river with a thick and heavy iron chain running on pulleys, which turned on wheels. Six of their ships, distributed in good order, lay before the chain; at the one end lay four, and at the other end two stout frigates, which crossed the water.'

66

And now humiliation was to be in store for the English. 'With more than mortal boldness,' the journal goes on to record, 'the Dutch made an attack against all these dangers. Captain Brakel offered himself, and attacking with his frigate an English frigate called the "Jonathan of forty guns, took it and burnt another English frigate by means of a fire-ship; then the other four ships were left by their comrades, the crews in confusion sprang overboard, and our people took the ship Royal Charles," fitted to bear one hundred pieces of cannon, and with thirty-two guns on board: it was formerly commanded by the English Admiral Monk. Nothing more costly has been made in England, and it must have cost almost 100,000 dollars in the gilding alone. They also took the "Charles the Fifth," which with two largest ships, the "Matthias" and "Castle of Honingen," are burnt. The chain was burnt into pieces, and all within it destroyed and annihilated: so that the English lost the Admirals of the red and white flag, besides others of

others of the