THE FOUR DAYS' SEA FIGHT BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND THE DUTCH. (J. de Liefde's Great Dutch Admirals.) A.D. 1665. The ENGLAND was determined to punish the little republican fellow for his insolence, and so confident was she of her power to drive him off the seas for ever, that she rejected the offer of the French king to arrange matters between them. Now Louis the Fourteenth happened to be an exceedingly proud king, who never liked being snubbed, and so to revenge himself for this refusal he declared war at once, and sent out his fleet. King of Denmark followed suit, and the Elector of Brandenburg, whose land lay in the heart of Germany, and could not therefore lose much, also promised to help. England, however, cared but little. Her fleet was ready, and she was determined to show the whole world what she could do with it. It was divided into two portions. Monk commanded the greater, about sixty large men-of-war ; while Prince Rupert, with fiveand-twenty, was to go against the French fleet and prevent it from joining the Dutch. Monk started on his expedition quite confident of success. enemy's strength, and he seems to have had very little opinion of their courage, for his only fear was that they should run away and not give him the chance to beat them. De Ruyter's fleet was composed of eighty-five men-of-war, none of which could compare with the largest of Monk's. On the 9th of June, the Admiral having divided his fleet into three squadrons, under himself, young Evertsen, and C. Tromp, sailed for the Downs, where he anchored on the evening of the 10th. In the early morning of the 11th, Monk appeared in sight, eight miles E.S.E. of the North Foreland. A pretty He had no idea of the stiff breeze blew from the southwest in his favour, and he might therefore easily have evaded the engagement as soon as he saw that De Ruyter was stronger, but he was ambitious to gain his great victory with an inferior number of ships, and without the assistance of Rupert, of whom he was somewhat jealous. De Ruyter immediately saw that Monk was about to commit | captain, but was astonishing in a a blunder, and signalled an order Monk and Tiddyman, having advanced far enough towards De Ruyter with Evertsen on his right, opened fire. With an obstinacy and a dogged courage that would have been admirable in a young man who could not add one grain to his reputation, though he endangered an honourable old age, Monk fiercely attacked his great enemy again and again; but De Ruyter met him to the full, and forced him back into his former position. For now as the wind freshened and the sea ran very hollow, the great advantage of the Dutch became apparent. The English ships were slenderly built, like frigates, and high-rigged. They were too heavily loaded with guns; they rolled so unsteadily on the waves, that the water threatened to rush into the port-holes, and the lowest tier had to be closed, while a great part of their shot fell short of the enemy and splashed harmlessly in the sea. The Dutch ships, on the other hand, were more heavily built, and as they lurched on the lee-side were much more able to take a steady aim. From half-past one till five the two fleets sailed past each other in squadrons, approaching and drawing back in obedience to the waves and tide while they exchanged broadside after broadside. At five o'clock Monk signalled for a tack towards the English coast, as he was afraid to fall on to the Flemish sands. While the fleet executed this order, Sir William Berkeley's squadron, which had done wonders of daring and had already suffered terribly, happened to bring up the rear. The viceadmiral's own ship, the "Swiftsure," with the "George" and the "Sevenwold," being the last, were almost helpless, but the "Swift- | attack, and advanced; whereupon sure's" seventy guns were flaming Monk, not wishing to be behindaway in defiance of the enemy, hand, cut his cables, and rushed when Dutch Captain Adriansen once more into the fight. Till made his way to her and jumped eight o'clock at night the combat on board at the head of his men. was kept up with undiminished A fearful struggle took place on fury. Monk himself lost all sails. the deck; every inch was contest- One of his ships, passing by De ed, From mast to mast the Eng- Ruyter, received so well aimed a lish crew were pressed back, some broadside, that she reeled over like of them jumped overboard and a wounded deer and sank slowly swam to other ships, others sur- in the waves. At the same time, rendered, but Sir William Ber- towards the fall of night, Sir John keley himself sternly refused to Harman, the rear-admiral of the yield. He stood with his back white flag, found his ship, the against the companion ladder and "Injury," so dangerously damaged, fought with despair. Adriansen that he attempted to withdraw tosummoned him to cease resistance, wards the rear. The Dutch perbut one of the Dutch firing a pis- ceived it, and bore down upon tol at him wounded him in the him. Harman summoned his throat. The sword dropped out men to stand by, for at this moof the hero's hand, and he ran ment a fire-ship, already enveloped wounded and bleeding into his in a vicious cloud of black and cabin. When the Dutch sailors sulphurous smoke, came up against rushed after him, they found him them with a crash. Every mostretched upon the table dead, and ment was precious, but the smoke with his arms thrown out wildly. was so dense and so blinding, that So much determination and cou- although the two vessels were rage compelled the admiration of fixed, no grappling irons could be his enemies, and Captain Adrian- seen. The boatswain boldly sen gave orders that the body jumped over, and the flame should be treated with the greatest breaking out at that moment, he respect, and conveyed with the cut the irons with his axe and captured ship to the harbour of parted the two ships. Vice-adGoeree. miral Evertsen, at this, sent off a second fireship, already in flames. Harman's men, exhausted by the fight, lost courage at the approach of so terrible a danger, and fifty men jumped overboard. The rigging was already partly in flames, but Harman, although scorched, stood his ground. With his own sword he cut down two of the fly Monk having now tacked about and directed his course northward, was observed to cast his anchor, probably deeming that he would have time to somewhat gather his fleet together and repair his injuries. But De Ruyter would give him no rest. He immediately hoisted the signal for a general ing cowards, and summoned them | burning ships, and with the lights to save the ship. They turned, and once more went to work with despair. Buckets flew from hand to hand, the axes cut away the spars and rigging that were already burning, the fireship was cast loose a second time, and although a falling spar crushed Harman's leg, he congratulated himself on having escaped the greater danger. of the two fleets that would not retire, but lay at anchor within two miles of each other, determined to renew the combat with the coming day. The night was busily employed by both in repairing their damages. Leaks were stopped, sails renewed, tackle spliced, arms cleaned for further service, and then only the exhausted men were allowed to snatch the rest which they so needed. At the break of day De Ruyter signalled all the captains of his fleet to come on board, that he might learn in what position he found himself. There were now about fifty ships, Tromp with about thirteen of his squadron having drifted out of sight. Presently, however, he appeared in But Evertsen, determined to destroy so dangerous a foe, sent off a third fireship, and began to cannonade him. In the midst of his agony, Sir John calmly gave his directions. His bearing inspired the men with new courage, and so neatly did the gunners take their aim at the approaching enemy, that she sank midway between them, pierced by four shots. Then | full trim on a third ship, the two Sir John turned round and stood away for Harwich, feeling that he had fully performed his share of the work. But before leaving he had made up his mind to give his antagonist Evertsen a final adieu, and as he veered slowly round he fired his last broadside. Evertsen, standing on his deck, watched with curious admiration the other's splendid bravery, when one of the cannon balls struck him in the chest, and stretched him lifeless on his own deck. The destroyer was himself destroyed, while Harman, having had his wound looked to in Harwich, lived to fight many another battle. The evening had now fallen, and the sea was illumined with the smouldering embers of the former ones having been necessarily abandoned. The English, scarcely fifty strong, lay about a mile and a half to the westward. They still had the weather-gage, and might again easily have declined the combat, if Monk had not been of so determined a spirit. He approached first, and voluntarily gave up the advantage of the wind, in order to come to closer quarters. The two fleets ran past each other several times under a very torrent of shot and shell. The wind was no longer violent; the sea had regained its composure, so that the English could this time employ their guns with full effect. And now there happened a curious incident. As the fleets sailed past each other, and were busily repairing their damages before returning to the charge, the wind suddenly calmed, and neither could approach the other. Tromp found himself suddenly with five or six ships on one side of the English fleet, and De Ruyter with the rest of the Dutch fleet on the other. The Admiral wondered what had become of his colleague, but when at eleven the wind freshened again, he once more gave the order to run past the enemy. He had not sailed half way along the line, when suddenly his practised eye detected a confusion amongst the English left wing, and a terrific cannonade told him that some of his ships must have charged the English without his orders. He signalled his squadron to divide into two detachments, one going southward to attack the enemy in the rear, while he advanced to support the straitened friends. What he had expected proved true. Tromp with his small flock of half-a-dozen men-of-war, none of which were of the largest size, had rashly hurled himself against the enemy's squadron with a bold intention of breaking through. The English closed round him. His Vice-Admiral was killed, and barely half his officers were alive when De Ruyter prevented his total déstruction. On his own ship one man in every three was killed or wounded, and on every other the proportion, although less, was still dreadful. De Ruyter's skilful manoeuvre forced the English to retire and re-form at a distance, but four of Tromp's ships had been so disabled that they had to be sent home. The battle was now renewed with great fierceness, and Monk began to discover that the Dutch were too strong for him. Ship after ship hoisted signals of distress or disappeared in the waves. De Ruyter was also severely damaged, and had his flag-staff shot down, but he kept his fleet well together, and gave the English not a moment's rest. Monk signalled a retreat, and stood out for the mouth of the Thames about seven at night, when De Ruyter was preparing for a final general charge. The whole of the night and the following day the flight and the pursuit continued. The English Admiral had placed his most disabled ships in front, and formed an impenetrable bulwark with his own and those that were still seaworthy. Vice-Admirals Van Nes and De Liefde tried in vain to draw him into combat. He answered their fire, but continued his way to the Thames, crowding his masts from deck to sky with wetted spare sails. As has been mentioned before, the English vessels were more swiftly built and high rigged, but they had suffered terribly. Monk, seeing that he was encumbered with many a ship scarcely worth saving, set fire to them, after having taken out the men, and abandoned them to the destructive elements. But slowly the whole of the Dutch fleet was drawing round in pursuit. "And so," says |