14 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



that the striking of the flag was an acknowledgment of 

 England's sovereignty of the sea; and it was pointed out in 

 Holland that they had undertaken to do nothing more than 

 they had previously done. 



After the Restoration the pretension to the sovereignty of 

 the sea was continued with almost as much zeal as before. 

 Charles II. did not indeed lay claim to an absolute dominion 

 over the British seas, such as his father had done in the 

 earlier part of his reign. But on all occasions when the 

 opportunity offered, he held to his alleged right to levy tribute 

 for the liberty of fishing on the British coasts, but without 

 the least success. And as for the right to the "honour of 

 the flag," if it was not exacted with the same arrogance 

 as it had been earlier in the century, it came now to be 

 more than ever before a subject of importance in international 

 relations, especially with the United Provinces. De Witt, the 

 able Minister who directed Dutch affairs, was very desirous 

 to arrive at a definite understanding about it, for he saw 

 that to leave in ambiguity a matter which England regarded 

 as touching her national honour would be to imperil the 

 peaceful relations between the two countries. His object 

 was to have a well-considered regulation prepared and agreed 

 to, so that the points in ambiguity might be made clear, 

 and also to provide that if the Dutch saluted first the English 

 should then return the salute; and he stipulated that the 

 striking of the flag or any agreement about it must not 

 be looked upon as an acknowledgment of England's so-called 

 sovereignty of the sea ; the Dutch, he said, " would rather die " 

 than admit it. One of the points which was in obscurity was 

 whether a whole fleet or squadron of the States was to strike 

 to any single ship of the king's, even if it was a frigate 

 or a ketch, which did not customarily carry the royal flag 

 in the main-top, or only to an admiral's ship or one carrying 

 the royal flag. De Witt let it be known in the clearest 

 manner that in his opinion it was intolerable that an English 

 frigate or ketch could claim to force a whole Dutch fleet 

 to strike to it. A few years later, when Charles wished 

 to give effect to his secret compact with Louis XIV. by waging 

 war against the United Provinces, it was necessary to hood- 

 wink the English people as to this flagrant breach of treaty 



