298 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



wind, the boats were ordered to take the frigate in tow and 

 go towards them ; but a breeze soon springing up, all the 

 ships weighed anchor and stood after them. On getting up 

 to them they proved to be a Hollander man-of-war and 

 a few busses; but the fog was so great that they were 

 unable that night to get more than three of the busses, the 

 skippers of which, as well as the commander of the man- 

 of-war, were brought on board the Triumph. On Sunday 

 four other busses were captured, and having been manned with 

 English sailors and threats made that their nets would be 

 taken from them, they at last consented to receive licenses 

 and pay the acknowledgment, and Northumberland sent 

 them away "very well satisfied." 1 



On August 1 the Admiral stood into the Firth of Forth 

 and despatched to Edinburgh a missive for the Court, telling 

 the good news. Then the squadron from the 2nd to the 

 8th of August beat off and on the coast, going as far north 

 as Aberdeen (5th August) and reaching twenty to thirty 

 leagues off without seeing any busses. It then turned 

 southwards, and on the 9th gave chase to two men-of-war 

 guarding a fleet of busses, the latter, as before, making all 

 haste away. The Dutch men-of-war coming up to the 

 English squadron, no doubt to inquire and protest, were 

 promptly manned with English sailors and sent in hot haste 

 after the busses that had fled. "Yet," said the Earl, "with 

 all the wayes we could use, we gott not above 20 of them, 

 though wee spent divers shott to make them come in." 2 On 

 the same afternoon Pennington's squadron came up from the 

 northwards, where they had succeeded in distributing only 

 three licenses; and on this day three of the ships were sent 



1 "Next day wee fetched in 4 more of them, and having caused their busses 

 to be manned with English, and threatened the takeing away their nettes, they 

 at last consented to take Licenses, and paying the acknowledgment I sent them 

 all away very well satisfied." These busses belonged to the Enkhuisen herring 

 fleet, which was convoyed by a warship under Captain Gerrit Claesz. Ruyter, 

 to whom Northumberland, after the licenses had been accepted, gave a written 

 certificate and safe-conduct for bringing in the busses. Muller, Mare Clausum, 

 269, 377. 



2 These were the Delfshaven busses, the skipper of one being Joust Bouwensz, 

 previously referred to. According to the Dutch accounts, money was scarce on 

 the busses, but the English very willingly took herrings instead, a barrel of herrings 

 being reckoned at from four to four and a-half florins. 





