406 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



rising steadily and angrily against England. The ambassado 

 were recalled and the naval preparations on both sides pushe 

 on with energy. 



It was well understood that the most vulnerable part of the 

 States lay in their shipping and fishery. A day or two after 

 the news of Blake's encounter with Tromp reached London, the 

 Council issued instructions to Major-General Dean, who com- 

 manded the troops in Scotland, that in view of the fishery 

 carried on every year by the Dutch about Orkney and Shet- 

 land, the forces there should be increased. 1 A month later, 01 

 26th June, before the ambassadors had left London, Blake 

 himself sailed northwards with a fleet of about sixty ships, 

 with a double object of putting a stop to the Dutch herring 

 fishery and intercepting their homeward-bound East-Indiamen, 

 which were expected to return to Holland by way of the Shet- 

 lands. 2 On 12th July he sent forward in advance eight 

 frigates to discover the Dutch convoying men-of-war, which 

 they soon fell in with, guarding the herring-busses, to the 

 north of Buchan Ness. They were twelve in number, and 

 after a stubborn fight of over three hours' duration, towards 

 the end of which the English frigates were reinforced by other 

 five, they were all taken, before the main fleet came up. The 

 English wounded were sent in three of the captured ships to 

 Inverness ; other three ships were so much shattered that they 

 were sunk. While the fight went on, most of the herring- 

 busses escaped and made their way homewards with all speed, 

 but about thirty were taken by the English. Blake dealt with 

 them very leniently. He took from them " a taste and toll " of 

 herrings, and then sent them home with this " lesson," that they 

 " fish no more in those seas without leave from the Republick oi 

 England." 3 For this humane action Blake was subsequently 



1 State Papers, Dom., xxiv. 15. 



2 Cats, Schaep, and van de Perre to the States- General, 27th June 1652. Add. 

 MSS., 17,677, U, fol. 162. Pauw was officially informed by the Council of State 

 that the fleet had put to sea "to execute its designs." Geddes, op. cit., 223. 

 Gardiner, Letters and Papers, i. 301. The number of Blake's fleet was variously 

 stated as 60, 64, 66, 68, 72 vessels : 60 were counted passing Dunbar. 



3 Letter from Leyden, ^ August 1652. Mercurius Politicus, Brit. Mus., E, 



673, 1. The accounts vary somewhat. SeveraU Proceedings in Parliament, Brit 

 Mus., E, 796, 11. A Perfect Diurnall, E, 796, 14. French Occurrences, E, 669, 6. On- 



stclde-Zee, p. 34, ' ee ' . ffollantsche Mercurius, 1652, p. 70. Gibson in his 



