THE SECOND DUTCH WAR 



455 



The inflexible attitude of De Witt, and the actual con- 

 clusion of the treaty with France, extinguished for a time 

 the hope of compelling the Dutch to acknowledge the right 

 of England to the exclusive fishing along her coasts, and 

 the proposal was not pressed upon the ambassadors in London 

 during the dilatory negotiations for the Anglo-Dutch treaty. 

 With regard to the striking of the flag, Charles received 

 more satisfaction. The tenth article of the treaty, which 

 was signed at Whitehall on ^ September 1662, stipulated 



that Dutch ships, whether men - of - war or others, should 

 strike their flag and lower their top-sails on meeting an Eng- 

 lish man-of-war on the British seas. It was indeed precisely 

 the same clause as that contained in Cromwell's treaty of 

 1654, except that certain verbal alterations were made in 

 accordance with the change in the form of the English 

 government. 1 



In the earlier years of the reign of Charles II., compara- 

 tively little was heard of disputes about the flag, which 

 afterwards became so frequent and important. One instance 

 occurred in 1662, when a Dutch vessel that was in Yarmouth 

 Roads without a commission was taken to the Downs for 

 refusing to lower her sails to a king's ship. 2 A case of much 

 greater interest happened in the previous year, when Captain 

 R. Holmes, in command of the Royal Charles, allowed the 

 ship of the Swedish ambassador to pass him on the Thames 

 without compelling it to strike. As the English Admiralty 

 were always punctilious in enforcing the salute on state occa- 

 sions, as when a foreign ambassador was concerned, Holmes 



maniere van concessie van de Engelschen ontfangen, die vryheydt tot het bevaeren 

 ende bevisschen van de Zee, die ons van de nature, eiide nae 't Volckeren-reght 

 competeerde, wy alle den laetsten druppel bloedt daer by souden laeten." De 



Witt to Van Beverwaert and Van Hoorn, ^ June 1661 (Brieven, iv. 144) ; the 

 same to Van Beuningen, Dec. 1661 (ibid., i. 471). 



1 bunion t, op. cit., VI. ii. 424. "X. Item, quod naves et navigia dictarum 

 Fccderatarum Provinciaruin, tarn bellica et ad hostium vim propulsandam in- 

 structa, quam alia, quae alicui e navibus bellicis dicti Domini Regis Magnse 

 Britannise in maribus Britannicis obviam dederint, vexillum suum e mali vertice 

 detrahent, et supremum velum demittent, eo niodo quo ullis retro temporibus, 

 unquam observatam fuit." 



8 State Papers, Dom., Iv. 14. 



