THE THIRD DUTCH WAR 



489 



Dover, and other places that the French ships were to be 

 saluted as if they were English. Thus not only in the Medi- 

 terranean, but in the Channel and in English ports, the English 

 flag was to be lowered to that of France a proposition that 

 might have made the old sea-dogs turn in their graves. 1 



The junction of the allied fleets was followed, on 28th May, 

 by the fierce and sanguinary battle of Solebay. The victory 

 was indecisive, but the advantage lay rather with the Dutch. 

 De Ruyter withdrew to his own coast, and the English were 

 too much crippled to follow. 2 No other great sea-fight took 

 place in 1672, but in September Sir Edward Spragge employed 

 his squadron against the Dutch fishermen. Just before the 

 declaration of war the States-General laid an embargo on their 

 fishing vessels ; but they removed it in September, 3 and towards 

 the end of the month it was reported that a hundred Dutch 

 busses, convoyed by twenty frigates, were fishing off the Nor- 

 folk coast. On the 22nd Spragge's squadron, showing no 

 colours, appeared off Yarmouth, and greatly frightened the 

 English herring fishermen, who thought the Dutch fleet was 

 upon them. By noon on the 24th he had captured eleven 

 Dutch doggers and 117 prisoners; two of the doggers had 

 licenses from the English Government, and were released 

 later. By the end of the month the prizes numbered about 

 thirty doggers, one buss, and a privateer, with over 300 

 prisoners, not a very large haul, while about 200 others 

 had been chased home, and many nets, which the fishermen 

 had cut and left in the water, were destroyed. Spragge having 

 thus, as he reported, "cleared these seas of fishermen except 

 our own," returned to the Thames. 4 



While the Dutch maintained the contest at sea with honour 

 and success, they were overwhelmed on land. A great French 

 army, under Turenne, Conde", and other celebrated generals of 



1 Hume, loc. cit. Pontalis, loc. cit. Temple's Works, i. 175 ; iii. 505. Parl. 

 Hist., iv. 512. HoUantsche Mercurius, 1672, p. 50. Dumont, Corps Diplomatique, 

 VII. i. 163. State Papers, Dom., cccii. 210 ; ccciv. 21, 22 ; cccvi. 27 ; Entry Book, 

 31, f. 90. Ibid., 34, f. 157. 



2 Mahan, op. cit. Colomb, op. cit. 



3 jjj March, ^ Sept. 1672. Groot Placact-Boeck, iii. 292, 298. The embargo was 



renewed in the next year. 



4 State Papers, Dom., cccxv. 108, &c. ; cccxvi. 43 



