250 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



her off, the crew escaping to shore, where they were promptly 

 arrested and lodged in Yarmouth jail. 



A still more outrageous transgression of the neutrality of 

 an English port took place in the following year, at the 

 very time that Lindsey's fleet was cruising in the Channel. 

 A Dunkirker brought a Hollander buss into Scarborough 

 harbour, and she was followed by a States' man - of - war, 

 which opened fire, and a fight both with cannon and 

 muskets took place. The bullets, flying into the town, hit 

 several of the citizens, and some strangers on the sands 

 were also hurt, "to the amazement and discouragement of 

 the whole town." Twelve Dunkirkers were slain, and the 

 rest only saved themselves by swimming ashore, while the 

 man-of-war went off with both the privateer and the buss. 

 A fortnight later another privateer was chased into the 

 harbour by a Hollander man-of-war, which landed three or 

 four score of men, armed with muskets and pikes, to set 

 upon the Dunkirkers when the ship lay dry ; and the Dutch 

 captain only consented to re-embark them, on condition that 

 the bailiffs of the town would themselves place a guard 

 of fifty men to watch the privateer, so as to prevent any 

 of the crew escaping. 1 



This glaring outrage on English soil caused the Council 

 to arrest a Dutch man - of - war, to be held until the one 

 that had committed the misdeed should be delivered up ; 

 for, said Windebank, it was a matter that concerned the 

 king himself in point of honour and the safety of the 

 kingdom, as an act of hostility, "little less than an inva- 

 sion," had been committed in landing armed men on his 

 Majesty's territories, "violating his imperial chamber and 

 threatening his subjects." Nevertheless, in the next month 

 a like offence was committed at Blyth, when a Dutch man- 

 of-war not only attacked a Dunkirk privateer lying in the 

 harbour, but landed fifty men armed with muskets, who 

 marched in military order nearly half a mile, "to the great 

 terror of the inhabitants," and by seizing the fishing - boats, 

 captured the Dunkirker and took her away. Not only so, 

 but thirty of the Hollanders, armed, and with trumpets, 

 pursued the crew of the privateer on land for a distance of 



1 State Papers, Dom., cclxviii. 31, 88 ; cclxiv. fol. 20a ; ccxciii. 107 ; ccxciv. 46. 



