336 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



remonstrance about Tromp's high-handed action in the Downs. 

 If the States-General mentioned the matter to him, he was to 

 say that he had received no instructions, "and so to refuse 

 any conference on that particular. 1 



The Dutch Government had expected that Charles would raise 

 loud complaints, and they decided to take a bold attitude. On 

 the day that they received news of Tromp's victory the proposal 

 was made to send over an ambassador, and Aerssen Van 

 Sommelsdijck, who was chosen for the mission, reached London 

 early in November. There was to be no attempt made on this 

 occasion to appease the king with soft phrases and show of sub- 

 mission. Aerssen was to complain of the action which England 

 had for a long time taken in favouring the Spaniards. The 

 violation of the King's Chamber was to be passed over, and the 

 battle in the Downs represented as having been merely a con- 

 tinuation of the first fight in the Channel, which forced the 

 Spaniards to take refuge in the English roadstead. But the 

 pains taken by the States - General were hardly necessary. 

 Charles in his perplexity did not know to which side to lean. 

 He received the Dutch ambassador in a very friendly way, and 

 began to speak again of an alliance with the Republic. 2 In 

 another direction he was flouted by the Dutch. On the 1st 

 October, while the belligerent fleets were at anchor in the 

 Downs, his representative at the conference at Hamburg pro- 

 posed that if the Republic joined the projected alliance with 

 France, Charles would grant them liberty to carry on their her- 

 ring fishery in the narrow seas. At the very time that Tromp 

 was battering the Spanish galleons in the King's Chamber, the 

 States-General were engaged in passing the resolution "that 

 they did not intend to ask for the right of fishing in the North 

 Sea from any one." 3 



A year later, the Long Parliament began its sittings at West- 



1 State Papers, Dom., dxxxviii. 106. The paper is endorsed " Soverainty of the 

 Seas : the Dutch attempt on the Spaniards in the Downs. " 



2 Resol. St.-Gen., ^, ^ Oct., 5 N y ' 1639. Instructie van Sommelsdijck, Muller, 

 Mare Clausum, 309; Aitzema, Saken van Staet, ii. 618. 



3 Secrete Resol. St.-Gen., ^ Oct., "Dat hunne meeninge gantsch niet was, het 



recht van Visscherie in de Noortzee van ijemant te stipuleren, versoecken ofte 

 reveleren." Muller, op. cit., 312. In the following year Vice-Admiral De With 

 refused to lower his flag to an English ship-of-war off Hellevoetsluis. 



