392 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



They were instructed to renew negotiations for a treaty on 

 the basis of the thirty -six articles, to endeavour to get the 

 Navigation Act repealed, the captured vessels released, and 

 the letters of reprisal withdrawn, with compensation for the 

 losses suffered by reason of them. The question of adding 

 another article to their instructions, about the striking of 

 the flag, which had been omitted from the thirty-six articles, 

 had again been considered. But, for the same reason as before, 

 it was withheld. "The carrying or striking of the flags by 

 the one side or the other" was judged to be "very delicate"; 

 and it was decided (on 10th November 1651) that the States- 

 General should deliberate further on the matter, and send 

 later to the ambassadors such instructions " as should be found 

 suitable for the removal of misunderstandings and hostilities." l 

 We thus see that in 1651 the Government of the United 

 Provinces was fully alive to the risks and difficulties about 

 the flag. But from their proceedings at this time it would 

 seem that they were unwilling to acknowledge unreservedly 

 the claim of the Commonwealth to the salute, which was 

 looked upon as a symbol of England's sovereignty of the 

 sea. The question was only rendered " delicate " because of 

 certain qualifications and conditions of reciprocity which they 

 desired to attach to it, and for which they struggled hard 

 with Cromwell during the subsequent negotiations for peace. 

 The ambassadors had an audience with the Parliament on 

 19th December, Cats treating the members to a long and 

 flowery oration in Latin, and with the Council of State 

 on 1st January 1652 ; but it was not until the 16th that 

 commissioners were appointed to deal with them. The English 

 commissioners 2 showed no anxiety to facilitate the negoti- 

 ations. The spirit with which they were animated was 

 evident from their eagerness to bring forward all imaginable 

 reasons for dispute, the interest taken by the Dutch in the 

 fate of Charles I. ; the partiality of some of their ambassadors 

 at foreign Courts ; their refusal to receive Strickland ; and so 

 forth. In the end, the Dutch ambassadors failed to get what 

 they wanted. The English refused to cancel or modify the 

 Navigation Act, to release the captured ships before the cases 



1 Tideman, op. cit., 96. Aitzema, op. cit., iii. 696. 



2 They were Whitelocke, John Lisle, Bond, Scott, Viscount Lisle, and Purefoy. 



