THE SECOND DUTCH WAR 469 



States' fleet would not strike, even in the Channel, to a frigate 

 or ketch, which did not customarily carry the royal flag in the 

 main-top, but only to an admiral's ship, or one carrying the 

 royal flag. This contention was promptly set aside by the 

 Duke of York and Lord Arlington (the Secretary for State) ; 

 but De Witt, still clinging to the hope that a "regulation" 

 might be arranged, asked the ambassadors to find out the 

 instructions which were actually issued to the English captains 

 serving in the Downs, the Channel, the North Sea, the Mediter- 

 ranean, and the Ocean, as it was generally believed in Holland 

 that outside the Channel neither side should strike the flag or 

 lower the sails to the other, but that the States' ships shoufd 

 first salute with guns alone, and the English answer with guns 

 also. In any case, if the principal fleets of the two countries 

 were combined for any purpose, or jointly brought into action, 

 it was to be first arranged that they should salute one another 

 with guns only, or at all events in an equal and reciprocal 

 manner, the Dutch always giving the salute first; and the 

 ambassadors were to insist earnestly and finally for a settlement. 

 The ambassadors informed De Witt that, as was shown in 

 the copy of the instructions found on board the Charity, an 

 English man-of-war taken by the Dutch in the battle of Lowes- 

 toft, in 1665, and which was published by Aitzema, the com- 

 mander of an English man-of-war was to compel every foreign 

 ship, or ships, to strike their flag in the British seas, and that 

 in these seas no English king's ship was to strike to any foreign 

 ship. In all other seas the English ship was never to strike to 

 a foreigner unless the latter struck first or at the same time. 

 According to this, they said, a single English man-of-war 

 could compel a whole fleet to strike their flags and lower 

 their top-sails in the so-called British seas, and it was for- 

 bidden for it to strike in return. In all other seas, if the 

 foreign ship did not strike, the English would not strike, and 

 no salute would be exchanged. They said this was well 

 known to be the regular formula in England, and no distinc- 

 tion was drawn between the Channel and other "pretended 

 English seas." The " British seas," they said, according to the 

 Admiralty instructions, extended to Cape Finisterre, in Galicia, 

 and westwards, according to Selden, to America. It would 

 be an excellent thing, they thought, if they could succeed in 



