314 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



descent was made. A contemporary Dutch account 

 described the sailing of the fleet from Holland on 

 the ist June a date which might well correspond 

 in the history of the Netherlands with our own 

 'Glorious First" of the same month. Lieutenant- 

 Admiral De Ruyter was in command of the ships, 

 some of which were driven from their anchors by 

 a strong south-south-west gale on the 4th ; but were 

 safely before London River on the 7th. The admiral 

 held a council of war, to decide how best the Thames 

 could be navigated by some of the lightest vessels, 

 and whether they could take some of the King's 

 ships. On the Qth seventeen ships of war, four advice- 

 boats, and four fire-ships sailed up the Thames, com- 

 manded by Lieutenant-Admiral Van Ghent, with whom 

 went De Witt as deputy of the States General. 



That evening the ships arrived before Queen- 

 borough and Gravesend ; but as nothing could be 

 done they returned to Queenborough on the loth. 

 Going back to Rochester, they conquered Sheppy and 

 Queenborough and attacked the fort at Sheerness, 

 recently built for the defence of the passage to Rochester 

 and Chatham. 



"Our cannons so stormed the place ^that the enemy 

 left it. ... Our people found there an entire royal 

 magazine, with very heavy anchors and cables and 

 hundreds of masts." They took what they wanted 

 and destroyed the rest, the damage done being 

 estimated at more than "four tons of gold." These 

 statements are obviously much exaggerated, after the 

 manner of stories told under excitement ; but extensive 

 mischief was undoubtedly done by the Dutch. 



