THE NAVY OF THE RESTORATION 



this was multiplied many times by his service as an Admiral. He may 

 not have been brilliant but he was extraordinarily solid, had a very 

 sound judgment and great courage both physically and mentally. He 

 cared very little for politics but was very sincere in his beliefs and was 

 certainly one of the outstanding men of his period. He had no use for 

 courted popularity and his men loved him for looking after their 

 interests to the limit of his ability, a policy which frequently made him 

 unpopular among victuallers and others at home. 

 The End of the Commonwealth. 



A few minor actions completed the war which dragged on for some 

 time after the death of Blake. But by this time the strong hand at the 

 helm of England was failing and after the death of Cromwell affairs were 

 in such a hopelessly disorganised state that no naval operations could 

 be considered. The whole countrv was turning towards King Charles 

 and no section more enthusiastically than the Navy. The Dutch felt 

 that the Restoration was imminent and feeling that they had not treated 

 Charles at all well they thought it high time to get back into favour 

 rather than risk another war with us. They therefore invited him to 

 the Hague and it was from Holland that Admiral Montague brought 

 him, escorted by the whole available British Fleet. 



CHAPTER IX— THE NAVY OF THE RESTORATION 



The Second Dutch War. 



Both Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York, were 

 enthusiasts on naval matters and moreover they saw the situation far 

 more clearly than their father had done. All his interests were in 

 material, but they thought of personnel as well and the Restoration was 

 the beginning of a new era in naval matters. Soon after Charles 

 returned, a new Navigation Act was passed that hit the Dutch even 

 more severely than its predecessors. They were not in a position to 

 reply at once, although the trouble that culminated in the Second Dutch 

 War really began almost immediately after the Restoration. For some 

 time it was a question of outrage and reprisal, but when Holmes sailed 

 across the Atlantic and captured New Amsterdam, re-named New 

 York in honour of the Duke, it was felt that things were getting serious. 

 The Dutch agreement to co-operate with the English against the Barbary 

 corsairs and their sudden withdrawal led to very bad feeling and war 

 became inevitable. The Duke of York was Lord High Admiral with 

 Sir William Penn as his Captain of the Fleet, while Prince Rupert, Sir 

 John Lawson, Sir Christopher Myngs and Sir George Ayscue had 

 subordinate commands and the British Fleet, being prepared first, sailed 

 across to the Texel to blockade the Dutch. De Ruyter was away on 

 the African coast and the command of the Dutch Fleet was accordingly 

 given to Admiral Obdam with numerous subordinate Admirals. As 

 far as material went the fleets at sea were roughly equal, but if there 

 was any advantage it lay with the British. 



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