DE RUYTER's NAVAL OPERATIONS AGAINST ENGLAND. 173 
reached there. De Euyter was again fitted out for sea, and sailed 
with another powerful fleet. In the meantime proposals for peace 
were afloat, and ambassadors proceeded to Breda, when all at once 
De Euyter appeared off the Thames. Charles II., being in want 
of ready money, had neglected to prepare his fleet for 1667, 
although possessed of a large number of warships, and having an 
ample supply of stores at the various chief arsenals at Chatham, 
Portsmouth, and Plymouth. De Euyter succeeded in capturing 
Sheerness, Upnor Castle, and Chatham Dockyard, breaking 
through the chain at the latter place, and burning or capturing 
several ships of war which defended it. He then burnt the stores 
accumulated at Chatham, inflicting a loss altogether computed at 
£2,000,000. Leaving a squadron at the mouth of the Thames, 
he proceeded to visit the whole of the south coast, causing alarm 
and intense excitement for some weeks, and capturing all craft 
which put out from or tried to make for English harbours. At 
this time he was styled "Lord of the Channel." He landed a 
force of 1200 men at Harwich, but retired in consequence of two 
troops of yeomanry endeavouring to cut off his retreat. He made 
two captures in Torbay, and threatened Dartmouth, Plymouth, 
and Falmouth. Finding that the home-returning Virginia fleet 
had put into Fowey for safety, he resolved to attack them there ; 
but Sir Jonathan Trelawny, at the head of 4000 men, and with 
100 guns mounted on shore, gave De Euyter such a warm re- 
ception, that he had to haul off. London remained in a state of 
panic. Bankers ceased to pay in gold, but offered their securities ; 
the merchants hid their valuables, and sent their families into the 
country, in fear of the Dutch making a raid on London. All 
traffic by sea was cut off. This lasted for several weeks, because 
the Government was powerless to equip a sufficient fleet, and had 
to concentrate all its efforts in preparing the ports along the coast 
against surprise. At last came the peace of Breda, which had 
been long looked for anxiously by the English. The lecturer, 
commenting on the fact that we had had an almost unbroken 
series of victories since the great Dutch war, while no foreign 
admiral of note had arisen to trouble us since De Euyter, suggested 
that in this year of Armada celebrations we ought not to forget 
that England had suffered naval disasters and reverses nearly a 
century later than the Armada. No Government since that of 
Charles II. had been so infatuated as to leave England without a 
N 2 
