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dering, I fay, the conquefts made both at home

287. Folio.

ambaffadors to be fent to you before they had fuperated these matters between them and that King, and then expected your ambaffadors to us. I now ⚫ perceive our error, and that thefe gentlemen were in the right in a fhort time you fhall fee that business ' ended, and then you will come to us and feek what we have freely offerred, when it fhall perplex you Chronicle of (t) Heath's • that you have refused our proffer (t).'—On the fé- the Civil turn of the ambassadors, they, by order, attended the Wars, p. houfe, and fitting in their places as members, St. John, Lond. 1676. the lord ambaffador Strickland ftanding by him, gave an account of their negotiation; and it was refolved that the parliament doth approve of all the proceedings of the lords ambaffadors, and that they have the thanks of the house, for their great and faithful fer'vice. The proceedings in this treaty were allo ofdered to be entered in a book by themfelves, and all perfons prohibited from infpecting the fame (except members of parliament) without leave. And the whole matter of the report, and the feveral papers, were referred to the council of ftate to confider what was fit to be done therein, for the beft advantage of the com- () Journal, monwealth, and to report the fame to the houfe (u). 21 July, On the 9th of October, the house paffed the famous 1651. act intitled by them, Goods from foreign parts by whom to be imported: prohibiting goods to be imported, from Afia, Africa, America, and even Europe, with fome few exceptions, into England, Ireland or the dominions thereunto belonging, but in English veffels. This was the famous navigation act, of which more shall be spoken hereafter. The ftates being highly provoked hereat, fent over ambaffadors to mitigate if poffible the rigour of this law, and bring things to an accommodation. Commiffioners hereupon were empowered by the parliament to hear their proposals, and make proper demands on the behalf of the commonwealth. For demands they had about the Amboyna bufinefs; the fifhery;

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home and abroad, and the attention paid to

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the right of the flag; and other matters in which the intereft and the dignity of the English nation were concerned. But while the negotiation was carried on, in May 1652, the fleets of the two republics being near each other an engagement enfued, to the advantage of the English, who funk one Dutch fhip and took another *. The Dutch ambaffadors, alarmed at this encounter, which had turned out fo unexpectedly to their difgrace, put in feveral papers to the council of ftate, Protefting that what happened was without the knowledge and against the wills of their mafters; that 'twas with grief and aftonishment they had heard the fatal news of that rafh action; that they were greatly defirous of concluding things in an amicable manner, and therefore requested that by no means the bufinefs of the concluding of the treaty be put off, and that fuch unfortunate mifchances may be avoided, and an everlasting < peace established between both the nations.' But little heed was given to these requests or apologies. By admiral Blake's relation; by the information of two Dutch captains, prifoners, taken before general Cromwell, and Dennis Bond, Efq; at Dover, May 22, 1652; and from feveral other examinations taken at that time, before the fame gentlemen, it appearing that the Dutch fought an opportunity to quarrel, and to brave us upon our own

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*The Dutch account, as given in Burchett, is as follows: * Van Tromp put to fea with the feet, to convoy home fome merchant ships, but had orders to avoid engaging with the English, if poffible, and to pay the ufual refpect to their flag, if he chanced to meet them in the narrow feas. He was forced by a tempeft on the English coaft, but quitted it again as foon as poffible, and made towards Calais; but being informed that the English were purfuing fome merchant ships, he advanced to their relief, and met Blake with the English fleet, who had orders (the Dutch fay) to attack them, Tromp prepared to give the ufual honors to the English flag, and ordered one of his captains to go on board with a compliment to the English admiral; but Blake having no regard to thefe marks of fubmiffion, fired twice at Tromp's fhip, who made no return till he had received a third shot, and then the fight began.'. -Naval Hiftory, F. 293.

coaft,

the grandeur and welfare of the nation in all

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coaft, the parliament returned the following answer to the papers of their ambafladors. The parliament of the commonwealth of England, calling to mind with what continued demonftrations of friendship, and fincere affections, from the very beginning of * their inteftine troubles they have proceeded towards their neighbours of the United-Provinces, omitting nothing on their part that might conduce to a good correfpondence with them, and to a growing up into a more near and ftrict union than formerly, do find ' themselves much furprized with the unfutable returns that have been made thereun'o, and especially at the acts of hoftility lately committed in the very roads of England upon the fleet of this commonwealth, the matter of fact whereof stated in clear proofs, is hereunto annexed; [they are Blake's letter, and depofi'tions just above mentioned] upon serious and deliberate confideration of all, and of the feveral papers deliver'ed in by your excellencies to the councel of ftate, the parliament thinks fit to give this answer to those papers: The parliament, as they would be willing to 'make a charitable conftruction of the expreffions used in the faid papers, endeavouring to reprefent the late engagement of the fleets to have happened without the knowledge, and against the mind of your fuperiours; fo when they confider how difagreeable to that profeffion the refolutions and actions of your state and their minifters at fea have been, even in the midst of a treaty offerred by themselves, and managed here by your excellencies, the extraordinary preparations of one hundred and fifty fail of men of war, without any vifible occafion but what doth now appear (a juft ground of jealoufie in your own judgments, when your lordships pretended to excufe it) and the inftructions themselves given by your faid fuperiours to their ' commanders at fea, do find too much cause to believe that the lords, the ftates general of the United-Pro'vinces,

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fwer of the Parliament to three Papers delivered by the Ambaffadors of the United-Provinces, Lond.

printed for

all these transactions, we are not to wonder that

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vinces, have an intention, by force to ufurp the known rights of England in the feas, to destroy the fleets that • are, under God, their walls and bulwarks, and thereby expose this commonwealth to invafion at their plea fure, as by this late action they have attempted to do: whereupon the parliament conceive they are obliged to endeavour, with God's affiftance, as they fhall have < opportunity, to feek reparation of the wrongs already fuffered, and fecurity that the like be not attempted for the future. Nevertheless, with this mind and defire, that all differences betwixt the nations may (if poffibly) be peaceably and friendly compofed, as God by his providence fhall open a way thereunto, and circumstances shall be conducing to render fuch endeavours lefs dilatory, and more effectual than thofe of this kind heretofore used have been.

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HEN. SCOBELL, cleric. Parliamenti (a)'

This declaration does honor to the parliament, who had ordered all Dutch fhips to be feized on hearing of John Field. the late action at sea, and from henceforth determined 4to 1652. to carry on a war with the ftates in the moit vigorous manner. Sir Henry Vane, who made fo great a figure during thefe times, is faid to have been the chief director and manager of this war, whose constant judgment it was, That the intereft of England and the United• Provinces were as irreconcileable as thofe of rivals, trade being to both nations, what a mistrefs is unto lovers; that there never could intervene any durable peace, except both nations did unite by coalition, or the English fubjugate the others and reduce them into a province, or by ftrict conditions and contrivances < enfure themselves against the growth and future puifUnited-Ne-fance of the Dutch (y). How great the difinterestedness therlands, P of Vane was, how follicitous for the honor of the naLond. 1673. tion, and how much bent that the public might be ferv

(y) Stubbs's farther Juf

tification of the War

with the

119. 4to.

ed

i

that men imputed to them the greatest
de-

ed on the easiest and beft terms, appears from the follow-
ing anecdote: The fees of his office were; as trea-
'furer of the navy, four-pence in the pound, which y
⚫ reafon of this war honeftly amounted to little less than
• 30000l. per annum; but Sir Henry Vane looked upon
it as too much for a private subject, and therefore
very generoufly gave up his patent (which he had for
life from King Charles I.) to the parliament, defiring
but two thousand pounds per annum, for an agent he
had bred up to the bufinefs, and the remainder to go
to the public. This was done, and the method of (x) Collins's
a fixed falary has continued ever fince in that of- Peerage, vol.
•fice (z)
This was indeed a rare example of V. P. 303.
honor and integrity, and hardly to be believed in this 8vo. Lond.
age, in which patriots and courtiers have scrambled for
1756.
places, preferments, bonuffes, &c. in fuch an open and
fhameless manner, as to have rendered it doubtful whe-
ther all pretenfions to public spirit, were not veils to ambi-
tion and avarice.. But to proceed.- -Fleets were
now fitted out, both by England and Holland, and fuch
noble exploits were done by Blake and others, as have

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In the Journals we find That upon a petition of Sir Henry Vane, knight, treasurer of the navy, it was referred to the committee of the navy, to confider of this petition, and how the office of treasurer of the navy may be managed for the future, for the best profit and feat charge ⚫ of the commonwealth; and what falary is fit to be allowed for the exes 'cution thereof; and alfo to confider what compensation is fit to be given ⚫ unto the petitioner, out of that office, or otherwife, in confideration of his right in the faid office. This was on the 27th of June, 1650. On the 16th of July following, the committee made their report, and the houfe refolved, That as a fit compenfation to be given to Sir Henry Vane, treasurer of the navy, for the furrender of his right in the faid place, * and in confideration of the profit which will thereby acerue to the state, there be fettled on the faid Sir Henry Vane, his heirs and affigns for ever, to the clear yearly value of twelve hundred pounds per annum over and ⚫ above all charges and reprifes, out of the lands belonging to the late deans and chapters.'It was alfo refolved, That a fit and able perfón should be appointed treasurer of the navy, who should perfonally attend upon that employment, and be allowed for the entertainment and falary, for himself, his deputies and clerks, one thousand pounds per annum, in lieu of all falaries, fees, and other profits formerly belonging to the place of treafurer of the navy.We fee by this, Mr. Collins has not been sufficiently exact,

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