that he had begun the battle with Blake for some private speculation of his own. A court-martial was proposed in the States-General, and all but carried; he was commanded to appear before the High-Mighty Lords in person, a tedious enquiry and discussion took place, and the early autumn had changed to winter before his judges re-appointed him as commander-in-chief of the fleet. Tromp behaved throughout with his usual large-mindedness and honesty. There was not a speck upon his character, and his judges felt that each one might congratulate himself if he came out of so searching an examination so free from blemish. It stands to reason that Tromp was indignant. He held, with justice, that when a man has gained an honourable and illustrious position, want of success and failure of his plans inflict ample punishment in themselves. And the adverse sentence of a court could scarcely have wounded him more than this loss of public confidence. To fight the enemy and risk my life, causes no trouble to my mind,' he writes, 'but that, having done all in my power to serve my country, I should come home to be exposed to suspicions, and jealousies, and ill-willthat having done all that a soldier and a sailor can do, with the brains that God has given me, I should be required to give an account of my deeds-this takes away all my pleasure and zeal in the service.'

Nevertheless, for the sake of the country and the service he loved so well, he accepted the post once more. A battle had taken place in the meantime

between Ayscue and De Ruyter, in which the latter, although not defeated, had lost very severely. It was also reported that Tromp's absence from the fleet had caused a great amount of dissatisfaction, and that many captains had refused to serve under anyone but their Father.' On the 1st of December, 1652, Tromp arrived in the midst of his children,' as he called his sailors, and was welcomed with enthusiasm. Amid somewhat boisterous weather the enormous fleet of five hundred merchant ships and ninetyeight men-of-war ran out of the Meuse, but as Blake was reported off the Downs, and Tromp would not risk his fleet, he ordered the merchants and half his men-of-war to put back, and set off himself in quest of his great opponent. When Blake descried him off the Goodwins he felt at once that he would be treated in the same manner as D'Oquendo, unless he managed to quit the Downs and fight in open sea. It was in the afternoon of December 9, when he ran out with iorty-six ships, carrying Tromp in full cry after him. It was Blake's plan to reach Rye Bay, where he might receive some assistance. It was Tromp's plan to cut him off. The chase lasted till dark, Tromp anchoring two miles N.W. of Dover. Next day Tromp hoisted the blue flag for general pursuit. The wind was violent. All sails were crowded, the masts bent, and the waves washed over the deck in the eager chase. At one o'clock the faster Dutch ships reach the slower English, and shots were exchanged. At three o'clock Tromp had reached Dungeness Head,

and Blake saw himself forced to engage. Running with his ship the 'Triumph' before the wind, he passed Tromp and exchanged a volley. The English 'Garland,' Captain Battin, of forty-eight guns, followed at his heels, and would also have passed had not Tromp bored a hole into her stern with his bowsprit and ran alongside of her. Almost immediately afterwards the English Captain Ackson, with his 'Adventure' of forty guns, settled on Tromp's other side. A terrific cannonade now commenced. The Dutch Vice-Admiral Evertsen, who was always following his chief like a dog, ran alongside the 'Adventure,' and there lay the four ships, tossed by the waves, and invisible in a dense cloud of smoke. The fight lasted over an hour. Tromp's secretary was shot by his side, but his men, inspired by the Admiral's words, jumped over on to the 'Garland's' deck. They found that nearly all the officers had fallen, the dead bodies numbered over sixty and covered the deck. The crew surrendered and the Orange flag was nailed to the mast. Evertsen in the meantime had captured the 'Adventure' in the same manner, while that part of the fleet which had been able to keep up the pace was busily engaged against the rest of the English. Blake fought gallantly but was forced to give in. Had the day lasted a few hours longer the whole British fleet would have been destroyed, but as Blake himself says in his letter, 'by occasion of the night coming on we were saved, being then left almost alone.' He reached Dover in a sadly disabled condition; two