mselves into the
order in which they meant to fight, which was in file at half
cannon-shot,' and the suggestion is that this was something new to the
Dutch. 'Our fleet,' says an English report by an eye-witness, 'did
work together in better order than before and seconded one another.'
Then there is the important testimony of a Royalist intelligencer who
got his information at the Hague on June 9, from the man who had
brought ashore the despatches from the defeated Dutch fleet. After
relating the consternation which the English caused in the Dutch ranks
as well by their gunnery as their refusal to board, he goes on to say,
'It is certain that the Dutch in this fight (by the relation and
acknowledgment of Tromp's own express sent hither, with whom I spoke)
showed very great fear and were in very great confusion, and the
English he says fought in excellent order.'[6]

Again, for the next battle--that of the Texel--fought on July 31 in
the same year, we have the statement of Hoste's informant, who was
present as a spectator, that at the opening of the action the English,
but not the Dutch, were formed in a single line close-hauled. 'Le 7
Aoust' [_i.e._ N.S.], the French gentleman says, 'je decouvris
l'armee de l'amiral composee de plus de cent vaisseaux de
guerre. Elle etait rangee en trois escadrons et elle faisoit
vent-arriere pour aller tomber sur les Anglois, qu'elle rencontra
le meme jour a peu pres en pareil nombre rangez _[sic]_ sur une
ligne qui tenoit plus de quatre lieues Nord-Nord-Est et Sud-Sud-Ouest,
le vent etant Nord-Ouest. Le 8 et le 9 se passerent en des
escarmouches, mais le 10 on en _[sic]_ vint a une bataille
decisive. Les Anglois avoient essaie de gagner le vent: mais
l'amiral Tromp en aiant toujours conserve l'avantage, et l'etant
range sur une ligne parallele a celle des Anglois arriva sur
eux,' &c. This is the first known instance of a Dutch fleet forming in
single line, and, so far as it goes, would tend to show they adopted
it in imitation of the English formation.[7] At any rate, so far as
we have gone, the evidence tends to show that the English finally
adopted the regular line-ahead formation in consequence of the orders
of March 29, 1653, and there is no indication of the current belief
that they borrowed it from the Dutch.

By the English admirals the new system must have been regarded as a
success. For the Fighting Instructions of 1653 were reissued with
nothing but a few alterations of si