tacks amounting to little more than
demonstrations against the French contingent, may have sprung from
political motives. This solution for the undoubted fact that the Dutch
attacked the French lightly has not been met with elsewhere by the
writer; but it seems possible that the rulers of the United Provinces
may have wished not to increase the exasperation of their most
dangerous enemy by humiliating his fleet, and so making it less easy
to his pride to accept their offers. There is, however, an equally
satisfactory military explanation in the supposition that, the French
being yet inexperienced, Ruyter thought it only necessary to contain
them while falling in force upon the English. The latter fought
throughout with their old gallantry, but less than their old
discipline; whereas the attacks of the Dutch were made with a
sustained and unanimous vigor that showed a great military advance.
The action of the French was at times suspicious; it has been alleged
that Louis ordered his admiral to economize his fleet, and there is
good reason to believe that toward the end of the two years that
England remained in his alliance he did do so.

The authorities of the United Provinces, knowing that the French fleet
at Brest was to join the English in the Thames, made great exertions
to fit out their squadron so as to attack the latter before the
junction was made; but the wretched lack of centralization in their
naval administration caused this project to fail. The province of
Zealand was so backward that its contingent, a large fraction of the
whole, was not ready in time; and it has been charged that the delay
was due, not merely to mismanagement, but to disaffection to the party
in control of the government. A blow at the English fleet in its own
waters, by a superior force, before its ally arrived, was a correct
military conception; judging from the after-history of this war, it
might well have produced a profound effect upon the whole course of
the struggle. Ruyter finally got to sea and fell in with the allied
fleets, but though fully intending to fight, fell back before them to
his own coast. The allies did not follow him there, but retired,
apparently in full security, to Southwold Bay, on the east coast of
England, some ninety miles north of the mouth of the Thames. There
they anchored in three divisions,--two English, the rear and centre of
the allied line, to the northward, and the van, composed of French
ships, to t