--- ---
141 412
141
---
553
---

From the most authentic accounts, however, the Dutch were known to have
lost 1,100 men, although their published report was for only half that
number.

APPENDIX C.

DUTCH ACCOUNT OF THE ACTION OFF DOGGER BANK.

"Sunday, August 5th, 1781, at break of day, between the hours of three
and four in the morning, we saw a great number of strange ships to the
N.N.W. of us; we got everything ready for an engagement: the wind was
N.E. and our course was N.W. We made the signal to form the line of
battle at a cable's length distance from each other as we advanced.
The Ajax cutter, Captain Count Wilderen, came up in the mean time to
make a report that the fleet he saw was a convoy of the enemy, which
had sailed on the 26th through the Sound, escorted by eleven English
men-of-war and four cutters. At seven o'clock the ships-of-war hoisted
their English colours, among which was a Vice-admiral's flag, and bore
down upon us, their convoy remaining to windward. I made the signal to
tack, and we came up thus in order of battle, and took our station to
the E.S.E., and ordered our merchantmen to the westward. We saw that
the eight English men-of-war that bore down upon us in a line, were
sixty, seventy-four, ninety, and one of forty guns. At eight the
English Vice-admiral being abreast to windward of me, they turned with
us, and the action began. At that instant the fire was very brisk on
both sides, and the whole line was engaged. I was constantly and very
briskly cannonaded by two large ships. The engagement lasted till
half-past eleven, and was very bloody. Our ships, mine included, were
greatly disabled, and received so much damage that they could not be
worked any longer. The English Admiral must have equally suffered, for
he wore to the eastward. At noon we took down the signal to engage,
and bore away to the westward to repair our ships as much as possible,
all being extremely crippled by the constant fire of so long an
engagement. We perceived also that the English Vice-admiral tacked
about half-past twelve with his ships, and stood to the N.W., where he
remai