THe Embassadours of the United Provinces ha­ving been long in Treaty with the Parliament, and yet notwithstanding have given no reasonable sa­tisfaction to the just demands of this Common-wealth, and being since remanded by their masters the States; his [Page 4]Excellency General Blake thought it not good any longer to protract time, but vigorously (for the honour of this Common-wealth) to prosecute the work in hand, and to fight the Hollanders wheresoever he can meet them; with this resolution he set sail with a gallant Fleet of ships towards the Northern seas, there to disturb and give a check to the insolency of the Dutch, whom he un­derstood in great numbers to be fishing upon our Eng­lish seas; leaving Sir George Ascue to command the rest of the Fleet in the Downs.

He had not sailed far, but that he made a discovery of certain Hollanders, whom he pursued so close that he for­ced them to ingage, and after some smal dispute, he boar­ded four, two whereof were men of war, the other were Marchants ships, laden with many rich commodities, all the rest were dispersed up and down, being not able in that hast to keep company with each other.

His Excellency then set forward in his course North­ward, and according to his intelligence, he found the Dutch fishing, with many men of war that attended them for their present guard, and to convoy them home; his Excellency comming near them, saluted them first with one single gun, thereby willing them (it being the custome at sea) to lore their Top-sails, and submit to the Common-wealth of England, but (their spirits being heightned with the presumption of their own strength) they refused, answering him with a broad side, and af­ter that with another, whereupon both parties inga­ged, maintaining a gallant dispute with great resolution, for a good space; for having before elevated their spi­rits with Brandy wine, viz. Strong-water, they stout­ly maintained their decks; but it pleased the Lord of Hosts at last to crown our Fleet with victory, so that they sunk two, took four, all men of war, with about an [Page 5]hundred sail of Fishermen, which they brought all safe into our Harbours in Scotland.

From aboard the Iames, Iuly the 1. 1652.

A Letter from Rotterdam.

WE heare no talk now but of making great prepa­rations to defend our selves and ships against your ships, who we hear take all they can meet withall at sea; this hath caused a generall alarm throughout the Coun­trey, and men and money are raising apace to make our party good against you; for by your last answer given to our Embassadors with you, we do conceive that you in­tend war to this State; who in most places of this Coun­try are no ways sorry for it; for till we have beaten you at sea, we think we shall never be able with treating to bring you to accept of such terms of our own, as we have given to other nations by being Masters at sea. We think out selves capable and sufficient to do it, or else we would never have begun with you: and whereas you expect sa­tisfaction, we may chance to demand the like of you with double interest for the charges you have now put us to, by your lofty carriage at sea, this hath so much in­censed our common sort of people, that unlesse some sudden course be taken by the Magistrates to right them against the English, they will raise insurrections, and re­venge themselves on the Magistrates, who dare hardly walk the streets for fear of being misused by the peeple in generall.

A Letter from Dublin in Ireland.

I Promised you an account of the laying down of arms by the enemy upon this last agreement; but my pud­dering business doth so turmoil me, that I know not whe­ther I have performed that task or no, my fickle memo­ry in the hurty of affairs, doth not inform me concerning my performance of that promise; but to be sure, I shas now give you a full account, as briefly as may be: Dun­gon, Scurlock, Westmeath, and the Lord of Clonma­leer, did bring in part of the forces, in all about the num­ber of 800 at the most; the rest, being near so many thousands, still doth refuse to submit, being they are not pardoned for their murthers, and we are as well conten­ted that the war is now clearly stated upon that account. The Lord of Clanrickard is about Letrim with a consi­derable Army, my Lord President, and Commissary General Reynolds, are both at Slego to take that in, Colo­nel Venables is fortifying Belturbet, the Lieut. General, and Major General, and the Lord of Broghil are all gone into Kerry to subdue Muskerry: The Lord Taaff is here­abouts with the Byrons, Coales, Conways and Grace, who all keep in several great fastnesses, and by means of the great Woods and Mountains, easily escape me; but I am fortifying several places near them, and now an fi­nishing Tullon, from whence I newly came hither for some accommodations to fortifie Dedrum. As I lay at Tullon last week, there was an ambush laid by Captain [Page 7]Conway, and Captain Line, for Collonel Pritty, who was comming from Carlow to me, with a guard of ren horse: I did hear of it, and dispatched away two parties from my Camp; the enemy had engaged Collonel Prit­ty, killed two, and took Captain Miller and four Troo­pers prisoners, but Collonel Pritty escaped; the parties dispatched out pursued them close, and killed four, relea­sed Captain Miller, took Captain Line and one more, and sixteen good horses, their riders escaped in the Bogs. That night I sent out a party of horse and foot to the Bris­cales, who killed above fourty, and took thirty good horse, and returned; here Mr. Phelim sent his Trumpet­ter to me for to grant Captain Line a Parol, I returned him no answer, owning him as a murtherer and wood­kern, and upon that score intend to prosecute him, sent him word that I would not give nor take quarter with him, nor any of his party, and by a Proclamation which I sent him by his Trumper, offered 200 li. for any to ex­ecute him upon his own lentence of not comming in up­on the Agreement, but standing out as a murtherer, there­fore if any should bring me his body or head, I would give them 200. li.

Since I writ this Letter, I have certain intelligence, that Slego is surrendred, and that Sir Theophilus Jones with a party of Horse of Dragoons, killed two Collonels, ten Captains, and three hundred of a party of three thousand he met with in the County of Cavan, and took all their horse; and that the Liev. Gen. Ludlow fell upon a party of the enemy near the Lough, killed many, took a great quantity of powder and ammunition, and 60 horse.

From the Downs we received intelligence, that Sir George Ascue, whom Generall Blake left to command the rest of the English Fleet in the Downs, is very act­ive and vigilant to discharge the trust reposed in him, and receiving intelligence of about 45 fail of Hollanders, that were on the coast of France, he resolved to fight them; so setting sail towards them, it was not long before he des­cried them, and comming near them, he presented them with a broad-side, they answered him with the like, whereupon hapned a very desperate ingagement, but af­ter a very hot and bloudy dispute, which continued for about 2 hours with great gallantry and resolution, Sir G. Ascue became victor, took 7 of them, sunk and burned four, and forced about twenty four more of them to run on ground on the French shore, all which we conceive cannot possible escape shipwrack. The rest of the Hol­landers Sir George is in very hot pursuit of. It is repor­ted by some that the Rubey is sunk, which (if true) would prove a very great losse, she carrying 42 guns, and about 480 men. It is also reported that Vantrump hath sent a letter to Gen Blake, wherein he challengeth him to fight him upon equall terms, upon the coast of Flanders or the narrow seas; but it is believed his heart will hardly serve him to make good his challenge.