A DECLARATION OF The present Proceed of the French, Danes, and the Hollanders, touching the King of Scots:  
And the New Act and Proclamation of the States, to all Captains, Masters, and Officers of ships, throughout all Harbours, Haven-Towns, and Cinque-Ports, within the Dominion of the Netherlands: Published by sound of Trumpet, and beat of Drum throughout the United Provinces, for all Officers in general to yield Obedience thereunto; Upon pain of Death.  
Together with their Orders and Instructions to Admiral De Wit.  
And a Letter sent to the Parliament of England from the Generals at Sea, concerning the Transaction, Affairs, and Engagement of the Enemy.  
Subscribed, Robert Blake, Rich: Dean, Geo: Monck.  
Published according to Order.  
LONDON: Printed by E. Alsop. 1653.   

A LETTER Sent To the Speaker of the Parliament of England, from the three Generals of the English Navy, touching the last great and bloody Engagement between the two Fleets of England and Holland.  
SIR,  
THe 18 instant in the morning, being some five leagues distant from the English shore, we descried the Dutch Fleet early in the morning, consisting (as we then judged, & are since informed by some of their own number) of 80. all men of War, and some 200 Merchant men, a league and an half to windward of the weathermost of our ships, and of most of the Fleet two or three leagues.  
The ship Triumph, with the Fairfax, Speaker, and about 20 more, being nearest unto them, the Dutch Admiral might probably (if he had pleased to have kept the wind) gone away with his whole Fleet, and we had not been able to have reached him with our main body, only with a few Frigates, our best sailors, which had not been likely to have done very much upon them; But the said Admiral, so soon as he had discovered us, put all his Merchant men to windward, and ordered them to stay there (as some that we have taken have since informed us) and himself with his body of men of War, drew down upon us, that were the weathermost ships, where we were in a short time engaged, and by reason the greatest part of our ships were to Lee-ward, and much a stern, those that were weathermost had a very sharp conflict of it that whole day, till about 4 a clock in the afternoon, by which time a considerable number of our ships and Frigates had got so far a head, that by tacking they could weather the greatest part of the Dutch Fleet, which so soon as the Dutch Admiral perceived, he tacked likewise and those with him, and left us: We spent the remainder of that day and night to man ourselves out of the weaker ships, and to repair our Rigging, Masts and Sails, without which we were not in a capacity to move in the Sea. We took and destroyed in this day 7 or 8 men of War.  
They had possession of Captain Barker in the Prosperous, Captain Bourn in the Assistance, the Oak and some other ships, but blessed be God we repossessed them again, with the loss of some in the Assistance. The Leeward-most part of our ships continued fight till night separated, being engaged within two hours as soon as we: We lost the Samson whereof Captain Button was Commander, which was so much torn and unserviceable, the Captain and many more wounded and slain, that we took out the men that were left, and let her sink into the Sea. At night the Dutch Fleet and we kept as near one another as we could conveniently without mixing, each of us having our lights abroad all night, the Wind Westernly, and little Wind, they steered directly up the channel, their Merchant men a head, and men of War in the Rear; We were in the morning some three or four leagues to the Southward of the Isle of Wight: As soon as it was day, we made what sail we could after them, but being calm could not get up until noon, and our main body not until two of the Clock, by which time we drew very near each other, and had warm work while night parted us; We took and destroyed this day some five sail of men of War: The Dutch Fleet steered up the Channel with their lights abroad, we followed, the Wind at W. N. W. a fine little gale all night.  
The 20 day about 9 a clock in the morning, we fell close in with them with some 5 great ships, and all the Frigates of strength, though very many others could not come up that day, and seeing their men of war somewhat weakened, we sent smaller Frigates and ships of less force, that could get up amongst their Merchantmen, which put their whole body to a very great trouble, that many of them, and their men of war, began to break off from their main body, and towards the evening we pressed so hard upon them, that they turned their Merchant men out of their Fleet upon us (as is conceived) for a bait, we gave strict order that none of our ships that could get up to their men of war, and had force should meddle with any Merchant men, but leave them to the Rear; we continued still fight with them until the dusk of the evening, by which time we were some 3 leagues and a half of Blackness in France, the wind at Northwest, we steering directly for the point of land, having the wind of the Dutch fleet, so that if it had pleased the Lord in his wise providence, who sets bounds to the sea, and overrules the ways and actions of men, it had been but one 3 hours longer to night, we had probably made an interposition between them and home, whereby they might have been to have made their way through us with their men of war, which at this time were not above 35 as we could count, the rest being destroyed or dispersed; The Merchant men also must have been necessitated to run ashore, or fallen into our hands, which as we conceive the Dutch Admiral being sensible of, just as it was dark bore directly in upon the shore, where as it is supposed he anchored, the Tide of ebb being then come, which was a Leewardly Tide, we consulted with our Pilots, and men knowing those coasts and parts, what it was possible for them to do, whose opinions were that he could not weather the French shore, as the tide & the wind was then, to get home, and that we must likewise anchor, or we could not be able to carry it about the Flats of Soam, whereupon we anchored, Blackness being N. E, and by E. three leagues from us.  
This night being very dark, and blowed hard, the Dutch got away from us, so that in the morning we could not discover one ship more than our own, which were betwixt 40 and 50 the rest being scattered, and as many prizes as made up 60 in all; we spent all this night and day while 12 a clock, in fitting of our ships, masts, and sails, for we were not capable to stir till they were repaied, at which time being a windward tide, and the Dutch Fleet gone, we weighed, and stood over to the English shore, fearing to stay longer upon the coast being a Lee shore.  
The 22 day in the morning we were fair by the Isle of Wight, being the place whereunto we then thought fit to repair for accommodation, but the Wind blew so hard Nouthwardly, we could not get in that day.  
The 23 day we weighed and got near the St. Ellens Road, and sent for all the Captains on board, to understand the state of the fleet, but it blowing hard we could not accomplish it, only we commanded all the ships that were disabled to turn into Stokes bay, and the rest remained about us.  
The 24 day we sent for all the Captains on board of this ship, and ordered out 2 squadrons, one to ply to the Eastward, the other to the Westward of the Isle of Wight.  
The last of which sailed yesterday being the 25 present. It hath blown so hard, that we have scarce been able to send our boats one from the other, or do any thing till this day that we got up to this place.  
Thus you see how it hath pleased the Lord to deal with us, poor unworthy instruments employed in this late transaction, wherein he hath delivered into our hands some 17 or 18 of their ships of war, which have been by your Fleet (without the loss of any one ship, save the Samson) taken and destroyed, besides Merchantmen, whose number we know not, they being scattered to several Ports. We have many men wounded, and divers both of honesty and worth slain.  
Aboard the Triumph the 27. of Febr. 1652. in Stoke Bay. Subscribed, 

Robert Blake,  
Rich. Dean.  
George Monk.    
Several of the Dutch are driven a shore in France, one without any men at all in her. Six Merchant ships are brought prize into Foy in Cornwall. A List of 56 prizes are already brought into the Prize-Office.  
The Parl ordered a Letter to be written to the Generals and Commanders, with the Parliaments resentment of their great and faithful service in the late Engagement with the Dutch.  
On the 1 of this instant March, we received further advertisements, that Sir John Evarson one of the Dutch Admirals was slain in the late engagement, and that de Ruttier is sore wounded; most of the fleet that got off to Calais Road are extremely rend and torn, both in their Masts, Sails, & Rigging, which the high States hearing of, forthwith set out their Placaert or Declaration, throughout all the Cinqueports in the united Provinces, expressly charging and prohibiting all Captains, Masters, and other Officers, of all and every respective ship or vessel, not to departed (upon pain of death) without licence from the General Council, and thereupon immediately dispatched a messenger to De Witte, requiring him not to go forth to sea with his fleet, without special orders from the State's General; so that as yet he lies in the Tazel.  
They talk high that the treaty between Holland and Denmark is concluded, and that a treaty is driven on in France, for a league also, wherein the interest of the King of Scots will likewise be included, which pleaseth the Orange party highly; for indeed they were always very active to have him personally in the Netherlands, and are now in hopes to prevail with the Province of Holland, to unite in this Chemical design, because the chief Obstructer thereof, (the Lord Paw) is now dead.  
FINIS.