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98 honourable to the Dutch marine, was fought in disobedience to the orders of the admiral-general; and amongst other rumours then circulated and afterwards revived, it was said, that when the news of the battle arrived at the Hague, the stadtholder expressed his satisfaction that the English had not lost any ships. A naval officer, extremely well disposed to the new government, to whom in conversation I applied for information on the subject, assured me of his entire disbelief of either reports; and it is probable had any evidence existed of orders given by the stadtholder to his admirals to avoid the English fleet, the directory would have published a fact so disgraceful to the Prince of Orange.

But if we reject, as originating in the malice of party, the story which accuses the stadtholder of absolutely betraying his country, and expressing a most unnatural joy at the success of its enemies, it is certain his partiality for England was so plainly manifested as to excite universal discontent, not only in the great commercial cities of the United Provinces, which regarded Great