Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1795 to 1872, Volume 1 (4th ed, 1915).djvu/40

16 approached, but without any effect, and she was obliged to retire by some shells that she received in return.

Meantime Admiral Elphinstone, having encountered very stormy weather, had returned to Simon's Bay on the 12th, and learned there that the Dutch fleet was in Saldanha Bay. The weather was so boisterous that he could not put to sea again until the 15th, but next evening he cast anchor within gunshot of the Dutch ships. As the troops under General Craig approached on one side, they saw the English fleet drawing in on the other. It consisted of eight ships of the line, three frigates; two sloops of war, and one brig.

As soon as the anchors were down, Admiral Elphinstone sent a letter to the Dutch commander in chief, demanding surrender without shedding blood, as resistance to his overwhelming force must be useless. He received a verbal reply that a decided answer would be given next morning. Upon this he required an assurance that no damage would be done to the ships, and received a written promise to that effect from Admiral Lucas.

At nine o'clock in the morning of the 17th Captain Claris was sent on board the flagship Monarch with a draft of terms of surrender, but the British admiral would grant no other conditions than the retention of private property by every one and permission for the officers to return to the Netherlands upon pledging their word of honour not to serve against Great Britain until exchanged or until the conclusion of peace. The fleet with everything that belonged to it must be surrendered intact. At five in the evening Lieutenant Valkenburg brought to the Monarch articles to this effect signed by the Dutch admiral, and requested that possession should at once be taken of the Dordrecht, Revolutie, and Castor, as discipline had ceased on board those ships. The crews were trampling on the new national flag, and shouting Oranje boven, de dood aan de patriotten! while the officers were being insulted and abused. These ships were