Page:The history of yachting.djvu/166

 54 "It was the intention of the King to dine when he came on board his yacht, and the steward, who was on board, in the service of the States of Holland, had the dinner prepared, but the wind was so strong that the Princess Royal, not being able to endure the motion of the yacht, was obliged to retire, whereupon the King asked the Captain if there was no way by which they might come under the lee of the land, in order to refresh the Princess, but the Captain answered that there was no shelter to be found before Dortrecht, where he expected he could come by half past one or two in the afternoon, so the squadron of yachts got under way and all sail was carried in this hope.

"Nevertheless, it was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon when Dortrecht was passed; the walls and quay were full of Burgers, who were placed there under arms, and a battery of heavy artillery, with which many salutes were given, as well as with the musketry, as long as the fleet was passing, and also afterwards, as long as the flags of the yachts could be seen, which carried the person of the King and the whole Royal House."

The yachts stopped for a short time at Rotterdam, and a picture is here given of the fleet, taken from the celebrated painting by Verschuring. No reproduction, however, can convey the beauty of this picture. The yacht that carried King Charles is in the foreground, near the centre of the picture, her stern and quarters superbly ornamented with sculpture, embellished with gold, blue, orange, and red.