The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-31

Both fleets at once began firing, then
| ranged themselves in order Of battle.
| desperate fight ensued. which con-
| tinued from o'clock in the afternoon
| till night. and the result OF which was
that the Dutch, after losing several
ships, thought proper to retreat.
The next affair with the Dutch in
which Blake was engaged took place
in November following. Van Tromp
having largely increased his force, hav-
ing seventy men-of-war and sixty-five
ships, was seeking 10 find Blake near
the Downs, and he did. Blake's force
then scarcely exceeded half that OF his
opponent, but, not willing to retreat,
he determined to try once more what
the superiority OF his sailors could do
under SO unequal strife. The conse-
quence was that after a conflict from
eight in the morning till night, Blake
found himself compelled to seek refuge
by sailing up the Thames. The loss of
life in this terrific encounter was i'm
mense. Although the circumstances
were such as to remove from it all dis
grace, Blake felt ahe discontinue OF
retreat most severely, especially as it
was followed by the Dutch admiral,
who Immediately made his way
around the English coast, bear
ing a broom fastened to his main
topmast, to signify that he had swept
the sea of British ships.
When Blake sailed from Gravesend
on this, his last occasion, he had
Of e, #
and manned. Very soon he found his
old adversary, with seventy men-of-
war and three hundred sail of mer-
chantmen under convoy. The battle
this time was far more obstinate than
any that had yet been fought between
England and any other power. 1t was
fight to the death of one or the other
as a naval predominancy of the sea.
For three days and nights the two
fleets hung together in embrace
sailing up the channel side by side,
never for moment intermitting their
fire; boarding whenever an opportu-
nifty could be given, hand to hand and
man to man." when, at last, on the
fourth day at daylight the Dutch, hav-
ing lost eleven of their men-of-war and
nearly all of their merchant ships, and
finding that only one of the English
was destroyed, gave up the fight and
took flight for the coast of Holland
This disastrous engagement with
Blake did not deter Won Tromp from
trying issues with him again, as he
sailed forth, but with less force, to con-
test superiority. Several other engage
ments took place between the two adj J
mirals in the course of year, and the
result, upon the whole, was decidedly
in favor of Blake.
Having thus asserted the domain of !
England over the seas, Blake returned |
to receive the honors bestowed upon |
him.
Blake was given seat in parliament, |
but was not long allowed to remain in |
this to him an idle honor Again he /
was dispatched with a fleet to the Med |
iterranean to chastise Spain for certain |
insults which that power had offered |
to the English flag. In this expedition |
he acted with his usual ability He .
after engaged in an enterprise against !
Teneriffe with great success. While on
lulS particular SERVICE lie was taken Ill, |
and sailed for England. His life was
fast ebbing, and his wish to die on En-
glish soil was granted by one hour on
ly. lie expired while on his ship in
Plymouth harbor, August %, 1867.
A magnificent public funeral fol-
lowed, and his remains were placed in
Westminster Abbey, in testimony OF
the grief of England for the loss of her
greatest defender; but it was among
the many disgraceful incidents of the
restoration that Blal1e's remains were
removed, and inferred in ST. Margaret's
church, London. Nothing, however,
done to his remains could remove his
glory from the page of English history
as having first taught Englishmen that
daring contempt of danger which they
have so often shown.
So honored is this celebrated hero
that l do not know of period when
there has not been great ship bearing
his name, just as the great oattleship
we saw recently visiting our own
waters honors this renowned admiral.