INTRODUCTORY


Though several fleets were fitted out in the first years of the
Restoration, the earliest orders of Charles II's reign that have come
down to us are those which the Earl of Sandwich issued on the eve of
the Second Dutch War. Early in the year 1665, when hostilities were
known to be inevitable, he had sailed from Portsmouth with a squadron
of fifteen sail for the North Sea. On January 27th he arrived in the
Downs, and on February 9th sailed for the coast of Holland.[1] War
was declared on March 4th following. The orders in question are only
known by a copy given to one of his frigate captains, which has
survived amongst the manuscripts of the Duke of Somerset. So far as is
known no fresh complete set of Fighting Instructions was issued before
the outbreak of the war, and as Monck and Sandwich were still among
the leading figures at the admiralty it is probable that those used in
the last Dutch and Spanish Wars were continued. The four orders here
given are supplementary to them, providing for the formation of line
abreast, and for forming from that order a line ahead to port or
starboard. It is possible however that no other orders had yet been
officially issued, and that these simple directions were regarded by
Sandwich as all that were necessary for so small a squadron.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] _Domestic Calendar_, 1664-5, pp. 181, 183.