Clarendon's Hist. of Charles II., vol. ., , p. 339, et seq. About the beginning of June De Ruyter came with the fleet out of the Weelings, and, joining with the rest from the Texel, sailed from the coast of England, and having a fair wind , stood for the river of Thames.

.There had been much discourse all that year of erecting a fort at Sheerness for the defence of the river, and the king had made two journeys thither in the winter, and had given such orders to the commissioners of the ordnance for the overseeing and finishing the fortification that everybody believed the work done . . . but whatever had been thought or directed, very little had been done; there were a company or two of very good soldiers there under excellent officers, but the fortifications so weak and unfinished, and all other provisions so entirely wanting that the Dutch fleet no sooner approached within a distance, but with their cannon they beat all their works flat and drove the men from the ground. . . here was indeed no danger of their landing, and they were too wise to think of it, their business was an element they had more confidence in and more power upon, they had good intelligence how loosely all things were left in the river, and therefore as soon as the tide came to help them they stood full up the river without any consideration of the chain [which had been placed across the river], which their ships immediately broke in pieces and broke without the least pause. . . There were two or three ships of the royal navy

. . . but they thought they had done enough, and . . .made use of the ebb to carry them back again.