her
in a line as afore prescribed, either wing leading the van as the
occasion shall require.

In case I would have the van to tack first (in time of service) I will
spread the union flag at the flagstaff at the fore topmast-head, and
if I would have the rear of the fleet to tack first I will spread the
union flag at the flagstaff at the mizen topmast-head, each commander
being [ready] to take notice of the said signals, and to act
accordingly, following each other as prescribed, and be careful to
assist and relieve any that is in necessity.

In case of separation by foul weather, or by any inevitable accident,
and the wind blows hard westerly, then Zante Road is the place
appointed for rendezvous.

Given under my hand and on board his majesty's ship Plymouth, at an
anchor in Zante Road.

This 4th of May, 1678.

JOHN NARBROUGH.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] Neither Baltimore nor Batchelor nor any similar names of
commissioned officers occur in Pepys's Navy List, 1660-88. Tanner, _op.
cit._

III

THE LAST STUART ORDERS

INTRODUCTORY

The next set of orders we have are those drawn up by George Legge,
first Lord Dartmouth, for the fleet with which he was entrusted by
James II, to prevent the landing of William of Orange in 1688. The
only known copy of them is in the _Sloane MSS._ 3650. It is
unfortunately not complete, the last few articles with the date and
signature being missing, so that there is no direct evidence that it
related to this fleet. There can however be no doubt about the
matter. For it is followed by the battle order of a fleet in which
both ships and captains correspond exactly with that which Dartmouth
commanded in 1688. The only other fleet which he commanded was that
which in 1683 proceeded to the Straits to carry out the evacuation of
Tangier, and it was not large enough to require such a set of
instructions.

We know moreover that in this year he did actually draw up some
Fighting Instructions, shortly after September 24, the day his
commission was signed, and that he submitted them to King James for
approval. On October 14 Pepys, in the course of a long official letter
to him from the admiralty, writes: 'His majesty, upon a very
deliberate perusal of your two papers, one of the divisions of your
fleet and the other touching your line of battle, does extremely
approve the same, commanding me to tell you so.[1]

Lord Dartmouth's articles follow those which James had last drawn up
in 16