that capacity during the winter and spring of 1665; and in the action off Lowestoft on 3 June succeeded, after an obstinate struggle, in breaking through the Dutch line, separating their fleet into two parts, and throwing the whole into confusion, in the midst of which the Dutch flagship Eendracht was brought to close action by the Royal Charles and accidentally blown up [see James II]. Other terrible losses following in close succession struck panic into the Dutch, and they fled, leaving the victory with the English.
On the return of the fleet and the retirement of the Duke of York, Sandwich was appointed commander-in-chief (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 2 July 1665 ; Clarendon, Continuation, pp. 659-61), and, sailing from Solebay on 5 July, went towards Bergen, where, according to his intelligence, the Dutch East India ships had arrived and were waiting for an escort of men-of-war. At the same time he had an intimation that the king of Denmark was not unwilling that retribution should fall on the Dutch, who had drawn him into a war with Sweden for their selfish ends ; and, though he could get no writing to that effect, the assurances he received appeared to warrant him in attempting to seize the Dutch ships in the neutral port. Accordingly, on 1 Aug. Sir Thomas Teddeman [q. v.] was sent in with a squadron of some twenty-four ships ; but on the 2nd, the Danish governor making common cause with the Dutch, who had also thrown up some heavy batteries on shore, the English, in an engagement of two hours and a half, were beaten off and driven out of the harbour (Cal. State Papers, Dom., James Coleman to Pepys, 21 Aug.) The governor of Bergen and the Danish viceroy afterwards endeavoured to reopen negotiations: but Sandwich, indignant at their two-faced conduct, and fearing lest he might be caught by De Ruyter on that dangerous coast, returned south and anchored in Solebay (Clarendon, Continuation, pp. 685-9 ; Sandwich to Duke of Albemarle, 25 Aug. in Cal. State Papers, Dom.) After refitting, he put to sea again on the 30th (ib., Sandwich to Lord Arlington, 30 Aug.), and on 3 Sept. fell in with three Dutch East Indiamen under the convoy of four ships of war. They were all captured, as on the next day were six more merchant-men ; the fleet thereupon returned to the river (ib., Sandwich to the king, 5 Sept., Sandwich to Lord Arlington, 5 Sept., Coventry to Lord Arlington, 8 Sept.) The prizes, especially the Indiamen, were extremely valuable, and Sandwich, through carelessness or ignorance, or, as his enemies alleged, through greed, permitted the hatches to be taken off and a part of the cargo to be assigned to the several flag officers. It was stated that they each received to the value of 1,000l., and that Sandwich himself received to the value of 2,000l. ; but it was afterwards admitted that Sandwich had received to the value of nearly 5,000l., and we may suppose that the other shares were of proportionate magnitude. The action, illegal and ill-judged, raised a great storm. The prizes, it was alleged with some appearance of truth, had been indiscriminately plundered by the seamen (ib. 22 Nov., 2 Dec. 1665, January 1666, p. 218); the East India Company were alarmed at the idea of vast quantities of Indian wares being thrown on the market at reduced prices ; the king was angry because Sandwich, having written to him for leave to make this distribution to the flag officers, had anticipated his consent before he received the king's reply ; the Duke of York was angry because he considered that Sandwich had infringed the prerogative of the lord high admiral, and was endeavouring to curry favour with the officers of the fleet. All this indignation, it was said, was fanned and kept alive by Sir William Coventry [q. v.] and the Duke of Albemarle, both of whom were jealous of Sandwich's influence at court (Clarendon, Continuation, pp. 746-749). Albemarle sent orders to the ports to seize all goods which were attempted to be landed from the fleet, and accordingly not only Sandwich's share of the plunder, but his own furniture and plate, were stopped at Lynn, where the boats came on their way to Huntingdon (ib. pp. 751-2 ; Cal. State Papers, Dom. 14 Dec. 1665). They were soon allowed to pass ; but the ill-feeling between Albemarle and Sandwich was much embittered. Coventry, too, continued to incense the Duke of York, not only with reports of excessive plundering, but with charges of misconduct of the fleet, to which the miscarriage at Bergen was attributed. There was some talk of bringing the matter before parliament, if not of impeaching the admiral (Clarendon, Continuation, p. 758), rather, it would seem, to frighten the king and the duke into taking summary notice of the offence, so as to avoid a public inquiry. The king and the duke had both accepted Sandwich's explanations ; but the virulence of his enemies seemed to render it impossible to continue him in the command of the fleet. The matter was referred to Clarendon, who arranged that he should quit the command on appointment as ambassador extraordinary to Madrid, 'to correct and amend the mistakes and errors in the late treaty, as further
