Better open war than a sham peace.  Instructions were therefore sent to the ambassador Yorke to demand the punishment of the Amsterdam regents for their clandestine transactions with the enemies of England.  The reply was that the matter should be brought before the Court of Holland; and Van Welderen, the Dutch ambassador in London, in vain endeavoured to give assurances that the States were anxious to maintain a strict neutrality.  Yorke demanded immediate satisfaction and once more called upon the Republic to furnish the aid in men and ships in accordance with the treaty.  Further instructions were therefore sent to Van Welderen, but they were delayed by tempestuous weather.  In any case they would have been of no avail.  The British government was in no mood for temporising.  On December 20, 1780 war was declared against the United Provinces; and three days later Yorke left the Hague.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXV

STADHOLDERATE OF WILLIAM V, continued, 1780-1788

The outbreak of war meant the final ruin of the Dutch Republic.  Its internal condition at the close of 1780 made it hopelessly unfitted to enter upon a struggle with the overwhelming sea-power of England.  Even had William V possessed the qualities of leadership, he would have had to contend against the bitter opposition and enmity of the anti-Orange party among the burgher-regents, of which Van der Capellen was one of the most moving spirits, and which had its chief centre in Amsterdam.  But the prince, weak and incompetent, was apparently intent only on evading his responsibilities, and so laid himself open to the charges of neglect and mal-administration that were brought against him by his enemies.

Against an English fleet of more than 300 vessels manned by a force of something like 100,000 seamen, the Dutch had but twenty ships of the line, most of them old and of little value.  Large sums of money were now voted for the equipment of a fleet; and the Admiralties were urged to press forward the work with all possible vigour.  But progress was necessarily slow.  Everything was lacking—­material, munitions, equipment, skilled labour—­and these could not be supplied in time to prevent Dutch commerce being swept from the seas and the Dutch colonies captured.  The Republicans, or Patriots, as they began to name themselves, were at first delighted that the Orange stadholder and his party had been compelled to break with England and to seek the alliance of France; but their joy was but short-lived.  Bad tidings followed rapidly one upon another.  In the first month of the war 200 merchantmen were captured, of the value of 15,000,000 florins.  The fishing fleets dared not put out to sea.  In 1780 more than 2000 vessels passed through the Sound, in 1781 only eleven.  On February 3 St Eustatius surrendered to Admiral Rodney, when one hundred and thirty merchantmen together with immense stores fell