IAn contemporary Dutch Account ot
 the Attack in the Medway in 1667.

A Dutch Account appears in a deposition given to a Dutch Magistrate
(City of Amsterdam, Archives.)

On this day, the 14th November 1667 there appeared before me, Hendrick Rosa, notary public etc. In the presence of the witnesses to be mentioned later, Estienne van Grootvelt, lieutenant, 38 years old, Dirck Trouwdenius, about 47 years old, second lieutenant, Pieter Jansz. Roeland, skipper, 31 years old, Paulus Jansz of Amsterdam, first mate, about 47 years old. Anthonij Fransz. of Amsterdam, chief boatswain, 33 years old, Jan le Boy, from Brittany, 36 years old, boatswain’s mate, all having sailed in those qualities in the service of the Noble and Mighty Lords Councillors of the Admirality under the Command of the Noble Captain Thomas Tobyas on board the man-o’-war "Bescherming". [,]

and have on request of, and prompted by their aforementioned Captain Thomas Tobyas, with true words in lieu of and under presentation of their oaths with this deposed, declared and attested how it is true, that the petitioner [e.g. Tobyas] has always done and acted with all industry and duty to do all possible harm to the enemy

and also that they on the 12th June instant having entered with their ship on the river off Chatham, by order of the petitioner they sailed up the same river with all duty, and that as sign of that they had weighed, the petitioner has had a signal-shot fired, in order that also the other ships would get under way,

and [that they] as the fairway was very narrow, have drifted criss-cross past the [Dutch] men-o’-war,

through this, too avoid them and not too fall foul of them, the came so near to the Southern shore, that they ran aground behind a small bank

and [that] as soon as they [found they] could not get [the ship] before the wind without falling foul of the shore, immediately by order of the petitioner the sails were put aback [so as] to give the ship sternway too reach the fairway again,

that, as they were drifting astern in this way, the enemy shot down the main topsails from above which greatly prevented the deponents from getting sternway and tacking [?]

[that they] ran aground which prevented the petitioner from achieving his intention, and that let go the anchor, so as not to get aground more firmly.

and as [they] were busy putting a warp on their anchor-cable Captain Brackel came to the petitioner asking for orders, which were given him by the petitioner proceeding with his gig through the fairway towards the fireships, ordering them to hold themselves in readiness for the moment that the aforementioned Captain Brackel would be coming up and then to use their fireships well,

Captain Jan van Brakel It was this captain who is supposed to have actually broken the Chain

and having come on board again an cleared a passage with his guns the petitioner sent the gig upstream with the fireships, to rescue their crews if needed,

and according to the attestation given about this rowed towards and boarded the "Royal Charles"

and having been on board her for some time, the petitioner the deponents’ aforementioned Captain was commanded by the Noble Gentlemen the Sheriff of Putten – [Cornelis de Witt] – and the Noble Lord de Ruyter to proceed back towards his ship "De Bescherming" to sail further upriver with the Noble Lord van Gent, which the petitioner did.

when there was nothing further to be accomplished the Gentlemen petitioner was ordered again by their Lordships’ to put his lieutenant with 50 men of his crew [with other prize-detachments] on board the "Royal Charles" which also was done,

and on the next day, the 23rd June, the petitioner was again ordered by their Lordships, [the] Sheriff of Putten, de Ruyter and van Gent, to bring down the river and under the flag, the aforementioned ship, the "Royal Charles" which was also immediately effected by the Gentleman petitioner. 

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