HMS ''Merlin'' was an 8-gun

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

, best known for its use as a pretext for the 1672 to 1674

Third Anglo-Dutch War The Third Anglo-Dutch War ( nl, Derde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog), 27 March 1672 to 19 February 1674, was a naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France. It is considered a subsidiary of the wider 1672 to 1678 ...

. In August 1671, Lord Arlington ordered ''Merlin'', carrying the English ambassador's wife

Dorothy Osborne Dorothy Osborne, Lady Temple (1627–1695) was a British writer of letters and wife of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet. Life Osborne was born at Chicksands Priory, Bedfordshire, England, the youngest of twelve children of Sir Peter Osborne, Lie ...

, to pass Dutch ships anchored near Brill; as agreed by treaty, the Dutch struck their flag in salute but failed to fire white smoke, a courtesy given to warships. Dutch commander Van Ghent later explained he was doubtful as to whether the ''Merlin'' came into that category and did not want to create a precedent. Dorothy, Lady Temple by Gaspar Netscher

Sir George Downing, English ambassador in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

, was ordered to demand those responsible for this 'insult' be severely punished, which the

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...

refused. Intended to raise public support for the war, it was so obviously manufactured that it had the opposite effect. Between 1681 and 1693, ''Merlin'' was employed by Captain

Greenville Collins Greenvile Collins (1643 – c. 25 March 1694) (also spelt Greenvill or Greenville) was an officer of the Royal Navy and prominent hydrographer, who compiled ''Great Britain's Coasting Pilot'', the first survey of the country's coast undertaken by ...

to complete a comprehensive survey of the British coastline, published in 1693 as ''Great Britain's Coasting Pilot''; this makes it the first British warship dedicated to marine survey work, rather than exploration. ''Merlin'' was later used by Captain

to produce a complete survey of the coastline of the British coast. The work was published by Freeman Collins and sold by Richard Mount of London as the ''Great Britain's Coasting Pilot''. (Online version hosted at Early English Books Online) Partially based on Dutch maps and replicating some of their errors, nevertheless the charts were an enormous advance and "entitle Collins to rank not only with the earliest, but with the best of English hydrographers."

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merlin Royal Yachts of the Kingdom of England 1660s ships Ships built in Rotherhithe