PREFACE. In offering a new work to the public on the subject of our naval triumphs, and illustrative of the lives and characters of the gallant men by whom those triumphs have been achieved, it is unnecessary to be very diffuse in pointing out its importance. The title of the work will of itself be sufficient to interest the feelings, and excite the curiosity of the reader. Yet, perhaps, a few observations may not be thought inappropriate by way of introduction. The utility of naval history to the people of this country may be said to be self-evident, since there can be no doubt that to our maritime supremacy we are indebted, not only for commercial prosperity, but for our very existence as a nation. It is perhaps to their consciousness of this latter circumstance that in the eyes of Britons our marine, and those who are entrusted with its command, form at all times the mainstay of British power; and accordingly it is not merely as a figure of speech, but as a palpable trueism, that in speaking of our ships of war, we are accustomed to call them our "wooden walls," and "bulwarks of the deep." Nor is there any wonder that it should be so, when we reflect on what has been accomplished by means of this element of political power, as well as of national glory. Let a single fact speak in evidence as follows; it is worth a whole volume of commentary. Until the end of the seventeenth century, our maritime wars were confined to the fighting of a few battles with one or two fleets, to the making of a few cruises, a few detached blockades, or some special enterprise; and these generally comprehended the entire labours of a campaign. In our last great naval war, however, of which the nineteenth century has witnessed the commencement and the termination, the bold and magnificent idea was conceived, and carried into effect, of attacking, nearly at the same moment, the fleets of France, of Spain, of Holland, of Denmark, of Italy, and even of America, and the result was, that single handed, we triumphed over them all. We not only blockaded the military ports which could give refuge to squadrons or flotillas, but effectually barred the entrance of our enemies' trading vessels to every commercial port of any importance; and thus a spectacle was exhibited to the world, of which till then no maritime nation had ever afforded an example-that of an insular power, moderate in point of extent, as well as population, being enabled by means of its ships of war alone, to form a continued line of observation, along all the coasts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, at one and the same time. In fact, the whole continents of the two worlds were simultaneously besieged, their islands were successively captured, and the commerce of nations was made to flow in such channels only as the victors chose to dictate. But this was not all. After twenty years constant fighting, although we had commenced the struggle with a population of only thirty millions, we finished it by consolidating our political power, and extending our empire over not less than eighty millions, Let it be including the conquered and the conquering. remembered to her honour, too, that Great Britain never reckoned, during the whole period, more than 145,000 seamen and marines employed in her service, while performing these astonishing efforts, these miracles of naval enterprise, valour, and skill. Never was the national energy of a people more magnificently displayed-and the grand scale upon which it was so triumphantly carried into effect, was unquestionably owing to the efficiency of our navy. There are other considerations, however, which make our naval power at once the pride, the honour, and the glory of Britons. It has been the means of extending our empire to the remotest quarters of the globe. In every period, since it became a distinct service, it has been the chief safe-guard of the nation against invasion from abroad; and, at the same time, the protector of our commercial interests both upon the ocean and in foreign ports. It has enabled us to establish commercial relations with every nation in the world, to form numerous flourishing colonies, to open up new marts for commerce, and to increase our trade and manufactures to an extent unparalleled in the history of nations. But, what is perhaps of not less importance, it has established on an imperishable basis, our fame as a great and a free people, eminent alike for perseverance and skill in the peaceful pursuits of industry, and for magnanimity and heroism in the art of war. A distinguished writer has well remarked, that "these are the glorious trophies of maritime empire, and the fruits of that dominion over the sea, which was claimed by the earliest possessors of the island; but which, in later times, has been so completely established, by an uninterrupted succession of noble achievements, on what is emphatically called our natural element, as may be truly said to have left the fleets of Britain without a rival." In the following work, the reader will find ample details, illustrative of what is stated above. These have been drawn from the most authentic sources, and no pains have been spared to render it equally interesting, curious, and useful, and at the same time, authoritative as to facts and controverted points in our naval history. It is hoped that one principal object desired to be obtained by the Author, will be found fully accomplished-that of rendering the work a substitute for those voluminous and cumbrous productions usually denominated naval histories, and making it truly what such a work ought to be-a portable library, adapted alike for the cabin of a ship and for the chest of a sailor. CONTENTS. Henry the Seventh-Origin of the Royal Navy as a Dis- tinct Service-Henry the Eighth-Edward the Sixth- Reign of Elizabeth-Her Precautions to Restore her Fleet -The Spanish Armada-Howard of Effingham-Earl of Essex-Sir John Hawkins-Sir Francis Drake-Sir Mar- Reign of James the First-Sir William Monson-Quarrels |