conteftable facts, but are at a lofs what fhare of their applaufe or cenfure to give them: they, at laft, see themselves reduced to the neceffity of implicitly relying on the teftimony of men of the profeffion, on every occafion of the like na

ture.

"I hope this abftract from P. L'Hofte's Treatife, which I have endeavoured to adapt to our English Navy, may be not only of ufe to thofe of the profeffion, but likewife to others, whofe laudable curiofity, at this time while facts are recent, may excite them to acquire fome general idea of our maritime affairs; that they may with the greater pleafure read and judge accordingly of the feveral glorious exploits of our ficets and fhips, in all quarters of the world, as they are now handing down to pofterity in our British annals, to be perpetuated to the everlafting fame and honour of Great-Britain, as well as to the immortal glory of his late and present Majefty."

The various difpofitions of fleets, under the many different circumftances of deftination, numbers, fituations, and wind, are embellished with engravings, which ferve to illuftrate the precepts delivered. As few of our Readers are fuppofed to be feamen, they might be very little entertained with confiderations refpecting windward, leeward, tacking, and hauling upon a wind, &c. becaufe fuch terms are hardly intelligible to them. That our nautical Readers, however, may be gratified in fome meafure, by being enabled to form an idea of a book which will neceffarily excite their curiofity; we fhall ald an extract from that part of the work relating to the Management of a Fleet in a Storm, which may ferve as a fpecimen of the Author's method, and contains an entertaining and critical account of the defeat of the famous Spanish Armada, in the year 1588.

A Fleet in a Storm.

I.

"A ficet, efpecially of large fhips, ought never to keep out at fea in bad weather, unlefs obliged to it on particular occafions: the many troublefome circumftances and ill confequences attending it are too obvious to need any explanation to thofe verfed in maritime affairs,

II.

"However, it is more prudent for a fleet to keep the fea in bad weather, than to anchor on a dangerous coaft, where

they

they may run the risk of foundering, or being drove from their anchors, and have no harbour or bay to secure themfelves in.

III.

"When a fleet is under an abfolute neceffity of continuing at fea in bad weather, it should form itself into three columns, leaving a great interval between each fhip, without widening at the fame time the diftance between the columns ; fo that it may be in this manner lefs liable to be feparated, and the fhips in lefs danger of falling on board of one another. IV.

"If the fhips have a good offing and fea-room enough to drive, they will lay to under their corfes; which will fubject them to labour lefs, and not ftrain fo much on their mafts, rigging, &c. but if they should not have drift enough, they muft lay to under their main fails, or mizens only; which will still keep them much easier than if they were under no fail at all.

COROLLARY.

"Hence we fee how important it is to have always fome port or harbour at command, to fecure the fleet in against any approaching ftorm or bad weather. The neglect of which neceffary caution was of fuch fatal confequence, as to be the principal caufe of almost the total lofs and defeat of the Spanifh Armada, in the year 1588.

EXAMPLE.

"Hiftory cannot furnish us with a more deplorable scene in the marine, than the lofs of the Armada of Philip II. King of Spain. This prince, having taken a refolution to make a conqueft of England, had given orders to build 140 galleons and galleaffes of a moft enormous fize, and fupplied them with a vast number of warlike machines, and 2500 pieces of large cannon. They took on board about 30,000 foldiers and failors, with the flower of the Spanish nobility. These ships of war were attended with a prodigious number of tranfports, ftore-fhips, &c. with provifions and ammunition for fix months. All Europe was in the utmost confternation to learn the place of destination of fo formidable an armament; whilft the Spaniards vainly flattered themfelves, they could not fail of fuccefs adequate to fuch mighty and aftonishing preparations.

"But it is to little purpofe to fit out great fleets and armies, without fending at the fame time able and experienced generals to conduct and command them: the fkill of the of

T 4

ficers

ficers is of greater moment than the greatnefs of the fhips, and the number of guns. Philip failed in this effential article; he trufled the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the command of his fleet, who had no knowlege in the marine, and took little care in the choice of either good failors or able pilots; not confidering, that fo material an overfight was the fame as if he had fent his galleaffes to fea without fails or oars for it is in vain to have them on board, unless they are managed with dexterity and addrefs when required. The confequence of which was, that they began by making fuch grofs miitakes in getting out of Lifbon harbour, that the fleet had like to have been loft before it had doubled Cape Finifterre. They entered the English channel with the wind at S. W. and by the 30th of June got the length of Plymouth, where they might have eafily defeated the English, who lay there in diforder, unprepared to receive an enemy they fo little expected. Ricaldo, the lieutenant-general of the Spanish army, made ufe of every argument he could to perfuade the Duke of Sidonia to embrace fo favourable a conjuncture; but it requires no fmall talents to be able to take good council. The Spanish General overlooked fuch wholfome advice, and by that means gave the English an opportunity of following and annoying him in his courfe up the channel, and even of taking one of his galliots, that was difabled by falling aboard of one of his fleet. He anchored the 6th of August off Calais, where it was strongly remonftrated to him, that he fhould first make himself matter of fome port, to fecure himself against a form or bad weather, before he undertook any thing of moment. It was likewife farther reprefented to him, that the coaft of Calais could afford no fhelter to fo large a flect to anchor on, but, on the contrary, must be expofed to too many dangers to remain there with any tolerable fafety. He was, in fhort, inflexible to every remonftrance that could be made him, as he could not comprehend from whence thofe dangers could arife. The night of the 7th of Auguft, the Fnglish, who had anchored with .three fmall fquadrons nigh enough to obferve his motions, and harra's the Spaniards, fent down upon them eight fire-fhips in a blaze: they who had not forgot the infernal machines of the bridge at Antwerp, were to terrified, that, after having cut their cables, and crying out, The fire of Antwerp! fire of Antwerp*! they got under fail with fuch confufion and

uproar,

* As fome of our Readers may not have read the famous story of the fege of Antwerp, by the Spaniards, under the celebrated Alex

ander,

uproar, as furpaffes all imagination. At the fame time, the fea rifing with the wind, brought on a dreadful ftorm, which, with the darkness of the night, and the confternation of the Spaniards, inexpreffibly augmented the horror of the scene. Orders were no longer followed; all was confufion, every body feeking refuge from whatever caprice or chance fuggefted to him. Some were drove by the wind upon the coast, where they were miferably fhipwrecked; others put out to fea, and feparated themselves into several small fquadrons; many fell on board each other, where, dafhing one another to pieces, they were soon swallowed up in the boom of the deep, where the melancholy fhrieks of the crews were heard, notwithstanding the terrible roaring of the furrounding waves. The wind having abated a little towards morning, the English had a moft fhocking and moving fcene to behold of the horrible state of the Spanifh fhips; which they attacked with fo much the greater eafe. They took, funk, and destroyed a great number, without their having the power fcarcely to refift them. There was only Ricaldo, Pimentel, Toledo, and Moncada, who, having rejoined their admiral, made up a fmall fquadron, and, with incredible bravery, withstood the force of the enemy; but the weather coming on a-fresh soon parted them. Moncada, with his galleafs, was thrown upon. the fhore at Calais, where, being attacked by a great number of English frigates, he defended himfelf like a lion, till receiving a musket-ball in the forehead, he funk upon a heap of dead bodies, that bravely fell in defending him. Toledo met with a happier fate; for, feeing himself hard pressed in his galleon, which by this time had entirely opened, he jumped into his boat with some of the bravest of his crew, and made his way through the enemy, till he gained the fhore, whilst the Dutch had boarded his galleon, which funk under them. Pimentel alone fought a Dutch fquadron for fix hours, to which he at laft furrendered with a great number of Spanish nobles. At length, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, being fenfible of his error too late, rejoined the melancholy remains of his fleet, and refolved upon returning to Spain by the north of Scotland; but ftill, to add more to his misfortune, he ex

ander. Prince of Parma. in 1585; it may be proper to inform them that the fact here alluded to, was an attempt to deftroy a bridge built by the befiegers, by means of fire-fhips, conftructed by an Italian engineer; which (with a molt horrible explofion) blew up all the outworks, fet fire to the whole bridge, and buried above 500 Spaniards in the ruins: notwithstanding which the fire was extinguished, by the vigilance of the Prince, the bridge repaired, and the city taken.

perienced,

perienced, to his coft, that those who have not a proper knowlege of the fea, will find it equally fatal at all times. The greatest part of the fhips which accompanied him perifhed on the coaft of England and Scotland; and he arrived himself almost alone in Spain, where he brought the moft deplorable news, and the least expected, that was ever received in that country. Upon this occafion fire-fhips were first made ufe of by Sir Francis Drake."

At the end are two large Tables, exhibiting a complete view of the French Navy, according to the ftate of it in the year 1755; wherein are given the dimenfions of the veffels, the places where, and the time when they were built, the complement in guns and men, and the fate of each fhip, down to the month of Auguft, 1761.

Remarks on the Beauties of Poetry. 8vo. 2 s. fewed.

N

By Daniel Webb, Esq;
DodЛley.

HE imitative arts alone are the province of genius. The

Tobjects of other sciences may be explored by demon

ftrative reafoning, and their heights attained by industrious fpeculation; but these have no bounds except thofe of nature, and it is nature only that gives the capacity of excelling in them. This capacity is termed genius, the diftinctive property of which is either to please by original beauty, or to furprize by fublimity. Poetry has generally been allowed to be the chief of the imitative arts, because it has the greatest power over our ideas, and poffeffes, in fome degree, the effential properties of mufic and painting, by including both harmony and description. Painting is inferior to Poetry, as it is totally incapable of progreffive imagery, and confequently of that fentimental variety which is the principal fource of intellectual delight. Mufic is inferior both to Painting and Poetry; for harmony, however variously it may be modified, is limited by certain keys, and depends upon mathematical principles: befides, its effect is confined to an external fenfe. It is with pleasure we find that the Author of The Enquiry into the Beauties of Painting*, who has now favoured the Public with his Remarks on Poetry, and feems to be no incompetent judge of thefe elegant arts, is fo far of our opinion as to give Poetry the preference.

The Remarks that are now before us are, in general, both judicious and ingenious; but they are not fo extenfive as * See an account of this work, Review, Vol. XXII. p. 305.

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