THE accounts of the English Navy are but few until the reign of Henry the Eighth; but as the office of Ad'miral was established so early as the reign of Edward the First, and perhaps John; and we find Fitz-allan appointed Admiral of England by Richard the Second; and Spelman has given us a list of Admirals from Henry the Third, we may infer that our Princes had some ships of their own, besides the occasional ones furnished by the Cinque Ports, &c. The first instance, and it is a curious one, as it mentions cannon employed on board a ship, occurs in Rymer's Feedera (vol. viii. p. 447). It is an order to Henry Somer, keeper of the private wardrobe in the Tower, to deliver to Master Loveney, Treasurer of Philippa, Queen of Sweden (who was sent by her uncle, Henry the Fourth, to her husband), in the ship called the Queen's Hall, 11 guns, 44lb. of powder for gunnes, four touches, two fire-pans, 40 pavys, 24 bows, and 40 sheaves of arrows, with other articles" pro stuffura ejusdem navis, ordinata pro Aula Reginæ."

Henry the Fifth, at his first invasion of France, appears to have had two large and beautiful ships of his own, with purple sails, the one called the "King's Chamber," the other his "Hall."

Edward the Fourth had several ships of his own, which he employed

VOL. IV.

sometimes in war, and often for trade, in which he dealt largely. It appears from Canning's (the Bristol merchant) monument in Radcliffe Church, Bristol, that he at one time furnished this Prince with 2470 tons of shipping to purchase his peace; among which were the Mary and John of 900 tons, and the Mary Radcliffe of 500 tons, being two of the largest ships belonging to any Englishman at that early period, though many of equal size, and larger, are to be found amongst the Genoese and Venetians of the time.

In 1481, in an order from the king to his " Beloved Richard Symonds, Master of his ship the Grace de Dieu," to prepare an armament against his majesty's enemy the King of Scots, he mentions under the title of "the King's ships"-the Henry, the Anthony, the Great Portingale, the Spagnard, and the Henry Ashe; and also directs letters patent to be issued to the commanders of five others, who had not ships belonging to the king, but some which seems to have been hired. We find also from other documents, that impressing of seamen for the king's service was practised at this time, perhaps much earlier.

It appears that cur ships were now built larger also; for in the earlier stages of them, they were all of small size, and even consisted, for the most

part, of single-decked vessels, with one mast only. In the famous Armada of Edward the Third, though it consisted of 1,100 vessels, the men on board them were only 11,166; very little more than ten men per vessel; and though, in the proportion of those furnished by the city of London, we find them a little larger, they do not exceed twenty-six men per vessel in that class.

It is therefore to the reign of Henry the Eighth we must look for the establishment of a regular navy. Before his reign, ships were hired occasionally from the Venetians, the Genoese, the Hans Towns, and other trading people. These, with such as were supplied by the Cinque Ports, formed the strength of our English fleets. As soon as the service was performed for which they were hired, they were dismissed.

Henry, aware of the inconveniency of suddenly collecting so great a sea force as his frequent wars on the continent required, resolved to form such a permanent strength by sea, as his political views, and the growing state of trade, at that time so much increased by the discoveries of the East Indies, and the enlarged communications with our neighbours on the continent, seemed to make neces

sary.

The recent introduction of cannon on board ships of war, had also made it necessary that the size of them should be enlarged. And though there were at that time employed in the business of commerce, some that were pretty considerable, as appears in the case of those belonging to Canning, the number of them was very small, and the general size made them also incompetent for the purposes of war in the manner it began to be carried on.

To execute this plan, Henry established building yards at Woolwich, Deptford, and Chatham. He was at first obliged to hire foreign artificers, as we find by a curious report made by James the First, in the year 1618, in answer to a commission issued by that prince to his several master

builders. It specifies that—“ King Henry the Eighth made use of Italian shipwrights; but encouraging his own people to build strong ships of war to carry great ordinance, he by that means established a puissant navy, which at the end of his reign consisted of 70 vessels, whereof 30 were ships of burthen; and contained in all 10,550 tons, and two galleys; the rest were small barks and row barges, from 80 tons downwards to 15 tons, which served in rivers, and for landing of men. Edward the Sixth, in the sixth year of his reign, bad but 53 ships, containing in all 11,005 tons, with 7,905 men, wher of only 28 vessels were above 20 ton's ch. Queen Mary had but 46 of all soris." Thus much from the Report.

Though we are not acquainted with all the particular ships that formed the navy of Henry the Eighth, we know that amongst them were two very large ones, viz the Regent, and the Harry Grace de Dieu; the former being burnt in an engagement with the French, in 1512, occasioned Henry to build the latter. we consider the ships that formed the navy in the first year of Edward the Sixth, as the navy left by his father, we shall be surprised at the state to which he raised it.

And if

The construction of the slips at this period, however, was rude and imperfect, and the mode of fighting them does not seem to have been much better; for we find in the action, 1519, between the two great fleets of France and England, the former consisting of ninety, and the latter of one hundred vessels, that after a close fight of two hours, according to the observation of a French historian, there were not less than 300 shot fired on both sides; whereas Lord Rodney, in his memorable engagement, in which the Ville de Paris was taken, fired from his own ship, as he himself reported, eleven broadsides, which, as she carried 98 guns, was probably`almost double the number fired on both sides between these two mighty fleets. In the earlier state of naval engage ment, before the introduction of can

non, the manner of fight was still ruder and more barbarous; for the combatants fought on platforms raised on the decks of the vessels. This mode of fight continued until 1213, and was practised in the great fight that year between the French and English fleets. It must have been attended with a great deal more slaughter than that which followed the use of cannon.

In the reign of Elizabeth, we see with pleasure the brilliant state of our rising navy. The wars she was obliged to carry on with Spain not only obliged her to increase it, but were the occasion of breeding up such a race of naval heroes, as no age or country ever produced within the same compass of time-and the name of Raleigh, Drake, Forbisher, Caven dish, Cumberland, and many others, need but be mentioned to be remembered with honour by their grateful countrymen.

During the peaceful reign of James, the navy rather declined than advanced, consisting only of 15,960 tons, whereas Elizabeth had left him 17,030. Charles I. built but few ships, and those not large ones. The troubles of his reign prevented his application to this important subject, which he however seemed to be well acquainted with. During the Interregnum, it appears that the size of the ships was not increased; and that the great naval officer, the gallant Blake, was more intent on making honourable use of the ships he found built, than of adding much to their number, and nothing to their magnitude.

The ships built in the reign of William the Third, though they added greatly to the number, did not very much add to the size of them; for, except a new Royal Sovereign, built towards the end of his reign, of 1882 tons, and which remained a serviceable ship till about 1785, we find no other that equalled the magnitude of the Britannia of 1,715 tons, which was built by Charles the Second. Our first-rates are now about 2,300 tons, our second-rates above 2,000, and one of them has been even

2,100 tons; our eighties from 1,900 to 2,000 tons; our seventies from, 1,700 to upwards of 1,800 tons; and our sixty-fours of above 1,400,, with calibre of guns that they now can bear very well.

The triumph of art and industry is, no where more fully evinced than in tracing this gradual progress from the first simple raft, or a few logs of wood tied together to pass a single man over some inconsiderable river, up to our present first-rates of above 2,300 tons, able to carry eleven or twelve hundred men, with every accommodation, and a numerous and heavy artillery, across a turbulent, tempestuous ocean, for many months.

This gradual progress cannot be better ascertained than by a short summary of the states of our Navy through the different periods mentioned. Henry VIII. left a navy of 10,550 tons, consisting of seventyoue vessels, of which thirty were ships of burden. Edward VI. had fifty-three ships, containing 11,005 tons, of which only twenty-eight were above eighty tons. Queen Mary had only forty-six of all sorts. Queen Elizabeth's consisted of 17,030 tons, of which thirty ships were of 200 tons, and upwards.

The pacific reign of James I. added only 1596 tons to the navy left by Elizabeth. Of both these only eighteen were ships of 200 tons and upwards. Charles I. added only nine ships, besides the Royal Sovereign. But, in giving this last, he did great service to the navy, by increasing the size as well as improving the form of building ships of war. Charles II., in 1684, enlarged the number as well as the size of them to 100,385 tons; one hundred sail of them of the line. In 1697 it was increased to 168,224 tons, one hundred and thirty-one line of battle. At the end of Anne it was 147,830 tons, 131 line of battle; in 1730, 160,275 tons, 126 line of battle; at the end of 175, 165,636 tons; but at the end of 1782, when the American war ended, during which Great Britain had the united naval force of France, Spain, Hol

land, and the American States to contend with, and did it with honour and success, the exertion was indeed extraordinary; for our navy consisted of 491,709 tons, 615 vessels, whereof 164 were of the line, although they had increased nearly to their present magnitude.*

The number of seamen was answerable to the increase of the ships; for instead of 40,000, the usual allotment voted to the navy during the reign of Anne, and long afterwards, the astonishing number of 95,000 were frequently employed on board during the heat of the American war, and that without injury. to the merchant service.

(Resumed at p. 82.)

STANZAS.

I KNEW thee in thy cloudless day, But dared not breathe my love to thee;

It wore my youthful form away,

And fill'd my heart with misery. That love was hopeless, and I sought To hide from all my soul's despair, And die contented with the thought

That I had gaz'd on one so fair!

A gloom was spread o'er me and mine, For thee was nought but sunny weather,

And when I saw thy fortune shine,
I would not link our fates together.

rove,

When I have seen thee, gay at heart,
Through lighted halls with others
I've stood in some deserted part,
And gazed on thee with speechless
love.

And when I saw thy lovers press

Round thee, a fickle watch to keep,

I felt my utter loneliness,

And turn'd from them and thee to weep.

To weep, alas! o'er lost repose,

In anguish and unyielding sorrow, To weep o'er wounds that would not close,

And hopes for which there seem'd no

NO DEARER MOMENTS E'ER CAN FLOW.

ADDRESSED BY H. P. ESQ. TO MISS SARAH E.-COMPOSED BY JOHN BARNETT, LATE OF THE

THEATRE RROYAL

COVENT GARDEN,

No dearer moments e'er can flow
Than when I rov'd at eve with thee;
Thro' sunless groves where vi'lets blow.
And shed their blossoms silently.
Then, life serenely glided by,

As night clouds o'er the moon above; Or, as the breezes' sweetest sigh, Responding to the strains of love.

And all was dark and drear, save where
One lovely Rose had dar'd intrude;
Which beam'd as brightly, purely fair,
As Love in lonely solitude.
That rose secluded met my view,

And bloometh in my mem'ry yet;
As streams still bear the sun's last hue,
When he in golden pride hath set.

Alike my heart's slow pulses play'd, When bright eyes beam'd and lips breath'd sweet,

For sunny looks could ne'er invade,

Nor sounds e'er cheer its sad retreat; Until one glance from thy blue eye

Shone brightly in its lone recess, And, like the rose, beam'd smilingly, Illumining a wilderness.

Transatlantic Varieties,

Or Selections from

AMERICAN JOURNALS.

NO. XXI.

STEPPING MILL.This improvement in punishing criminals is adopted in several large towns in this county, and will become general-Time only can develope their moral effects -One good result is apparent in our Stepping Mills. Formerly, when the

labour was light, the convicts, when locked up at night, were noisy and profane; now, when relieved from the Stepping Mill, and having had their supper such is their fatigue, that they enjoy a sound and refreshing sleep, having no power or inclination to talk, to be riotous or abusive. The effort seems to be confined to the legs and feet, and yet it is evident that the constant action strengthens the muscles and tendons of the leg, and gives it firmness and elasticity. The convicts on the Mill are generally very healthy.-(Nat. Advertiser, Aug. 1823.)

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.John C. Hamilton was executed in Kentucky, a few years since (1817), for the murder of Doctor Sanderson, of Nalchez, Mississippi. A man has recently been executed in Mobile, who confessed himself the murderer of Sanderson, and declared that Hamilton was innocent.-(Southern Paper.)

The annals of judicial proceedings rarely afford a report of a trial and execution of a inore extraordinary and distressing character than this, and it should be universally circulated, that judges and jurors may be guarded against condemning supposed culprits on circumstantial evidence. Young Hamilton through life had supported an unblemished character, and obtained the love, esteem, and admiration of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. As is coramon with the young gentlemen of Kentucky, he was in the practice of spending the winter season in the more genial climate of Mississippi. On his return from a winter residence in that quarter, he accidently fell in company with Doctor Sanderson, who, being in ill health, was journeying to the celebrated watering places at Harrisburg Spa, with hope of recovering his lost health, and as he was anxious to make something out of his pilgrimage, he took with him a large sum of money, with which he contemplated purchasing negroes on speculation. On his way