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SHORT VIEW

OF THE

NAVAL TRANSACTIONS

OF

BRITAIN:

Beginning with the Reign of Queen ELIZABETH, and ending with the PEACE of VERSAILLES in 1762.

HE extenfive commerce of Great Britain hav

Ting increafed her riches and power, and thence enabled her to acquire a very refpectable influence among the European ftates; fome of them much her fuperiors in extent of territory and numbers of people: it is a very natural fubject of inquiry to ask what peculiar circumftances operated fo happily in her fayour? In this investigation, it will not be long before it is discovered, that whatever causes befide might cooperate; the profperity of Britain is primarily owing to its infular fituation; and to its being an inland of fuch a fize, as to poffefs fufficient internal ftrength to make proper improvement of its exterior advantages.

Thefe advantages were indeed enjoyed but in part, before the two kingdoms understood their mutual intereft fo well as to unite together in one empire. England, it is true, was always formidable before but it is fince that happy period that Great Britain has fhone with fuperior luftre; and fhewn, what a VOL. VII.

brave

brave and a free people, fo fortunately fituated, can perform, under prudent conduct, for their commor intereft.

After a general collection of voyages and travels, in which we have ranged the globe at large, and informed ourselves concerning diftant nations; as we find our own ifland fo peculiarly calculated for a maritime power, and fo eminently diftinguished as one; it will certainly be a very interefting amusement to a British reader, to trace, in a hiftorical view, those fignal naval tranfactions, from which our mariners have derived fo much glory, and our country fuch capital emoluments, and fuch ascendancy on the

ocean.

England from the earliest ages was diftinguished as a maritime nation, compared with her cotemporaries at the feveral periods. But it was not until the time of Queen Elizabeth, that the conftitution began to fettle; and a commercial intereft to take place of the old feudal fyftem. This infpired the government with a vigour heretofore little known; the effects of which were fhewn to great advantage under the refolute princefs with whom we fhall commence a review of the British marine.

PERHAPS there never was a kingdom in a more diftreffed condition than England, at the acceffion of Queen Elizabeth. It was engaged in a war abroad for the interest of a foreign prince; at home the people were divided and diftracted about their religious and civil concerns. Thofe of the reformed religion had been lately expofed to the flames, and thofe of the Roman community found themfelves now in a declining ftate. On the continent we had no allies; in this very ifland the Scots were enemies, and their queen claimed the English crown. The exchequer was exhaufted; most of the forts and caftler throughout the kingdom mouldering into ruins; at fea we had loft much of our ancient reputation; and a too Charp

fharp fenfe of their misfortunes, had dejected the whole nation to the laft degree.

Elizabeth was about twenty-five years of age, had quick parts, an excellent education, much prudence, and withal, what he inherited from her father, a high and haughty fpirit, qualified by a warm and tender affection for her people, and an abfolute contempt of thofe pleasures, by the indulging which, princes are too commonly milled. She received the compliments on her acceffion, with majefty; and the fupported her dignity even in her dying moments.

The first act of the queen's government was afferting her independency. She made an order in council, in the preamble of which it was recited, that the diftreffes of the kingdom were chiefly owing to the influence of foreign counfels in the late reign; and therefore the queen thought fit to declare, that she was a free princefs, and meant fo to act, without any farther applications to Spain, than the concerns of her people abfolutely required. On the twenty-first . of November, when the had worn the crown but three days, fhe fent orders to vice-admiral Malyn, to draw together as many fhips as he could for the defence of the narrow feas, and for preventing likewife all perfons from entering into, or paffing out of the kingdom without licence; which he performed fo ftrictly, that in a fhort time the council were forced to relax their orders, and to fignify to the warden of the Cinqueports, that the queen meant not to imprifon her fubjects, but that perfons might pafs and repafs about their lawful concerns.

With like diligence, provifion was made for the fecurity of Dover, Portfmouth, and the lile of Wight, fo that by the end of the year, the kingdom was out of all danger from any fudden infult, and the queen at leifure to confider how the might farther ftrengthen it, fo as to render all the projects of her enemies abortive. Her entrance on government had the fame appearance of wifdom as if fhe had been years upon the throne,

O a

throne, and the hopes raised by her first actions were fupported and even exceeded by the fteadiness of her conduct; fo that by a firm and uniform behaviour she fecured the reverence and affection of her fubjects at home, and established a character abroad that prevented any immediate enterprizes upon her dominions in that feeble and fluctuating condition in which the found them.

In the month of April 1559, peace was concluded with France; and therein, amongst other things, it was provided, that, after the term of eight years, the French should render to the queen the town of Calais, or pay her fifty thoufand crowns by way of penalty. In this treaty, the Dauphin and the queen of Scots were alfo included: but this was very indifferently performed; for the French immediately began to fend over great forces into Scotland, where they intended, firft to root out the proteftant religion, and then to have made themselves entirely mafters of the kingdom. This proceeding fo alarmed the nobility of Scotland, that they applied for protection to Queen Elizabeth; who forefeeing the confequence of fuffering the French to establish an intereft in Scotland, determined to fend thither affiftance both by land and fea.

In the mean time a ftrict but legal inquiry was made into the loss of Calais in the late reign. The Lord Wentworth, on whom many afperfions had fallen, was very fairly tried and honourably acquitted by his peers; but the captains Chamberlain and Harleston, were condemned, though the queen thought fit to pardon them. As for Lord Grey, his gallant defence of the fortrefs, wherein he was governor, exempted him from any profecution; inftead of which, he was appointed commander in chief of the forces that were to march into Scotland. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Winter, which failed up the Frith of Forth, blocked up Leith by fea, while the army of the Scots lords, and the English auxiliaries under

Lord

Lord Grey, befieged it by land, and in a very fhort fpace forced the French garrifon to capitulate. Thus all the defigns of France on that fide, were entirely broken, and the queen left to look to her own concerns, which she did with such diligence, that in two years space, religion was reftored, the principal grievances felt under the former government redreffed; bafe money taken away, the forts throughout the kingdom repaired, and trade brought into a flourifhing condition.

But above all, the navy was the queen's peculiar care; the directed a moft exact furvey of it to be made, a very ftri&t enquiry into the caufes of its decay, and the fureft means by which it might be recovered. She iffued orders for preferving timber fit for building, directed many pieces of brafs cannon to be caft, and encouraged the making gunpowder here at home, which had been hitherto brought from abroad at a vast expence. For the fecurity of her fleet, which generally lay in the river Medway, fhe built a ftrong fortrefs, called Upnore-Caftle. The wages of the feamen fhe raised, enlarged the number, and augmented the falaries of her naval officers; drew over foreigners fkilled in the arts relating to navigation, to instruct her people, and by the pains fhe took in these affairs, excited a fpirit of emulation among her fubjects, who began every where to exert themfelves in like manner, by repairing of ports, and building veffels of all fizes, especially large and ftout fhips, fit for war, as well as commerce. From all which, as Mr. Camden tells us, the queen juftly acquired the glorious title of the RESTORER OF NAVAL POWER, and SOVEREIGN of the NORTHERN SEAS; infomuch, that foreign nations were ftruck with awe at the queen's proceedings, and were now willing respectfully to court a power, which had been fo lately the object of their contempt.

The civil diffentions in the kingdom of France, which gave the court a pretence for oppreffing those

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