514 ANNUAL REGISTER, 181?. 



and then proceeds to give exam- 

 ples of maritime dominion assert- 

 ed and exercised by different na- 

 tions in ancient and modern his- 

 tory. In several of these, how- 

 ever, he will probably appear to 

 have confounded naval power with 

 maritime dominion, especially in 

 the instances of the Greek states 

 which are said ^aXxa-ffoKfareit, 

 which word, as he acknowledges, 

 often means no more than to pos- 

 sess a superiority by sea. And in 

 point of fact, the dominion of the 

 sea historically considered, will 

 perhaps be found to import no 

 more than the power alternately 

 possessed by different states, of 

 ruling in the portions of sea ad- 

 jacent to their own coasts, and 

 dictating to their neighbours such 

 conditions of navigating them as 

 they thought expedient. In this 

 view, there are abundant instances 

 of the assertion of such a domi- 

 nion, which has been acquiesced 

 in only so long as it was supported 

 by a powerful navy. 



The second part, in which Bri- 

 tish maritime dominion is attempt- 

 ed to be established, begins with a 

 quadripartite division of the British 

 seas according to the four cardinal 

 points ; and proceeds to show the 

 right of sovereignty exercised in 

 all these at different periods. A 

 dominion over these parts of the 

 surrounding ocean is traced from 

 hand to hand in the Roman, Saxon, 

 and Norman times, as accompany- 

 ing the several changes in territo- 

 rial power. The office and juris- 

 diction of Admiral of England are 

 deduced from ancient diplomas; 

 and arguments are brought to 

 prove, that the admirals of the op- 

 posite coast of France did not pre- 



tend to the same authority in the 

 Channel with those of England. 

 The permission of transit and of 

 fishery granted by the English 

 kings at different periods to Strang- I 

 ers, is adduced as a cogent proof 

 of the British sovereignty in these 

 seas ; which is confirmed by the 

 rules and limits assigned in them 

 to foreigners at war with each 

 other, but mutually in amity with 

 England. The assumption or in- 

 cidental mention of this maritime 

 dominion of our kings in their 

 charters and public records, and 

 its recognition in our law books, 

 are adverted to as additional testi- 

 monies of the existence of such a 

 claim ; and the same is regarded 

 as acquiesced in by foreign nations 

 in the ancient and established cus- 

 tom of striking sail to English ships 

 of war in the surrounding waters. 

 After the production of further 

 proofs of a similar kind, the book 

 concludes with a distinct consi- 

 deration of the dominion of the 

 King of Great Britain in the Irish 

 and Scottish seas ; and the author 

 sums up the whole in the follow- 

 ing passage. After quoting some 

 very apposite lines of Grotius's 

 complimentary address to King 

 James on his accession to the 

 crown of England (in which the 

 flattery of the poet seems to have 

 got the better of the prudence of 

 the politician), ending with 



Finis liic est, qui fine caret. Quae meta 



Britannis 

 Littora sunt aliis ; regtiique aucessio tanti 



est 

 Quod ventis velisque patet : 



he adds, '* And true it is, accord- 

 ing to the mass of testimony above 

 adduced, that the very shores and 



harbours 



