Notice of Sketches of Naval Life. 393 
whom, chiefly, the book is intended. As our men of war 
present the singular spectacle, of a thorough monarchy, 
sheltered under the wings of republicanism. I well recol- 
lect, too the pleasure, with which I saw our navy, slowly but 
surely building up a fair character for our nation abroad, and 
my first wish, after enjoying these things myself, was to have 
people at home enjoy them too, and hence the copious jour- 
nals from which the materials for these letters have been 
sketches of a sailor’s life.” 
We look at the progress of our navy, as we do at every 
thing connected with the country, with pleasure and sur- 
prise. In October, 1775, a committee was appointed by 
Congress, to provide two fast sailing vessels, one of ten guns, 
the other of fourteen. We have now our men of war in 
every sea; they are spoken of with admiration wherever 
they appear; we are founding navy yards and docks ; amass- 
ing stores and filling magazines; ar shall soon launch the 
largest ship in the world ; efficient in a tremendous degree, 
but, after all, probably a pageant of national vanity; and a 
pageant may she always remain ! 
Such a rapid increase has necessarily been attended, as 
in the case of every sudden growth, with imperfections and 
errors, and as each minute of the present Is doubly valuable, 
from its necessary influence on the future, he merits the 
thanks of his country, who will place before us these imper- 
fections and errors with their remedy. Naval men are, of 
course, best qualified to do this, but from them it must not 
be expected ; the strictness of naval discipline will not suffer 
it; he who should venture to point out an error would fall 
under the charge of censuring his superiors, and subject him- 
self to arrest. Still this subject, like most others, is capable 
of deriving benefit from candid investigation. The volumes 
before us open the way. The author seems to have felt 
