Naval War of 1812 51 



had taught the Russians that they must needs keep 

 in port when the English cruisers were in the offing. 

 The descendants of the Vikings had seen their whole 

 navy destroyed at Copenhagen. No Dutch fleet ever 

 put out after the day when, off Camperdown, Lord 

 Duncan took possession of Van Winter's shattered 

 ships. But a few years before 1812, the greatest 

 sea-fighter of all time had died in Trafalgar Bay, 

 and in dying had crumbled to pieces the navies of 

 France and of Spain. 



From that day England's task was but to keep 

 in port such of her foes' vessels as she had not de 

 stroyed. France alone still possessed fleets that 

 could be rendered formidable, and so, from the 

 Scheldt to Toulon, her harbors were watched and 

 her coasts harried by the blockading squadrons of 

 the English. Elsewhere the latter had no fear of 

 their power being seriously assailed ; but their vast 

 commerce and numerous colonies needed ceaseless 

 protection. Accordingly in every sea their cruisers 

 could be found, of all sizes, from the stately ship-of- 

 the-line, with her tiers of heavy cannon and her 

 many hundreds of men, down to the little cutter 

 carrying but a score of souls and a couple of light 

 guns. All these cruisers, but especially those of the 

 lesser rates, were continually brought into contact 

 with such of the hostile vessels as had run through 

 the blockade, or were too small to be affected by it. 

 French and Italian frigates were often fought and 

 captured when they were skirting their own coasts, 

 or had started off on a plundering cruise through the 



