296 OUR HERITAGE THE SEA 



upon the sea-power of Great Britain, much as has 

 been made of them, and is even now made, by American 

 writers. There is really no need to press the point, 

 the proof of it may be found in the fact that we were 

 able, alone among European nations, to curb success- 

 fully the Napoleonic tyranny, to put bounds to that 

 all-grasping ambition which aimed at nothing less 

 than the enslavement of the whole civilized world. 



What is more to the point is to note how slow 

 was the march of nautical improvement. Ships were 

 getting bigger and more unwieldy than ever, especially 

 those designed and built by the French and Spaniards, 

 but the artillery remained much the same as in Blake's 

 time, and the principal object in naval warfare was 

 still to close with your enemy, run him aboard, and 

 settle the matter in hand by personal combat, as in 

 the days of old. In fact, I am inclined to believe 

 that artillery had less to do with the settlement of 

 naval engagements than it had in the days of Drake. 

 Yet, in spite of all the drawbacks consequent upon the 

 types of ships which were used, and of the hindrance 

 inseparable from the handling of the vast top-hamper 

 required for the moving of those ungainly hulls, naval 

 warfare was becoming more and more the peculiar 

 province of British men, and the record of the seven- 

 teenth and eighteenth centuries in naval matters is 

 a very cheering one for us. Dimly and afar off it is 

 true, but still effectively, we had come to recognize 

 that sea-power was the prime factor in international 

 warfare, and we spared no expense, no pains, to main- 

 tain our predominance therein. How ably we were 

 aided by those glorious men, that splendid band of 

 leaders of whom Nelson was the bright particular star, 



