A DUEL OF NATIONS. 271 



during their reign on this island; but it was not till the reign of Edward III. that the 

 first opening of the great Newcastle coal-fields took place, although as early as 1253 

 there was a lane at the back of Newgate called " Sea-coal Lane." As in many other 

 instances, even in our own days, the value of the discovery seems to have been more 

 appreciated by foreigners than by the people of this country, and for a considerable time 

 after it had been found, the combustion of coal was considered to be so unhealthy that a royal 

 edict forbad its use in the city of London, while the queen resided there, in case it might 

 prove " pernicious to her health." At the same time, while England laid her veto on the 

 use of that very article which has since made her, or helped to make her, the most 

 famous commercial nation of the world, France sent her ships laden with corn to 

 Newcastle, carrying back coal in return, her merchants being the first to supply this 

 new great article of commerce to foreign countries. In the reign of Henry V. the trade 

 had become of such importance that a special Act was passed providing for the ad- 

 measurement of ships and barges employed in the coal trade. 



King John stoutly claimed for England the sovereignty of the sea he was not 

 always so firm and decided and decreed that all foreign ships, the masters of which 

 should refuse to strike their colours to the British flag, should be seized and deemed 

 good and lawful prizes. This monarch is stated to have fitted out no less than 500 

 ships, under the Earl of Salisbury, in the year 1213, against a fleet of ships three 

 times that number, organised by Philip of France, for the invasion of England. After 

 a stubborn battle, the English were successful, taking 300 sail, and driving more than 

 100 ashore, Philip being under the necessity of destroying the remainder to prevent 

 them falling into the hands of their enemies. Some notion may be gained of th'e 

 kinds of ships of which these fleets were composed, by the account that is narrated of 

 an action fought in the following reign with the French, who, with eighty "stout ships/' 

 threatened the coast of Kent. This fleet being discovered by Hubert de Burgh, governor 

 of Dover Castle, he put to sea with half the number of English vessels, and having got 

 to the windward of the enemy, and run down many of the smaller ships, he closed with 

 the rest, and threw on board them a quantity of quick-lime a novel expedient in warfare 

 which so blinded the crews that their vessels were either captured or sunk. The dominion 

 of the sea was bravely maintained by our Edwards and Henrys in many glorious sea- 

 fights. The temper of the times is strongly exemplified by the following circumstance. 

 In the reign of Edward I. an English sailor was killed in a Norrnan port, in consequence 

 of which war was declared by England against France, and the two nations agreed to 

 decide the dispute on a certain day, with the whole of their respective naval forces. The 

 spot of battle was to be the middle of the Channel, marked out by anchoring there an 

 empty ship. This strange duel of nations actually took place, for the two fleets mat on 

 April 14th, 1293, when the English obtained the victory, and carried off in triumph 250 

 vessels from the enemy. In an action off the harbour of Sluys with the French fleet, 

 Edward III. is said to have slain 30,000 of the enemy, and to have taken 200 large ships, 

 " in one of which only, there were 400 dead bodies." The same monarch, at the siege of 

 Calais, is stated to have blockaded that port with 730 sail, having on board 14,956 

 mariners. The size of the vessels employed must have been rapidly enlarging. 



