802 
ENGLAND. 
increafe of Englifh (hipping and feamen was not only en¬ 
couraged, but rendered unavoidably neceflary. The mod: 
beneficial flatute for the trade and commerce of thefe 
kingdoms, is that navigation aft ; the rudiments of which 
were fil'd framed in 1650, partly with a narrow view ; being 
intended to mortify the fugar iflands, which were difaf- 
fefted to the parliament, and dill held ont for Charles II. 
by dopping the gainful trade which they then carried on 
with the Dutch ; and at the fame time to clip the wings 
of thofe our opulent and afpiring neighbours. This pro¬ 
hibited all fhips of foreign nations from trading with any 
Englifh plantations, without licence from the council of 
date. In 1651, the prohibition was extended alfo to the 
mother country ; and no goods were flittered to be im¬ 
ported into England, or any of its dependencies, in any 
other than Englifh bottoms, or in the fhipsof that Euro¬ 
pean nation of which the merchandife imported was the 
genuine growth or manufafture. At the redoration, the 
former provifions were continued,By flatute 12 Charles II. 
c. 18. with this very material improvement, that the maf- 
ter, and three-fourths of the mariners, (hall alfo be Eng- 
lidi fubjefts. The complement of feamen, in time of 
peace, ufually bath amounted to 12 or 15,000. In time 
of war, they have formerly amounted to 80,000 men; 
and, after the commencement of the prefent war, they 
amounted to 102,000 men, including marines, which was 
2000 beyond the number voted by parliament. 
This navy is commonly divided into three fquadrons ; 
namely, the red, white, and blue, which are fo termed 
from the differences of their colours. Each fquadron has 
its admiral : but the admiral of the red fquadron has the 
principal command of the whole, and isdyled vice-admi¬ 
ral of Great Britain. Subjeft to each admiral is alfo a 
vice and rear admiral. But the fupreme command of our 
naval force is, next to the king, in the lords commiffioners 
of the admiralty. Notwithftanding our favourable fitua- 
tion for a maritime power, it was not until the vaft arma¬ 
ment lent to fi^bdue us by Spain, in 1588, that the na¬ 
tion, by a vigorous effort, became fully fenfible of its 
true interefl and natural ftrength, which it has fince fo 
happily cultivated. 
Many laws have been made for the fupply of the royal 
navy with feamen; for their regulation when on board; 
and to confer privileges and rewards on them, during 
and after the fervice. 
1. For their fupply. The power of imprefiing men, 
for the fea fervice, by the king’s commilfion, has been a 
matter of fome difpute, and fubmitted to with great re- 
luftance ; though it hath very learnedly been (hewn by 
fir Michael Forfter, that the praftice of imprefiing, and 
granting powers to the admiralty for that purpofe, is of 
very ancient date, and hath been uniformly continued 
by a regular feries of precedents, to the prefent time ; 
whence he concludes it to be a part of the common law. 
The difficulty arifes from hence, that no flatute, or aft of 
parliament, hasexprefsly declared this power to be in the 
crown, though many of them very ftrongly imply it. It 
lias alfo been fuppofed, that a pradtice fo unfavourable 
to the liberty of the fubjeft,.and to common principles of 
juftice and humanity, could not be folidly fupported with¬ 
out fome clear, pofitive, and unequivocal, law. Befiaes 
this method of imprefiing, (which even if legal, is only 
defenlible from public necellity, fuch as an aftual rebel¬ 
lion or invafion of the kingdom, to which all private con- 
liderations mult give way,) the principal trading cities, 
and fome.times the government, offer bounty money to 
feamen who enter voluntarily into his majetty’s fervice ; 
and every foreign feamen who, during a war, (hall ferve 
two years in any man of war, merchantman, or privateer, 
is naturalized ipfofaBo. 
2. The method of ordering feamen in the royal fleet, 
and keeping up a regular difeipline there, is direfted by 
certain exprefs rules, articles, and orders, firft enadled by 
the authority of parliament, foon after the redoration ; but 
new modelled and altered fince the peace of Aix la Cha- 
pelle, to remedy fome defect- which were of fatal confe- 
quence in condufting the preceding war. In thefe arti¬ 
cles of the navy, almod every poffible offence is fet down, 
and the punifliment thereof annexed ; in which refpeft the 
feamen have much the advantage over their brethren in 
the land fervice, whofe articles of war are not enafted by 
parliament, but framed from time to time at the pleafure 
of the crown. 
3. With regard to the privileges conferred on bailors, 
they are pretty much the fame with thofe conferred on 
foldiers ; with regard to relief, when maimed, or wound¬ 
ed, or fuperannuated, it is afforded them either by county 
rates, or from the royal hofpital at Greenwich ; they are 
alfo allowed the exercife of trades in corporations, and the 
power of making teftaments ; and, fmther, no feamen 
on-board his majefty’s fhips can be arrefted for any debt, 
unlefs the fame be fworn to amount to at lead twenty 
pounds; though, by the annual mutiny aft, a foldier may¬ 
be arretted for a debt which extends to half that value, 
but not for lefs amount. 
We (hall clofe this account of the military and mari¬ 
time ftrength of England or rather of Great Britain, by 
obferving, that though fea officers and failors are fubjeft: 
to a perpetual aft of parliament, which anfwers the an¬ 
nual military aft, that is patted for the government of the 
army, yet neither of thofe bodies are exempted from legal 
juriidiftion in civil or criminal cafes, but in a few in- 
ftances of no great moment. The foldiers, particularly, 
may be called upon by a civil magittrate to enable him 
to preferve the peace againft all attempts to break it. The 
military officer, who commands the foldiers on thofe oc- 
cafinns, is to take his directions from the magittrate ; 
and both he and they, if their proceedings are regular, 
are indemnified againft all confequences, be they ever fo 
fatal. Thofe civil rnagiftrates who underftand the prin¬ 
ciples of the conftitution, are, however, extremely cau¬ 
tious in calling for the military on thefe occufions, or 
upon any commotion whatever : and, indeed witlt good 
reafon ; for, the frequent employment of the military 
power, in a free government, is exceedingly dangerous, 
and cannot be guarded againft with two much caution. 
The following is a ftatement of the numbers and dif- 
tribution of the Britifh naval force, in Auguft, 1804, 
exclufive of the hired armed veflels, which are chiefly 
employed in protecting the coafting trade. 
Line. 
50 to 
44. 
Fri¬ 
gates 
Sips, 
&c. 
fotai 
I I 
4 
26 
69 
I 10 
6 
3 
7 
4 
20 
3 1 
2 
26 
72 
131. 
*3 
5 
20 
11 s 
153 
2 
2 
14 
23 
41 
6 
O 
10 
21 
37 
O 
2 
5 
I 
8 
9 
3 
9 
7 
28 
O 
0 
1 
I 
2 
4 
0 
I 
3 
8 
I 2 
0 
1 5 
14 
4i 
I 2 
I 
3 
O 
16 
106 
22 
137 
330 
595 
5 
2 
5 
0 
1 2 
10 
3 
5 
5 
23 
51 
I I 
44 
19 
15 
O 
23 
48 
86 
iS 7 
38 
214 
402 
341 
In Port and fitting. 
Guard-fhips. 
In the Englifh & IrifhChannels 
On the Downs and North-Sea 
Stations. 
At the Weft-India Illands, and 
on the Paflage. 
On the Jamaica Station . . 
American and Newfoundland 
Stations. 
Cape of Good Hope, Eaft In¬ 
dies, and on the Paffage . . 
Coaft of Africa.. 
Spain, Portugal, & Gibraltar 
Mediterranean, and on Paifage 
Hofpital and Prifon Ships . 
Total in Commiflion 
Receiving Ships. 
Serviceable, and repairing for 
Service . 
In Ordinary. 
Building. 
Totals 
COMMERCE. 
