e
France was struggling, first for independence, and next for the mastery
of the continent, a marine was a secondary object; for Vienna, Berlin,
and Moscow, were as easily entered without, as with its aid. To these,
and other similar causes, must be referred the explanation of the
seeming invincibility of the English arms at sea, during the late great
conflicts of Europe; an invincibility that was more apparent than real,
however, as many well-established defeats were, even then, intermingled
with her thousand victories.

From the time when her numbers could furnish succour of this nature,
down to the day of separation, America had her full share in the
exploits of the English marine. The gentry of the colonies willingly
placed their sons in the royal navy, and many a bit of square bunting
has been flying at the royal mast-heads of King's ships, in the
nineteenth century, as the distinguishing symbols of flag-officers, who
had to look for their birth-places among ourselves. In the course of a
chequered life, in which we have been brought in collision with as great
a diversity of rank, professions, and characters, as often falls to the
lot of any one individual, we have been thrown into contact with no less
than eight English admirals, of American birth; while, it has never yet
been our good fortune to meet with a countryman, who has had this rank
bestowed on him by his own government. On one occasion, an Englishman,
who had filled the highest civil office connected with the marine of his
nation, observed to us, that the only man he then knew, in the British
navy, in whom he should feel an entire confidence in entrusting an
important command, was one of these translated admirals; and the thought
unavoidably passed through our mind, that this favourite commander had
done well in adhering to the conventional, instead of clinging to his
natural allegiance, inasmuch as he might have toiled for half a century,
in the service of his native land, and been rewarded with a rank that
would merely put him on a level with a colonel in the army! How much
longer this short-sighted policy, and grievous injustice, are to
continue, no man can say; but it is safe to believe, that it is to last
until some legislator of influence learns the simple truth, that the
fancied reluctance of popular constituencies to do right, oftener exists
in the apprehensions of their representatives, than in reality.--But to
our tale.

England enjoys a wide-