Project Gutenberg's How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves, by W.H.G. Kingston

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Title: How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves
Updated to 1900

Author: W.H.G. Kingston

Release Date: November 15, 2007 [EBook #23496]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RULE THE WAVES ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves, updated to 1900, by W.H.G.
Kingston.

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This is a history of the British Navy, originally written by Kingston,
but as he had died many years before 1900, and as it was felt that this
book ought to go up to that year, it was edited and re-issued by the
friends of Kingston, in particular by Henty.

It is a serious book, yet it is an easy one to read. It is also a very
interesting book, that all British boys and girls, even now, more than a
hundred years after the book was published, would do well to read.

One thing of special interest is that today's naval families, families
that have traditionally sent sons to a distinguished career in the Navy,
can look back, and read of the exploits of their forbears.

On the other hand, because of the very large numbers of names in the
book it would probably not make a good audiobook, and we have not tried
it.

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HOW BRITANNIA CAME TO RULE THE WAVES, UPDATED TO 1900, BY W.H.G.
KINGSTON.

CHAPTER ONE.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

Rome was not built in a day, nor has the glorious British Navy attained
its present condition except by slow degrees, by numerous trials and
experiments, by improvements gradually and cautiously introduced, and by
the employment of a vast amount of thought, energy, and toil. We are
apt to forget when we see an elaborate machine, the immense quantity of
mental and physical exertion it represents, the efforts of the united
minds perhaps of many successive generations, and the labour of
thousands of workmen. I propose briefly to trace the progress which the
British Navy has made from age to age, as well as its customs, and the
hab