lly handled; and a well-known naval authority
has declared that the use of the guns in a naval action should be merely
preliminary to that of the ram--in other words, that all effort should
be concentrated upon making an opportunity of using the ram.

We close this chapter by recalling the reader's attention to a feature
in modern war-ships already alluded to, and which indeed the whole
course of our remarks upon this subject points to--the almost universal
use of machinery in modern naval tactics. Most assuredly in modern
sea-warfare it may be said, in the Laureate's words--used by him, of
course, with a very different sense--that "the individual dwindles," so
that the prediction, which some of our readers may remember was once
made by a First Lord of the Admiralty, seems not unlikely one day to
become sober fact--that the time will come when we shall no longer
require sailors, because all that our warships will need will be stokers
and artillerymen. Whether this is a consummation to be desired we are
not careful here to pronounce.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

ORIGINS OF STEAMSHIPS--OCEAN-STEAMERS, ETCETERA.

As we have been led, in writing about ships of the navy, to refer to
steam, we turn aside at this point to treat of that tremendous
motive-power.

One night, in the year 1807, a terrible sight was witnessed by the
inhabitants of the banks of the river Hudson in America.

Men love what is marvellous, and they will go a long distance out of
their way to see that which is terrific and horrible; but on the night
in question there was no need to go far. The farmers had only to look
out of their windows, and the sailors of the shipping had only to lift
their heads above the bulwarks, to behold a sight that appalled the
stoutest hearted, and caused the very hair on the craniums of the timid
to stand on end.

The object that created so much consternation was--a "monster of the
deep!" At some parts of the river, men could not tell what it was like,
for the night was dark when it passed, but a dark, shadowy idea they
obtained by the light of the fire which the creature vomited from its
jaws; and they formed a tremendous conception of its size and power from
the speed at which it travelled, the splashing which it made, and the
hideous groans with which it burdened the night-air.

This "fiery monster of the deep" was the _first_ river-steamer, the
_Clermont_!

Before going further into the details of this the first