The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-08 00:00:00

IGII WATER AT LONDON MUDGE TO-11101ROW.
!inc. 0 nfriu:es after 'Bl Evening .36 minutes alter 8

HE ERMAN and ENGLISH STEAM
NAVI:GATION COMPANY.
.•7?1,41 1.),C00/., in 5,000 Shares, of 301. each.
Deposit, 21. per Share.
TRUSTEES.
George Pryme. Esq., M.P.
Joseph L. Heathorn, Esq.
Jchn Castendieck, Esq.
visional Committee of Twelve Members).
BANKERS.
Wright and Co., Henrietta-street, Covent-

ssrs. Cox, Cobbold, and Co.
ny has teen established for the purpose of open-
cheap communication between the ports of
e, and thence to the whole of Western and

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a Committee, consisting of 17 influential Noble-
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SPI

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remarked by Sir GEORGE CLERK, during the de-
bate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, that
the amount of naval force required at any particular
time must depend entirely upon What may be
considered the exigencies of the State ; so that
a force extravagant for one period, might, in reality,
be greatly insufficient for another. This is an ob-
vious, no less than an important fact; and yet it is
one of which the Lords of the Admiralty do not
appear to understand the full force. It is enough
for them, and for their apologist Sir JOHN
BARROW, that the Navy is not in a worse condi-
tion now than it was when the Tories were in
power—unmindful of the grave consideration that
other nations have not bound themselees to remain
equelly stationary. The question is not " Have we as
many ships and stores now as we had in 1835 or atly
other year ? but, " Does our Navy bear the same
proportion to -the Navies of Prance, Russia, the
United States and all other Powers, that it did
during the most prosperous period in our annals
Has it kept pace with events—with the probabili-
ties of danger to the peace of the world, and the
wants of our increasing commerce ?" It is in this
light that the question must be viewed by
those • who seek to deal honestly with it.
The neglect of the Navy by the Tories—
and neglect it they did—is no excuse for a
neglect of it on the part of the Whigs. And
yet to give the Devil his due, the Tories, during
the long period of their administration, never left
our own shores in the unprotected state in which
they have been during the last eighteen months.
Admiral ADAM, it is true, attempted to controvert
this statement ; but how did he do it ? Why, by
stating in reply that some time during last summer
we had' three half-manned ships carrying Admirals'
flags in our ports ; sundry ships of the line
similarly equipped, constantly sailing between the
Tagus and the Thames; and some vessels em-
ployed as troop-ships between England and
Canada I It would be farcical in the extreme to
regardsuch a straggling, ill-appointed force as this
as a sufficient protection to England at a time
when Russia had fifteen sail of the line fully
manned, and provisioned for three months, within a
few days' sail of our shores.
But though it may serve the purposes of faction
to make this a party question, we trust that the
good sense of the people of England will induce
them to reject every attempt on the part of Whigs or
Tories so to deal with it. The Navy is an English
question--a British question—a question in which
every man in the empire has a vital interest. Of
the Navy no national jealousy can be felt ; for the
Navy, though formidable to our enemies, can never
become dangerous to the liberties of the people. In
this respect it is obnoxious to none of the Consti-
tutional objections to a large standing army in time
of peace ; and hence it has happened that in every
period of our history its augmentation has
been popular, except during the unfortunate reign
of CHARLES 1., whose attempt to levy ship-money,
or rather taxes, under the name of ship-money, cost
him his head. And yet the calling such taxes by
the name of ship-money proves that, per se, the
Navy was then quite as popular as it is now, or has
been since. It may be interesting to many who
take a deep interest in this question to trace its pro-
gress from that period, in order to-engraft thereon
a few remarks on the policy which has always guided
its prosperous Adininistration.
In the reign of CHARLES I. ships were first
distinguished by rates. At the breaking out of
the Rebellion the Royal Navy consisted of 42 sail,
of which 25 were ships of the line. One of time
strongest arguments of the Royalists against the
Remonstrance of the Commons to the people, was
that the chief object of his Government was to
raise a nava!, not a military force—a " project
useful, honourable, nay indispensably necessary."
The year following the KING was deprived by
Parliament of the management of the Navy and its
power turned against him.
During the Protectorate the Navy Estimates
were first laid before Parliament. Exclusive of 25
ships, of which Prince RUPERT robbed the
country, the Navy consisted' at the death of OLI-
VER CROMWELL of 157 ships, of which 46 were
taken from the Dutch and Danes. The number
of seamen in the Royal Navy was 21,910, exclusive
of crews for four ships then building. Thera were
31 ships of the line all in good condition. CROM-
WELL was the first Englishman who maintained
that it was contrary to the true interests of the coun-
try to reduce the fleet in the time of peace. At the
close of the war in 1G54, lie ordered the fleet to be
put into good condition, new ships to he built, and
alt the magazines of the kingdom to he filled with
naval stores. Two years previously he increased the
pay of the common sailors five shillings a month,
which, by encouraging voluntary service, greatb
abated the rigours of impressment.
In 1677, CHARLES 11. complained to his Par-
liament that the Navy was in a. decaying condition,
when the Parliament of that day ordered thirty new
ships to be built, and granted at the outset
586,0001. for that purpose. An additional sum of
100,000/. was subsequently granted, which nearly
covered the expense of building—the timber being
supplied without cost from the Royal forests. At
the death of this Monarch, in 1685, the fleet con-
sisted of 179 ships of all classes, of which 63 were
ships of the line. The number of men was about
30,260.
The distracted reign of JAMES 11. was unfavour-
able to the progress of the Navy. Still having
been, like the late King, a practical sailor and for
some time Lord High Admiral, JAMES was well
disposed towards the Naval service. He procured
400,000/. a year to be set apart for Naval ex-
penses; and lie appointed a Commission to inquire
into the state of the ships in ordinary, and the
quantity and value of the stores in the magazines.
He likewise permitted foreign timber to be im-
ported for shipbuilding. In consequence of
the Report of this Commission several ships
were condemned, and broken up, and twenty-
one new ones .of all sizes were added. At
his abdication in 1688 the Navy consisted of 179
sail, of which 59 were ships of the line. The
number of seamen and Marines was, 7,040.
Immediately after WILLIAM and MARY as-
scended the Throne their Majesties procured an Act
of Parliament for building thirty new ships to
humble the maritime pretensions of France. In
1695 the House of Lords voted an Address to his
MAJESTY, in which they observed, that " having
spent some time in consideration of the fleet both
at home and abroad, and of the great in-
crease of the naval force and strength of our
neighbours, we conceive it to be our duty to
your Mejesty and the kingdom, humbly to repre-
sent, that the honour and safety of this nation,
under time providence of God, chiefly depends upon
our strength at sea?' And they conclude with
praying his MAJESTY to " give speedy and effec-
tual directions for the repair and increase of the
Royal Navy." In the course of the war with
France England lost fifty ships, while the loss of
the enemy was fifty-nine. At the demise of WIL,
LIAM in 1702 the fleet consisted of 272 ships, of
which sixty-eight were of the line. There was an
increase of ninety-nine sail during his reign, ren-
dered memorable in naval annals by certain boons
conceded to officers. The number of seamen and
marines was 40,000.
ANNE had not long ascended the Throne when
eleven ships were lost in a storm. This excited
some alarm, and Parliament finding that steps were
not taken speedily to redress the damage, the
Lords in 1707 thus addressed her MAJESTY on
the subject :—"lt is a most undoubted maxim,
that the honour, security, and wealth of this
kingdom does depend upon the protection and en-
couragement of trade, amid the improving and right
managing its naval strength. Other -nations, who
were formerly great and powerful at sea, have,
by negligence and mismanagement, lost their
trade, and have seen their maritime power
entirely ruined. Therefore we do in the
most earnest manner beseech your MAJESTY
that the sea-affairs may always be your first and
most peculiar care." At the QUEEN'S death in
1714, the total number of ships was only 241, but
of these no fewer than 131 were of the line. The
average number of sailors and marines during her
reign was 40,000.

GEORGE I. found the fleet in bad repair, and did
much towards its improvement in various ways. But
upon the whole he had no naval sympathies, and
thought more of his petty Electorate of Hanover than
of the intcruits of Great Britain. The fleet at his
decease in 1727 consisted of 233 ships, of which
124 were of the line. The number of seamen
and marines in that year was 20,000.
, During the long reign of GEORGE 11. the na-
tion was almost constantly at war with France,
Spain, and one or other of the Northern nations.