San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-09-15
THE BRITISH NAVY.
The Queer State of Affairs Tn at EX
listed in Queen EIizabeth's Time.

The Queer State of Affairs Tn at En-
listed in Queen EIizabeth's Time.
Galignani's Mag lzine
A recent article by Mr.. Oppenheim
on the Royal and Marine Navy I'M
der Elizabeth" gives a curious pict-
ure OF the way the British navy has
come into existence in a world in
which the state did not hesitate t.
prohibit the use OF meat on three
DAYS OF the week in order to develop
the fishing industry, which was the
nursery of our seamen in those days.
Another curious feature of that time
was that piracy in those days almost
attained the dignity of a recognized
profession. In 1868 there were 400
known pirates in the four seas, In
Guiding among the n many men OF
good family. Ten years later, when
these gentlemen had pillaged the
Earl OF Worcester's embassy, 800 Of
them were captured, of whom only
three were hanged. The Elizabethan
warship was a very cranky vessel
indeed. 1t was kept from capsizing
by gravel ballast, of which the re-
viewer says:
"It was seldom changed, and, be-
coming soaked with bilge-warer
DRAWINGS from her casks, and the
general waste of ship, was source
of injury to the vessel and of danger
to the health of the men. The COOK
ROOM a solid structure of brick and
mortar, was built in the hold on this
ballast, and in that position, besides
making the ship hot and spelling the
store, was q frequent cause of fire."
Notwithstanding the defects of the
ships, they were sometime three-score
wears in active service, while one,
the st. Michael, rode the waters for
nearly 100 years. The Royal William
built in 1910, was not broken up until
1918. The chief danger which the
sailors of those days had to face was
not the storms of the sea, but the
scurvy ond other diseases caused by
bad food and worse sanitation. In the
expedition of 1869, two.thirds of the
men employed persisted for want OF
food; old oil and fish casks were used
for storage of beer. Elizabeth pinched
the navy as many of her successors
have done since. Hawkins, who was
Treasurer of the Navy and superin-
ten of the. building equipping and
repairing of ships, lamented to Cecil
that there was no men living who
had so careful, 30 Miserable, so unfor-
tunate, and so dang ere us life; the1 is
hardly any time left to serve God and
to satisfy man, so great was the ONCE
and the trouble and the distrust.
In 1888 he made Howard ana
Drake pay out of their own pockets
for the wine and arrowrOot supplied
to the dying seamen at Plymouth,
but her own bill for Gascony wine
alone in The preceding year was some
Gl2, 1000"
The pay of the Lord High Admiral
q day In the Armada year was IS q
sd, and the pay of the sailor was lOs
month, and q preacher received G. tC
CO per month. The naval estimates
for the six years after the Armaua
varied from G54, 900 to EST, 900 per an,
mum. The cost of building the larges'
ship in the navy in 1861 was G37SS
and her stone shot cost I'd apiece
These vessels carried $50 seamen, OF
gunners and 200 soldiers, considerably
more that the complement of first
class ironclad of to-day, which costs
81, OOO. 900. The heaviest anchor
weighed 80 cwt., and a man.of-wal
usually carried from ten to twelve OF
| them.