of a drummer-boy. The press-gangs will bring us men, but not the hearts and wills, which animated the Rodney's and Albion's seamen the other day, and which, according to the old naval proverb, would have made each "one volunteer worth two pressed men." The time of fitting out our fleet, however, be it long or short, will be one of serious and painful responsibility to the heads of departments, and of harassing anxiety to all subordinates. With impressment must of course come all those unpopular restrictions, and the consequent discontent, which have before now converted our ships of war into jails and their officers into jailers. Happy the commanding officers whose ships having been some time in commission, and being manned with cheerful volunteers, will present a pleasing contrast to those manned through the press-gang. While the drafts of sullen-looking pressed men, closely guarded, are gradually arriving at the sea-ports, and a few smock-frocked peasants from the workhouse, with a sprinkling of "civil power" gentlemen, strongly recommended by the magistrates, are slowly making up the force upon which the fate of England is to depend, we may imagine the urgent exhortations to despatch which will be addressed by the Admi ralty to the port admiral, and by the latter to the different captains. But whatever be their zeal, they cannot create men, and will have, in some cases, to represent the worthlessness of those that are raised, and to request their discharge. One captain will report that his crew are positive pigmies-King John's men, averaging four feet ten, and being ordered to weigh them, will return them as "under jockeyweight."* Another will represent, that out of 600 "blue-jackets," he has not twenty seamen. † While a far greater number will prefer going to sea half manned, on the chance of picking up crews from merchant ships before meeting an enemy. I have made no mention here of any force already in commission, for its existence is always uncertain: the eight sail of the line which we have had (partially manned) for the last twelve months, can not, unfortunately, be looked on as a permanent force. The apologies made for that small squadron (a stray infant in a nunnery, or a collection of fire ships in Portsmouth harbour, would *This, we are told by Admiral Griffiths, actually happened last war in the case of H.M.S. "Stirling Castle" 74; when commanded by Sir Home Popham. One or two hundred were discharged accordingly. †This also happened. not have demanded more), makes it clear that we rose above the "normal state" of our navy, when we collected eight sail together on our own shores. Perhaps if we take three full-manned line-ofbattle ships, it may represent our average force in or near England, and even this force cannot properly be spoken of as the "nucleus" of a larger fleet, for according to the regulations of the navy, seamen are not transferable from one ship to another. A defect in our system of this nature would perhaps be remedied in war, but not at the commencement of a contest. Let us now, pending the fitting out, or rather the manning, of our fleet, cast our eyes across the Channel. The seamen composing the compagnies permanentes are quietly marched from their quarters and embarked in their respective ships -suppose sixteen sail of the line. Foreign commerce being entirely suspended, and the " inscription maritime" having rendered every seaman both available and come-at-able, the crews are speedily completed even without the "conscription." There is no bludgeoning, and consequently no ill blood. France not being blessed with philosophical writers to inspire men with aversion to the service of their country, her seamen obey cheerfully the call of duty, and (as often happens) superior organisation makes up for, comparatively, scanty resources. Whether the French fleet would put to sea before our own, I do not pretend to judge, but there seems to be no particular reason why it should not. that is to say, within the limits of the force provided for by their peace-time arrangements. Let it be remembered here too, for the fact is all-important; of the merchant seamen whose services France would require in her fleet, the far greater number have already served in her navy, while, with us, not four sailors in a hundred have done so. The last Rapport au Roi on the French navy shows that from 1835 to 1844 (both included) 55,517 seamen have answered the calls of the annual levée permanente, while the whole number of able seamen is but 46,000. 136 CHAP. IX. GLANCE AT A FLEET MANNED IN HASTE, AND WITH Ir will, perhaps, give a clearer view of the practical difficulties, which a hastily organised fleet will have to contend against, when it is manned, if we suppose ourselves accompanying the British channel fleet to sea. Let us conceive ourselves, then, at Spithead, where the fleet, the last ship having just joined, is proceeding to sea. The parting salute is fired from the Portsmouth batteries, and as the white smoke rolls forth from the noble flag-ship in return, a loud heart-felt British cheer bursts out spontaneously from ten thousand spectators on the shore. The garrison bands strike up the spirit-stirring national air which (though our philosophers teach us we should be as indifferent to it as to the "Parisienne,") still finds some response in our bosoms. As the sounds are wafted off to the fleet, a living cloud darkens the rigging, the air rings with the loud hurras of the seamen, and for one moment, at least, even the pressed men |