INTRODUCT ION.

Have already given my Readefs an Ac-count, in the foregoing Preface, of theReasons why I chose to omit the Intro-ductory Discourse, I had formerly pro-posed, on the Navigation of the And -,ents, and to substitute some otherThings in the Room of it, which I hadReason to believe would be more ac-ceptable to them. This is what I shallnow do, under four general Heads, viz.

A Brief Account os the Oeconomy os the EnglishNavy,the Power , Duty andOffice o/VEzLordHigh Admiral,\t 9n d of what Officers are under his Direction.

■ A List of the Royal Navy, as it food the Beginning of*hispresent Tear, 1734. with the Condition every Ship was*1>en in.

*• An Abstract of such Regulations and Instructions,relating to His Majesty's Service at Sea,-as were inZf ce * ar> d enjoined to be observed, by every one concerned,Beginning of this Present Tear, 1734.h Several other Pieces relating to the Present State of the^oyal Navy.

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" Brief Account of the Oeconomy os the English Navy,°s the Power, Duty, and Office of the Lord High Admi-ral, and os what Officers are under his Direction.

this Account , I shall chiefly have Regard to the Militaryministration of the Office of Lord High Admiral. For,With Regard to the Civil Administration of that Office, as it isj? r ^gn to the General Design of my History, I Ihall only ca-th' t ^ nt at ^ ome Particular Circumstances of it, where I shall^ proper or requisite.

r A HR Statutes relating to this Power, Duty, and Office of^ r d High-Admiral, in the Days of our Ancestors, and theSea-- al; Utes of Richard II. were made de Communi Proborum Virc-> 1 ” Confilio, (By the common Advice of good and uprighten ->) as we tee in the Charter itself in Mat. Paris, who adds,A ^per Confilium Magnatum, (by the Advice of the Nobles,)0v ere were made ^/zeistri; super Navigium Anglia, (Justices^ the Sea-Affairsof England.) These were, according to ourbv ^ errn ’ properly,Commissioners of the Admiralty, andy this it appears, that this Office has formerly, as now, beenfaj. eCute d by more than a single Person. It would carry me tooE to examine, either into the Original of the Office of Lordat y -Admiral, or into every Circumstance of the PrerogativeHexed to it, they are both but too obscurely described in ourp Hient Writers and Records. The former is distantjsfrom myJ But for the latter, it may partly be seen by the Ar-tIC j S which follow. *

abo SHaLl not detain my Readers, by entring into anEnquiryis • ^Hrivation and Etymology of the Word Admiral. Itufficient for me to observe, that, according to its ordinaryy?r<J Ptati011 ’ ' n Ettgljft, it imports, A High Officer or Magi-blAv’ 10 w b° m the Government and Command os the Royaljy e Y .’ lS committed, with Power, by him, or his Officers andviin’sn t0 ta ^ e Cognizance of all Maritime Causes, both Ci-and x s\ ln l inal C .^c. The Supream Maritime Governmentfoti of r i’ cti ° n ' s ' n tbe King, by whom it is vested in the Per-Sovpfp' ■s or ^' High Admiral, who, immediately under theof rhÆ - as tbe Chief Command at Sea, and the Direction<^ er l ■ Maritime Affairs at Land. He has several Officers un-tarv ->nA at Sea, and others alhoar ; Some in a Mili-Ministerial el " S a ^ lvl ^ Capacity ; Some Judicial, and others

The Office of Lori High-Admiral is so great, in Point ofTrust, Honour and Profit, that it has usually been given ei-ther to Princes of the Blood, or, at least, to the most eminentPersons among the Nobility. He has, as I have said above,the Management of all Maritime Affairs, and the Governmentof the Royal Navy, with Power of Decision, in all MaritimeCafes, both Civil and Criminal. He judges of all Things doneupon, or beyond the Sea, in any Part of the World, upon theSea-Coasts, in all Ports and Havens, and upon all Rivers, be-low the first Bridge from the Sea.

The Officer who is next and immediately under the LordHigh Admiral (in his Military Capacity) is the Vice-Admiralof Great Britain, and next to him the Rear-Admiral. Theseare now both appointed by Commissions under the Great Seal;Tho’ formerly such Powers have been granted by the Lord HighAdmiral, and likewise by the Commiffioners for executing thatOffice.

When a Fleet is fitted out, the Lord High-Admiral grantshis Commission to such Persons, as His Majesty thinks fitting,by which he is appointed Admiral and Commander in Chief ofthat Fleet, for the Expedition whereon it is designed, and theAdmiral so appointed, when out of the British Channel, hasPower to nominate all Officers, as Vacancies happen, either byDeath or otherwise. These Officers, at the End of the Expe-dition are generally confirmed by the Lord High-Admiral, orthe Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, especially if theredo not appear any reasonable Objections thereunto.

The Officers employed, besides the Admiral, or chief Com-mander of a Fleet, are Vice-Admirals, Rear-Admirals, Com-manders in Chief, upon certain Occasions, Captains and Lieu-tenants, all which are likewise appointed by Commissions fromthe Lord High-Admiral, or Lords Commiffioners for Execu-ting that Office. The Flag-Officers, or Admirals, are distin-guished under Squadrons, as the Red, the Blue, and theWhite.

The Officer thus appointed Admiral, to command theFleet, is impowered, by the Lord HighAdmiral, or the LordsCommiffioners for managing that Office, to hold, as often asOccasion Ihall require, Courts Martial, for trying Offenders ;And in the Absence of the Judge-Advocate of the Navy, orhis Deputy, to nominate some other Person to perform hisOffice. The fame Power is given, in like manner, to InferiorFlag-Offiicers,who command Squadrons, for particular Services,by which they likewise make Officers, and hold Courts Marti-al ; But with this Difference, that when the Officer so com-manding is a Vice-Admiral, he has only a Warrant authorizinghim to hold such Courts, whereas if he be no more than aRear-Admiral, he must have a Commission appointing himCommander in Chief, as well as a Warrant for his so doing.

In the Absence of a Flag-Officer, the Commander of a Pri-vate Ship may be impowered, by Commission, to hold suchCourts, and be directed, by Warrant, to try particular Cafes;In which Cafe, Commanders junior to him are required to as-sist at them; But the Commission, by which he is appointedCommander in Chief, is limited to a certain Number ofDays.

This has been thought, by many, too great a Trust to be re-posed in the Commander of a Private Ship. An anonymousAuthor, among many others, who have [hewn their Disapproba-tion of all Courts-Martial, on Board, or at Sea, fays ; “ I“ would not pretend to direct my Superiours, in making Laws“ for Trials, by Courts-Martial, for Offences -committed in“ the Navy; But sure I am, if such Trials were brought in-“ to the Admiralty-Court, on Shoar, Justice would more like-“ ly be done, and the People would be better satisfied how» they are served at Sea.

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