HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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themselves, from the reign of Domitian to that of Dioclesian and Maximinian.The latter of these joint emperors, possessing the western part of the Romandominions, and by consequence the coasts of Gaul, appointed, in conformitywith his colleague just mentioned, Caius Carausius to command a fleet for theirprotection, against the depredations of the Saxon, and other pirates. Thisofficer, who was neither deficient in courage or sagacity, is said to, have be-trayed his trust, and to have received bribes from the plunderers whom he wassent to chastise. Maximinian, enraged at his duplicity, impolitically commis-sioned a person to assassinate him, which design having by some means mis-carried, Carausius passed over into Britain, where the natives, and most of theRomans, moved by a personal esteem for the man, and a sentiment of dis-pleasure at the cowardly conduct of Maximinian towards him, with little hesita-tion accepted him for their prince. The people of Bullogne, and other placeson the opposite shore, having followed their example, he soon became so for-midable an enemy, that Maximinian, as the first step towards a treaty of peace,was forced to acknowlege him as emperor of the island. Thus Rome, themistress of the world, found herself unable to cope with the ruler of Britain,when he became independently possessed of a navy; and here, even throughthe mist of antiquity, do we discern, as clearly as at the present hour, thatgreat principle of national defence, on which Britain founds her proud supe-riority ; a principle which nature herself has distinctly ordained, and which, incommon with the rest of her ordinations, is immutable.

Nor did this circumstance escape the penetration of Carausius. One of hisfirst acts was to form an alliance with the Franks, and other states, who hadsomewhat outstripped their neighbours in the knowlege of maritime affairs;this enterprising people stipulated to send a powerful fleet through the streightsof Gibraltar into the Mediterranean, there to join the navy of Britain. Thisjunction seems to have been prevented by the alacrity of the Romans, who,foreseeing its serious consequences, immediately prepared for war, and sent anarmy into Gaul, which besieged Carausius in Bullogne, while their fleet, mightyat least in numbers, sailed in quest of their new enemies, whom having met,they totally defeated. Carausius, in the mean time, was not only closely investedby land, but finding himself in danger also of being blocked up by some workof new invention, which Constantius, the commander of the Romans, had con-structed at the mouth of the harbour, cut his way in the night through theircamp, and escaped from Bullogne to the British coast: there, again in safetyVol. I. G g with