HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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number of transports, and proceeded with them to the holy land: their escort con-sisting of a squadron of thirty vessels armed solely for war, which are distinguishedby the appellation of large ships. The whole expedition was rendered abortive bya storm, which dispersed the whole fleet. No subsequent notice is taken of theemployment of any Arragonian fleet till the year 1281, when Don Pedro, whothen reigned, drew together a fleet consisting of one hundred and fifty vessels, in-tended for the assault of the island of Sicily. Nor was this the whole of theforce belonging to that kingdom, a sufficient naval strength being left behind,which, in the course of a few months afterwards, defeated in a naval encounterthe fleet of Charles, king of Naples. The naval consequence of this princeextended still farther, since historians remark, that his good fortune by land,which was by no means inconsiderable, had been far exceeded by his maritimesuccesses. The following instance is adduced in proof: a squadron consistingof forty gallies, commanded by Roger de Lauria, being employed on a cruiseoff the port of Naples; Charles, surnamed the Lame, prince of Salerno, and sonto Charles, king of Sicily and Naples, who was then admiral of his father’sfleet, disdaining the insult incurred by suffering the ships of the enemy to paradeoff the principal port in all the dominions, put out to sea at the head of seventygallies, well and completely armed. The fight is said to have been long, bloody,and obstinately contested, and the event of it singularly extraordinary: theArragonians not only having obtained a complete victory, but having capturedone galley more in number from the Neapolitans than that of their own fleet.Among the captives was the prince of Salerno himself. The conquest ofMalta had preceded the victory just mentioned, and the repeated discomfitureof the inconsiderable armaments which the French, in spite as it were of theirown attachment to military pursuits, contrived to send into the Mediterranean,completed the triumph of this fortunate monarch.

It were of little consequence to give any detail of the perpetual feuds and con-tests that were continually taking place between the Arragonians, the Neapo-litans, and other states of greater and inferior consequence, whose territorieswere washed by the Mediterranean. Suffice it to sav, that not loner after thecommencement of the fourteenth century, the people of Tunis having com-mitted divers acts of piratical depredation, were attacked, and in the most sum-mary manner compelled to submission, which was not accepted but with the con-dition of an annual tribute annexed to it. In short, the Arragonian alliancewas unceasingly courted by all the neighbouring maritime states, not ex-

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