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HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

of Castile was, however, dreadfully on the decline. All the force that couldbe collected to oppose the enemy amounted to no more than six ships andtwenty-seven gallics. To have attempted a contest with such a fearful dis-proportion of force, would have been an act of the most unpardonable rashness.The Moors passed unmolested *. Tarefa was immediately besieged; butwhen reduced to the utmost extremity of distress, in consequence of the disper-sion of the Christian fleet, it was preserved from surrender by the unexpectedand glorious victory of Saluda. The enemy, however, was not subdued. Theking of Morocco renewed his preparations and equipments, both by sea andland, in 1341 ; but the destruction of twelve gallies belonging to him by a Cas-tilian squadron, commanded by the Spanish admiral De Boccanegro, provedonly the immediate forerunner of the total defeat of the Moorish fleet by thecombined force of Castile and Portugal. The victory just mentioned put a finalperiod to all naval equipments on die part of Morocco for many years, and byconsequence to those of Castile also.

The history of Portugal follows in natural order and succession to that ofArragon and Castile, but the former appears to have possessed no naval force tillthe twelfth century drew near to a close, and even then it consisted of nothingrnore than a very inconsiderable squadron of gallies, which joined the Englishin an attack on the city of Silves, in Algarve. The conquest itself, whichwas made without difficulty, was very trifling, nor did it remain long in thehands of the conquerors, being recovered by the Moors two years afterwards,and again restored to the Portuguese by an occurrence similar to the former,the arrival and assistance of a fleet of Flemish and German ships, which werecasually on their voyage to some other country. The disposition of thiscountry appears to have been at this time totally military, for except in theinstance of the alliance with the Castilians, and the consequent defeat of theMoorish fleet by the combined squadrons of Castile and Portugal, no particularmention is made in history of the naval force of Portugal; and indeed it must

* The event was productive of a very extraordinary proof of the high pitch to which Castilianhonour is on some occasions carried: Donna Elvira, the wife of the admiral, hearing what weak andimproper judges said, wrote to her husband that his fidelity was suspected, and that it was supposedhe had received a vast sum of money to let the Moors pass. Upon which the admiral having receiveda reinforcement of six gallies, sailed with so inconsiderable a strength ; and to wipe off this imaginarystain, sacrificed himself, with the whole fleet, five gallies only excepted.

have