HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

109

CHAPTER THE SIXTH.

The Effects produced by War on the Spanish Marine—The trivial Injury which itsustained notwithstanding the Successes of Great Britain—Force of the Squadronwhich engaged Mr. Knowles—The long suspicious, and afterwards hostile Con-duct of France—The Disaster which befel the Fleet ordered from Brest into theBritish Channel—The Superiority of the French Marine in the Indian Seas —The ill Success of the Expedition sent to attempt the Re-capture of Louisburg —Defeat of the Squadron intended for India by Mr. Anson and Mr. Warren,with the subsequent Misfortune lohich befel a second Armament, the Whole ofwhich was nearly captured by Rear Admiral Hawke—Measures adopted byFrance in the civil Management of her Marine subsequent to the Treaty ofUtrecht—Its Force at the Time that Event took place—Her Conduct contrastedwith that of Britain, in regard to the Principles of Marine Architecture severallyembraced by both Countries—The Commercial Losses of France, Spain, andBritain, during the War—The Aversion of the United Provinces to engaging asParties in the naval War.—Their final Determination—The inoffensive State ofthe Northern Powers of Europe.

S PAIN, after having committed a long-continued scries of provocations,found herself seriously engaged in war, and made a much longer resistance tothe very superior force with which she had to contend, than could have been fairlyexpebted from her. Attacked and worsted as she was in every quarter, the suc-cesses of her enemies were not only far from rapid, but were frequently at-tended with those inconvenient checks which convert a partial victory almostinto discomfiture. The well-known expedition against Porto-Bello, successful asit proved, effected no injury against the Spanish marine : that still more conse-quential one undertaken against Carthagena, was little more destructive; tor,though the Spaniards had the mortification to see five of their ships, mount-ing from € 0 to 70 guns each, taken or deltroyed ; yet the expcnce whichBritain was put to in countervailment, together with the loss of men, andother inconveniences, far overbalanced the success, which certainly was trivial,when compared with the labour which it cost her enemy to effect it. Eventhe luckless expedition to the South Sea, undertaken to parry any attfeinpt thatmight be made by the squadron sent under the orders of commodore Anson inthat quarter, was far from being so injurious, considered in a national light, asVol. III. P the