176

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

either the continent, or the islands of the same quarter of the world have fur-nifhed, should at this moment be unequal to the task of entering unsupported byalliances into naval contest with the most inferior maritime power which it con-tains. The political prudence of other countries, aided by the natural impe-diments which so strongly oppose the naval grandeur of those just men-tioned, should the acquisition of it be ever attempted, will, in all probability,continue to prevent a monopolization of power, which could not fail soon tobecome dangerous, if not destructive, to their safety.

Under the description of maritime powers, are to be reckoned Russia, Sweden,and Denmark, Great Britain, the United Provinces of Holland, France, Spain;and in the second class, Portugal, the kingdom of Naples, with the republic ofVenice. The firft class it may net, perhaps, be again improper to subdivide forthe purpose of separating those countries whose naval force, fitted for the pur-poses of war, is so extensive as to enable them to decide public disputeswithout the intervention of armies, should their inclination lead them to suchmode of settlement, from those, whose navies have appeared calculated purelyfor the defence of their commerce, and of their country. Very immaterialvariation, indeed, took place from the commencement of the century tillnearly two-thirds of it had passed, when the sudden start made by one ofthe powers which had, till then, been humbly content with inferior rank,appeared to indicate an ambition of elevating its consequence to the power ofremote conqueft, and the protection of extensive dominion. The causewhich produced this very extraordinary exertion, will be explained in its pro-per chronological order. During the space of more than twenty years after thegeneral peace in 174s, had, for a time, appeared to cancel those animosities whichso furiously subsisted betwen Great Britain and the allied powers of France as wellas Spain, all the Northern Powers, as they are by way of distinction styled, of Swe-den, Denmark and Russia, seemed, according to that species of conduct whichthere has already been frequent occasion to remark upon, content with the mostperfect state of quietude which public communities are capable of embracing, andthe condition as well as strength of their navies seemed perfectly adequateto thene-cessities, and apparently to the wishes of the people. The Hollanders observed thesame trait of conduct, so long as they were permitted to enjoy unmolested thosepecuniary advantages, which they experimentally found were almost invariablyattached to commerce, and particularly that more than equitable share iu propor-tion