HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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and were it not indeed that the states of Barbary stood in some measure over-awed by the higher maritime powers, the trade of the Italians would run nosmall risk of being continually plundered, and reduced almost to a state of an-nihilation. Along the shores of Africa the use of galleys appears to have con-siderably declined, and that of feluccas, or xebecs, has been substituted in theirroom. These vessels, particularly the latter, have it in their power, from theform of their hull as well as sails, not only to spread more canvas, and con-sequently use more speed either in flight or pursuit, but may also be armedto such an extent as to render them no contemptible opponents to a frigate, evenof the highest class. They are, therefore, certainly better adapted to the pur-poses of indiscriminate hostility than galleys, which, it must be evident, areof inferior power, and their superiority may well account for their general useamong a people to whose habits they appear particularly serviceable. To thevessels just mentioned may be added a few ships of war, the force of which suf-ficiently proves there is no dereliction from those political principles whichhave been the favourite and leading maxims of these states, most probablyfrom their very foundation. War, commenced on the ordinary grounds ofpublic dispute, unconnected with, and unaccompanied by, plunder, beingconsidered by them as a measure totally inadmissible into the code by whichthe conduct of their government is regulated, the possession of any shippingsuperior in force to the commercial vessels against which their attacks aredestined, or that of the small ships of war which may occasionally attendthem for their protection, would be an useless act of profusion. In respect tocommerce, and the vessels employed in that occupation throughout the wholestates of Barbary, to which may be added the empire of Morocco itself, the ex-tent of the one, and the number of the other, are so trivial, that they may almostbe compared to a speck, scarcely discernible by the naked eye, when taken incomparison with the marine of Europe alone : the few vessels, however, whichthey possessed at the period now spoken of, were chiefly feluccas, and the prin-cipal part of their mercantile concerns confined merely to the port of Gibraltar.

The cftgnity of the Ottoman empire not suffering it to descend into those actsof depredation, without the existence of a public quarrel, which their tributariesand dependants had forced themselves to believe were by no means contrary towhat are called the laws of nations, the Turkish navy has constantly bornea far more respectable appearance. It has constantly carried with it every sem-blance of a regular establishment, intimately connected with and intended, as isthe practice of the most powerful maritime states, first, for the protection of

the