HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
227
The northern governments of Russia, Sweden, and’Denmark, who had alsolong beheld with envy that power which they dared not attempt to repress, oreven murmur at, in times past, considered the existing'state of public affairs atthat period as one of the most favourable occurrences that might probably evertake place of repressing that might which prevented the exercise of what vyasfancifully denominated by them, a free trade. This, according to the true, and fairdefinition of the term, in the sense the countries just mentioned wished to useit, consisted in an allowed permission of continuing in a state of peace them-selves, of profiting materially by the war’s raging between other countries, andcarrying the sinews of it, unmolested, to those parts where they were mostwanted, and where they would, consequently, fetch the higheft prices. Itrequires but little force of argument to prove, that the power of preventring mischief is far more consonant to the laws of humanity than that ofpunishing it; that it is infinitely more conducive to public tranquility among allcivilized nations. That in times so enlightened, as it is boasted, the present are,when a mere acknowlegement of national superiority is considered as almost asufficient atonement for national injury, it must undeniably be admitted to bemore philanthropic to destroy the supply of those means by which human bloodis shed, than after first permitting the former, being consequently compelled, as amatter of.defence, to give way to, and encourage the latter. Interest, avarice, and,as it was strangely considered, national equity, denied the force of this argument,and in order to combat it most effectually, a certain confederacy was enteredinto, which became dignified with the appellation of the armed neutrality*.
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Notwith-
GlinthorsTi
56
Princess Louisa _
54
Nassau Weilbourg
- . 56
Princess Maria Louisa
- 54
Princess Royale
56
Rotterdam (taken)
54
Ammirael Piet Heyn
•54
Azent
50
Batavia
- 54
Ammirael Van-Tromp -
- 50
Centaur — '
54
Princess Wilhelmine
50
Ers Prins
54
Rhynland —
- 50
Lienne*
54
Schiedam - -
50
Princess Caroline (taken)
54
Van Goes - -
50
* The Force destined to support its Pretensions consisted of the follooxiug Navies .
RUSSIAN Fleet. -
Jesekil -
76
Slova Rossey
-
64
St. Sedair
76
David
-
- 66
St. Panteleimon
- 76
Spiridon
-
66
Azii
66
Derisi
66
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Gg 2
- ■
Ttxerdoi