HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHlfECfllRE.

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the more civilized states whicli skirt the coast from Egypt tb the Streiglits of Gibral-tar, together with the extensive but inert empire of Morocco. The customs andmanners of those who inhabit the litter territory appear as though nature had de-creed, that oil a certain s^ot She would establish an indolent race of mortals, andthat there should be a regular progression from that indolence to the highest state ofactivity. Morocco, the intermediate district between tlte two opposites, contentsherself with a moderate, and, indeed, very confined commerce. The marine at-tached to the state, is neither formidable, nor is it, to speak in general terms, activelyemployed. Pursuing the fashion of the country, or, rather, to speak nearertruth, of its more restless neighbours, the states of Algiers, of Tripoli, and Tunis, itimplicitly adhetes to the same system, though content with a less dangerousmethod, as well as less destructive to public peace and tranquillity, of employingIts poWer, at least that part of it which comes under the description of naval. Withrespect to the navies of the piratical, or to use a less harsh expression, and to judgefairly from the events of the last fifty years, a more proper term, the Barbary states,although,- frond their citcurnscribed force, and peculiar habits, their several navies,taken collectively, would make but an indifferent figure in comparison with thatof many single European countries ; yet to such an height ha\'e political prejudicesand the jealousy of one nation risen against the growing power of another, thatthe most insignificant of those states have, as it is well known, frequently laid theproudest kingdoms and countries in Europe under contribution.

Their navies consist of two different classes of vessels. First, the ships of war :these still continue to display, in some measure, the peculiarities which distinguishthose of the states, which, almost to the present time, have continued to be called theMediterranean powers, more particularly the Venetians and Genoese, from such asare built in any other country in the world ; they are extremely lofty, particularlyabaft, long and narrow, contrived with every attention to sailing, particularly inlight winds and sriiooth water ; ini short, they are stamped w'ith a sufficient simili-tude of feature to prove their certain descent from the parent stock, the Genoesecarrack The lighter vessels, which are generally employed in more active service,are so perfectly siniilar to those of fire Maltese and other Mediterranean powers, thatit is totally useless to enter into any attempt towards making any distinction or differ-ence between them. The uses or services being co-equal, the form became, as itwere, naturally similar; calculated entirely for speed, and labouring under no neces-

* See vol. II. p. T .

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