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The more I read on Brexit the more concerned I get. It just seems to me that we need to leave and get on with dealing with the world and given that the EU is only 15% of global trade and declining why can't we see the opportunities this presents us?
The talk in the Conservative party cabinet seems ridiculous to me. Why can't they speak with one voice and look at the positives out of Brexit. I mean we're going to leave so that's a given so why not be bullish on what we can achieve out of leaving the EU. Sir James Dyson, the largest land owner in Britain and a self made billionaire says we'll do great outside the EU even with a hard Brexit. He sees no problem in trading with the EU on WTO terms just as three of the world's largest economies do right now. The USA, China and India. So why can't Britain, the 5th largest economy, do the same?
You simply can't trust the SNP as they want Independence and so will obviously do anything they can to spoil Brexit for Britain as they want Scotland to be in the EU and thus have control of our economy. And that's pretty obvious as under the SNP our economy isn't doing that well so better someone else should run it for us and that's Brussels. I mean do we have no pride?
Like the SNP put up 111 issues that Britain would need to agree to to get SNP support. I mean come on.. the devolved powers we already have have not done much for Scotland. So why should any more powers help us? Like in Britain we need common standards so that means some things need to be common amongst all of us. Like you can't have different food labeling standards as that would cause problems across Britain. And that's just one tiny example of needing shared standards across the whole UK. But the SNP don't see that as being an issue which is just stupid.
Then as to being in the Single market or the EEA and the ECJ means we would have no say in any of the regulations the EU put out and that would means great difficulty in doing free trade deals across the world. What's so difficult about understanding that? We need to be totally out of those organisations to enable us to prosper outside the EU.
Labour and the Greens are equally daft about their Brexit approaches as are the Conservatives in Scotland. I mean 1 million Scots did vote to leave. I kind of wonder what the educational level there is between leave and remain voters although I was told in an article that the Guardian newspaper produced some figures suggesting the better educated you were the more likely you were to vote remain.
Let's not forget that all parties in Scotland wanted us to remain in the EU and fought to persuade us to do so and yet 1 million Scots decided to ignore their views. We weren't given any real opportunity to learn from our so called political leaders on why it would be good to leave.
Likewise Nicola Sturgeon totally ruled out any EU referendum should Scotland become an Independent country. So what is she hiding? Like her favourite Named Persons scheme was trashed by EU regulations so is that now why she's talking about being a member of EFTA?
I confess to liking Boris Johnson's 4,200 word article on Brexit which you can read and learn about at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...k-350m-eu-nhs/
So we're leaving the EU, the Single Market, the EEA and the ECJ so let's just get on with this and start thinking about the positives and getting our minds in gear as to how to make this a success. Carping on about fudges around this issue is just wasted time when we need to get working on educating the people of Scotland on the opportunities they present. Sure there will be some difficulties on the road ahead but we need to work to persuade most of our daft business leaders to think in new ways instead of harping on about old ways that are dead and gone.
Here is an interesting article from CapX today...
Events this autumn should determine whether the UK will be economically better off outside the EU. They may also dictate whether we actually leave at all, or if we do so in name only.
This is because the cheerleaders for “project fear” – the doyens of the establishment – are still fighting a concerted campaign to ensure that we do not leave the EU, or at least leave in name only. The CBI is asking for a three-year transition; the Bank of England is set on raising interest rates and thus undermining our competitive currency; and while the Treasury remains publicly silent, it is set on salvaging as much of what we have now and changing as little as possible in order to protect vested interests.
But all this will result in us being worse off. This sort of Brexit will come at huge cost: not only in the monetary contributions to the EU, but also in the restrictions preventing Britain from accessing the benefits of Brexit: the transition period, no tax cuts, no removal of tariffs, no deregulation. It would be utter madness. “Access” to the Single Market would come at way too high a price.
Let’s not forget that only 13 per cent of our economy is directly related to exports to the EU. Seventeen per cent is exports to the rest of the world and the remainder, a thumping 60 per cent, is domestic. The benefits of a clean Brexit break would benefit the whole economy – yet all of the anguish and argument in the current discourse is focused on preserving in aspic that hallowed 13 per cent. If ever there were a case of the tail wagging the dog this is it. And it worryingly demonstrates the power of vested interests in our country.
It’s obvious that if we make a clean break and cease to obsess about a free trade arrangement with the EU, we will be better off. That’s why the Government needs to clearly state the nature of our post Brexit economic policy. We are perfectly able to do this unilaterally, without reference to the EU, and it would provide absolute certainty for industry and boost business confidence – irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations.
It will also have the added advantage of increasing the leverage of the UK in negotiations with the EU since it will quickly become clear that Britain can prosper, deal or no deal. Because the combination of the reinvestment of our net contribution (generating growth and taxes to pay for the NHS), repatriation of fisheries, repeal of the Common Agricultural Policy, free trade arrangements around the world and unilateral tariff removal, control of migration, and deregulation, will together net up to a whopping, additional 7 per cent of GDP growth.
The choice is stark and the choice is simple. On the one hand we can choose the Treasury model and be a dull, also ran, vassal state of the EU in which the establishment maintain a big slice of a shrinking cake. Or we can be a dynamic, outward looking, global Britain, with a burgeoning economy in which everybody gets a bigger slice from a larger cake.
It’s a no-brainer.
And if you disagree with what is said above feel free to email me your case for why we should stay in the EU or failing that why we should stay in the EEA or Single market and still be ruled by the ECJ. I'm perfectly willing to publish your article to me.
For that matter use our comment system to discuss this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...sip/brexit.htm
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This week I've focused on the Royal Navy. The problem with researching the Scottish element of the British Royal Navy is that there are no articles or books I can find that focus on the Scottish elements. I have seen the odd article that says that a third of the sailors were of Scots descent but when you read the books they often don't say that person was born in Scotland and no illusion is made to them being a Scot or not.
One can get an idea from the name so what I've done this week is to make available two multiple volume sets on Navel history and Naval Admirals from the British Royal Navy. I might also add that the first time I saw reference to the Scottish Navy was in the History of Leith book which we have on the site.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Exhumation in Highlands to solve clan chief burial mystery
The contents of a coffin will be exhumed next month in a bid to solve the 270-year-old mystery surrounding the final resting place of clan chief Simon The Fox Fraser.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/exhumat...tery-1-4560291
Brexit offers an almost unprecedented opportunity
To boost the UK maritime sector
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/brexit-unpr...y-uk-maritime/
Sir James Dyson
Make a clean break from Europe without an interim deal
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/...-interim-deal/
Scots make-up artist sets up salon inside a plane
A 25-year-old makeup artist launched her first salon today - inside a converted airplane in her back garden.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/sco...rden-1-4560303
Innovation, not subsidy, is transforming the energy market
One of the main arguments against wind farms - cost - has disappeared
Read more at:
https://capx.co/innovation-not-subsi...-energy-market
Yes, we WILL take back £350m from EU for NHS
Boris Johnson today sets out a grand vision of Britain’s glorious post-Brexit future as a low-tax, low regulation economy paying nothing to the EU for access to the single market.
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...k-350m-eu-nhs/
The man who moved a Scottish mansion ...to Japan
Actor Masahiko Tsugawa bought Milton Flockhart near Carluke and moved it to Japan where he opened a World Santa Museum and European theme park.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-man...apan-1-4561585
Passing of last surviving Black Watch piper to play at funeral of John F Kennedy
A remarkable tie between the Black Watch and the White House has come to end with the passing of the last surviving regimental piper to have played in the 1963 funeral procession of former president John F Kennedy.
Read more at:
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news...ohn-f-kennedy/
Majority of Scots say they are not religious
The number of Scots who say they are not religious has risen to almost three quarters, according to new research.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41294688
The EU’s thousands of senseless tariffs simply serve to punish the poor
I gave the example of how in October last year EU tariffs on orange imports were quintupled from 3.2 percent to 16 percent. This example has been challenged by some on the Remain side, who have suggested that I got my facts wrong
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/eu-thousand...s-punish-poor/
Boost for UK-US trade links
Royal Commonwealth Society opens Mississippi office
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...nsmississippi/
When the name MacGregor was banned for 150 years
The name of this wicked and unhappy clan was banned in the early 1600s after its members killed more than 140 rival clansmen at Glen Fruin near Loch Lomond.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/when-th...ears-1-4356229
The UK economy is growing
And will do so faster after Brexit even in the event of no deal
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/uk-economy-...event-no-deal/
100,000 trees to be planted in the Outer Hebrides
Up to 100,000 trees are to be planted in the Outer Hebrides over the next three years in a bid to revive the native woodland of the islands
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/100-000...ides-1-4563170
Supporting overseas investment can bring vast benefits
For centuries the UK has looked outwards to increase our prosperity and build alliances across the globe
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/supporting-...t-benefits-uk/
List of 111 powers SNP say Scotland will be denied after Brexit
The Scottish Government has published a list of the 111 powers returning from Brussels after Brexit that it will be denied as a result of the EU Withdrawal Bill.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/list-of...exit-1-4564360
As a Religious Education teacher, here’s why the subject must not disappear
It is no surprise that significant numbers of schools are breaking the law by not offering Religious Education (RE).
Read more at:
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/religiou...edium=exchange
Why did so many economists assume the worst about Brexit?
Scaremongering economists were wrong about Brexit
Read more at:
https://capx.co/why-did-so-many-econ...t-about-brexit
UK strikes research deal with US in run-up to Brexit
The UK and US have reached a deal to develop a special relationship for science.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41340971
Bespoke sword-making service coming to Edinburgh
Scotland’s leading licensed sword seller, The Knight’s Vault, has launched a bespoke sword-making service in Edinburgh due to popular demand.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bespoke...urgh-1-4564478
SNP attempts to thwart the EU Withdrawal Bill
Show they’re only Stronger for Brussels
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/snp-thwart-...-for-brussels/
Remains of 6,000-year-old dwelling found in Ayrshire
Archaeologists said it was older than the Callanish Stones in Lewis and Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...-west-41347487
Sneak peak at Queen’s private room at Balmoral Castle
The rare insight to the monarch’s living arrangements was given when Julie Payette, the Governor General Designate of Canada, was welcomed into the Queen’s Deeside residence.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/heritage/peo...stle-1-4566298
Electric Canadian
Canada
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Other British Provinces in North America with a Plan of National Colonization by James S. Buckingham (pdf)
Came across this publication which I found interesting and so hope you enjoy it and you can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...lonization.pdf
Books by Gertrude Balmer Watt
Author, Journalist, Antique dealer, 1879-1963. Gertude Balmer Watt, journalist and antique dealer, was the author of A Woman in the West (1907), Town and Trail (1908) and numerous columns and reviews for newspapers in the Edmonton area. She was a charter member of the Canadian Women's Press Club, which was organized in 1904. Mrs. Watt was the wife of editor Arthur Balmer Watt and the mother of author Frederick Balmer Watt.
I added two of her books which I hope you'll enjoy and you can find these at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...berta/watt.htm
Building with Logs
By Clyde P. Fickes, Engineer, and W. Ellis Grobem, Chief Architect Forest Service published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
I came across this book and thought I'd add it to our Beard collection of books which provide pioneering skills education.
You can read this at the foot of his page at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...eard/index.htm
Conrad Black
I've always had a lot of time for Conrad Black and so as he writes from Canada on a number of issues of interest from around the world I'm intending to include links to his writings for you to view.
Trump Cuts Through the Mindless Obstructionism
http://www.conradmblack.com/1332/tru...obstructionism
The Liberals' tax reforms will be a national disaster
http://www.conradmblack.com/1333/the...-be-a-national
Trump's Bold Defense of America
http://www.conradmblack.com/1334/tru...nse-of-america
Electric Scotland
Reminiscences connected chiefly with Inveresk and Musselburgh
And Sketches of Family Histories by the Rev. W. H. Langhorne, M.A. (1893)
The author says in the Preface...
I ought perhaps to add, although this is a private matter, that I compiled these memoirs chiefly with my mother’s assistance, as she liked to recall the friends and events of her early life, her only regret being that she had not taken note at the time, of circumstances of which I would have been glad to be more particularly informed, her excellent memory failing her in certain instances. She formed a valued link between what is to the existing generation a distant past, and the present, when nearly everything has been changed. As she has not been spared to read her own reminiscences, I dedicate them to her revered memory.
Read this book at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...r/inveresk.htm
Admiral Sir David Milne
Added a wee biography about him to our entry for that name in the Scottish Nation which you can read at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/milne.htm
Lives of the British Admirals
Containing an Accurate Naval History from the Earliest Periods by Dr. John Campbell in eight volumes.
The Preface to this publication starts with this paragraph...
THE general utility and great importance of naval history to the inhabitants of Britain, is obvious from our being seated in an island; whence it is evident, that to navigation we owe our very being as a people. Next to this is the consideration, that we are a commercial nation, from whence we equally derive internal arid external advantages, have enlarged our correspondence to the utmost limits of the globe, whither we have carried our own commodities and manufactures, and have brought from them whatever was esteemed either valuable or singular. The great figure we make in the world, and the wide extent of our power and influence, are duo to our nay^l strength, to which we stand indebted for our flourishing plantations, the spreading the British fame, and, which is of far greater consequence, British, freedom, through every quarter of the universe. These are the glorious trophies of maritime empire, and the fruits of that dominion over the sea, which was claimed by the earliest possessors of this island, and* has been derived by an uninterrupted succession of noble achievements on that element to our own times, in which the fleet of Britain may be truly said to have no rival.
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...h_admirals.htm
The Naval History of Great Britain
From the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV by William James. A new edition with additions and notes, an account of the Burmese War and the Battle of Navarino by Captain Chamier, R.N. in six volmes (1837)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...al_history.htm
James Boswell
From the famous Scots series by W. Keith Leask.
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...well_james.htm
Richard Cameron
Added this biography of him from the Famous Scots series of books.
An eminent martyr of the Scottish church, and whose name is still retained inthe popular designation of one of its sects, was the son of a small shopkeeper at Falkland in Fife. His first appearance in life was in the capacity of schoolmaster and precentor of that parish under the episcopal clergyman. But, being converted by the field preachers, he afterwards became an enthusiastic votary of the pure presbyterian system, and, resigning those offices, went to reside as a preceptor in the family of Sir Walter Scott of Harden. From this place he was soon compelled to remove, on account of his refusal to attend the ministrations of theparish clergyman. He then fell into the company of the celebrated Mr John Welch, and was by him persuaded to accept a licence as a preacher. This honour was conferred upon him by Mr Welchand another persecuted clergyman in the house of Haughhead inRoxburghshire; so simple was the ceremony by which these unfortunate ministers recruited their ranks.
You can read about him at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...on_richard.htm
David Milne-Home
Scottish advocate, geologist and meteorologist.
David Milne-Home FRSE FGS PGSE LLD (1805-1890) was a Scottish advocate, geologist and meteorologist. He was the founder of the Scottish Meteorological Society in 1855. He founded the Scottish Meteorological Society in 1858 and served as its Chairman, and from 1874 to 1889 he served as President of the Edinburgh Geological Society
You can read about him at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...milne-home.htm
The Story
Lives of the British Admirals
Containing an Accurate Naval History from the Earliest Periods by Dr. John Campbell in eight volumes
I thought as this is so large a publication I would bring you the Introduction as the Story for this week...
In presenting to the public the first volume of a new Edition of Dr. Campbell’s Lives of the Admirals it will naturally be expected that some account should be given of the nature and extent of my undertaking; after having said a few words relative to the original work itself.
There have appeared no fewer than six editions of this work; three during the life-time of the Author* and three since his death. This fact, of itself demonstrates ‘its great and acknowledged merit. The extreme scarcity and advanced price of the volumes denoted that a new edition] extending our Naval History nearly to the present day, would be favourably received by the public. The most important part of our Naval History falls within that period which I have engaged to delineate. It is not intended by this to deteriorate from the labours of Dr. Campbell or of Dr. Berkenhout; but to shew that a considerable portion of the ensuing volumes will form an entirely new and original work. Dr. Campbell terminated his historical narrative at the epoch of the death of George I. From that time, the Naval History was continued by Dr. Berkenhout, as far down as the year 1779. My proportion of labour consists therefore in having carefully revised the histories both of Campbell and of Berkenhout; in having added such notes, facts, and observations, as will cast a fuller light upon the events which they have recorded; and lastly, in having composed an entirely new history of our Naval Affairs, from the period when Dr. Berkenhout laid down his pen, until the memorable battle of Trafalgar, which indisputably fixed the Naval Trident in our hands; though the victory which was the result of that battle, was clouded by the death of the hero, by whose genius, example, and prowess, it was achieved. The sera of the death of Lord Nelson I have selected for the termination of my labours, because that epoch was marked by great and most important events; affording abundant scope for political reflection, and- exhibiting, at one moment, the most mortifying and the most' exhilarating scenes to the observation of mankind.
It had long been my anxious wish to engage in some literary undertaking, that should be wholly unconnected with the vexations and contentions which polemical questions are calculated to excite. A long and dangerous indisposition enabled me to carry this wish into effect, by abstracting me wholey from the study of politics; and, at the suggestion of my learned and excellent friend, the Rev. Dr. Valpy, of Reading, who first encouraged me to continue Campbell’s History, I was,, on my return to London, enabled immediately to embark in the project, by the spirit and zeal of the Publisher, and by the extraordinary encouragement which the proposals experienced from the public.
Having thus stated the motives which led me to revise, and continue this Naval History; I shall next proceed to enumerate the assistance I have received, and the facilities I have obtained, through the liberality and kindness of others.
In the first place, I must mention the Right Honourable George Rose, M. P. and Treasurer of the Navy; Who, from the very outset of the undertaking, favoured me with the best advice relative .to the conduct of the work, procured me access to public offices, and who has kindly permitted me to apply to him for any information which the nature Of this history may require. The splendid library of Mr. Rose, bequeathed to him in great part, by the earl of Marchraont, who had been very careful in forming a collection of books and ‘treatises concerning the Naval Affairs of the British empire, has been generously offered 'for my inspection. There is another circumstance from which 1 have been enabled to derive the most useful information. Mr. Rose lived ih strict habits of friendship with our Author, Dr. Campbell, all of whose manuscripts are in his possession; and he has furnished me with such few anecdotes respecting the character' of that -able Writer, as have not been already recorded in the memoir of Dr. Campbell’s Life, profiled to this volume. To this I must add, that Mr. Rose placed in my hands the first edition of the Author’s work, together with the numerous corrections in his own land-writing; from which I hope that I have been able to come at a correct idea of Dr. Campbell’s mode of reasoning, in the prosecution of this portion of his literary lucubrations. All these advantages are unquestionably great; and if this work should become an useful addition to the public stock of instruction and entertainment, it will be, in a great measure, owing to the valuable materials in the possession of Mr. Rose, materials not to be found even among the most valuable of the national collections ; as well as to the liberality, encouragement, and fund of knowledge, which distinguish that gentleman.
To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty I must likewise express my obligations, for allowing me to inspect such papers as may be useful to me in the course of my researches. Some years ago, a fire broke out at the Admiralty in consequence of which, all the records relative to the Naval Affairs of Great Britain were consumed. Fortunately, the patriotism of Mr. Rose has, in a great degree, supplied the defect occasioned by that accident. Among the many curious and important documents collected by the earl of Marchmont, are ten manuscript volumes in folio, comprising minutes of all our naval proceedings, from the reign of Charles II. These invaluable manuscripts Mr. Rose presented to the Admiralty; and to them I have been allowed a ready access. I shall have occasion, in a subsequent part of this work, to write* more particularly respecting the contents of these volumes.
In the next place, I am indebted to Charles Debrick, Esq. who, in addition to his own excellent work, entitled, “Memoirs of the Rise and Progress of the Royal Navy" in which the highest accuracy and minuteness of research are apparent; has, from the commencement of my labours, afforded me the best advice, besides having put into my hands some valuable ancient manuscripts, which will appear in another part of the ensuing volumes.
I have also derived considerable information from the Rev. Mr. Bree’s Sketch of the State of the Naval Establishment of this Kingdom, during the Fourteenth Century; not forgetting his account of the Campaign of Edward the Third* in Normandy and France, in the years 1345 and 1346 to the taking of Calais: the whole of which are collected from ancient manuscripts in the British Museum, and elsewhere. It is much to be lamented, that the author was prevented by untoward circumstances from pursuing further his inquiries.
From the polite communication of Mr. Pennington, I have been able to correct some errors in Dr. Campbell’s account of the birth-place, and rise of Sir John Pennington, who commanded the Channel fleet, in the time of Charles the First. I have availed myself of this manuscript Memoir in my own additions to the work.
The Right Honourable the Earl of Hardwicke has signified his wish to inspect the biographical account of Lord Anson before it is sent to press, on account of the connection of his lordship’s family with that of the illustrious admiral.
To my worthy and learned friend, Alexander Tilloch, Esq. I am also indebted for a most entertaining old manuscript, written by James Melville, of Anstruther, respecting the reception which the Spaniards experienced in that part of Scotland, at the time of the projected invasion of England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
I have other acknowledgments to make for many useful hints and communications, which shall not be overlooked ini the course of these volumes. It is not possible to enumerate within foe limits of a preface, foe obligations 1 am under to naval and literary gentlemen, for the information with which they have furnished «me; but I shall not neglect to mention foe sources whence such information was derived.
Besides these contributions ’from Various quarters, I have access to the rich stores of antiquity contained in the British Museum and the Record Office in the Tower. In consequence of my admission into the former, I have been able to verify foe numerous authorities cited by Dr. Campbell; and, through the politeness of S. Lysons, Esq. the keeper of foe Records in foe Tower, I have come at a most valuable < document, by which I have been aide to correct a material error in the history of Campbell, wherein he asserts that there was, properly speaking, no Naval Establishment, until the reign of Henry the Eighth. This document is a letter from King Henry the Fifth to his Chancellor, preserved among the records of the Chancery, and dated at Tonquein France; and, it appears from this letter-missive, that there were in those days, not only great ships, but that commanders were appointed to them with fixed salaries, payable at Easter and Michaelmas. The names of the captains are also given. This letter will be inserted in another volume; at the same time, I am happy to mention, that Mr. Lysons is preparing for the press a quarto volume of Royal and other Letters, of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Centuries, from the Originals in the Record Office. The publication of these valuable materials, will considerably abridge my researches in that quarter; as well as throw new light upon our Naval History.
In justice, however, to the memory and reputation of Dr. Campbell, it should be remarked, that this letter of King Henry the Fifth, and several other precious documents of the same kind, were not known to have existed in his day. They have been recently discovered by Mr. Lysons, among a huge mass of old papers in the course of his revision of the Public Records. The discovery is, however, of the first importance; as it serves to confirm the principle laid down, and strenuously maintained throughout all the ensuing volumes, that from the earliest ages the sovereigns and parliaments of England, were particularly attentive to the naval interests of the kingdom.
In addition to this curious feet, I have seen in the Record Office, a List of the King’s Ships, and of those furnished by the sea-ports, with the number of mariners to each ship, employed by Edward the Third, in 1347. Mr. Selden had availed himself of this manuscript in his Mare Clausum; and I doubt not that the account published in Hakluyt’s Collection of Voyages, is taken from the same source.
It is no depreciation of Dr. Campbell’s assiduity and researches, to affirm, that such materials must necessarily tend greatly to improve the value and merit of the original work; since he had not the means of ascertaining whether such monuments of past time had survived the wreck of ages, and the confusions which arose from the many contests for power, with which our national history abounds.
But it is due to truth, nevertheless, to observe, that the i( Lives of the Admirals,” constitutes the most diffusive work which fell from the pen of that indefatigable and excellent writer. It is, undoubtedly, enriched by elaborate researches; by a happy penetration into the causes of public measures; and by many deep political reflections. The numerous alterations made by the author himself in the first edition, and which, as I have before mentioned, are in his own hand-writing, in the copy with which I was obligingly furnished by Mr. Rose, demonstrate, that he had not bestowed so much attention upon some parts of his subject, as their importance demanded; while upon others, of less moment, he has laid great stress and often launched into unnecessary details. In fact, this work was composed in the earlier period of his literary life; when, perhaps, he might have thought, that the Lives of the Admirals could not be successfully written, without writing also an epitome of English history.
To alter or abridge the author’s composition, forms no part of my engagement with the public. I am bound to follow the path which he has trodden, and to confine myself solely to a careful revision of his steps.
At first, I had intended to have interspersed my own notes and observations into the body of the work; but, after mature deliberation, and after consulting with literary persons, much more experienced in such sort of arrangements than I can pretend to be, the present method has been preferred. Accordingly, the original work of Dr. Campbell, together with the supplementary volume of Dr. Berkenhout, are now re-edited from the last corrected edition This arrangement has been made with a view of supplying the great demand for a work which had become extremely scarce, and the price of which, had, on that account, been greatly enhanced.
Nevertheless, my task has been both irksome and laborious. For, I have felt it to be my duty to turn to all the authors, with some few exceptions, cited in this volume, in order to ascertain the exactitude of the references. All these collations have been made from the last edition of the work, compared with the books referred to, as they are to be found in the British Museum. Whoever will take the trouble of comparing the last with the present edition, will perceive instantaneously the many inaccuracies which I have been under the necessity of correcting. It is important that this fact should be well understood; because there are different editions of our monastic writers, the only historians of the early events of England, which vary materially in their pages. Where Dr. Campbell mentions, which he rarely docs, any particular edition of a work, I have referred to that edition; and where this has not been the case, 1 hare invariably corrected the references by the books in the British Museum, as that vast, though insufficient repository of our ancient literature, is now rendered accessible to the researches of the literary world.
There are some, but not many, Authors cited by Dr. Campbell, whose works I have not been able to find in the British Museum, although the most diligent search was made after them. He also refers occasionally to manuscripts in his own possession. In such instances, I have been under the necessity of giving credit to the accuracy of his references. Before the termination of my labours, however, this inconvenience may possibly be remedied from the magnificent collection of Mr. Rose; or, from the manuscripts of Dr. Campbell, in that gentleman’s possession. There are in Mr. Rose’s library many valuable tracts on our maritime and other affairs, not to be found in the British Museum, or elsewhere; of which I have already mentioned a striking instance in the ten folio volumes of manuscript minutes, now deposited at the Admiralty.
Neither have I confined my attention solely to the identity of the references. In an historical work, too much care cannot be bestowed on verifying the dates of events. This material omission in the preceding editions, has been supplied in the present, by placing the dates beside the text, so that the reader can be at no loss to discover in what particular year any Naval transaction occurred.
No pains have been spared in rendering the typography correct; and the only liberty I have taken with the original work, consists in the rectification of grammatical errors, in modernizing, without altering, the substance of some of Dr. Campbell’s sentences, which were too prolix for the taste of the present generation; and, in the insertion of the names of the persons who were living at the time his history was published, and to whom he refers in their official capacities only.
Such have been the labours and cares bestowed upon the present Edition: and, it is a favourable prognostic of our future exertions, that those who are concerned in the publication of this volume, have strictly discharged, in point of time, their engagements with the public.
It only remains, therefore, to say a few words relative to that part of the work for which I am exclusively responsible. My engagement extends to the correction of such errors as may be found in Campbell; to the introduction of such facts as may have escaped his observation, and which are calculated to shed a stronger light upon our Naval History; and to continue the work from the year 1779 to the battle of Trafalgar.
For this purpose, I have embodied into one volume all my own notes, observations, and researches; by which means, the compositions of Dr. Campbell, and of Dr. Berkenhout, will be kept distinct from mine; a circumstance which could not have been effected if the dissertations and notes had been blended with the writings and notes of these Authors. At the same time, X have minutely abided by the distinct areas selected by Dr. Campbell, in my own volume; so that after having read that division of his history which treats of the Navy of the Ancient Britons, the reader may, by turning to my volume under the same head, discover how far 1 agree with or differ from the Author in his statements and conclusions: and upon this particular head, it will be found that a very considerable difference exists between us. The same mode is to be observed in relation to every other chapter of Campbell.
The volume, therefore, which I have appropriated for this object is, of itself an epitome of our Naval History* possessing this advantage, that it does not contain the slightest repetition of what has already appeared in Campbell and Berkenhout. It is a new work; having indeed a reference to those two Authors, but composed entirely of original matter, and abounding in relations and facts, which either could not be known to, or were overlooked by, them. This volume will be followed by my continuation of our Naval History during thirty years of brilliant and unexampled exertion. Of the Execution of this portion of the whole work, it would fee unbecoming in me to speak. It must be left, as all original compositions are, and ought to be, to the judgment of the public. I have leisure, opportunities, and many facilities; and if my health will only keep pace with these advantages; I am not without the hope that my labours will experience a portion of the public approbation.
H. R. YORKE.
Gray’s-Inn~Square, March 7, 1812.
And that's it for this week and I hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
The more I read on Brexit the more concerned I get. It just seems to me that we need to leave and get on with dealing with the world and given that the EU is only 15% of global trade and declining why can't we see the opportunities this presents us?
The talk in the Conservative party cabinet seems ridiculous to me. Why can't they speak with one voice and look at the positives out of Brexit. I mean we're going to leave so that's a given so why not be bullish on what we can achieve out of leaving the EU. Sir James Dyson, the largest land owner in Britain and a self made billionaire says we'll do great outside the EU even with a hard Brexit. He sees no problem in trading with the EU on WTO terms just as three of the world's largest economies do right now. The USA, China and India. So why can't Britain, the 5th largest economy, do the same?
You simply can't trust the SNP as they want Independence and so will obviously do anything they can to spoil Brexit for Britain as they want Scotland to be in the EU and thus have control of our economy. And that's pretty obvious as under the SNP our economy isn't doing that well so better someone else should run it for us and that's Brussels. I mean do we have no pride?
Like the SNP put up 111 issues that Britain would need to agree to to get SNP support. I mean come on.. the devolved powers we already have have not done much for Scotland. So why should any more powers help us? Like in Britain we need common standards so that means some things need to be common amongst all of us. Like you can't have different food labeling standards as that would cause problems across Britain. And that's just one tiny example of needing shared standards across the whole UK. But the SNP don't see that as being an issue which is just stupid.
Then as to being in the Single market or the EEA and the ECJ means we would have no say in any of the regulations the EU put out and that would means great difficulty in doing free trade deals across the world. What's so difficult about understanding that? We need to be totally out of those organisations to enable us to prosper outside the EU.
Labour and the Greens are equally daft about their Brexit approaches as are the Conservatives in Scotland. I mean 1 million Scots did vote to leave. I kind of wonder what the educational level there is between leave and remain voters although I was told in an article that the Guardian newspaper produced some figures suggesting the better educated you were the more likely you were to vote remain.
Let's not forget that all parties in Scotland wanted us to remain in the EU and fought to persuade us to do so and yet 1 million Scots decided to ignore their views. We weren't given any real opportunity to learn from our so called political leaders on why it would be good to leave.
Likewise Nicola Sturgeon totally ruled out any EU referendum should Scotland become an Independent country. So what is she hiding? Like her favourite Named Persons scheme was trashed by EU regulations so is that now why she's talking about being a member of EFTA?
I confess to liking Boris Johnson's 4,200 word article on Brexit which you can read and learn about at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...k-350m-eu-nhs/
So we're leaving the EU, the Single Market, the EEA and the ECJ so let's just get on with this and start thinking about the positives and getting our minds in gear as to how to make this a success. Carping on about fudges around this issue is just wasted time when we need to get working on educating the people of Scotland on the opportunities they present. Sure there will be some difficulties on the road ahead but we need to work to persuade most of our daft business leaders to think in new ways instead of harping on about old ways that are dead and gone.
Here is an interesting article from CapX today...
Events this autumn should determine whether the UK will be economically better off outside the EU. They may also dictate whether we actually leave at all, or if we do so in name only.
This is because the cheerleaders for “project fear” – the doyens of the establishment – are still fighting a concerted campaign to ensure that we do not leave the EU, or at least leave in name only. The CBI is asking for a three-year transition; the Bank of England is set on raising interest rates and thus undermining our competitive currency; and while the Treasury remains publicly silent, it is set on salvaging as much of what we have now and changing as little as possible in order to protect vested interests.
But all this will result in us being worse off. This sort of Brexit will come at huge cost: not only in the monetary contributions to the EU, but also in the restrictions preventing Britain from accessing the benefits of Brexit: the transition period, no tax cuts, no removal of tariffs, no deregulation. It would be utter madness. “Access” to the Single Market would come at way too high a price.
Let’s not forget that only 13 per cent of our economy is directly related to exports to the EU. Seventeen per cent is exports to the rest of the world and the remainder, a thumping 60 per cent, is domestic. The benefits of a clean Brexit break would benefit the whole economy – yet all of the anguish and argument in the current discourse is focused on preserving in aspic that hallowed 13 per cent. If ever there were a case of the tail wagging the dog this is it. And it worryingly demonstrates the power of vested interests in our country.
It’s obvious that if we make a clean break and cease to obsess about a free trade arrangement with the EU, we will be better off. That’s why the Government needs to clearly state the nature of our post Brexit economic policy. We are perfectly able to do this unilaterally, without reference to the EU, and it would provide absolute certainty for industry and boost business confidence – irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations.
It will also have the added advantage of increasing the leverage of the UK in negotiations with the EU since it will quickly become clear that Britain can prosper, deal or no deal. Because the combination of the reinvestment of our net contribution (generating growth and taxes to pay for the NHS), repatriation of fisheries, repeal of the Common Agricultural Policy, free trade arrangements around the world and unilateral tariff removal, control of migration, and deregulation, will together net up to a whopping, additional 7 per cent of GDP growth.
The choice is stark and the choice is simple. On the one hand we can choose the Treasury model and be a dull, also ran, vassal state of the EU in which the establishment maintain a big slice of a shrinking cake. Or we can be a dynamic, outward looking, global Britain, with a burgeoning economy in which everybody gets a bigger slice from a larger cake.
It’s a no-brainer.
And if you disagree with what is said above feel free to email me your case for why we should stay in the EU or failing that why we should stay in the EEA or Single market and still be ruled by the ECJ. I'm perfectly willing to publish your article to me.
For that matter use our comment system to discuss this at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...sip/brexit.htm
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This week I've focused on the Royal Navy. The problem with researching the Scottish element of the British Royal Navy is that there are no articles or books I can find that focus on the Scottish elements. I have seen the odd article that says that a third of the sailors were of Scots descent but when you read the books they often don't say that person was born in Scotland and no illusion is made to them being a Scot or not.
One can get an idea from the name so what I've done this week is to make available two multiple volume sets on Navel history and Naval Admirals from the British Royal Navy. I might also add that the first time I saw reference to the Scottish Navy was in the History of Leith book which we have on the site.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Exhumation in Highlands to solve clan chief burial mystery
The contents of a coffin will be exhumed next month in a bid to solve the 270-year-old mystery surrounding the final resting place of clan chief Simon The Fox Fraser.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/exhumat...tery-1-4560291
Brexit offers an almost unprecedented opportunity
To boost the UK maritime sector
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/brexit-unpr...y-uk-maritime/
Sir James Dyson
Make a clean break from Europe without an interim deal
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/...-interim-deal/
Scots make-up artist sets up salon inside a plane
A 25-year-old makeup artist launched her first salon today - inside a converted airplane in her back garden.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/sco...rden-1-4560303
Innovation, not subsidy, is transforming the energy market
One of the main arguments against wind farms - cost - has disappeared
Read more at:
https://capx.co/innovation-not-subsi...-energy-market
Yes, we WILL take back £350m from EU for NHS
Boris Johnson today sets out a grand vision of Britain’s glorious post-Brexit future as a low-tax, low regulation economy paying nothing to the EU for access to the single market.
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...k-350m-eu-nhs/
The man who moved a Scottish mansion ...to Japan
Actor Masahiko Tsugawa bought Milton Flockhart near Carluke and moved it to Japan where he opened a World Santa Museum and European theme park.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-man...apan-1-4561585
Passing of last surviving Black Watch piper to play at funeral of John F Kennedy
A remarkable tie between the Black Watch and the White House has come to end with the passing of the last surviving regimental piper to have played in the 1963 funeral procession of former president John F Kennedy.
Read more at:
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news...ohn-f-kennedy/
Majority of Scots say they are not religious
The number of Scots who say they are not religious has risen to almost three quarters, according to new research.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41294688
The EU’s thousands of senseless tariffs simply serve to punish the poor
I gave the example of how in October last year EU tariffs on orange imports were quintupled from 3.2 percent to 16 percent. This example has been challenged by some on the Remain side, who have suggested that I got my facts wrong
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/eu-thousand...s-punish-poor/
Boost for UK-US trade links
Royal Commonwealth Society opens Mississippi office
Read more at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...nsmississippi/
When the name MacGregor was banned for 150 years
The name of this wicked and unhappy clan was banned in the early 1600s after its members killed more than 140 rival clansmen at Glen Fruin near Loch Lomond.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/when-th...ears-1-4356229
The UK economy is growing
And will do so faster after Brexit even in the event of no deal
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/uk-economy-...event-no-deal/
100,000 trees to be planted in the Outer Hebrides
Up to 100,000 trees are to be planted in the Outer Hebrides over the next three years in a bid to revive the native woodland of the islands
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/100-000...ides-1-4563170
Supporting overseas investment can bring vast benefits
For centuries the UK has looked outwards to increase our prosperity and build alliances across the globe
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/supporting-...t-benefits-uk/
List of 111 powers SNP say Scotland will be denied after Brexit
The Scottish Government has published a list of the 111 powers returning from Brussels after Brexit that it will be denied as a result of the EU Withdrawal Bill.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/list-of...exit-1-4564360
As a Religious Education teacher, here’s why the subject must not disappear
It is no surprise that significant numbers of schools are breaking the law by not offering Religious Education (RE).
Read more at:
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/religiou...edium=exchange
Why did so many economists assume the worst about Brexit?
Scaremongering economists were wrong about Brexit
Read more at:
https://capx.co/why-did-so-many-econ...t-about-brexit
UK strikes research deal with US in run-up to Brexit
The UK and US have reached a deal to develop a special relationship for science.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41340971
Bespoke sword-making service coming to Edinburgh
Scotland’s leading licensed sword seller, The Knight’s Vault, has launched a bespoke sword-making service in Edinburgh due to popular demand.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bespoke...urgh-1-4564478
SNP attempts to thwart the EU Withdrawal Bill
Show they’re only Stronger for Brussels
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/snp-thwart-...-for-brussels/
Remains of 6,000-year-old dwelling found in Ayrshire
Archaeologists said it was older than the Callanish Stones in Lewis and Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...-west-41347487
Sneak peak at Queen’s private room at Balmoral Castle
The rare insight to the monarch’s living arrangements was given when Julie Payette, the Governor General Designate of Canada, was welcomed into the Queen’s Deeside residence.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/heritage/peo...stle-1-4566298
Electric Canadian
Canada
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Other British Provinces in North America with a Plan of National Colonization by James S. Buckingham (pdf)
Came across this publication which I found interesting and so hope you enjoy it and you can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...lonization.pdf
Books by Gertrude Balmer Watt
Author, Journalist, Antique dealer, 1879-1963. Gertude Balmer Watt, journalist and antique dealer, was the author of A Woman in the West (1907), Town and Trail (1908) and numerous columns and reviews for newspapers in the Edmonton area. She was a charter member of the Canadian Women's Press Club, which was organized in 1904. Mrs. Watt was the wife of editor Arthur Balmer Watt and the mother of author Frederick Balmer Watt.
I added two of her books which I hope you'll enjoy and you can find these at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...berta/watt.htm
Building with Logs
By Clyde P. Fickes, Engineer, and W. Ellis Grobem, Chief Architect Forest Service published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
I came across this book and thought I'd add it to our Beard collection of books which provide pioneering skills education.
You can read this at the foot of his page at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...eard/index.htm
Conrad Black
I've always had a lot of time for Conrad Black and so as he writes from Canada on a number of issues of interest from around the world I'm intending to include links to his writings for you to view.
Trump Cuts Through the Mindless Obstructionism
http://www.conradmblack.com/1332/tru...obstructionism
The Liberals' tax reforms will be a national disaster
http://www.conradmblack.com/1333/the...-be-a-national
Trump's Bold Defense of America
http://www.conradmblack.com/1334/tru...nse-of-america
Electric Scotland
Reminiscences connected chiefly with Inveresk and Musselburgh
And Sketches of Family Histories by the Rev. W. H. Langhorne, M.A. (1893)
The author says in the Preface...
I ought perhaps to add, although this is a private matter, that I compiled these memoirs chiefly with my mother’s assistance, as she liked to recall the friends and events of her early life, her only regret being that she had not taken note at the time, of circumstances of which I would have been glad to be more particularly informed, her excellent memory failing her in certain instances. She formed a valued link between what is to the existing generation a distant past, and the present, when nearly everything has been changed. As she has not been spared to read her own reminiscences, I dedicate them to her revered memory.
Read this book at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...r/inveresk.htm
Admiral Sir David Milne
Added a wee biography about him to our entry for that name in the Scottish Nation which you can read at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/milne.htm
Lives of the British Admirals
Containing an Accurate Naval History from the Earliest Periods by Dr. John Campbell in eight volumes.
The Preface to this publication starts with this paragraph...
THE general utility and great importance of naval history to the inhabitants of Britain, is obvious from our being seated in an island; whence it is evident, that to navigation we owe our very being as a people. Next to this is the consideration, that we are a commercial nation, from whence we equally derive internal arid external advantages, have enlarged our correspondence to the utmost limits of the globe, whither we have carried our own commodities and manufactures, and have brought from them whatever was esteemed either valuable or singular. The great figure we make in the world, and the wide extent of our power and influence, are duo to our nay^l strength, to which we stand indebted for our flourishing plantations, the spreading the British fame, and, which is of far greater consequence, British, freedom, through every quarter of the universe. These are the glorious trophies of maritime empire, and the fruits of that dominion over the sea, which was claimed by the earliest possessors of this island, and* has been derived by an uninterrupted succession of noble achievements on that element to our own times, in which the fleet of Britain may be truly said to have no rival.
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...h_admirals.htm
The Naval History of Great Britain
From the Declaration of War by France in 1793 to the Accession of George IV by William James. A new edition with additions and notes, an account of the Burmese War and the Battle of Navarino by Captain Chamier, R.N. in six volmes (1837)
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...al_history.htm
James Boswell
From the famous Scots series by W. Keith Leask.
You can read this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...well_james.htm
Richard Cameron
Added this biography of him from the Famous Scots series of books.
An eminent martyr of the Scottish church, and whose name is still retained inthe popular designation of one of its sects, was the son of a small shopkeeper at Falkland in Fife. His first appearance in life was in the capacity of schoolmaster and precentor of that parish under the episcopal clergyman. But, being converted by the field preachers, he afterwards became an enthusiastic votary of the pure presbyterian system, and, resigning those offices, went to reside as a preceptor in the family of Sir Walter Scott of Harden. From this place he was soon compelled to remove, on account of his refusal to attend the ministrations of theparish clergyman. He then fell into the company of the celebrated Mr John Welch, and was by him persuaded to accept a licence as a preacher. This honour was conferred upon him by Mr Welchand another persecuted clergyman in the house of Haughhead inRoxburghshire; so simple was the ceremony by which these unfortunate ministers recruited their ranks.
You can read about him at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...on_richard.htm
David Milne-Home
Scottish advocate, geologist and meteorologist.
David Milne-Home FRSE FGS PGSE LLD (1805-1890) was a Scottish advocate, geologist and meteorologist. He was the founder of the Scottish Meteorological Society in 1855. He founded the Scottish Meteorological Society in 1858 and served as its Chairman, and from 1874 to 1889 he served as President of the Edinburgh Geological Society
You can read about him at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...milne-home.htm
The Story
Lives of the British Admirals
Containing an Accurate Naval History from the Earliest Periods by Dr. John Campbell in eight volumes
I thought as this is so large a publication I would bring you the Introduction as the Story for this week...
In presenting to the public the first volume of a new Edition of Dr. Campbell’s Lives of the Admirals it will naturally be expected that some account should be given of the nature and extent of my undertaking; after having said a few words relative to the original work itself.
There have appeared no fewer than six editions of this work; three during the life-time of the Author* and three since his death. This fact, of itself demonstrates ‘its great and acknowledged merit. The extreme scarcity and advanced price of the volumes denoted that a new edition] extending our Naval History nearly to the present day, would be favourably received by the public. The most important part of our Naval History falls within that period which I have engaged to delineate. It is not intended by this to deteriorate from the labours of Dr. Campbell or of Dr. Berkenhout; but to shew that a considerable portion of the ensuing volumes will form an entirely new and original work. Dr. Campbell terminated his historical narrative at the epoch of the death of George I. From that time, the Naval History was continued by Dr. Berkenhout, as far down as the year 1779. My proportion of labour consists therefore in having carefully revised the histories both of Campbell and of Berkenhout; in having added such notes, facts, and observations, as will cast a fuller light upon the events which they have recorded; and lastly, in having composed an entirely new history of our Naval Affairs, from the period when Dr. Berkenhout laid down his pen, until the memorable battle of Trafalgar, which indisputably fixed the Naval Trident in our hands; though the victory which was the result of that battle, was clouded by the death of the hero, by whose genius, example, and prowess, it was achieved. The sera of the death of Lord Nelson I have selected for the termination of my labours, because that epoch was marked by great and most important events; affording abundant scope for political reflection, and- exhibiting, at one moment, the most mortifying and the most' exhilarating scenes to the observation of mankind.
It had long been my anxious wish to engage in some literary undertaking, that should be wholly unconnected with the vexations and contentions which polemical questions are calculated to excite. A long and dangerous indisposition enabled me to carry this wish into effect, by abstracting me wholey from the study of politics; and, at the suggestion of my learned and excellent friend, the Rev. Dr. Valpy, of Reading, who first encouraged me to continue Campbell’s History, I was,, on my return to London, enabled immediately to embark in the project, by the spirit and zeal of the Publisher, and by the extraordinary encouragement which the proposals experienced from the public.
Having thus stated the motives which led me to revise, and continue this Naval History; I shall next proceed to enumerate the assistance I have received, and the facilities I have obtained, through the liberality and kindness of others.
In the first place, I must mention the Right Honourable George Rose, M. P. and Treasurer of the Navy; Who, from the very outset of the undertaking, favoured me with the best advice relative .to the conduct of the work, procured me access to public offices, and who has kindly permitted me to apply to him for any information which the nature Of this history may require. The splendid library of Mr. Rose, bequeathed to him in great part, by the earl of Marchraont, who had been very careful in forming a collection of books and ‘treatises concerning the Naval Affairs of the British empire, has been generously offered 'for my inspection. There is another circumstance from which 1 have been enabled to derive the most useful information. Mr. Rose lived ih strict habits of friendship with our Author, Dr. Campbell, all of whose manuscripts are in his possession; and he has furnished me with such few anecdotes respecting the character' of that -able Writer, as have not been already recorded in the memoir of Dr. Campbell’s Life, profiled to this volume. To this I must add, that Mr. Rose placed in my hands the first edition of the Author’s work, together with the numerous corrections in his own land-writing; from which I hope that I have been able to come at a correct idea of Dr. Campbell’s mode of reasoning, in the prosecution of this portion of his literary lucubrations. All these advantages are unquestionably great; and if this work should become an useful addition to the public stock of instruction and entertainment, it will be, in a great measure, owing to the valuable materials in the possession of Mr. Rose, materials not to be found even among the most valuable of the national collections ; as well as to the liberality, encouragement, and fund of knowledge, which distinguish that gentleman.
To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty I must likewise express my obligations, for allowing me to inspect such papers as may be useful to me in the course of my researches. Some years ago, a fire broke out at the Admiralty in consequence of which, all the records relative to the Naval Affairs of Great Britain were consumed. Fortunately, the patriotism of Mr. Rose has, in a great degree, supplied the defect occasioned by that accident. Among the many curious and important documents collected by the earl of Marchmont, are ten manuscript volumes in folio, comprising minutes of all our naval proceedings, from the reign of Charles II. These invaluable manuscripts Mr. Rose presented to the Admiralty; and to them I have been allowed a ready access. I shall have occasion, in a subsequent part of this work, to write* more particularly respecting the contents of these volumes.
In the next place, I am indebted to Charles Debrick, Esq. who, in addition to his own excellent work, entitled, “Memoirs of the Rise and Progress of the Royal Navy" in which the highest accuracy and minuteness of research are apparent; has, from the commencement of my labours, afforded me the best advice, besides having put into my hands some valuable ancient manuscripts, which will appear in another part of the ensuing volumes.
I have also derived considerable information from the Rev. Mr. Bree’s Sketch of the State of the Naval Establishment of this Kingdom, during the Fourteenth Century; not forgetting his account of the Campaign of Edward the Third* in Normandy and France, in the years 1345 and 1346 to the taking of Calais: the whole of which are collected from ancient manuscripts in the British Museum, and elsewhere. It is much to be lamented, that the author was prevented by untoward circumstances from pursuing further his inquiries.
From the polite communication of Mr. Pennington, I have been able to correct some errors in Dr. Campbell’s account of the birth-place, and rise of Sir John Pennington, who commanded the Channel fleet, in the time of Charles the First. I have availed myself of this manuscript Memoir in my own additions to the work.
The Right Honourable the Earl of Hardwicke has signified his wish to inspect the biographical account of Lord Anson before it is sent to press, on account of the connection of his lordship’s family with that of the illustrious admiral.
To my worthy and learned friend, Alexander Tilloch, Esq. I am also indebted for a most entertaining old manuscript, written by James Melville, of Anstruther, respecting the reception which the Spaniards experienced in that part of Scotland, at the time of the projected invasion of England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
I have other acknowledgments to make for many useful hints and communications, which shall not be overlooked ini the course of these volumes. It is not possible to enumerate within foe limits of a preface, foe obligations 1 am under to naval and literary gentlemen, for the information with which they have furnished «me; but I shall not neglect to mention foe sources whence such information was derived.
Besides these contributions ’from Various quarters, I have access to the rich stores of antiquity contained in the British Museum and the Record Office in the Tower. In consequence of my admission into the former, I have been able to verify foe numerous authorities cited by Dr. Campbell; and, through the politeness of S. Lysons, Esq. the keeper of foe Records in foe Tower, I have come at a most valuable < document, by which I have been aide to correct a material error in the history of Campbell, wherein he asserts that there was, properly speaking, no Naval Establishment, until the reign of Henry the Eighth. This document is a letter from King Henry the Fifth to his Chancellor, preserved among the records of the Chancery, and dated at Tonquein France; and, it appears from this letter-missive, that there were in those days, not only great ships, but that commanders were appointed to them with fixed salaries, payable at Easter and Michaelmas. The names of the captains are also given. This letter will be inserted in another volume; at the same time, I am happy to mention, that Mr. Lysons is preparing for the press a quarto volume of Royal and other Letters, of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Centuries, from the Originals in the Record Office. The publication of these valuable materials, will considerably abridge my researches in that quarter; as well as throw new light upon our Naval History.
In justice, however, to the memory and reputation of Dr. Campbell, it should be remarked, that this letter of King Henry the Fifth, and several other precious documents of the same kind, were not known to have existed in his day. They have been recently discovered by Mr. Lysons, among a huge mass of old papers in the course of his revision of the Public Records. The discovery is, however, of the first importance; as it serves to confirm the principle laid down, and strenuously maintained throughout all the ensuing volumes, that from the earliest ages the sovereigns and parliaments of England, were particularly attentive to the naval interests of the kingdom.
In addition to this curious feet, I have seen in the Record Office, a List of the King’s Ships, and of those furnished by the sea-ports, with the number of mariners to each ship, employed by Edward the Third, in 1347. Mr. Selden had availed himself of this manuscript in his Mare Clausum; and I doubt not that the account published in Hakluyt’s Collection of Voyages, is taken from the same source.
It is no depreciation of Dr. Campbell’s assiduity and researches, to affirm, that such materials must necessarily tend greatly to improve the value and merit of the original work; since he had not the means of ascertaining whether such monuments of past time had survived the wreck of ages, and the confusions which arose from the many contests for power, with which our national history abounds.
But it is due to truth, nevertheless, to observe, that the i( Lives of the Admirals,” constitutes the most diffusive work which fell from the pen of that indefatigable and excellent writer. It is, undoubtedly, enriched by elaborate researches; by a happy penetration into the causes of public measures; and by many deep political reflections. The numerous alterations made by the author himself in the first edition, and which, as I have before mentioned, are in his own hand-writing, in the copy with which I was obligingly furnished by Mr. Rose, demonstrate, that he had not bestowed so much attention upon some parts of his subject, as their importance demanded; while upon others, of less moment, he has laid great stress and often launched into unnecessary details. In fact, this work was composed in the earlier period of his literary life; when, perhaps, he might have thought, that the Lives of the Admirals could not be successfully written, without writing also an epitome of English history.
To alter or abridge the author’s composition, forms no part of my engagement with the public. I am bound to follow the path which he has trodden, and to confine myself solely to a careful revision of his steps.
At first, I had intended to have interspersed my own notes and observations into the body of the work; but, after mature deliberation, and after consulting with literary persons, much more experienced in such sort of arrangements than I can pretend to be, the present method has been preferred. Accordingly, the original work of Dr. Campbell, together with the supplementary volume of Dr. Berkenhout, are now re-edited from the last corrected edition This arrangement has been made with a view of supplying the great demand for a work which had become extremely scarce, and the price of which, had, on that account, been greatly enhanced.
Nevertheless, my task has been both irksome and laborious. For, I have felt it to be my duty to turn to all the authors, with some few exceptions, cited in this volume, in order to ascertain the exactitude of the references. All these collations have been made from the last edition of the work, compared with the books referred to, as they are to be found in the British Museum. Whoever will take the trouble of comparing the last with the present edition, will perceive instantaneously the many inaccuracies which I have been under the necessity of correcting. It is important that this fact should be well understood; because there are different editions of our monastic writers, the only historians of the early events of England, which vary materially in their pages. Where Dr. Campbell mentions, which he rarely docs, any particular edition of a work, I have referred to that edition; and where this has not been the case, 1 hare invariably corrected the references by the books in the British Museum, as that vast, though insufficient repository of our ancient literature, is now rendered accessible to the researches of the literary world.
There are some, but not many, Authors cited by Dr. Campbell, whose works I have not been able to find in the British Museum, although the most diligent search was made after them. He also refers occasionally to manuscripts in his own possession. In such instances, I have been under the necessity of giving credit to the accuracy of his references. Before the termination of my labours, however, this inconvenience may possibly be remedied from the magnificent collection of Mr. Rose; or, from the manuscripts of Dr. Campbell, in that gentleman’s possession. There are in Mr. Rose’s library many valuable tracts on our maritime and other affairs, not to be found in the British Museum, or elsewhere; of which I have already mentioned a striking instance in the ten folio volumes of manuscript minutes, now deposited at the Admiralty.
Neither have I confined my attention solely to the identity of the references. In an historical work, too much care cannot be bestowed on verifying the dates of events. This material omission in the preceding editions, has been supplied in the present, by placing the dates beside the text, so that the reader can be at no loss to discover in what particular year any Naval transaction occurred.
No pains have been spared in rendering the typography correct; and the only liberty I have taken with the original work, consists in the rectification of grammatical errors, in modernizing, without altering, the substance of some of Dr. Campbell’s sentences, which were too prolix for the taste of the present generation; and, in the insertion of the names of the persons who were living at the time his history was published, and to whom he refers in their official capacities only.
Such have been the labours and cares bestowed upon the present Edition: and, it is a favourable prognostic of our future exertions, that those who are concerned in the publication of this volume, have strictly discharged, in point of time, their engagements with the public.
It only remains, therefore, to say a few words relative to that part of the work for which I am exclusively responsible. My engagement extends to the correction of such errors as may be found in Campbell; to the introduction of such facts as may have escaped his observation, and which are calculated to shed a stronger light upon our Naval History; and to continue the work from the year 1779 to the battle of Trafalgar.
For this purpose, I have embodied into one volume all my own notes, observations, and researches; by which means, the compositions of Dr. Campbell, and of Dr. Berkenhout, will be kept distinct from mine; a circumstance which could not have been effected if the dissertations and notes had been blended with the writings and notes of these Authors. At the same time, X have minutely abided by the distinct areas selected by Dr. Campbell, in my own volume; so that after having read that division of his history which treats of the Navy of the Ancient Britons, the reader may, by turning to my volume under the same head, discover how far 1 agree with or differ from the Author in his statements and conclusions: and upon this particular head, it will be found that a very considerable difference exists between us. The same mode is to be observed in relation to every other chapter of Campbell.
The volume, therefore, which I have appropriated for this object is, of itself an epitome of our Naval History* possessing this advantage, that it does not contain the slightest repetition of what has already appeared in Campbell and Berkenhout. It is a new work; having indeed a reference to those two Authors, but composed entirely of original matter, and abounding in relations and facts, which either could not be known to, or were overlooked by, them. This volume will be followed by my continuation of our Naval History during thirty years of brilliant and unexampled exertion. Of the Execution of this portion of the whole work, it would fee unbecoming in me to speak. It must be left, as all original compositions are, and ought to be, to the judgment of the public. I have leisure, opportunities, and many facilities; and if my health will only keep pace with these advantages; I am not without the hope that my labours will experience a portion of the public approbation.
H. R. YORKE.
Gray’s-Inn~Square, March 7, 1812.
And that's it for this week and I hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
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