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When their navy shall be adapted for grand battles, they will no doubt show the same superiority, of which the English now boast so much; and will, perhaps, surpass them, excited as they will be by emulation, pride, and that fierceness of enthusiasm which a republican spirit inspires. Every thing is well organized in their marine: the vessels are of excellent construction, perfectly fitted and armed: a rigorous discipline, due subordination, and the best order, are observed in them. There is no instance of an Anglo-American commander or officer having faltered in his duty, or of his having failed to support, even in the most difficult extremities, the honour of his flag: an officer who should conduct himself in any other manner, would not only be punished with severity, but his name would be for ever loaded with infamy, and abandoned to publick execration. These are the principles which make an army or a navy formidable; without them, no matter how many soldiers or ships a state may have, it must not flatter itself that it has an army or a navy—it may spend immense sums to support these two bodies, wich are the pillars of national defence, but it will experience nothing but disasters, defeats and losses, when the necessity for employing them shall arrive.[1]
- ↑ This is the highest compliment that was ever paid to our navy by a foreigner, and may atone for many harsh things, which the author has elsewhere permitted to slip
