a break-not absolute, but relative and strongly marked; and on this account as well as on account of the modern organization then begun, the navy may, in a restricted sense, be dated from the reign of Henry VIII. It was then, too, that the sea-keeping power of ships began to be improved, and the science of war at sea, as we now understand it, began to be developed. The modern history of the English navy may thus properly be said to begin at this time; and it has been so considered in the several chapters of the present volume. In these chapters, which trace the career of some of our most distinguished sailors-the men who may most fittingly be denominated the Builders of the Empirethere is no pretence at original research. It has indeed sometimes happened that special opportunities or special studies have given the writer special knowledge; and the opening pages of the sketch of Lord Hood are based on notes made by the Editor a couple of years ago during a short summer holiday in Dorsetshire, when circumstances enabled him to examine the registers of Netherbury and some other interesting documents-leases and suchlikethrowing light on the ramifications of this remarkable family. But, as a broad generality, the facts of history and biography have been taken from the latest authorities, and largely from the memoirs in the Dictionary of National Biography-for which, indeed, the Editor, in another capacity, is mainly responsible. What has been chiefly aimed at is to show how the work and methods of the great sailors of the past strike the sailors of the present; and for that, the Editor may justly congratulate himself on having secured the co-operation of the very distinguished officers who have contributed the several chapters. Some of these are already well known in the field of literature; all are known as commanders of long and varied experience; men who, having for many years braved the dangers of the sea, are in the ideal position to comprehend its mysteries. In passing the work through the press, the Editor has ventured to add a few notes, in elucidation or further illustration of statements in the text. For these, which are distinguished by square brackets, he alone is responsible. By VICE-ADMIRAL SIR FREDERICK G. D. BEDFORD, K.C.B. By CAPTAIN MONTAGU BURROWS, R.N., Chichele Professor of History |