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upon the coast of England, they did hull without sailes, minding to come to Dunkerke upon the spring tiers; that they have greate neede of maryners, especially of pilots; for that ship which came on ground, upon the Wheelings, had but one pilot, and he was of Flushing; that when they sett forth, out of Lisborne, there were certain galeasses in their companye, but they came not with them, from the Groyne; that a greate Britayn shippe was also taken, or sunk, by the English. In summe, theie confess, the D. Medina to be wonderfully amazed and to stagger, which way he may turn himself; that there were a greate number of the Hidalgos of Spain in their armye, and that now theire chiefe bulwarks and armades being discomfited, they may easily be overthrown, if they be followed as they should.

The ship, whose prisoners are brought to Roterodam, was taken betweene Dunkerke and Ostendt, and had been shot through 350 times; being grounded, 5 shippes of this countrye tooke them to mercie; another was also taken by 7 of this country fleet, between Cales and Dunkerke. The names of certain prisoners of accompt, taken in the former ship are theis,

Don Diego de Pomentello, frere du Marquis de Tauvror, mayster du camp du tiera du Sicile.

Don Jhan de Velassa, frere du Conte Servinello.

Le Capt. Martin d'Auales.

Le Capt. Marques.

Alonzo du Vergas.

In the one shippe were 32 pieces of brass, and in the other 63.

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Prince Dascoli, as Comander, the Conte de Feuntes, the Conte de Paredes.

Item, 25 Knights of the second order, beinge sonnes and brothers to Marquisses and Earles.

We the rather have inserted this paper, because there are two dukes of Medina: Medina Sidonia, and Medina Coeli. Hume has left this commander unidentified by only naming him Duke of Medina; and Rapin has erred by calling him Duke of Medina Coeli. The Sidonian estates are near Cadiz, and are supposed to take their names from the ancient Sidonians who traded and settled in this place. The estates ot Medina Coeli we believe, are towards Grenada, on the opposite coast of The two families are perfectly

Spain. distinct.

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Hull

Bristowe

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23

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Hoys, Barks, and under 80 tons Of these London had

Newcastle

Hull

Bristowe

74

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44

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The coast counties including London report

Masters
Mariners and Seamen 11,515

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1,488

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23 Coasters, under the Lord Henry Seymour, paid by the Queen

23 Voluntarye Ships, great and small

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195 Shippes. 15,334 Men.

1,093
939

The following document was found at the state paper Office, without a date; but from the names of the Privy Council inserted in it, it must have been drawn up under Edward VI. 1548. Beside giving the general abstract, we insert the counties at length, for the sake

Such was the then naval ability of Eng- of comparison with the present times..

land!

Abstract Quotas of Men, furnished by the
Council, Bishops, Lords, and several
Counties.

The Counsaill

The Lords

The Byshoppes

5916

2421

3559

Comparison of the same Counties, only; the other Counties being omitted.

1803.

The following numbers do not include officers of any kind; they are given at the foot of the account. Whether a similar omission is made in the returns of 1548 we cannot affirm; but incline to think so.

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The foregoing lists afford grounds for various important remarks; as 1. The comparative population of the whole kingdom, which we may fairly suppose bore some analogy to the numbers of effective men able to bear arms, and ready for martial exploits.

2. The relative numbers enrolled in each County, by which the population of that County may be estimated, and the difference of its number of inhabitants guessed at.

For instance, Cornwall, which formerly yielded only 575 men (perhaps excluding officers) has yielded 16,996 men, officers included.

3. The number of horsemen; of which . gr. Essex yielded only 57, is now 1251. And with this department, may, without impropriety, be connected the idea of the proportionate comfort and wealth of the people only those whose business is of sufficient magnitude to require the assistance of this useful animal, or those whose easy circumstances permit them this enjoyment, usually incurring the expense and trouble attending it.

In the estimate of the comparative population must be included, our settlers abroad, in the East and West Indies, &c. our soldiers in distant garrisons and possessions; our seamen, as well those in the royal navy, as in the merchants' service; the various bodies of sea-fencibles on the coast, &c. &c., of which no returns are here noticed. Of such absentees very small was the amount in Queen Elizabeth's days but in the present day their whole number is very great, It will be observed 100, that the numbers we have taken are ONLY those of the Volunteer and Yeomanry corps, from a return made to

Grand Total 379943

the Honorable the House of Commons, December 6, 1803.

We should pursue these inferences further, and should consider them more closely, if we had proper data for forming any reasonable conjecture as to the proportion which the men in arms bore to those who were capable of military duties; and what proportion these might bear to the whole of their sex.

The fact

is, we know not how far these levies were voluntary; where, when, or how, or on what terms they were enrolled, with many other particulars. If we consider these as being much the same in both periods, the absolute strength of this kingdom in men, will appear to have increased prodigiously, in the last two centuries, notwithstanding the ravages of war, civil, continental, and maritime, and the still more considerable, because perpetual drain occasioned by emigration.

We come now to that important article. which the French very significantly denominate ammunition de bouche.

The footmen were allowed,

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Butter Cheese

700 lb.

Wyne

Beeif
Butter
Cheese

700 quarts 1750 lb.

350 lb.

Every bushel of wheate makethe 20 loaves, at 3 lb. the loafe and 6 oz. unbaked, the branne ranged out.

Everie 12 bushels of malte, makethe one onne of beere, of Burge's cask, viz. 60 galons eche hoggesheade, 4 of these to the tonne.

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Berks

Essex

Hertford

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Cambridge
Suffolke

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Norfolk

Oxford

But the ration of a horseman, beside a proportionate augmentation of other viands, was increased to 3 lbs. of beef, which seems to justify the sarcastic remark of the Constable of France," the "men do sympathize with their mastiffs, "in robustions and rough coming on, "and then give them great meals of beef, "and iron and steel, they will eat like "wolves, and fight like devils." HEN. V. Huntingdon The following list of provisions furnished by the counties respectively, may assist in enabling us to form some idea of their state of cultivation, and of the produce depending on it, in the sixteenth century. The supply appears to us to be but small, and we observe in all the letters of the naval commanders such a sense of their deficiency in stores, and the necessity of returning home for victuals, as convinces us that the royal offices were very ill supplied; and looks something like a proof that the general stock of provision in the country was quickly sensible of any sudden or unusual demands on it.

We may safely ask, what quantities above 200 qrs. of wheat Surry, and what above 300 qrs. Essex, could now supply? and what impression the purchase of 600 oxen would make on the butchery of London? We imagine six times that quantity is no uncommon number for a contractor to select in the London market, in three or four months. An estimate of what quantities each county could furnish we believe was made out in 1803, by order of the House of Commons, but not printed. The poinion of Edward Baishe, General Surveyor of Her Majesty's Victual, for the Sea, declaring out of what Sheires, Wheate, Manite, Oxen, Butter and Cheese are to be had.

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Southampton

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butter

wheate 800
maulte 1900

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Stafford and Leicester
Warwick & Northamp. oxen
Lincoln and Rutland oxen
Bedford & Buckingham oxen
Derby and Nottingham oxen
Worcester and Salop
Gloucester and liberties
Butchery of London

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our nation, within the wardes;" 933 strangers, able men for service; and "36 personnes, suspected in religion!"

We are perfectly sensible that much of the prosperity of a nation is derived from the steadiness of its government, the equity of its laws, the lenity of its manners, the integrity of its citizens, the confidence of its merchants, the spirit of its heroes, the skill of its artificers, and' the policy of its statesmen; but whoever rests his hopes on these, may see them fail, one after another; or a spirit of disloyalty may diffuse itself throughout the

community, and render them all unavailing; or a shifting of the general duty of all, from self, to whoever pleases to discharge it, may baffle all calculation; a symptom uncommonly alarming! for how can virtue and wisdom be executed by deputy? While, therefore, we applaud the readiness of Queen Elizabeth to meet the exigency of her times with a truly noble fortitude, and a truly sagacious preparation, we admire that dignified veneration which attributed her successes to the Divine will, and recorded her dependance not on a host, though she had a host of Englishmen, nor on a navy, though her navy was heart of oak, but on Providence. Afflavit Deus et dissipantur, the motto adopted on her medals, does her no less honour than her speech at Tilbury, or her thunders directed by Howard and Drake. May the issue prove that posterity is equally ready in this act of duty, this acknowledgment, to which we are bound by every sentiment of patriotism, by every sense of personal obligation, and by every dictate of piety!

The Life of Sir Walter Raleigh, Knt. by Arthur Cayley, jun. Esq. in two volumes, 4to. pp. 538, with an Appendix, pp. 115. Price £1 16s. Also in Svo. price £1 1s. 1806. Cadell and Davies. London.

1805.

Among the most pleasing studies offered by literature, Biography occupies a principal place. That curiosity which distinguishes the human mind is fond of tracing step by step the lives and manners of those who have risen to eminence by their personal good conduct; and when they are such as lived in ages past, we unroll the "ample page of know"ledge," and become acquainted with them by means of history. In particular, the eminent personages of our own country are subjects of our more earnest attention: the feelings of patriotism unite with the stimulus of curiosity, to impart a double zest to our pleasure when memoirs of such are under our perusal. Perhaps, too, we derive gratification of the purest kind from considering those great men who are not our contemporaries; for against them we entertain no animosity: no party spirit lurks in the secret recesses of the mind, diminishing the due share of praise to which they are entitled, or augmenting into guilt those failings from

which the most virtuous or the most judicious, are not absolutely free.

To these considerations we may add the power of completing the whole by examining the result. The mind is pleased with the opportunity of combining into one, the introductory events, the progress of occurrences, and their ascertained termination: free from that painful state of suspense as to the issue, that uneasy feeling which accompanies conjecture as to what may be the turn of affairs, and what the denouement of the whole.

We have always been fond of biography, but at the same time have supposed that the life of every man comprises a lesson which should not be lost on the world. "Some achieve greatness ;" and if they achieve it honorably, their principles are so many lessons of honour; if dishonorably, if damned to everlasting "fame," they serve as beacons to warn mankind to preserve a cautious distance from the rocks and quicksands wherein such have perished. We cannot therefore commend the volumes before us as a complete example of biographical writing, because the author has professedly employed his leisure in simply "collecting "and arranging the scattered parts of Sir "Walter's story." This being his object it is unjust to try him by principles of a higher description. If he has accomplished what he undertook, and we think he has, he may rest satisfied with a success which not every author can boast, and perhaps by not having attempted too much he has the better effected what he thought proper to attempt. We are obliged to him for what he has done, though we regret the pleasure we might have enjoyed had he ventured further and succeeded in doing more.

The general events of Sir Walter Raleigh's life are known to our readers. Mr. Cayley treads almost closely in the steps of Mr. Oldys who prefixed a life of Raleigh to the Knight's "History of the "World," the first edition of which was published in 1614, and the eleventh, and best, by Mr. O. in 1736. Dr. Thomas Birch in 1751 prefixed also a life to the miscellaneous works in 2 vols 8vo of this eminent character. Sir W. was fourth son of Walter Raleigh, Esq. of Fardel in the pa rish of Cornwood, near Plymouth. The first part of his life was passed in obscurity, though he studied during some years

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