Regner Lodbrog, with such art, that when its master had a prospect of victory, the inwoven raven appeared in full flight; but when otherwise, his wing hung motionless. A similar description is given of the ensign of Sigurd, chief of the island of Orkney, into which his mother had so skilfully worked a raven, that when the ensign was inflated by the winds, it appeared to be spreading its wings. The Anglo-Saxon bishop Adhelm, who lived in 680, describes very particularly the skilful embroidery of the Saxon women, and exhorts them to the imitation of the British nuns. A number of manufactures were formerly brought to remarkable perfection in nunneries. But the English women were particularly extolled for their skill in such works, and especially in the making of gold stuffs. It appears, by a certain account, that the holy figures, adorned with silk and gold, on the robe of a certain Pope, were English work, and doubtless that of women. This art is likewise called opus plumarium, because the instrument with which they wrought was at first merely cut out of a quill. Even in 1455 there were found in London a multitude of female workers in silk and embroidery, who presented a petition to King Henry IV., stating, that through the importation of silk stuffs out of Italy, this employment was likely to be lost to English women; and they obtained from that monarch a prohibition against the importation of wrought silks for five years. England, in their naval expeditions, depended almost entirely on the aid of foreigners. That prince built a ship of 1000 tons, called the Great Harry. Henry VIII. made still greater advances. He established an Admiralty and a Navy Office; and the sea service, for the first time, became a distinct and separate profession. He settled also regular pay for the officers and seamen. An Admiral had 10s. a-day for pay and subsistence; a Captain, 1s. 6d. ; a Seaman, 5s. a month for wages, and 5s. for subsistence. In 1512, a fleet of 45 ships was fitted out, the largest vessel of which was the Regent, of 1000 tons, and 700 men, on which the Admiral's flag was hoisted. It is probable, however, that part of these were foreign, as we have subsequent accounts which make the navy amount only to 16 or 21 vessels. In 1548, however, it appears by an account in the Archeologia, to have consisted of 53 vessels, whose tonnage amounted to 11,268, and which contained 7731 men, 237 ordnance pieces of brass, and 1848 of iron. All these were stationed at Portsmouth, except six at Deptford, and four in Scotland. In 1552, we have a statement of the condition of the navy, which is as follows: Twenty-four "in good case to serve; so that they may be grounded and caulked once a-year, to keep them tight;" seven 66 must be docked and new dubbed, to search their tree nails for iron;" three " lie already dry docked, to be new made at your Lordships' pleasure ;" one "dry docked; not thought worthy of new making" four" thought meet to be sold;"six" not worth keeping ;" "in Ireland, whose state we know one not." In the reign of Mary, the navy appears to have greatly declined, though there was only one naval expedition, in which little loss was sustained: but small attention seems to have been paid to it, and ten thousand a year was thought sufficient for its support. She She left only 27 vessels, in which there served 3565 men, whose main tenance cost 3218/. 10s. Elizabeth, however, applied herself actively to the formation of a navy.She soon began to build ships of her own, and encouraged the merchants to build large trading vessels, which occasionally were converted into ships of war. The Queen paid the utmost attention to every thing connected with this service; caused timber to be collected for the use of the navy; carried to an extent before unknown the manufacture of gun-powder; augmen ted the pay of the navy, and invited over foreigners, so that she justly acso that she justly acquired the glorious title of Restorer of Naval Power, and Sovereign of the Northern Seas. Yet the numerical augmentation does not seem to have proceeded as might have been expected. In 1565, the eighth year of her reign, she had only 29 vessels; and in 1578, only 24. By 1588, how-ever, at the arrival of the famous Armada, they had encreased to 34, with 12,590 tons, and 6279 men. tention, however, to this branch of the service, took delight in visiting the dock-yards and ships, was liberal to seamen, and in the five years preceding 1623, built ten new vessels. In the first years of his reign, he spent upwards of 50,000%. upon the navy, tho' it was afterwards reduced to 30,000. The largest ship that had ever come from the English docks was built by him in 1610. She was 1400 tons burthen, and carried 64 guns: and was named the Prince, or Prince Royal. By a report of Commissioners-appointed to examine into the state of the navy in 1618, it appears that there were then only 39 ships or vessels, whose tonnage amounted to 14,700 tons. Thirteen of these were unserviceable. They recommend that the navy should thenceforth consist only of 30 ships, the tonnage of which, however, was to amount to 17,260 tons. The reasons they assign for this limitation are; 1. This navy will contain 3050 tons more than the navy of Queen Elizabeth, when it was greatest, and flourished most: 2. As great a provision of long timber, planks and knees, will be required to supply these 30 ships, as may conveniently be got in this time of great building, and common devastation of woods in all places: 3. These 30 ships will require as many mariners and gunners, as this kingdom can supply at all times, now traffic carrieth away so many, and so far. The common building of great. and warlike ships by merchants to reinforce the navy, when need shall re quire, may well contain his Majesty's numbers and charge within these The Archeologia contains a coinplete list of the Royal Navy, on the 23d May 1599, with an account of the number and species of pieces of ordnance with which it was mounted, under the titles of Cannon, DemiCannons, Culverins, Demi-Culverins, Lakers, Minions, Falcons, Falconets, Portpece Halls, Portpece Chambers, Fowler-Halls, Fowler-Chambers, and Curtalls. The total number of ships was 42. Queen Elizabeth left at her death the same number of ships of 17,055 tons, and with $346 men.-The expence laid out upon the navy was still small. In her reign, it is sta-bounds." ted to have amounted to 30,000l. ayear. James I. not undertaking any naval expeditions, and finding the navy left in such a flourishing state by his predecessor, cannot be supposed to have inade very great exertions for its aug mentation. He paid considerable at Charles I. was, from the earliest period of his reign, exposed to extreme pecuniary embarassments; yet his exertions in favour of the navy, amid all these difficulties, seem to have been great. The large sums, indeed, which he raised on account of ship-money, were among the chief sources of the discontent excited against him. Yet, though irregularly levied, they seem to have been faithfully applied. In 1633, the navy contained 50 ships, whose tonnage amounted to 23,000 tons. Before the breaking out of the civil wars, the king built at Woolwich a ship called the Sovereign of the Seas, the following description of which is taken from a publication, at that time, by Heywood. "This famous vessel was built at Woolwich, in 1637. She was in length, by the keel, 128 feet, or thereabout, within some few inches; her main breadth, 48 feet; in length, from the fore end of the beak-head, to the after end of the stern, a prora ad puppin, 232 feet; and in height, from the bottom of her keel, to the top of her lanthorn, 76 feet; bore five lanthorns, the biggest of which would hold ten persons upright; had three flush decks, a forecastle, half-deck, quarter-deck, and round-house. "Her lower tier has 30 ports for cannon and demi-cannon. "Middle tier, 30 ports for culverins and demi ditto. "Third tier, 26 ports for other ord nance. "Forecastle, 12 ports. "Two half decks have 13 or 14 ports more within board, for murdering pieces, besides 10 pieces of chaceordnance forward, and 10 right aft, and many loop-holes in the cabins for musquet shot. She had eleven anchors, one of 4,400 pounds weight. She was of the burthen of 1637 tons. She was built by Peter Pott, Esq. auder the direction of his father Captain Phineas Pott, one of the principal officers of the Navy.She had two galleries besides, all of most curious carved work, and all the sides of the ship carved with trophies of artillery and types of honour, as well belonging to sea as land, with symbols appertaining to navigation; also their two sacred majesties' badges of honour; arms, with their several angels holding their letters in compartment; all which works are gilded over, and no other colour but gold: and black. One tree, or oak, made four of the principal beams, which was feet, of strong serviceable timber, in length, 3 feet diameter at the top, aud 10 feet at the stub or bottom. Upon the sternhead a cupid or child bridling a lion: upon the bulkhead right forward stand six statues in sundry postures; these figures represent Concilium, Cura, Conamen, Vis, Virtus, Victoria. Upon the ha mers of the water are four figures, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Eolus; on the stern Victory, in the midst of a frontispiece; upon the beakhead sitteth King Edgar on horseback trampling on seven kings." This vessel is said to have been calculated more for magnificence than for use; but being taken down a deck lower, she became, according to report, one of the best men of war in the world. In short, it is urged by the royalists, in answer to the remon strance of 1641, that "a sure proof that the King had formed no design for enslaving his people is, that the chief object of his government has been to raise a naval, not a military force." The Commonwealth forms a splendid period in our naval annals; much owing, however, to the respectable state in which the navy had been previously placed. In 1652, the fleet consisted of 102 vessels. Only three of these carried 60 guns; still the English vessels were superior in size to the Dutch, and were much indebt ed to this circumstance for their superiority. About the end of this year, the pay of the sailors was raised from 19s. to 24s. per month. The Protector, instead of reducing his navy at the conclusion of the war in 1654, ordered all the ships to be repaired and new ones built. He procured an annual grant of 400,000/. for the navy, and at his death, in 1658, left it as fol follows: 157 ships, mounting 4390 guns, and manned by 21,910 men. Five of these vessels were above 60 guns, and four between 50 and 60. The largest mounted 110 guns-We have thus traced the state of the Royal Navy down to the Restoration. (To be continued.) Description of NEWFOUNDLAND, with an account of the Cod-Fishery carried on upon its banks. From Herriet's Travels in Canada. The thick fogs which are here more prevalent than in any other part of the Atlantic, exhibit a singular phenomenon, and may be presumed to owe their origin to the stream from the gulph of Mexico, the discharge of waters incessantly accumulating there by the pressure of the trade winds. The cod-fish, whose abundance in these latitudes has afforded for a series of years an essential object of commercial enterprize, is esteemed much more delicate than that found in the ON arriving at the banks of New- northern seas of Europe, altho' inferi foundland, a number of vessels, stationed at various distances, and seemingly at anchor, occurred to our view. These we soon understood to be engaged in the Cod-fishery. They are, in general, from eighty to one hundred and fifty tons burden, fitted out from several places in England, particularly from the western counties, and from the islands of Jersey and Guernsey. There are, besides, vessels belonging to the fishermen who winter in Newfoundland, and at the settlements on the neighbouring parts of the continent. or to it in whiteness. The length of this fish usually exceeds not three feet, and the conformation of its organs is such as to render it indifferent with regard to the selection of its aliment. The voracity of its appetite prompts it indiscriminately to swallow every substance which it is capable of gorging; and even glass and iron have been found in the stomach of this fish, which, by inverting itself, has the power of becoming disburthened of its indigestible contents. The fishermen arrange themselves along the side of the vessel, each person being provided with lines and hooks. When a fish is caught, its tongue is immediately cut out, and it is delivered to a person, in whose hands it having undergone a certain degree of preparation, is dropped through a hatchway between decks, where part of the back bone is taken out, and the cod is thrown, in this state, through a second hatchway into the hold, to be salted. When a quantity of fish, sufficient to fill one of the vessels, is caught and salted, she sails from the banks to the island, where, discharging her cargo, she returns to her station, and in the course of the season thus renews four or five different freights. The Great Bank, which is about forty leagues distant from the island, is an enormous mountain formed beneath the surface of the sea. Its extent is about an hundred and sixty leagues, and its breadth about sixty, the extremities terminating in points. On the eastern side, towards the centre, a kind of bay is formed, called the Ditch. The depth of water varies much throughout the whole, being in some situations sixty, in others only five fathoms. During the hottest weather the fish do not frequent either the great or the smaller banks, but retire to the deep waters. It has been remarked by many people, that on approaching the banks the noise of the billows of the ocean become more shrill and loud, an effect which is The cod-fish is dried on the island, bably produced by the shallowness of and larger vessels arrive from England, to convey it from thence to the the waters. pro Eu European markets. In packing the fish in bulk, in the hold of the vessel, much care and attention are requisite; and the greatest precautions are used in loading, to preserve them from exposure to the moisture of the atmosphere, by spreading sails and cloths over the boats in which they are contained, and over those fish already in the vessel, if the smallest degree of dampness in the air be observable. A person denominated culler, or inspector, attends the loading of each vessel, in order to see that no fish which is not perfectly cured, be introduced into the cargo, which other wise might soon become damaged. The price of fish cured at Newfoundland is generally fifteen shillings the quintal, and it neats in Europe about twenty shillings. The expence of its freight to the coast of Spain is two shillings and sixpence, and to Leghorn three shillings the quintal. The dried fish, sent to the West Indies, is packed in casks, and is inferior in quality to that carried to Europe. The fish which is salted with out being dried, is termed Core-fish, or green cod. A vessel with twelve inen, from the middle of April to July, must catch, salt, and bring into port, ten thousand fish, otherwise the owners will be excluded from all claim to the established bounty. The same crew, however, usually procures during the season more than double that quantity. The merchants of England who are concerned in these fisheries, supply the fishermen upon credit with every article of which they may be in want, and are repaid at the fall of the year with the produce of their industry. Several hundred thousand pounds are thus annually advanced, in speculation, on an object of commerce, before it is extracted from the bosom of the ocean. About four hundred ships, amounting to thirty-six thousand tons burOctober 1808. then; two thousand fishing shallops, of twenty thousand tons, and twenty thousand men, are in times of tranquillity usually employed every year in this fishery. About six hundred thousand quintals of fish are annually taken, which, upon an average of seven years, are worth, at the island, fifteen shillings per quintal. These, with the other amounts, consisting of salmon, cod-oil, seal-oil, and furs, exceed, annually, half a million sterling. Of twenty thousand men from Great Britain and Ireland employed in that fishery, eight thousand necessarily continued, when their country was not at war, on the island all the winter. Several thousand still remain there during that season, and are occupied in repairing or building boats and small vessels, or in erecting the scaffolds for drying fish. These are not properly sea-faring men, and are distinguished by the denomination of planters. Newfoundland extends in the form of a triangle, about a hundred leagues from east to west, and a hundred and twenty-five from north to south; being situated between forty-six and fifty-two degrees of north latitude.—John Gabato, a Venetian, was its first discoverer, under the patronage of king Henry the seventh of England. No advantage was derived from thence, until the lapse of a period of near forty years. Cape Race, and Cape Ray, are the two promontories which pre-. sent themselves to mariners sailing for the river Saint Lawrence. Eighteen leagues to the westward of the first appears Cape Saint Mary, which forms the entrance of the bay of Placentia towards the east. This bay is sixteen leagues in breadth, and twenty in depth. Towards its head is the harbour, capable of containing in safety one hundred and fifty vessels, and defended by a fort called Saint Louis. The French were the first Europeans who frequented this situation. Between Placentia and Cape Ray, the western point |