Britannia's Bulwarks: an historical poem, descriptive of the deeds of the British Navy

Front matter

iln !&oem, DESCRIPTIVE OF THE DEEDS OF THE BRITISH NAVY. BY CHARLES RATHBONE LOW. LONDON : HORACE COX, WINDSOR HOUSE, BREAM'S BUILDINGS, E.C. 1895. LONDON : PRINTED BY HORACE COX, WINDSOR HOUSE, BREAM'S BUILDINGS, E.C. gteMcatton TO THE OFFICERS, SEAMEN AND MARINES OF THE BRITISH NAVY, PAST AND PRESENT. Britannia's bulwarks, once of wood, In olden times the world withstood, Though leagued 'gainst her in arms ; And in our age, when clad in mail And moved by steam instead of sail, As in those palmy days, They will in battle's hour prevail O'er all who may our Isle assail, Provided, that's to say, The valour, skill, and ancient fire Be but transmitted from the sire To sons as bold as he. This song I dedicate to those Who triumphed over England's foes From Sluys to Trafalgar ; But chiefly to the men who died In the full flood of victory's tide, Or, in disaster's hour, VI Dedication.

When battling hard 'gainst heavy odds (Like Curtius, who, to appease the gods, Sprang in the yawning gulf) ; And also, gallant souls ! to you, Whose bones the sea's expanse bestrew, A countless multitude ; And to the living who, no less, In times of future storm and stress, Will not betray their trust. I will a tale unfold of these Sea warriors and their victories, Achieved in every clime, The like of which was never known Since first at sea a flag was flown Or sail has wooed the breeze ; And may some future bard rehearse The battles yet unsought, in verse More worthy of the theme ! To you, then, sons of Neptune ! one Who served beneath an Eastern sun From China to the Cape, Now humbly consecrates these lays, A tribute from his muse in praise Of heroes passed away !

Preface

. The task of recording the achievements of the greatest Navy that ever made the ocean its home and battle ground, has been to me truly a labour of love, and, indeed, the subject is one calculated to fire the imagination of the dullest, and fill with pride the least patriotic of Britons. I claim for this narrative of the deeds of the British Navy* that, though written in rhymed verse, — the exigencies of which have been compared to " dancing in fetters," — it is fairly complete. But, while giving a general survey of events, I have enlarged on such dramatic incidents as afford special scope for effective poetic treatment. Among these episodes I would instance the Defeat of the Spanish Armada ; the loss of the Regent by fire, and of the Ramillies by wreck ; the actions between the Brunswick and Vengeur, Sybille and Forte, Blanche and Pique, and Shannon and Chesapeake ; the destruction of the Orient, * The author may claim some knowledge of his subject as he has written " Battles of the British Navy" (Routledge, 1872) — of which many editions, the last bringing the book up to date, have been published — a complete history, and not, as its name would imply (for which the publishers are responsible), an episodical work.

Also, " Her Majesty's Navy " (three vols., Vertue, 1894), an Illustrated History; and "The History of the Indian Navy" (two vols., Bentley, 1878), published by subscription, and subsi dised by the India Office. Preface. and the cutting-out of the Ghevrette* I would also draw attention to the sketches of the Naval Officer of the Trunnion School, at the end of the Third Canto, and of his shipmate of the lower-deck at the close of the Seventh; to Nelson's final departure from Portsmouth, and the morn of Trafalgar (pages 155-160) ; and to the descriptions of the Victory getting under way, at the end of the poem, and of a typical scene of shipwreck concluding the Sixth Canto. The career of Nelson has been treated in a separate Canto, and the battles of St. Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and, more especially, Trafalgar, with the hero's death, have been detailed with a fulness propor tionate to their importance and dramatic interest.

The history proper concludes with the Seventh Canto, and the remainder of the work, forming the second Book, is devoted to brief memorial notices of distinguished officers, and the record of the services of celebrated line-of-battle ships and frigates. This last part, involving much re search, has never before been attempted, even in prose, while a special sea' ure, to which I would draw particular attention, is the sketches of the mythological personages and classical celebrities, after whom the ships derive their names, which almost read like a versified " Lem priere's Dictionary," and I trust will not be considered inappropriate in a work of this character. C. R. LOW. 82, Elsham Road, Kensington, W. \th December, 1894. * An Index at the end, of proper names, will facilitate any reference by the reader. " BRITANNIA'S BULWARKS."