the Saxons, denominated KEELES. In the eleventh century, many of these vessels were capable of containing 120 men. Of galleys, two kinds were employed, the one of which was only rowed with oars; the other, frequently denominated the galeasse, combined the effect of both oar and sail. Thus, in the romance of Richard Cœur de Lion, ap. Strutt, "Were the maryners glad or wrothe, He made them seyle and rowe bothe; So doth the fowle by the lyfte. Some of the latter kind had triple banks of oars raised over each other; and, according to Mat. Paris, were capable of containing 60 men in iron armour, besides the sailors who managed the vessel, and 104 rowers. Gallyettis were a small species of gallies. Balengers were small sailing vessels. Carikes, or Hulkes, were large sailing vessels, the largest of which seem to have been denominated Buccas. The early Scotish poets sometimes make satirical allusions to the splendor of the vessels described in songs and romances; as in the following passage: "Quhen schippis of tour, and ballingeris of weir, Be thowsand sailis, rycht swiftly ordir saill; Takand thair cours with mony how and haill, Ballad of Impossibilities, ap. Bannatyne MS. The invention of cannon rendered a more substantial contsruction of the keel and ribs of vessels necessaty; the management of the rigging became more com plex; and, in engagements, the tops were manned with archers. A sea fight no longer consisted in a desperate and bloody struggle of warriors upon a narrow and slippery platform; but the combatants endeavoured to gain advantage by manoeuvring the vessels, and employing formidable missiles. Stowe describes a naval battle between the English and Spaniards, which illustrates the mode of fighting at that period. As the Spanish vessels were more lofty than those of the English, the latter were dreadfully annoyed with stones and quarrels from the tops, till the superiority of the English archers forced the Spanish arbalisters to "shade themselves with tables of the ships." The principal object in manoeuvring, was, to attain the windward of each other, when those who manned the tops sprinkled powdered quicklime, with great effect, in the faces of their enemies, and attempted to set fire to the rigging by different kinds of combustibles. This practice is mentioned by Mathew Paris. "Misimus igitur super eos, specula ignita-et phialas plenas calce, arcubus, perpauca hastilia, ad modum sagittarum super hostes jaculan tes 2. For setting fire to the vessels of an enemy, during an engagement, a species of Greek fire seems to have been sometimes employed. Thus, "Wherefore their galeys eche day ther gan us fynd, With ores many about us they dyd wynd; With wyld fyre oft assayled us day and night To brenne our ships in that they could or might. Harding's Chronicle, fol. 212. From the beginning of the reign of that able and spirited Prince, James I. of Scotland, the number of regu ■ Stowe's Chronicle, p. 385. lations lations which relate to shipping and foreign commerce, evince, that the attention of the Scotish nation was particularly directed to maritime affairs; and, from their success in different encounters with the Portugueze and English, it may be inferred, that in the construction and size of their vessels, they were not inferior to other European nations. The ship of the celebrated Andrew Barton, which was taken by the valiant sons of the Earl of Surry in 1511, when admitted into the English navy, was only inferior to the Great Harry built in 1504. In 1512, the Scotish navy, which consisted of forty-fix fhips of war, contained four of more than 300 tons burden, and two of 100 tons. But the description of the Great Michael, a vessel of enormous magnitude built by James IV, may serve still more to elucidate the state of the Scotish navy. It is preserved by Lindsay of Pitscottie; and in the following citation, the text is corrected by a Ms. of his history preserved in the Advocates Library. "This ship was twell scoir of foot in length, and threttie sex footis within the walls. She was ten foote thick of the walls, of cuttit treslis of oak, and boards. on every side, so stark, and so thick, that no cannon could doe at her. She cumbered all Scotlande to put her to the see; and quhen she was committit to float, with her masts and sails compleit, with tows and anchors effeiring thereto, she was counted to the king, to fourtie thousand pounds of expensis, by her orders and cannones quhilk she beare. To witt, She bare many cannons, six on every side; with three great bassils, two behind, in her deck, and one before; with three hundred shott of small artaillziarie, that is to say, q ij myand myand and battert, falcon and quarter falcon slings, pestilent serpentens, and double dogs, with hagtor and culvering, corsbows and handbows. She had three hundred marinellis to governe hir, six scoir of gunneris to use hir artaillziarie, and ane thowsand men of warr, by capitanes, skipperis, and quarter masteris. " ' The vessel described in the Complaynt, is a galeasse. This species was much broader, as well as longer, than the galley, and was navigated both by sails and oars. Besides guns on each side of the deck, interspersed between the banks of oars, they had both artillery and small arms planted on the forecastle and stern. The names of the different kinds of ordinance, are derived from the French and Flemish languages. "The Flemangre," as Minot terms them, early excelled in the formation and management of artillery. So late as the reigns of Henry VII. and VIII, Flemish gunners were retained in England, for the purpose of introducing the art of founding cannon. Peter Bawd, an alien, is mentioned by Stowe as gunfounder to Edw. VI. For a considerable time after the invention of fire arms, the Scotish nation seems to have preferred the use of the bow in war. Among the statutes of James I, various regulations occur, respecting the practice of archery, and the importation of "harnes and " but armouris, with spcir, schaftis, bowis and stauis; the use of artillery seems to have attracted the attention of government, only in the reign of James II, when we find the following regulation, dated 1456: "Item, It is thocht speidfull, that the king mak requeist to certane of the greit Burrowis of the land, that ar of Lindsay of Pitscottie's History, folio, p. 107. 2 Stowe's Chronicle, p. 584. ony ony mycht, to mak cartis of weir, and in ilk cart twa gunnis, and ilk ane to haue tua chalmers, with the remanent of the graith that efferis thairto, and ane cunnand man to schute thame; and gif thay haue na craft in the schuting of thame, as now, thay may leir or the tyme cum, that will be neidful to thame. " As the Scotish were more closely connected with the French than with the Flemish, they seem to have been instructed in the art of founding artillery, by artificers of that nation. The first Scotish founder seems to have been Robert Borthwick, who, according to Lindsay of Pitscottie, founded the Seven Sisters, cannon of superior size, and exquisite form. He inscribed the following thundering line upon his artillery "Machina sum Scoto, Borthwic, fabricata Roberto." Borthwick probably derived his knowledge from his French assistant. In the ninth book of Privy Seal, fol. 96, occurs a letter to Peris Rowan, Frenchman, servant to umquhile Robert Borthwick, making the said Peris principal master-maker and melter of "our soverane Lordis guinis and artaillziarie" during life, dated Edinburgh, April 1532. Notwithstanding these exertions, the defect of artillery and fire arms was so sensibly experienced in Scotland, that in the seventh Parliament of James V, 1540, a regulation was formed, which states, that "because nouther artaillarie nor harnes can be furnished or made reddie,--without the samin be brocht hame by merchants: therefore, it is statute & ordained, that everie merchand sailland foorth of this realme, or sendand his gudes, extending Acts of the Scotish Parliament 1566, fol. 38. 3 Lindsay of Pitscottie's History, p. 174 ; also Leslie, 353. |