aluvos salsus, because his jurisdiction extends over the salt seas. Others from the saxon aen mere eal; that is, over all the sea and others again, whose opinion Godolphin approves, partly from the greek, partly from the arabick; amir, or emir, in arabic, signifying præfectus; and αλιος, alos, in the greek language, marinus, both which amount to admiralius, or rather ammiralius. Certain it is, that in the east, the appellation was also given to terrene princes and commanders thus the sultan, or tyrant of Babylon, frequently mentioned in their transactions, was also and commonly called admiral(3).

We might suppose that it required no great learning to prove that a fleet must have a commander, and a navy a superintending or regulating power. Yet the early writers on admiralty jurisdiction, and propugners of its authority against the encroachments of the common law, have ransacked ancient and modern lore to shew that the admiral's authority has existed in almost every civilized nation, though under various names. The thalassiarchus of the Greeks, the præfectus classis of the Romans, and the dungarius of Constantinople, are vouched in aid of a position which required neither argument nor example, where the power was in any degree naval, or the country maritime; and the title of

un

(3) The mention of the admiral of Babylon is not frequent in the old romance, particularly in archbishop Turpin's famous chronicle.

admiral is bestowed by these writers as familiarly upon the Carthaginian Hanno, and Hamilco, as upon our own naval commanders.

It is a matter of more curiosity to trace the origin of this office in England and in France, because we thus also nearly fix the period when they began to be maritime powers, since the existence of the office must of necessity speedily follow the existence of a navy. Now it appears by the authority of John Tillius, a clerk of the parliament of Paris, who wrote De Rebus Gallicis, that the kingdom of France having been lessened by intestine divisions, and its kings reduced to narrow dominions by their potent vassals, such as the dukes of Normandy and Bretagne, and the earls of Flanders, Provence, and Languedoc, and having for a long time no command of the sea, it had consequently no occasion for admirals; and therefore, according to this author the first admiral of France was Americus, or Amaurius, viscount of Narbonne (4), so constituted in king John's reign, about the year 1300. And though some pretend that there was an admiral even in the days of king Pepin, yet those who pay any attention to probability, do not pretend that Amaurius had any predecessor except Enguarantus Dom de Causy, about twenty years before, in the reign of Philip the Bold; at least not as admiral of all France, for it is said that

(4) See the book called Laws of the Sea, p. 54.

there were at one time two, at another time three admirals in France, dividing their jurisdiction according to the coasts of their several provinces respectively. This high office, lord ammeral, in point of dignity, was next to that of the high constable of France(5).

The writers on the antiquity of the English maritime power, and its sovereignty of the sea, insist, apparently with truth, and in consonance with the natural progress of events in the history of the two nations, that the office of admiral was of much earlier date; and Exton and Godolphin, not content with sir Henry Spelman's judgment (who was of opinion that this high officer was not known in England by that name or style until the beginning of the reign of Edward the first, i. e. about the year 1272(6), though the office was known long before) insist that both name and office were known at a much earlier period.

They say, that by an ordinance of king John made at Hastings, touching the sovereignty of the British sea in the point of striking sail, or veiling bonnets by the vessels of foreign nations. to the king's ships, mention is made of the lord

(5) See Godolphin, p. 21.

(6) This bears a striking propinquity to the time when Causy was appointed admiral of France; and when we look into history and see that about this time the seas were extravagantly infested by pirates, which produced a war between England and France, we shall suspect a similarity of

causes.

high admiral of England; and that by an ancient record in the Tower of London, entitled, De superioritate maris Angliæ, & Jure Officii Admirallitatus in eodem, it appears that the Admiralty of England, and the Jurisdiction thereof, was far more ancient than Edward the first; and from age to age successively, and time out of mind: and this they confirm by many other authorities.

Whatever may be the truth as be the truth as to the name, the office was certainly known and used in England before the reign of Edward the first; and therefore when an eminent writer says(7) there was no such office till his reign, he must mean, not known by that name; for my lord Coke says(8), the admiral, and court of admiralty, were time out of mind; though he was at first called capitaneus maris, and by other names(9).

In the latter part of the reign of Edward I. and during the whole reign of Edward II. Edward III. and Richard II. there appear for the

(7) Mr. Reeves, Vol. III. p. 197. William de Leiburn is styled, 15 Edward I. admiraltus maris Angliæ: it is extraordinary that Spelman should say in his glossary, that Richard Fitzallan, in the reign of Richard II. was the first admiral of all England.

(8) Coke, L. 260.

(9) Thomas de Moleton, 48 Henry III. was constituted capitaneus maris. See the Catalogue of Admirals in the Laws of the Sea, and consult Godolphin, Exton, and Zouch.

most part to have been two, and sometimes three admirals, styled of the north, west, and south. When the south coast, as sometimes was the case, was supposed to be comprehended in the west, there were only two. There is only one person, during the period aforesaid, who is styled admiral of England, which is Richard Fitzallan, earl of Arundel, which probably is the reason that Spelman says he was the first admiral of all England; but William de Liburne, 15 Edward I. is called admiral of the sea of England, and had no partner in authority, though the office was soon after divided. The authority depended on the commission, and was sometimes for life, sometimes during pleasure.

In the reign of Henry IV. we find several persons styled admirals of England; and in the reign of Henry VI. these great officers began to be styled admirals of England, Ireland, and Acquitain.

This is the title most frequently annexed to succeeding admirals down to the reign of Charles II. though sometimes the names of Wales, Calais, &c. &c. are added. James, duke of York, is the first who is styled admiral of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

When the duke of York, afterwards James II. was excluded from office by the test act, in 1673, the king declared, that he was determined not to confer it upon any other person for the present, but to have the same executed by