THE QUEEN’S YACHT.—YACHTS OF THE R. Y. CLUB, THEIR BUILD AND
RIG.—COMPARISON WITH AMERICAN YACHTS AND PILOT-BOATS.—SEAMANSHIP.—CUT
OF SAILS.—THE NAVY-YARD AT PORTSMOUTH.—GUN-BOATS.—STEAMERS.—NAVAL
FORCE OF GREAT BRITAIN.—EVENING AT PORTSEA.—CURIOSITY.—ABOUT BOASTING
AND SOME ENGLISH CHARACTERISTICS.—CONVERSATION WITH A SHOPKEEPER ON
“THE GLORY OF ENGLAND.”
[Sidenote: _ROYAL YACHT-CLUB SQUADRON._]
In crossing the Solent, on our return to Portsmouth, we saw the Queen’s
yacht, and passed through a squadron of the Royal Yacht-Club yachts.
The former was a large, heavily-hampered, brig-rigged steamer, with
great plate-glass ports, and a large oak-coloured house on deck, less
seaman-like in appearance and more in the American style than most
English steam-vessels. The yachts were as sweet craft as I can imagine,
most of them over two hundred tons in burden and schooner-rigged; but,
whether one or two-masted, spreading more canvas for the length of
their hulls than I ever saw before. They were all painted black, and
their ornaments and deck-arrangements struck me as being more simple,
snug, and seaman-like than those of most of our Union Clubs’ yachts.
The reverse is the case aloft. My _guess_ was that they would be more
than a match for any thing on our side in light winds, but that in bad
weather, particularly if working to windward, they would do nothing
against a New York pilot-boat. Like all the English small craft, when
going before the wind, the cutters and schooners always hauled up
the tack of the mainsail that the wind might draw under it to fill
the foresail and jib. Another reason given for it is, that the wind,
drawing downward from the belly of the sail, tends to make the vessel
_bury_, and by lifting the tack she is made more buoyant. It is never
done in America.
My opinion is, that the superior sailing of the “America,” in the great
matches of 1851, was _more_ owing to her peculiarities of rig, the cut
and material of her sails, and to seamanship, than to the model of her
hull. I have no doubt we can still build and rig a vessel that will be
her superior. While the English stick to flax canvas, long gaffs, heavy
topsails, and graceful curves, I do not think there is any danger that
they will. When the Englishman is close-hauled with his boom as near
amidships as he can get it, his long gaff will swing off so far that
there _must_ always be a considerable part of his canvas in the peak
that actually retards more than it assists him. The Englishman thinks
much of beauty of form in his sails, but his standard of beauty is
arbitrary—a fashion. To my eye, without regard to the primary beauty of
utility, the simplicity of the cut of our sails is much more agreeable.
On the deck of the flag-schooner, which we ran very near to, we saw the
commodore of the Club, (an Earl,) a gray-haired old gentleman, who sat
in an arm-chair, reading from a newspaper to some ladies.
* * * * *
On reaching Portsmouth we took a boat to visit the navy-yard, within
the walls of which, _being foreigners_, not having a pass, we could not
enter. Our boatmen told us that if we chose to enter we should not be
challenged, as no one would suspect us as being other than Englishmen,
and that the prohibition was a silly old form that prevented no one
from seeing the yard that wished to enough to lie for it.
[Sidenote: _NAVAL FORCE OF GREAT BRITAIN._]
The number of vessels (of the navy) in port was much less than I had
anticipated seeing, and most of these were hulks, or _advance_ ships,
(with guns and water-tanks on board.) Those we went on board of, (one
of them ready for sea,) seemed to me, compared with ours of the same
class, inferior in all respects, except it might be in some novelties
in their rigging, of the efficiency of which I could not judge. The
extent to which wire-rigging was employed in some of them surprised me.
We saw four gun-boats, (large barges with a swivel-gun in the bow,)
manned by the workmen of the yard, whose awkward evolutions were very
amusing. The landsmen working in the yard are divided into two squads,
one of which, alternately with the other, is drilled in the Jefferson
plan of harbour defence two evenings in each week. They are dressed in
a simple uniform, and armed as boarders.
There were more steamers in the harbour than in all our navy.
The present naval force of Great Britain, by official returns, consists
of 671 ships of war, either in ordinary or in commission, varying
from 2 to 120 guns each; of this number 187 are armed steamers. This
fleet, the largest of any maritime power on the globe, employs in time
of peace, 35,000 to 40,000 able-bodied seamen, 2000 strong lads, and
13,000 royal marines, consisting of 102 companies, divided into four
divisions.
The American navy consists of 70 vessels, large and small, of which 8
are sea-steamers.
The army of Great Britain, _exclusive_ of the East India Company’s
troops, and several native colonial regiments, numbers 135,000 men;
about 80,000 of these are considered available for home-service, the
remainder being required for the defence of the colonies.
The regular army of the United States consists of 10,300 men. The
militia force is returned as over 2,000,000.
The army of Russia numbers 675,000 men.
” France ” 400,000 ”
” Austria ” 400,000 ”
” Sardinia ” 140,000 ”
” Spain ” 100,000 ”
” Great Britain ” 135,000 ”
” United States ” 10,000 ”
* * * * *
[Sidenote: _ENGLISH CHARACTERISTICS._]
In the evening we called at the old lady’s in Portsea, and received
from Susan some clothes, which she had undertaken to get washed for
us, and a watch which my brother had left in his bedroom. The kind old
woman received us cordially, apologized again for the prudence which
had led her to lock us in, and introduced us to some friends. Of their
simplicity and curiosity, as shown in their questioning of us, I might,
if I chose to report our conversations, give as amusing a picture as
English travellers enjoy to do, of that of those they meet in American
boarding-houses. Of fidgetty anxiety lest we should not discover that
every body and every thing in the country is most astonishing and
wonderfully superior to any body and any thing every where else in
the world, which so distresses visitors to the United States, I must
confess that we have seen but little in England. With the poorer class
of Englishmen, patriotism seems to have been starved out. If they ever
speak of their country’s greatness and prosperity, it is as a servant
speaks of his master’s wealth; they would see it become a dependency of
France or Russia with entire indifference, certainly with exultation if
it were promised them that wages should be higher and bread cheaper for
it. Again, the Radicals and men of earnest religious faith, with the
strongest affection to their country, are in the habit of looking much
at what is wrong and shameful in her institutions and qualities, and
of comparing them with what is better in other lands. There has always
been a great many—now almost enough to be looked upon as a party—that
have a strong admiration for our country, and who even glory in all our
glory as their own.
Cultivated and large-minded people of all classes, of course, in
England as every where else, rise above prejudice and vanity, and think
and speak fairly and frankly equally of their own or foreign states;
of such eminently we recognise the Earl of Carlisle and Sir Charles
Lyell, and of such are, I believe, a great number of the higher rank
of commercial men. The traditional self-complacency of an Englishman,
as an Englishman, is more often to be detected, at the present day, by
some unnecessary pains he will take to point out to you deficiencies
and defects of a trivial character in the article or institution
or custom you are considering, he having entire confidence that in
contrast with that of any other country it will but be exalted by any
such faint disparagement of it as is possible. Among the lower class in
towns, or in the country those who have been servants, or in some way
connected with or dependent on wealthy old families, there is sometimes
to be found the most ludicrously absurd old Tory ideas and prejudices,
quite in character with the John Bull of the old farce; but the best
specimens of it that I have seen were among the smaller sort of
shopkeepers, particularly those who advertised themselves to be under
the patronage of some noble lady. I remember one that we encountered,
soon after we resumed our walks in England after we had been on the
Continent, that amused us very much—a little, fat, florid, bald-headed
John Gilpin of a man. He was wrapping the article we had purchased in a
paper, and, while we waited, asked,
“_Travellers_, gentlemen?”
“Yes, sir.”
“On foot, it appears?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Travelled far, so might I ask?”
“Oh, yes—a number of hundred miles.”
“Indeed—you must have seen a good bit of old England.... Ever was on
the Continent, gentlemen?”
“Yes.”
“In France, it might be?”
“Yes.”
“Any where else but France?”
“Yes—in Holland, Germany, and Belgium.”
“Ah!... Gentlemen, I should like to ask you now, if I might be so bold,
I should like to ask you a question, just one question. I haven’t
been myself, you see, to France nor to Holland nor to those other
countries, but I have read of them, and according to the best sources
of information I could reach, I have informed my mind about them and
formed my own independent opinion, you see, in which I may be right,
of course, and I may be wrong, but I think I’m right. And I have had a
coming in here a many of travelling gentlemen like you, that had seen
all those foreign countries, and had also in course seen England,—which
is advantageous. Well, I always asks these gentlemen one question when
they does me the honour, and they have always been so good as to answer
me with the very same identical, and now I should be pleased to ask
you the same question, if I may be so bold. Though, to be sure, I can
imagine what you’ll answer, but then to confirm the independent, which
I had arrived at from my own, you see, and for edification,—thank you.
Now then, gentlemen—(John, you can discontinue a moment.)”
[Sidenote: “_THE GLORY OF ENGLAND._”]
He laid the parcel on the counter, and, holding it firmly with his left
hand, continued to tap it lightly with the fore-finger of the other,
looking at us as if our lives depended upon our answering truthfully.
“So it appears, gentlemen, (if I might be so bold,) that you have
wandered far and near over the face of the inhabited world, and have
seen many foreign parts and lands, and cast your lot among other
peoples and nations, that all thought as their inheritances was
very fine, doubtless: but now, _gentlemen!_ can you say on candid
reflection—now have you ever seen any where’s else, for instance, any
castle as was comparable compared to _Winsor_ Castle?”
“No, sir.”
“Or any park like unto Winsor Park—that is, in foreign parts?”
“No, sir.”
“Nor any country of them all, what, on the whole, take her altogether,
taking her castles and parks, also her towns and her rail’ays and
station-houses, her forests and her manufactures, and her coal and
iron; her church and her constitution, her people and her horses, and
such like—did you ever, in all your wanderings—taking her altogether
so—did you ever now, gentlemen—I want to know—ever see any place
exactly like your own country after all?”
“No, indeed, sir.”
“‘No, indeed, sir!’ I know you didn’t—you hear that? ‘No, indeed,
sir’—and so say you all, gentlemen? and so say you all. Well, then, I
am satisfied, and much obliged to you, gentlemen. There isn’t none of
the foreign principalities that is like this blessed land; and that’s
what I am always telling them, and only goes to confirm the independent
conviction which I had previously arrived to of my own preliminaries.
Thank you, gentlemen;” (handing us the parcel;) “good-morning. I wish
you a pleasant continuance of your promenade in our glorious old land.”