This letter was sent to the Royal Western, the Royal Thames, the Royal Southampton, the Royal Eastern and the Gibraltar Yacht Clubs and to the Wharncliffe Sailing Club, but from a misapprehension the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland, once incorporated with its English namesake, was overlooked. In 1853 this point was raised in Parliament, but no action was then taken. In 1858, however, the exemption of the Irish Club was again made a grievance by other clubs desiring the same privilege, and the warrant of the Irish Club was then cancelled. The outcry raised led to the papers connected with the grants of the white ensign being laid before the House of Commons in 1859[337]. From that date the privilege of flying the white ensign has remained the prerogative of the Royal Yacht Squadron, a privilege enhanced in 1864 by its becoming the distinctive ensign of the Royal Navy. At the present day forty-four clubs have the privilege of flying the blue ensign, either plain or "defaced" with some distinctive badge, and eight are allowed to "deface" the red ensign with their special badge. Other clubs may fly only the ordinary red ensign of the Mercantile Marine. FOOTNOTES: [297] See Maspero, _Popular Stories of Ancient Egypt_, p. 231, and Torr, _Ancient Ships_, Cambridge, 1895, p. 60. [298] See p. 143. [299] Stirling Maxwell, _Don John of Austria_, 1883, I, 387. [300] Corbett, _Fighting Instructions_ 1530-1816 (N. R. S.), 1905, p. 27: "Even Howard's great fleet of 1588 had twice been in action with the Armada before it was so much as organised into Squadrons." [301] It was Henry who first organised navy administration by the institution of the Navy Board in 1546. [302] _S. P. D. Henry VIII_, CCV, fol. 163. [303] Corbett, _Drake and the Tudor Navy_, II, 203. [304] _Ibid._ II, 203. [305] Rules in Sir John Hawkins his tyme, _S. P. D. Jas I_, CLVII, 67. [306] Chardges in equipping & setting forth xvj^{en} of her Ma^{ts} shippes and pinnaces to the seas. Pipe Off. Dec. Acct. 2232. [307] See Arts 16 and 31 of the Instructions (_Naval Miscellany_ (N. R. S.), vol. I). The greenish edge in the accompanying diagrams is apparently the artist's shading. [308] _S. P. D. Eliz._ CCLIX, 48, printed in Oppenheim's _Naval Tracts of Sir Wm. Monson_ (N. R. S.), IV, 202 et seq. [309] Oppenheim, _Monson Tracts_ (N. R. S.), IV, 209. [310] _S. P. D. Chas I_, V, 31. [311] See Plate IX, figs. 3-6, 8 and 9. In the earlier ensigns, towards the end of Elizabeth's reign, the stripes were sometimes diagonal, and different designs appear to have been used to distinguish individual ships, much as the ensigns were used to distinguish regiments ashore. [312] I.e. as signals. [313] Corbett, _Fighting Instructions_ (N. R. S.), p. 83.