Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves, updated to 1900, by W.H.G. Kingston. ________________________________________________________________________ This is a history of the British Navy, originally written by Kingston, but as he had died many years before 1900, and as it was felt that this book ought to go up to that year, it was edited and re-issued by the friends of Kingston, in particular by Henty. It is a serious book, yet it is an easy one to read. It is also a very interesting book, that all British boys and girls, even now, more than a hundred years after the book was published, would do well to read. One thing of special interest is that today's naval families, families that have traditionally sent sons to a distinguished career in the Navy, can look back, and read of the exploits of their forbears. On the other hand, because of the very large numbers of names in the book it would probably not make a good audiobook, and we have not tried it. ________________________________________________________________________ HOW BRITANNIA CAME TO RULE THE WAVES, UPDATED TO 1900, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON. CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Rome was not built in a day, nor has the glorious British Navy attained its present condition except by slow degrees, by numerous trials and experiments, by improvements gradually and cautiously introduced, and by the employment of a vast amount of thought, energy, and toil. We are apt to forget when we see an elaborate machine, the immense quantity of mental and physical exertion it represents, the efforts of the united minds perhaps of many successive generations, and the labour of thousands of workmen. I propose briefly to trace the progress which the British Navy has made from age to age, as well as its customs, and the habits of its seamen, with their more notable exploits since the days when this tight little island of ours first became known to the rest of the world.