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xii — 1660-1714; the ninth section, the early Hanoverian Age — 1714-1763; the tenth section, the period of American Revolution — 1763-1793; the eleventh section, the wars of the French Revolution — 1793-1802; the twelfth section, the Napoleonic and American wars — 1802-1815; the thirteenth section, the period from 1815 to the building of the first ironclads in 1856; and the fourteenth and last section, the period since 1856.

Each of these sections is subdivided into chapters, dealing respectively with the civil history of the Navy, the military history of the Navy, and the history of voyages and maritime discovery during the period under review. In the case of certain sections, the importance of the naval campaigns in which great fleets were employed has led to a further subdivision of the portion treating of the military history. The major operations are in those cases described separately from the minor operations in which only two or three vessels, or small detachments, were engaged. In the twelfth section, moreover, a special chapter is devoted to the war with the United States.

Illustrations from contemporary and original sources, a full index to each volume, and a general subject index included in the last volume, will complete the work.

The gentlemen who have been so good as to associate their names with mine on the title-page of the book, and the chapters for which each has kindly undertaken the responsibility, are : —