Page:Supplement to the fourth, fifth, and sixth editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica - with preliminary dissertations on the history of the sciences - illustrated by engravings (IA gri 33125011196181).pdf/278

 minute crystals of sugar are deprived of their cohesion to each other by this intervening liquid. Being separated from each other, they gradually dissolve or enter into a chemical combination with the water.(.) ADMIRAL. Though neither this nor the immediately following articles have been wholly omitted in the body of the work, we have thought it proper to treat them anew, and with more correct detail, in this place; it being our intention, that these Supplemental Volumes shall exhibit a full and accurate view of all that concerns the constitution, government, and efficiency of the British navy. Of the rank of Admiral there are three degrees—Admiral, Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral. Each of those degrees consists of three divisions, which are distinguished by as many different colours or flags; hence all admirals assume the common title of flag-officers, and take rank and command in the following order:

Admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the main-top-gallant-mast head: Vice-Admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the fore-top-gallant-mast head: Rear-Admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the mizen-top-gallant-mast head.

It may be remarked, that for a century nearly we had no Admiral of the Red squadron; that flag, according to a vulgar error, having been taken from us by the Dutch in one of those arduous struggles for naval superiority which that nation was once able to maintain against the naval power of England. But the fact is, the red flag was laid aside on the union of the two crowns of England and Scotland, when the Union flag was adopted in its place, and usually hoisted by the Admiral commanding in chief. The red flag, however, has recently been revived, on un occasion worthy of the event; namely, on the promotion of naval officers which took place in November 1805, in consequence of the memorable victory before Trafalgar. See article in this Supplement.

, is a mere honorary distinction, which gives no command, but an increase of half-pay, his being three guineas a-day, and that of an Admiral two guineas. It is sometimes conferred, but not always, on the senior Admiral on the list of naval officers, being held at present by his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence. If the Admiral of the fleet should happen to serve afloat, he is authorized to carry the union flag at the main-top-gallant-mast head, which was the case when the Duke of Clarence escorted Louis XVIII, across the Channel, to take possession of the throne of France.

The comparative rank which flag-officers held with officers in the army has been settled as follows by his Majesty’s order in council:

The Admiral and Commander-in-chief of the fleet has the rank of a Field-marshal in the army. Admirals with flags at the main take rank with Generals of horse and foot. Vice-admirals with Lieutenant-generals. Rear-admirals with Major-generals. Commodores with broad pendants with Brigadier-generals. See. . An ancient officer of high rank in the state, in whom not only the government of the navy is vested, but who, long before any regular navy existed in England, presided over a sovereign court, with authority to hear and determine all causes relating to the sea, and to take cognizance of all offences committed thereon.

There can be little doubt of the Asiatic origin of the name given to this officer, which does not appear to have been known in the languages of Europe before the time of the holy wars. Amir, in Arabic, is a chief or commander of forces; it is the same word as the ameer of the peninsula of India, (as ameer ul omrah, the chief of lords or princes,) and the emir of the Turks or Saracens, who had, and still have, their emir or ameer’l dureea, commander of the sea; amir’l asker dureea, commander of the naval armament. The incorporation of the article with the noun appears, we believe, for the first time in the annals of Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria, in the tenth century, who calls the Caliph Omar Amirol munumim, seu, Imperator fidilium. Spelman says, “” The d is evidently impertinent, and is omitted by the French, who say Amiral. The Spanish write Almiranté; the Portuguese the same. Milton would seem to have been aware of the origin of the word, when he speaks of “the mast of some great Ammiral.” It is obvious, then, that the supposed derivations of 🇬🇷 from the Greek, aumer from the French, and aen mereal from the Saxon, are fanciful and unauthorized etymologies.

The period of time about which this officer first makes his appearance in the governments of European nations, corroborates the supposition of its having been adopted in imitation of the Mediterranean powers, at the return of the Christian heroes from the holy wars. According to Moreri, Florent de Varenne, in the year 1270, was the first Admiral known in France; but by the most approved writers of that nation, the title was unknown till, in 1284, Enguerrand de Coussy was constituted Admiral. The first Admiral by name that we know of in England was W. de Leybourne, who was appointed to that office by Edward I. in the year 1286, under the title of Admiral de la mer du roy d’Angleterre. Mariana, in his History of Spain, says that Don Sancho, having resolved to make war on the barbarians, (Moors,) prepared a great fleet; and as the Genoese were at that time very powerful by sea, and experienced and dexterous sailors, he sent to Genoa to invite, with great offers, Benito Zacharias into his service; that he accepted those offers, and brought with him twelve ships; that the king named him his Admiral, (Almiranté,) and conferred on him the office for a limited time. This happened in the year 1284. Several Portuguese authors observe, that their office of Almiranté was derived from the Genoese, who had it from the Sicilians, and these from the Saracens; and it appears from Souza’s Historia Geneologica da Caza Real, that, in 1322, Micer Manuel Piçagow was invited from Genoa into Portugal, and appointed to the office of Almiranié, with a salary of three thousand pounds (livras) a-year, and certain lands, &c., on condition that he should furnish, on his part, twenty men of Genoa, all experienced in sea affairs, and qualified to be alcaidis (captains) and arraises (masters)  Rh