a gentler man or any other have and beare." This answers to the description of the modern coach-whip pennant, used to denote the commander of a single ship of war.

When William, Prince of Orange, sailed for England, on the 21st of October, 1688, with five hundred sail, he carried the flag of England and his own arms, with this motto: "I will maintain the Protestant Religion and the Liberties of England."

SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA. - STRIKING FLAGS.

As early as the reign of King John, England claimed the sovereignty of the narrow seas surrounding her little island, and in the second year of his reign, 1200, it was declared by the Ordinance of Hastings, so called from the place where it bore date, "That if any lieutenant of the king's fleet, in any naval expedition, do meet with on the sea any ships or vessels, laden or unladen, that will not vail and lower their sails at the command of the lieutenant of the king, or the king's admiral, or his lieutenant, but shall fight with them of the fleet, such, if taken, shall be reputed as enemies, and their ships, vessels, and goods be seized, and forfeited as the goods of enemies, notwithstanding any thing that the masters or owners thereof may afterwards come and alledge of such ships, vessels, and goods, being the goods of those in amity with our lord the king; and that the common sailors on board the same shall be punished for their rebellion with imprisonment of their bodies at discretion."1

In the reign of Mary, 1554, a Spanish fleet of one hundred and sixty sail, having Philip, their king, on board, to espouse Queen Mary, fell in with that of England, of twenty-eight sail, under the command of Lord William Howard, lord high admiral, in the narrow seas. Philip had the flag of Spain flying at the maintop-masthead, and would have passed the English fleet without paying the customary honors, had not the English admiral fired a shot at the Spanish admiral, and forced the whole fleet to strike their colors and lower their topsails as an homage to the English flag, before he would permit his squadron to salute the Spanish prince.

In the reign of James I., in 1604, a dispute having arisen between the English and Dutch with respect to the compliment of the flag, a fleet was sent to sea under the command of Sir William Monson, who, on his arrival in the Downs, discovered a squadron of Dutch men-ofwar, whose admiral, on Sir William Monson's passing their squadron,

1 Kent's Biog. Nau., vol. i.; Burchet's Naval History; Macaulay.

struck his flag three times. The English admiral, not satisfied with the compliment, persisted in his keeping it struck during his cruise on the English coast.

November, 1625, Sir Robert Mansell fell in with six French menof-war on the coast of Spain, and obliged their admiral to strike his flag, and pay him the usual compliments.

In 1629, the various disputes constantly arising respecting the honor of the flag, which the English claimed, induced Hugo Grotius to write a treatise called 'Mare Liberum,' on the futility of the English title to the dominion of the sea, which he considered was a gift from God common to all nations.

When Sir John Pennington carried the Duke of Hamilton into Germany, in 1631, the Dutch ships which he met with in the Baltic Sea made no difficulty in striking their flags to him; and the same respect was paid by the Dutch admirals in the Mediterranean.

In 1634, Mr. Selden wrote a treatise in answer to Grotius, called 'Mare Clausum,' in which he asserted that Britons "have an hereditary and uninterrupted right to the sovereignty of their seas, conveyed to them from their ancestors, in trust for their latest posterity." A copy of this book was ordered by the king "to be kept in the Court of Admiralty, there to remain as a just evidence of our dominion of the sea." A proclamation was published the same year, asserting the sovereignty of the sea, and to regulate the manner of wearing the flag.

In 1635, at the blockade of Dunkirk, the admiral of Holland always struck his flag to any English ship of war which came within sight. The same year, the combined fleets of France and Holland vauntingly gave out that they intended to assert their independence, and dispute that prerogative which the English claimed in the narrow seas; but as soon as they were informed an English fleet of forty ships was at sea, and in search of them, they quitted the English coast and returned to their own.

On the 20th of August, 1636, the Dutch vice-admiral, Van Dorp, saluted the English admiral, the Earl of Northumberland, by lowering his topsails, striking his flag, and firing of guns; and the same year, on the Earl's return to the Downs, he discovered twenty-six sail of Spaniards from Calais, bound to Dunkirk, who, on their own coast, upon his approach, paid him like marks of respect.

In the same ship (The Happy Entrance), Sir George Cartaret, the same year, carried the Earl of Arundel to Helvoet Sluice, where Van Tromp, the Dutch admiral, was then riding at anchor, who took in his flag, although Sir George wore none, and saluted him with seven

guns; but "in regard he was in a harbor of the States General, he hoisted it again."

A French ship of war at Fayal, the same year (1636), struck her flag, and kept it in while a British ship of war was in sight; and another French ship of war, coming out of Lisbon, struck her topsails to Sir Richard Plumbly.

The memorable war with Holland, in 1652, was occasioned by Commodore Young's having fired upon a Dutch man-of-war, on the 14th of May, 1652, which had refused the accustomed honor of the flag. Young first sent a boat on board the Dutchman to persuade him to strike. The Dutch captain very honestly replied, that "the States had to take off his head if he struck." Upon this the fight began, and the enemy were soon compelled to submit. There were present two other ships of war and about twelve merchantmen, none of which interfered; nor, after the Dutch ships had taken in their flags, did Commodore Young attempt to make any prizes.1

On the 4th of April, 1654, a peace was concluded between England and Holland, by which the Dutch consented to acknowledge the sovereignty of the sea to the English.

"That the ships of the Dutch, as well ships of war as others, meeting any of the ships of war of the English Commonwealth in the British seas, shall strike their flags and lower their topsail, in such manner as hath ever been at any time heretofore practised under any forms of government."

This is the first instance of England's establishing her right by a formal treaty.2

In 1673, an order was issued to the commanders of his Majesty's ships of war, that in future they were not to require from the ships of war of France the striking of the flag or topsail, or salute; neither were they to give any salute to those of the Christian king.3

On the 9th of February, 1704, another treaty was made with Holland, which stipulated that any Dutch ships of war or others meeting those of the King of Great Britain, “in any of the seas from Cape Finisterre to the middle point of the land Van Staten, in Norway, shall strike their topsail and lower their flag, in the same manner and with the like testimony of respect as has been usually paid at any time or place heretofore by the Dutch ships to those of the king or his ancestors."

1 Burchet's Naval History; Naval Biography. London, 1800.

? Anderson's Origin of Commerce, vol. ii.

Memoirs relating to the Navy.

In 1704, a dispute arose at Lisbon respecting the ceremony of the flag, in which the English admiral, Sir George Rooke, the King of Spain, and the King of Portugal, were participators. The King of Portugal required that on his coming on board the admiral's ship in his barge of state, and striking his standard, the English flag might be struck at the same time; and that when his Catholic Majesty, with himself, should go off from the ship, his standard might be hoisted, and the admiral's flag continued struck until they were on shore. This proposition was made from the King of Portugal to the King of Spain. The admiral replied, "That his Majesty, so long as he should be on board, might command the flag to be struck when he pleased; but that whenever he left the ship, he was himself admiral, and obliged to execute his commission by immediately hoisting his flag." "So the flag of England was no longer struck than the standard of Portugal." 1

Only six years before our Revolutionary war, viz. in 1769, a French frigate anchored in the Downs, without paying the customary salute, and Captain John Hollwell, of the Apollo frigate, sent an officer on board to demand it. The French captain refused to comply; upon which Captain Hollwell ordered the Hawke sloop of war to fire two shots over her, when the Frenchman thought proper to strike his colors and salute.

Falconer's Dictionary,' published the same year, contains the regulations of the royal navy with regard to salutes, and says: "All foreign ships of war are expected to take in their flag and strike their topsails in acknowledgment of his Majesty's sovereignty in his Majesty's seas; and, if they refuse, it is enjoined to all flag-officers and commanders to use their utmost endeavors to compel them thereto, and not suffer any dishonor to be done his Majesty." "And it is to be observed in his Majesty's seas his Majesty's ships are in no wise to strike to any; and that in other parts no ship is to strike her flag or topsail to any foreigner, unless such foreign ship shall have first struck, or at the same time strike, her flag or topsail to his Majesty's ship."

Instances of British arrogance in claiming this sovereignty of the narrow seas could be multiplied.

The present rule for ships of the United States meeting the flagships of war of other nations at sea, or in foreign parts, is for the United States vessel to salute the foreign ship first, if she be com

1 Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, vol. iii.; James's Naval History; Lediard's Naval History; Entick's Naval History; Burchet's Naval History; Harris's Hist. Royal Navy; Schomberg's Naval Chronology, &c.

manded by an officer his superior in rank, and he receives assurance that he will receive gun for gun in return. The national flag of the vessel saluted is displayed at the fore and the jib, hoisted at the first gun and hauled down at the last.

"No vessel of the navy is to lower her sails or dip her colors to another vessel of the navy; but should a foreign vessel, or merchant vessel of the United States, dip her colors or lower her sails to any vessel of the navy, the compliment shall be instantly returned."

THE STANDARDS OF SYMBOLIC MASONRY. STANDARD OF THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. STANDARDS OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN.

STANDARDS OF SYMBOLIC MASONRY.-The standard designated as the principal or general standard of symbolic masonry is described as follows:

The escutcheon or shield on the banner is divided into four compartments or quarters by a green cross, over which a narrower one of the same length of limb, and of a yellow color, is placed, forming what is called a cross vert, voided or; each of the compartments formed by the limits of the cross is occupied by a different device. In the first quarter is placed a golden lion in a field of blue, to represent the standard of the tribe of Judah; in the second, a black ox on a field of gold, to represent Ephraim; in the third, a man in a field of gold, to represent Reuben; and in the fourth, a golden eagle on a blue ground, to represent Dan. Over all is placed on a crest an ark of the covenant, and the motto is, "Holiness to the Lord." Besides this, there are six other standards proper to be borne in processions, the material of which must be white bordered with a blue fringe or ribbon, and on each of which is inscribed one of the following words: FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, WISDOM, STRENGTH, BEAUTY.

In the royal arch degree, as recognized in the United States, there are five standards ·

The royal arch standard, for commandery use, is of scarlet silk, usually twelve by eighteen inches, with painted quarterings; viz., a lion, a priest, a bull, and an eagle.

The royal arch captain carries a white standard, emblematic of purity of heart and rectitude of conduct.

The standard of the master of the third vail is scarlet, emblematic