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Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816 Publications Of The Navy Records Society Volume 29
Von: Julian S. Corbett
User: silviya
The Following Extract From The _Espejo De Navegantes_, Or
_Seamen'S Glass_, Of Alonso De Chaves Serves To Show The
Development Which Naval Tactics Had Reached At The Dawn Of The Sailing
Epoch. The Treatise Was Apparently Never Published. It Was Discovered
By Captain Fernandez Duro, The Well-Known Historian Of The Spanish
Navy, Amongst The Manuscripts In The Library Of The Academy Of History
At Madrid. The Exact Date Of Its Production Is Not Known; But Alonso
De Chaves Was One Of A Group Of Naval Writers And Experts Who
Flourished At The Court Of The Emperor Charles V In The First Half Of
The Sixteenth Century.[1] He Was Known To Hakluyt, Who Mentions Him In
Connection With His Own Cherished Idea Of Getting A Lectureship In
Navigation Established In London. 'And That It May Appear,' He Writes
In Dedicating The Second Edition Of His _Voyages_ To The Lord
Admiral, 'That This Is No Vain Fancy Nor Device Of Mine It May Please
Your Lordship To Understand That The Late Emperor Charles The
Fifth ... Established Not Only A Pilot-Major For The Examination Of Such
As Sought To Take Charge Of Ships In That Voyage' (_I.E._ To The
Indies), 'But Also Founded A Notable Lecture Of The Art Of Navigation
Which Is Read To This Day In The Contractation House At Seville. The
Readers Of The Lecture Have Not Only Carefully Taught And Instructed
The Spanish Mariners By Word Of Mouth, But Also Have Published Sundry
Exact And Worthy Treatises Concerning Marine Causes For The Direction
And Encouragement Of Posterity. The Learned Works Of Three Of Which
Readers, Namely Of Alonso De Chaves, Of Hieronymus De Chaves, And Of
Roderigo Zamorano, Came Long Ago Very Happily To My Hands, Together
With The Straight And Severe Examining Of All Such Masters As Desire
To Take Charge For The West Indies.' Since Therefore De Chaves Was An
Official Lecturer To The Contractation House, The Admiralty Of The
Indies, We May Take It That He Speaks With Full Authority Of The
Current Naval Thought Of The Time. That He Represented A Somewhat
Advanced School Seems Clear From The Pains He Takes In His Treatise To
Defend His Opinions Against The Old Idea Which Still Prevailed, That
Only Galleys And Oared Craft Could Be Marshalled In Regular
Order. 'Some May Say,' He Writes, 'That At Sea It Is Not Possible To
Order Ships And Tactics In This Way, Nor To Arrange Beforehand So
Nicely For Coming To The Attack Or Bringing Succour Just When Wanted,
And That Therefore There Is No Need To Labour An Order Of Battle Since
Order Cannot Be Kept. To Such I Answer That The Same Objection Binds
The Enemy, And That With Equal Arms He Who Has Taken Up The Best
Formation And Order Will Be Victor, Because It Is Not Possible So To
Break Up An Order With Wind And Sea As That He Who Is More Without
Order Shall Not Be Worse Broken Up And The Sooner Defeated. For Ships
At Sea Are As War-Horses On Land, Since Admitting They Are Not Very
Nimble At Turning At Any Pace, Nevertheless A Regular Formation
Incr
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