field they may make three, or they may make five. Not
to speak of the greater defensive power of heavy ships, nor of the
concentration of their fire, the unity of direction under one captain
possesses here also that importance which has caused unity of command
and of effort to be recognised as the prime element in military
efficiency, from the greatest things to the smallest. Taken together,
the three elements--greater defensive power, concentration of fire,
and unity of direction--constitute a decisive and permanent argument
in favor of big ships, in Howe's days as in our own. Doubtless,
now, as then, there is a limit; most arguments can be pushed to an
_absurdum_, intellectual or practical. To draw a line is always hard;
but, if we cannot tell just where the line has been passed we can
recognise that one ship is much too big, while another certainly is
not. Between the two an approximation to an exact result can be made.

On his return to New York on September 11th, Howe found there
Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker[37] with six ships of the line of Byron's
squadron. Considering his task now accomplished, Howe decided to
return to England, in virtue of a permission granted some time
before at his own request. The duty against the Americans, lately his
fellow-countrymen, had been always distasteful to him, although he
did not absolutely refuse to undertake it, as did Admiral Keppel.
The entrance of France into the quarrel, and the coming of d'Estaing,
refreshed the spirits of the veteran, who moreover scorned to abandon
his command in the face of such odds. Now, with the British positions
secure, and superiority of force insured for the time being, he
gladly turned over his charge and sailed for home; burning against the
Admiralty with a wrath common to most of the distinguished seamen of
that war. He was not employed afloat again until a change of Ministry
took place, in 1782.

[Footnote 19: Charles H., Comte d'Estaing. Born, 1729. Served in
India under Lally Tollendal, 1758. After having been taken prisoner at
Madras in 1759, exchanged into the navy. Commanded in North America,
1778-80. Guillotined, 1794. W.L.C.]

[Footnote 20: Grandfather of the poet.]

[Footnote 21: The Secretary of Lloyd's, for the purposes of this work,
has been so good as to cause to be specially compiled a summary of the
losses and captures during the period 1775-1783. This, so far as it
deals with merchantmen and privateers, gives the following re