By the treaty of Vienna in 1815 it was provided that the navigation
of all rivers separating or traversing the states that were parties
thereto should be open for commercial purposes to the vessels of all
nations, subject to a uniform system of police and tolls. The treaty
of Paris, 1856, extended this principle to the Danube. In America
the cases of the Mississippi and the St Lawrence are important. By
the treaty of Versailles, 1783, it was provided that “the navigation of
the Mississippi shall for ever remain free and open to the subjects
of Great Britain and the citizens of the United States.” But the
United States afterwards acquired Louisiana and Florida; and, the
stipulation as to British subjects not being renewed in the treaty of
Ghent, 1814, the United States maintains that the right of navigating
the Mississippi is vested exclusively in its citizens. As to the St
Lawrence, after disputes for a long period between Great Britain and
the United States, the right of free navigation for purposes of
commerce was secured to the United States by the treaty of Washington,
1871. There are some waters, such as the Suez Canal and the
Panama Canal, which are subject to peculiar engagements by treaty
or convention. The former depends on the Convention of Constantinople,
29th of October 1888, the latter—as far as regards the
United Kingdom and the United States—on the Hay-Pauncefote
Treaty, 18th of November 1901. But as a rule it may be said that in
time of peace the territorial waters of a state are open to foreigners
for commercial purposes, subject to observance of any rules as to
police, pilotage, &c., imposed by the state. Tolls may be imposed by
the state upon foreigners. This right is expressly recognized in most
commercial treaties. A notable instance was the claim of Denmark
to charge what were called the “Sound dues” from all vessels passing
Elsinore, though the Sound was not strictly her territorial water.
The right was not universally recognized, though it had prescription
in its favour and was invariably paid. In 1857 the dues were
abolished, and compensation paid to Denmark for the loss of her
alleged right. (J. W.)
NAVIUS, ATTUS, in Roman legendary history, a famous
augur during the reign of Tarquinius Priscus. When the latter
desired to double the number of the equestrian centuries, Navius
opposed him, declaring that it must not be done unless the
omens were propitious, and, as a proof of his powers of divination,
cut through a whetstone with a razor. Navius’s statue with
veiled head was afterwards shown in the comitium; the whetstone
and razor were buried in the same place, and a puteal
placed over them. Hard by was a sacred fig-tree, called after
him the Navian fig-tree. It was reported that Navius was subsequently
put to death by Tarquinius. According to Schwegler,
the puteal originally indicated that the place had been struck
by lightning, and the story is a reminiscence of the early struggle
between the state and ecclesiasticism.
See Livy i. 36; Dion. Halic. iii. 70; Aurelius Victor, De viris illustribus, 6; Schwegler, Römische Geschichte, bk. xv. 16.
NAVVY, a labourer employed in the digging and excavating
of earth, &c., in the construction of railways, docks, canals or
other engineering operations. The word is a shortened form of
“navigator,” applied during the 18th and early part of the 19th
centuries to a labourer at work on canals, to which the name
“navigation” is often applied. Power-machines (excavators)
for performing such work are consequently known as “steam-navvies.”
NAVY and NAVIES. The navy of a country was in its original meaning the total body of its shipping, whether used for war, for oversea and coasting traffic, or for fishing—the total in fact of its ships (Lat. naves). By custom, however, the word has come to be used only of that part of the whole which is set aside for purposes of war and police. Every navy consists of a material part (see Ship), i.e. the vessels, with their means
of propulsion and their armament, and of a human organization,
namely the crews of all ranks, by which the vessels are handled.
Ships and men are combined in divisions, and are ruled by an
organ of the government to which they belong (see Admiralty Administration).
Personnel
The personnel of the British navy is composed of two different bodies of men, the seamen and the marines, each of which has its appropriate officers. The marines are the subject of a separate article.
The officers of the navy are classed as follows in the order of their rank: flag-officers (see Admiral), commodores, captains, staff captains, commanders, staff commanders, lieutenants, navigating lieutenants, sub-lieutenants, chief gunners, chief boatswains, chief carpenters, gunners, boatswains, carpenters, midshipmen, naval cadets.
Flag-officers are divided into three ranks, viz. rear-admiral, vice-admiral, admiral. There is also the rank of “admiral of the fleet”: such an officer, if in command, would carry the union flag at the main.
All flag-officers, commanders-in-chief, are considered as responsible for the conduct of the fleet or squadron under their command. They are bound to keep them in perfect condition for service; to exercise them frequently in forming orders of sailing and lines of battle, and in performing all such evolutions as may occur in the presence of an enemy; to direct the commanders of squadrons and divisions to inspect the state of each ship under their command; to see that the established rules for good order, discipline and cleanliness are observed; and occasionally to inquire into these and other matters themselves. They are required to correspond with the secretary of the admiralty, and report to him all their proceedings.
Every flag-officer serving in a fleet, but not commanding it, is required to superintend all the ships of the squadron or division placed under his orders—to see that their crews are properly disciplined, that all orders are punctually attended to, that the stores, provisions and water are kept as complete as circumstances will admit, that the seamen and marines are frequently exercised, and that every precaution is taken for preserving the health of their crews. When at sea, he is to take care that every ship in his division preserves her station in whatever line or order of sailing the fleet may be formed; and in battle he is to observe attentively the conduct of every ship near him, whether of the squadron or division under his immediate command or not; and at the end of the battle he is to report it to the commander-in-chief, in order that commendation or censure may be passed, as the case may appear to merit; and he is empowered to send an officer to supersede any captain who may misbehave in battle, or whose ship is evidently avoiding the engagement. If any flag-officer be killed in battle his flag is to be kept flying, and signals to be repeated, in the same manner as if he were still alive, until the battle shall be ended; but the death of a flag-officer, or his being rendered incapable of attending to his duty, is to be conveyed as expeditiously as possible to the commander-in-chief.
The captain of the fleet is a temporary rank, where a commander-in-chief has ten or more ships of the line under his command; it may be compared with that of adjutant-general in the army. He may either be a flag-officer or one of the senior captains; in the former case, he takes his rank with the flag-officers of the fleet; in the latter, he ranks next to the junior rear-admiral, and is entitled to the pay and allowance of a rear-admiral. All orders of the commander-in-chief are issued through him, all returns of the fleet are made through him to the commander-in-chief, and he keeps a journal of the proceedings of the fleet, which he transmits to the admiralty. He is appointed and can be removed from this situation only by the lords commissioners of the admiralty.
A commodore is a temporary rank, and of two kinds—the one having a captain under him in the same ship, and the other without a captain. The former has the rank, pay and allowances of a rear-admiral, the latter the pay and allowances of a captain and special allowance as the lords of the admiralty may direct. They both carry distinguishing pennants.
When a captain is appointed to command a ship of war he commissions the ship by hoisting his pennant; and if fresh out of the dock, and from the hands of the dockyard officers, he proceeds immediately to prepare her for sea, by demanding her stores, provisions, guns and ammunition from the respective departments, according to her establishment. He enters such petty officers, leading seamen, able seamen, ordinary seamen, artificers, stokers, firemen and boys as may be sent to him from the flag or receiving ship. If he be appointed to succeed the captain of a ship already in commission, he passes a receipt to the said captain for the ship’s books, papers and stores, and becomes responsible for the whole of the remaining stores and provisions.
The duty of the captain of a ship, with regard to the several books and accounts, pay-books, entry, musters, discharges, &c., is regulated by various acts of parliament; but the state of the internal discipline, the order, regularity, cleanliness and the health of the crews will depend mainly on himself and his officers. In all these respects the general printed orders for his guidance contained in the King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions are particularly precise and minute. And, for the information of the ship’s company, he is directed to cause the articles of war, and abstracts of all acts of parliament for the encouragement of seamen, and all such orders and regulations for discipline as may be established, to be hung up in some public part of the ship, to which the men may at all times have access. He is also to direct that they be read to the ship’s company, all the officers being present, once at least in every month. He is desired to be particularly careful that the chaplain have shown to him the attention and respect due to his sacred office by all the officers and men, and that divine service be performed every Sunday. He is not authorized to inflict summary punishment on any commissioned or warrant-officer, but he may place them under arrest, and suspend any officer who shall misbehave, until an opportunity shall offer of trying such officer by a court-martial. He is enjoined to be very careful not to suffer the inferior officers or men to be treated with cruelty and oppression by their superiors. He is the authority who can order punishment to be inflicted, which he is never to do without sufficient cause, nor ever with greater severity than the offence may really deserve, nor until twenty-four hours after
