HE sea songs of Charles Dibdin are an inheritance which the nation will never, it is to be hoped, undervalue. Whatever form naval warfare may hereafter assume, however the technicalities of the maritime profession may be altered, the spirit of the British seaman will be unchanged, as we trust it is unchangeable. He will be the same hearty, fearless, generous, and simple being, that Dibdin describes him. He will love his country and his flag with the same ardour, reverence his ship in the same way, whether it is propelled by wind or steam, and adore his "bonny Kate" or "charming Nancy" in the same enthusiastic fashion. Dibdin's songs have done much to keep up the esprit de corps of our sailors, and they may yet do still more in perpetuating that chivalrous spirit which is so marked a feature in the profession of Nelson, Duncan, Jervis, and Blake. At this time they have a double value: first, as a means of preserving a sense of our old maritime honour, and second, as descriptive of the habits and feelings of those heroes who have won so much renown for the English flag. Not only, however, have they been

popular with seamen, but they have obtained a deep hold on the national heart. There are few who are not familiar with some, at least, of Dibdin's songs. Who has not heard of "Poor Tom Bowling?" Who knows not the song ""Twas in the good ship, the Rover," or that not less famous ditty ""Twas post meridian, half-past four?" These are some of the coruscations of Dibdin's genius, which are as familiar to the public as the pole-star is to the sailor, but many others are rarely heard of. To make them more widely known is the publishers' intention in the present volume, as well as to give them a sounder popularity by presenting them in a form attractive and portable. With Dibdin's songs are included many others, which are nearly as popular, though their merit may be placed lower. Dibdin is the Scott of sea-song writers, but there are individual cases in which a comparison may fairly be instituted with him. "The Arethusa" is conceived in the right spirit, and has the real ring about it. The famous song of Cunningham, "A wet sheet and a flowing ," has the genuine taste of the "salt sea foam." Of Barry Cornwall's songs it is almost needless to speak; he is quite as successful with his sea songs as with his other lyrics, and fully as deservedly known. Of Campbell, too, it is not necessary to say a word. Modern sea songs, however, for the most part, have lost the spirit of the "old salt," and have transformed the sailor into a theatrical character. They are written more for the stage than for the forecastle, but many of them are included here, in order to make the series the most complete of any collection that has hitherto appeared. Some songs, too, will be found here, which may rather be called sailor's

sea,

songs than sea songs, a distinction which will readily be perceived. Many of them, indeed, reach a popularity which their authors do not share; hence it is that the names of the writers have not been given in every instance. In this respect, however, the collection has been made as complete as possible, and it is felt that the time of publication is appropriate, when the old and familiar features of our maritime supremacy are rapidly changing,-when, in fact, it has become a matter of national interest to present the British sailor as he was, before the shadow of the seaman as he may be, comes upon us. The sailor's welfare has always been a subject which lay near to the heart of the British nation, it will not now be more distant from it, when the perils and glories of a seaman's life are shared by a son of our beloved Queen.

It is but justice to acknowledge, with thanks, the courtesy of those authors who have aided this selection by permission to make extracts from their works.

London, May, 1863.