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Date Posted: 18:16:55 12/29/08 Mon
Author: Albert Parker
Subject: Re: spanish navy 1779-1780
In reply to: Ron 's message, "Re: spanish navy 1779-1780" on 10:56:52 12/29/08 Mon

I am sorry that Ron seems to have taken offense at my post of 10:09:17 on 12/29/08. Not everyone who visits here is an archivist, and I thought it worthwhile to remind readers that a source like the Maandelykse Nederlandsche Mercurius is just one piece of a puzzle. I've printed it out and put it in my files, and I am glad that Ron has provided this additional perspective on Spanish naval preparations for entry into the War of American Independence. I am sure the editor was doing his best, but all sorts of things get reported in newspapers that turn out not to be true. I think special caution is required concerning the story about 3,000 Neapolitan and 7,000 Greek sailors from "Lipari and surrounding islands." Since my original response, I've looked at Alsina Torrente's chapter on "Las Tripulaciones." Hiring Neapolitan and Greek sailors in such large numbers would have been a major component of Spanish naval personnel policy. It would take close study for me to understand everything Alsina Torrente has written, but I am confident that he never mentions any such solution to Spanish naval manning problems. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen, but Alsina Torrente discusses the varied sources of British naval manpower and it would be odd that he would not mention such a major importation of foreign skilled manpower. If it happened, even once, it's an important incident, since historians are in substantial agreement about the crippling effects of lack of experienced mariners on the tactical and combat performance of the Spanish fleet. If it was routine, the Spanish should have had less of a problem; if it was an extraordinary event, that would also deserve comment.

I wish Ron well in his new job.

>Gentlemen,
>I saw the comment on my last contribution. I thought
>doing the forum a pleasure with translating a
>presumably unknown source for the most of us.
>Althought I'm aware that it's a private published
>paper it gives an idea of the knowledge about what was
>happening outside the Netherlands. And the author
>needed to be accurate because Netherlands was still a
>seafaring nation. I did't check the details elsewhere
>because I wanted to give the original source without
>comment.
>
>I won't bother the forum with other contributions. I
>got a new job on 1 January 2009 and other things to do,
>Ron
>

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