ships in a fleet. If the fleet be small, it is
divided into three squadrons, which—from
certain arrangements in the order of sailing—
are called respectively the centre, van, and
rear squadrons; but if it be large, each
sqaudron is further grouped into three, divisions;
insomuch that there may be nine divisions,
forming three squadrons, and three
squadrons forming the grand fleet. Now,
the colour and position of certain flags assist
in distinguishing these squadrons and divisions
one from another. Admirals are flag-officers;
captains are not. The rank of every
admiral is denoted by the colour and position
of his flag; and thus the flags indicate both
the divisions of the fleet and the admirals
who command those divisions.

The red, white, and blue, as the admiral's
honorary colours, are thus distributed. There
are, in the first place, three ranks or gradations
of these officers—admiral being the
highest, vice-admiral the next, and rear-admiral
the lowest. In each grade, too, there are
three degrees, named after the red, white, and
blue, respectively. Thus there are nine kinds of
admirals three times three; as there are nine
divisions in a large fleet, three times three,
Each admiral, for the time being, belongs to
someone of the nine classes in particular, and
not to any of the others. An admiral is higher
in rank, and receives higher full-pay and
half-pay than a vice-admiral or a rear-admiral;
and a vice-admiral is in like manner
higher in rank and pay than a rear admiral.
Every vice-admiral has been a rear-admiral;
and every admiral has been a vice-admiral,
and before that a rear-admiral. There are
certain matters of precedence connected with
all this, of no small moment in the estimation
of officers; thus, an admiral stands on a level
in dignity with a general; while a vice-admiral
is equal only to a lieutenant-general,
and a rear-admiral only to a major-general.
The lowest of the nine classes is rear-admiral
of the blue.

The manner in which an admiral hoists his
flag denotes his rank. The standard, the
gorgeous flag of England, is hoisted only when
the sovereign is on board; the Admiralty flag,
figured with an anchor of hope, is especially
indicative of the Board of Admiralty; one
especial officer, called the admiral of the fleet;
and the highest of all the admirals, hoists the
Union flag, which was first adopted soon after
the union of Scotland with England, and
which contains the crosses of St. George, St. Andrew,
and St. Patrick. An admiral hangs
out a red, a white, or a blue flag, according
to his designation,  at the main-top of his ship;
a vice-admiral hoists it on the fore-top;
while a rear-admiral shows colours on the
mizen-top. The position of the flag thus denotes
his rank, while its colour denotes the
squadron to which he belongs.

The red, white, and blue, even without
other colours, can obviously convey a vast
number of definite bits of information. We
have just seen that they denote, simply as
colours, three groups of admirals; while by the
mast on which they are placed, the precedence
or dignity of the admirals in each group is indicated.
By minute changes of arranging flags
on different parts of a ship, an admiral in command
may denote an order addressed to the
whole fleet, or to the whole of the division in
one squadron, or to the whole of the ships
in one division, or to one single ship; while
the colours and combinations of flags may
convey the particulars of the order. In a
great fleet, during action, certain look-out
frigates are purposely left to watch the
admiral's ship, to observe every signal, and
to transmit those signals to ships not in
a favourable position to see them otherwise.
As the outermost ships of a fleet are often
some miles distant from the innermost, the
colours of the flags (if flag signals be used)
are purposely so chosen as to remain visible
through a great mass of atmosphere. Red,
white, yellow, and blue, are found to be the
most conspicuous; but as yellow is apt to be
confounded at a distance with dirty white, or
white with dirty yellow, three are practically
better than four; and thus we have a sound
philosophy for the use of red, white, and blue.
If these three be too few to ring the changes
upon, then come all the varieties of stripes,
spots, and checks, by which red, white, and
blue can be combined in the same flag. The
present French red, white, and blue is a good
example of conspicuous effect produced by
the simplest possible combination of the
three colours in the same flag. Our royal
standard has a groundwork, in some parts red
and in others blue, with yellow or golden lions,
and harps, and so forth. Our Admiralty flag
has a yellow anchor on a red ground. Our
Union flag has a blue ground, red rectangular
stripes, and white diagonals. Our red and
blue admiral's flags are plain. Many of the
other English flags have a plain ground
colour over five-sixths of the surface, but
with a cross of stripes in one corner. So it
is throughout most of the nations of Europe;
the colours on the naval flags are generally
red, white (or yellow), and blue. Even his
holiness the Pope has one flag with a white
lamb and a white cross on a red ground;
and another with a yellow St. Peter on a red
ground. King Bomba has a yellow griffin on
a white ground. Hamburgh has a white
castle on a red ground. Venice has an
amiable-looking yellow lion on a red ground, holding
a yellow sword in one paw, and a white book
in another. Bremen has a sort of red and
white chessboard, with six times nine squares
instead of eight times eight; and so on.
Everywhere we find red, white, and blue, or
red, yellow, and blue; and we may be
certain that something better than mere freak
determines the selection of such colours as
signals.

We have before said that the disposition of
the flags gives a large number of varieties to