The Naval Chronicle: The Contemporary Record of the Royal Navy at War

The first volume of this condensation of the most valuable printed source for the naval aspect of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars has already been reviewed. (Reference Reviews, Vol. 13 No. 4 ). These two volumes follow the same principles of selection as stated before, but with an important distinction. Since the Naval Chronicle actually began to be published in 1799, events previous to that date were reported retrospectively, whereas from then on they were reported shortly afterwards, making the reports even more valuable as evidence. Each volume is dominated by one of Nelson’s great battles, Copenhagen...