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Dr. R.J. Barendse in New Research in Chinese
Economic History
In response to Erik C. Maiershofer 26 10 2000 mentions the following, >Now, why did the Royal Navy triumph over the French Navy - its only serious competitor by >then? It occurs to me that superior seamanship along with actions at sea is only a part of what constitutes a Navy. Behind the scenes there is the huge bureaucratic function that requires persons that are literate and numerate to prepare accounts, order stores, negotiate with shipbuilders, complete trade documents, and whatever else is necessary in a large organisation. Now I recollect from my ‘English’ history that
Scotland had by about 1600 a ‘school in every parish’, whereas the same general
education was not extended to children in England until about 1890.
So my question is, was the ‘Act of Union’ of
1701, that gave the United Kingdom, a means of tapping into a fund of people
that was capable of carrying out the behind the scenes function and ensuring
that the English language prevailed over world transactions since that time?
William Kirk. |