NOTES TO ABSTRACT No. 13.

a The Hibernia ; ordered in 1790, and intended to be of the same tonnage as the Ville-de-Paris, but afterwards lengthened eleven feet. Began building November, 1792 ; launched November 17, 1804.

b The Namur ; reduced from a 90 to a 74 gun-ship, under the direction of Mr. Robert Seppings, the master-builder at Chatham. It having occurred to the philosophic mind of this ingenious architect, that, by not removing the solid bow in the wake of the second deck, in order to substitute the usual flimsy fabric, called the beak-head, the ship would acquire additional strength. in that part of her frame, as well as afford some protection to her crew when going end-on upon an enemy, the circular bow of the Namur was allowed to remain. The advantages of this important alteration struck every one who saw the ship when finished ; and subsequently, as we shall hereafter have occasion more fully to relate, every ship in the British navy was ordered to be constructed with a solid circular bow instead of a beak-head.

c Had been Indiamen, and were built of teak.

d The same.

e The two latest-built frigates of this class were launched in 1786, the Aquilon of 724, and the Thames of 656 tons. As the ships in general were a full third smaller than those of any French frigate-class, the class was considered not worth keeping up until the year 1804, when some newly-discovered properties in the Thames at the breaking up caused seven frigates to be laid down from the draught, one of old oak and named after herself, the remainder of fir. This was at a time, too, when scarcely a single 12-pounder frigate belonged to the French or any foreign navy. Frigates carrying 18-pounders were justly preferred, and, with the French in particular, were rapidly, increasing in number.

f Had been a British merchant vessel ; and so had every one of the 13 ships next below her in the same column.

g This will exemplify the exception to the generality of cases adverted to in note c to No. 11 Abstract. According to the method adopted previously to the date of the latter, 41 built or launched gun-brigs would have been separated from the 48 at b, and the difference, 7, have become the apparent number that had been ordered to be built. No deduction would here have been requisite towards proving the grand total : at the same time the true number ordered could only be obtained by noticing that none had been left as building in the preceding Abstract. For a case in point a reference may be made to the same class in Abstracts No. 10 and 9. Now, the " Ordered " column shows, at one view, and without any operation of figures, the precise number of ships ordered to be built within the year.

h See last note.

i These vessels were a disgrace to the British navy. They were built at Bermuda, of the pencil-cedar, measured about 78 tons, mounted four 12-pounder carronades, and were manned with 20 men and boys. In point of force, three of them, united were not more than a match for a single gunboat, as usually armed. Their very appearance as " men of war " raised a laugh at the expense of the projector. Many officers refused to take the command, of them. Others gave a decided preference to some vessels built at the same yard, to be employed as water-tanks at Jamaica. Moreover, when sent forth to cruise against the enemies of England, to " burn, sink, and destroy " all they met, these " king's schooners " were found to sail wretchedly, and proved so crank and unseaworthy, that almost every one of them that escaped capture went to the bottom with the unfortunate men on board. [Regret I can't find the reference to which these comments appears against]

k Number of hired vessels about 140.

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