1812	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	118

having run the first discharge, and filled the touch-holes. " * With respect to the United-States, we shall exclude her top-guns, although, during the time the close action lasted, they were used incessantly and with considerable effect, the shot from them frequently passing through the Macedonian's decks as she rolled ; but the travelling carronade, having a port expressly fitted for its reception, † we shall estimate as a part of the broadside force, and consider to have been an 18-pounder, although we are doubtful if it was not a 24. Captain Cardan appears to think that he has underrated the crew of the United-States, and that the number, instead of being 478, as expressed in his official letter, ought to be 509, " the officers' names not being entered in her victualling book." We differ from him on this point, and shall abide by his official statement ; allowing four boys, although one only was seen, and he was at least 17 years of age.

Upon the authority of a statement made by Captain Cardan, Mr. Marshall has represented the size of the United-States to be " 1670 tons," as " taken from the register of New-York dockyard: " * In the first place, there was no national dock-yard at New-York, until long after the United-States was launched. Secondly, that frigate, as we have already shown, was built at Philadelphia. Thirdly, 1670 tons, American measurement, which the statement must mean, if it means any thing, would be equal to 1800 English ; thus swelling the American 44-gun frigate to a most extravagant size indeed. In direct opposition to this, a British officer of distinction was informed by an officer belonging to the United-States, at a time when there was no motive to deceive, that that frigate measured between 1400 and 1500 tons ; which, allowing for the difference already pointed out between British and American tonnage, nearly agrees with our account. Had the note subjoined by Mr. Marshall, in support of the accuracy of the " 1670 " set forth in his text, run thus, we think it would come near to the truth : " Taken from the columns of the New-York Daily Advertizer ; " for we recollect seeing some statement of the kind in a New-York paper, but then it was in the form of an extract from an English paper, and was merely given at length, in order that the American editor might expose its absurdity.

Mr. Marshall has also inserted the following passage respecting the scantling of the United-States. "The United-States was superior to any ship of her class in the American navy. Her sides, on the cells of her maindeck ports, were of the same scantling as our 74-gun ships on their lowerdeck port-cells, composed of live-oak ; and her sides such a mass of this wood, that carronade grape would scarcely penetrate them. She was termed the ' Waggon of the American navy,' from her thick scantling,

* Marshall, vol. ii., p. 1013. † See p. 5.

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