412     STATE OF THE BRITISH NAVY     1817-1820

abrogated should be revived and established ; and that in future all his majesty's ships should be rated at the number of guns and carronades which they actually carry on their decks, quarterdecks, and forecastles."

A reference to the early pages of this work will raise a doubt as to the correctness of this passage, " which prevailed prior to 1793," unless we explain that, as "guns" were the only species of ordnance named in the original order, fixing the rates of the ships, no ship in the British navy, prior to 1793, nor subsequently indeed, did mount more "guns," that is, long guns, than her established or rated number ; but that, as far back as January, 1781, 429 ships belonging to the British navy carried from four to 12 pieces of carriage-ordnance, or, as the French expressively say, " bouches à feu," more than their rated number, will not, we presume, be disputed. * We are sorry to observe that the new order confines the guns (for we must persist in including carronades within that term † ) to the " decks, quarterdecks, and forecastles, " because every ship belonging to the three higher rates of the navy still mounts six guns more than she rates. These guns, it is true, are 18-pounder carronades ; but many of the 80s and first class 74s have carried 24-pounders, and may again if a war breaks out. Moreover, the public is informed by the admiralty navy-list, that " the force of each ship is stated according to the number of guns and carronades actually carried, " without any exception as to the poop, or roundhouse : hence, when it becomes known, that the Superb, of " 78 guns," mounts 84, and the Bulwark, of " 76 guns," 82, what will people suppose, but that the new rating system, like the old one, carries concealment in the background ? The best remedy is, in our opinion, to disarm the poop of the six 18-pounder carronades, and to level the barricade : the ships will experience no sensible diminution of force, and be much more snug and seaworthy.

Viewed as a whole, the new rating system is a very important state measure ; but, as depending upon the guns which each ship is calculated to mount, the plan will require an active war to perfect it. Not having used carronades to the extent of the British, the French have little if any thing to alter in their system. If a French 74, when fitted out by the English, is mounted with 78 guns, it is not, in general, because she had carried that number in the French service ; but because, for the accommodation of the far most important man on board a French ship, be the government a monarchy or a republic, two ports of a side were left vacant in the cabin. With respect to their frigates, the French more usually denominated them 44s than 40s; and even the latter came nearer to the mounted force of the ship, than was the case with the British 38s. But the

* See vol. i., p. 36. † Ibid., p. 38

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