UNDER PETER THE GREAT 17

water; the Viborg and Riga, two men-of-war of52 guns each, built by Mr. Brown, and launched inautumn, were ordered to strengthen the convoy.Two others of equal force were finished on theLadoga Lake; one of them, commanded by Lieute-nant Ivan Sinavin, was cast away coming down to theFall; and the other, named the Pernau, arrived atSt. Petersburg ; but not time enough to join the fleetin this expedition. They sailed the beginning ofMay 1711, the variation in the breaking away ofthe ice above recounted favouring the Tsar bydetaining the Swedish fleet from coming up the Gulfto oppose the passage of the Russian store-shipsconvoyed by the following men-of-war to Viborg:—

Flag Officers

ships :

Guns

Commanders

Vice-Admiral Cruys ,

Viborg

5 2

De Cour

Captain - CommodoreScheltinga

Riga

Z 2

_

—

Dumcraft

3 2

Besemacher

—-

Standard

24

Wessel

—

Hobet

16

1 Waldron

—

Lesela (snow)

14

, Ivan Sinavin

—

Moncure

14

j Squerscoff

Highly pleased with their success, they soonreturned to Kronslot.

About this time arrived the Samson, a frigatebought in Holland, and presented to the Tsar byPrince Menshikoff, whether as a mulct or a volun-tary act was diversely conjectured. She mounted 40guns, but, being too small for that number, was takendown to the lower water by Mr. Brown, and madean excellent frigate of 32 guns in the latter end ofthe year 1712. Now came the first oak timber theTsar ever had, after almost three years spent in itstransportation from Kazan ; and forthwith several

c