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THE RUSSIAN FLEET

will reserve to myself the liberty of granting whatpay I please to each captain ; but the senior com-mission shall always have the post of honour.’ Atthis time also the master shipbuilders, discontentedwith their former allotment of place, found means toprocure an alteration, whereby rank was assigned’em equal to a captain-commodore in the navy anda brigadier in the army.

Several foreigners, arriving at St. Petersburgwhilst the Tsar was abroad in his Persian enterprise,now in his return addressed [him] for employment.The Lord Duffus soon had the character of rear-admiral conferred upon him ; and received asreported a year’s pay in advance with a promise ofbeing made at the end of the campaign Intendantof the Maritime Affairs ashore, according to themethod of France . 1 Vice-Admiral Gordon, by theTsar’s order, had some time before engaged oneMr. Cooper, formerly storekeeper in His Majesty’syard at Portsmouth, to go over and serve the Tsarunder promise of several hundred pounds per annumsalary. To this man instructions and proper remit-tances of money were lent to induce several Englishofficers to accompany him ; but living beyond hisabilities, he grew necessitous, and little progresswas made in engaging commanders. Some fewarticled and were dispatched to Holland, where moneyand credit failing they suffered much and proceededno farther. But Cooper went to St. Petersburgand, whilst waiting a year for the Tsar’s return,

1 Intendant de Marine .—‘ Dans les ports l’intendant etaitomnipotent. Tout ddpendait de lui, justice, police, finances,magasins, ateliers, construction, garde, entretien, mouvements desvaisseaux. II avait, en verite, pres de lui un commandant de lamarine et, au-dessous, un capitaine de port, mais il ne leur lais-sait que le soin de veiller a la sftrete de l’arsenal; il etaitveritablement le chef ou, selon l’expression de Colbert, ‘T’hommede Sa Majeste "' (Maurice Loir, La Marine Fran$aise , p. 40).