HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
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for though the Dutch, in 1623, committed an act * which certainly was flagrantenough to have roused the indignation of the most pacifically inclined monarch,yet James possessed too much apathy to permit his natural patience to be shakenby this insult to his dignity, and the wanton murder of his highly injured sub-jects. The equipment of a squadron, consisting of eight ships of war, antitwo pinnaces, fitted out for the purpose of convoying Charles the First, thenprince of Wales, from Spain back to England, finally concludes the uninte-resting catalogue. But notwithstanding the reign of a prince so little inclinedto enterprise as James, might be supposed extremely prejudicial to the interestsof a nation, whose welfare was so intimately connected with naval improve-ment, yet his conduct proved him by no means deficient in that degree ofprudence and sagacity, which pointed out the necessity of maintaining an esta-blishment, though his peculiar turn of mind induced him to make much personalsacrifice of his own consequence, and no trivial one on the part of his subjects,rather than be compelled to bring it into action. In short, he appeared to con-sider all warlike preparation as a most terrific ally, to whom, though his assist-ance was certain, recourse was not to be had except in cases of the last andmost dreadful emergency. The lists that have been preserved to the presenttime, of the ships added by this prince to the royal navy, are unfortunatelyimperfect and inaccurate : that given by Sir William Monson in his tractshas been thought to claim the best attention. From others collated with this,it appears that exclusive of the Prince Royal, of which ship some account hasbeen already given, he added, or rather rebuilt, the Ann Gallant -j-, of 800 tons,carrying 44 guns, the St. George and St. Andrew, of 880 tons, and 42 guns, andthe Reformation, which though of 750 tons burthen, only had the same numberof guns mounted; the Happy Entrance and Convertine, of 32 guns each, theformer being of ^00 tons burthen, the latter 100 tons larger; the Phoenix, of 20guns, and 400 tons burthen, the Seven Stars, of 14 guns, and 1 40 tons if, and theDesire pinnace, of 80 tons, mounting six guns. Although this account may notbe complete, so far as to comprehend all the ships added to the royal navy, yetit affords very interesting information, more particularly in regard to a compara-tive view between the burthen of the ships, and the number of guns mounted on
* The tragical and dreadful affair at Amboyna. f Called in the preceding reign the Ark.
J The Triumph, the Guardland, the Mary Rose, the Swiftsure, and the Bonadvcnture, incorrectlystated by Sir William Monson to have been added to the royal navy by King James in encrease thereof,■were only ships rebuilt, to supply the place of others bearing the same name, which had fallen to-decaysubsequent to the death of Queen Elizabeth.
board;