JJtO HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

action. Be that true, or false, it is of no great consequence to the present inves-tigation, which relates merely to the number and force of the ships whichFrance furnished as her quota of the armament, and not the manner in whichthose ships were conducted or fought.

The wonderful change of situation became still more apparent four years after-wards, when Louis, who had, only sixteen years before, been unequal to the taskof engaging by sea the most insignificant naval power in Europe, felt himself ina condition to oppose, with his single fleet, the Dutch armament,, sent intothe Mediterranean to the assistance of the Spaniards, although the latter hadactually joined their new allies with every ship they were able to equip in thatquarter. The French admiral Duquesne, in the very first encounter he had withthe renowned De Ruyter, had so much the advantage of his antagonist, that not,-withstanding the conflict ended in what was called a drawn battle, the latter,if he had not received positive orders to the contrary, would gladly have yieldedup the point for which lie so earnestly contended, the relief of the city of Mes-sina, then closely besieged by a Spanish army, while the combined fleets of thetwo allies blockaded the harbour. A seeond contest was attended with equal, ifnot superior good fortune to the French. Ruyter was wounded, if not mortally*at least fatally, and the death of so renowned a foe was an advantage of greaterconsequence, perhaps, than the actual destruction of a third part of the fleet hecommanded would have been, provided its leader had continued unhurt *.

* STATE of the NAVY of FRANCE, Anno 1681.

Rate of the Ships.

No.

Guns.

Major

Officers.

Marine

Officers.

Sailors.

Soldiers.

Whple

Crew.

First Rate

12

1080

108

1232

4132

2486

7850

Second

21

1518

189

1719

4470

2661

8850

Third

36

1928

251

2350

6142

3008

11500-

Fourth

26

1088

156

1167

2713

1570

5450

Fifth

20

608

119

681

1 127

682

2790

Totals

115

6222

823

7149

18844

10407

36440

Small frigates

24

40Q

125

446

937

497

1880

Fireships

8

74

10

80

160

240

Barca-longas

10

43

20

90

190

280

Pinks -

22

341

44

190

447

637

Totals

119

7080

1023

7955

20618

10904

39477

1-1

N. B. In tliis Statement gallics are not included.

The