HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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Salisbury, Sterling-Castle, Success, Winchester, Yarmouth ; the Zebecs, Brave,Postillion, Cruizer-Settee, Enterprize-Barcolongo, and the Spanish-Row-Galley.

Such was the magnitude of the maritime force possessed by Britain at the conclu-sion of the contest with the united powers of France and Spain, in the year 1748.Its regularly progressive increase, with very trivial exceptions, which occurredin the very infancy of its pou'er, may serve to shew that maritime pursuits,except in those instances just alluded to, have never been relaxed in by Britainfrom the fu ll moment she became truly sensible of the consequence attendant onencouraging them. In the eleventh report, made by the commissioners ap-pointed by parliament to enquire into the state of the woods, forests, and landrevenues of the crown, dated Feb. 6, 1792, is given the following concise ac-count of the totals, and encrease of the British navy, from the time of Henry theEighth, derived from authentic and official papers, which they procured fromthe Navy Office.

“ England,” say these respectable gentlemen, and with great truth, “ couldscarcely be said to have a fleet before the time of Henry VIII. He laid thefoundation, and settled the constitution, of the royal navy. The amount of thetonnage of the ships of war of all kinds, at his death, was 12,455 tons. Duringthe reign of Edward VI. it had declined to 11,065 ; and, at the death of Mary,it was only 7110. The navy was improved and increased of Queen Elizabeth,but even at her death the whole tonnage of the ships of w^ar was only 17,110tons. The state of the navy is not exactly known at the death of James I, but ithad been somewdiat augmented ; and even in the disturbed reign of Charles I. avery considerable addition took place. A farther increase and improvement wasmade during the administration of Cromwell, and at the restoration w as 57,463tons. At the death of Charles II. it had risen to 103,558. The navy was put intomuch better condition by James II. but the tonnage during his reign was reducedto 101,892. By king William it was raised to 159,017. At the death of QueenAnne it contained 167,171 tons ; and, at the death of George I, 170,862. Thetonnage of the navy was somew hat lower at the commencement of the differencewith Spain, in 1738, than it was in 1727, but ever since that time, the increasehas been far greater, and more rapid, than at any former period

So superior was the British marine during the whole of the pending contest, tothe actual necessities of the country, that a considerable number of ships, parti-

* At the accession of his present majesty the tonnage was 321,104, and at the end of the year1788 , it had risen to no less than 413,667 tons.

cularly