HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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captured fully reached eighteen hundred tons, yet they still maintained so greata superiority over those of Britain, as scarcely to render any statement of di-minution necessary. The Spanish ships of the same force, far exceeded inbulk, those of the ally ; since few, or none of the seventy-four gun ships (a parti-cular class not introduced into use by the builders in the service of Spain til] themiddle of the eighteenth century) sunk below eighteen hundred tons, whilesome nearly reached two thousand.

The United Provinces, in conformity with that pecuniary policy W'hich they haddisplayed during the preceding war, seemed absolutely determined to persevere aslong as they should be permitted, in pursuing the fame line of injurious conducttowards Britain, which their merchants had not entirely the fortitude to re-sist, even during the wars of Anne, when their country was engaged as a principalin the dispute. Their marine, materially diminished in its extent and number, hadexperienced full as much injury in its condition. The few ships which they stillcontinued to maintain, were, for the greater part, confined in a dismantled state,perhaps to the very harbours in which they were constructed, till they were li-terally ready to fall to pieces. Some few alone w'ere occasionally sent with theirfleetsunder the pretence of protecting their trade, though frequently theit commodi-ties consisted of little else than stores, or warlike implements specifically intend-ed for the service of the enemies of Great Britain*, although there subsisted be-tween

vanna, of which mention has been before made. The general total will, however, be found to amount tothe following number of ships : Four of eighty guns, eleven of seventy-four guns, seven of seventyguns, sixteen of sixty-four guns, four of fifty guns, one of forty-eight, seven of forty-four, one offorty, two of thirty-eight, seven of thirty-six, sixteen of thirty-two guns, six of twenty-eight guns,nine of twenty-six guns, six of twenty-four guns, four of twenty-two guns, seven of twenty guns,three of eighteen guns, four of sixteen guns, four of fourteen guns, one of ten guns, and one of six—a marine in itself consisting of no less than one hundred and twenty-eight sail.

* Commodore Moore commanded in the Downs, and had his broad pendant on board the St.George. His cruizers found more employment from the Dutch than either the trench, or Spaniards;for the subjects of the States-General still persisted in supplying the enemies of Great Britain withall sorts of naval and warlike stores, and were also employed in carrying the produce of the Frenchcolonies from the West-Indies to Europe. They had been so very clamorous against the vigilance ofthe British cruizers in searching their ships, and preventing their illicit commerce ; that, in order toput a stop to them, their High Mightinesses had found it necessary to put some ships of war in com-mission, in order to protect their tnde. Four of their merchant ships under convoy of a frigate ofthirty.six guns, in the month of September, fell in with the Hunter sloop, the captain of which, inconformity to his orders, sent his boat on board one of the merchant ships, in order to search her. Thisthe captain of the frigate would not permit; and the Hunter sloop not being of sufficient strength toenforce the orders, her captain made the best of his way to the Downs, where he made a report to com-modore