HISTORY OP MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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Owing either to the natural political fickleness of most countries, to thoseintrigues which, at times, have universally pervaded the cabinets of all potentateswhatever, or to that fear which the proximity and threatened inroad of an in-vading army rarely fails to spread through an indolent or less potent nation ;Spain, who had some time before withdrawn herself from the confederacy en-tered into with Britain and other foreign powers against the new form of go-vernment adopted by France, became the actual ally of the latter, and declareddefiance to the assaults of Britain. The fallen and critical state of the Frenchnavy peremptorily required such aid, and the event proved that an accumu-lation of foes, even though they become totally inert, are sufficient to divide,and so far distract the attention of an enemy superior in actual force, to theunited strength of the confederacy, that the former shall become totally unable toeffect the complete destruction even of the most impotent among the latter.The attempts made by the newly raised antagonifts towards fair and open con-test, were extremely inauspicious *, and compelled an immediate change in the

and more than forty large frigates were built, the French navy consisted at the close of the eighteenthcentury, of no more than fifty-four ships of the line, and scarcely thirty frigates, including, as is wellknown, those which were not in a condition for service, as well as those that were. In order to placethe situation of the French marine, the exertions of the country during the war, and the various lossesprevious to the termination of the eighteenth century in one simple and plain point of view, the dif*ferent ships according to a list said to be extremely correct, that were progressively employed prior tothat time, amounted to one hundred and eight sail of the line, together with one hundred and threefrigates. So that, by subtracting what remained at the close of the year 1800, the losses will be foundvery nearly to coincide with the account first given. In the marine of France, according to the best au-thorities, there have been no fewer than eight first rates, mounting from 110 to 120 guns each, thoughowing to the practice extremely prevalent among the French during the preceding contest, of fre-quently changing the names of the ships composing their marine, it has been extremely difficult tocollect with precision the number of ships which have been employed during the war.

* In the well remembered contest off Cape St. Vincent, fought on the 14th of February 1797 , theSpanish fleet, consisting of 27 ships of the line, among which were seven of three decks, were com*pletely defeated by that of Britain, which opposed them under the orders of Sirjohn Jervis, amountingto no more than fifteen sail of the line. Two of their firft rates, one ship of 84 guns, and another of 74,were the reward of the victory; and the Santissima Trinidada, supposed to Ire the largest ship in theworld, very narrowly escaped falling also into the hands of the British. Nor was this the only mis-fortune which befel the Spanish marine ; for, three days only after the event just mentioned had takenplace, one of their squadrons stationed in a very distant quarter of the globe (in the Gulph of Paria onthe coast of South America) was in great part destroyed by the hands of those who fhould havedefended it; one ship of 84 guns, two of 74, and a frigate of 36 being burnt by the Spaniards them-selves, to prevent their falling into the hands of the British, as was the fate of the only survivor, a shipof 74 guns.

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