No. 16. See p. 477. A list of ships and vessels late belonging to the british navy, captured, destroyed, wrecked, foundered, or accidentally burnt, during the year 1810. dron on the same occasion. Wrecked, December 18, at the entrance of the Frith of Forth the crews of both, except one or two men, saved. Wrecked, May 24, off the river Elbe crew saved. Foundered, in December, in the Channel. : Wrecked, date unknown, in the West Indies: crew saved. Wrecked, in February, on a Foundered, November 9, in Wrecked, in May, at the Wrecked, April 4, at Calantzoog, near Haerlem: crew saved, but made prisoners, NOTES ΤΟ ANNUAL ABSTRACTS. NOTES TO ABSTRACT, No. 16. a The Atalante; built at Bermuda, of the pencil-cedar. b Number of hired vessels about 52. NOTES TO ABSTRACT, No. 17. a Ordered in the year 1794, to be laid down at Plymouth yard, as a 100-gun ship, but in the following year altered to a 120-gun ship. The Caledonia did not, however, begin building until January 1805; but she then proceeded rapidly, and was launched on the 25th June, 1808. This ship was constructed from a draught prepared by sir William Rule, at this time one of the surveyors of the navy. An account of some of her dimensions and peculiarities of structure, as compared with those of the Hibernia, will be found in vol. xxviii. p. 126, of Mr. Gold's Naval Chronicle. Principal dimensions of the Caledonia. Length on the range of the first or lower gun- ft. in. : 0 of the stern-post. The stern of the Caledonia is singularly light and neat, having, instead of the profusion of carved work which formerly decorated ships of her rate, simply the unicorn supporting the arms of Scotland. Her head represents the bust of a female figure emblematic of her name, with the plaid bonnet and thistle of the " Saxon green;" also the bagpipes on each side. Net complement of men and boys 866; subsequently augmented to 891, including 39 boys and 160 marines. The Caledonia stowed 360 tons of iron ballast, 421 tons of water, and six months' provisions for her crew. ft. forward 24 Load draught of water for channel service, The result of several trials has proved, that this fine threedecker rides easy at her anchors, carries her lee-ports well, rolls and pitches quite easy, generally carries her helm half a turn a-weather, steers, works, and stays remarkably well, is a weatherly ship, and lies to very close. Her rate of sailing is as follows: Ditto knots. fathoms. : 4 : : 0 Close hauled, under whole or single-reefed topsails 9 double-reefed ditto 7 under courses. . . . . Large, under all sail that can with propriety be set 11 : 6 Before the wind, under similar circumstances. 9 : 4 ... The Caledonia's best point of sailing is two points from the wind; and, in a fresh breeze, few line-of-battle ships can beat her. This noble first-rate has thus, on trial, showed herself to be one of the finest, as she and her five sister-vessels, subsequently built, continue to be the largest, ships belonging to the british navy. In point of dimensions the Caledonia was rather exceeded by the Commerce-de-Marseille, the latter having been 3 feet 4 inches longer on deck, 1 foot 14 inch broader in beam, and 1 foot 10 inches deeper in hold: which made her measure 2747 tons. And we believe there is now constructing at Toulon, under the able directions of Mons. Barrallier, late an assistant surveyor to the british navy, a ship, named the Royal-Louis, that will considerably exceed the Caledonia, or even the Commerce-de-Marseille, in dimensions. Her numerical force will, of course, be proportionably greater, but it is doubtful whether she will carry any heavier metal on the third deck. Hitherto, except perhaps in the case of the Impérial, (see vol. iv. p. 279,) the French have made the 66 rentrée, or inward curve of the top-timbers, of their threedeckers so considerable, that no larger gun than a 12-pounder had room to recoil. b The Victory was ordered to be classed as a second rate, and consequently the two ships building from her draught, the Boyne and Union, must accompany her: these, indeed, in the official lists, had always classed as 98s. It frequently happens that ships are rated (yachts for instance) more in reference to the pay of the officers, than to any quality possessed by the ship; a practice which, as it destroys all method and consistency, ought to be abolished. c The Dreadnaught, Neptune, and Téméraire; whose anomalous armament has already been remarked upon. The exchange of their third deck 18-pounders for 12s was considered an improvement: all three ships did not undergo the change in the year 1808; but, to prevent multiplying the classes unnecessarily, the whole are removed in the present Abstract. a The Martin; built at Bermuda of the pencil-cedar. 66 e This was the first time that the british navy could boast of a 10-gun sloop of war." The establishment of the class was eight 18-pounder carronades and two long sixes, with a complement of 75 men and boys. These " sloops of war," therefore, were inferior in force to the generality of gun-brigs, and not superior, except in point of size, to many of the 10-gun schooners or cutters. Surely, if the number of guns must be limited to 10, the carronades should have been at least 24-pounders. The size of the vessels, 235 tons, was quite equal to that caliber, and no one can dispute that they would have been much more effectively armed. In addition to all this, the whole class turned out very dull sailers; proving, that as little judgment had been employed in modelling the hull as in establishing the armament. f Number of hired vessels about 60. |