The Virginia Gazette

the yards, and in some, he believed, not fifty pounds worth; but that he did not impute the least blame to the great and gallant officer, the first in the world in his profession (Sir E—d H—ke) whom he had succeeded and who had retired partly on account of his age and infirmities. His Lordship next contrasted the ships of the line and several more building in the King’s and merchants yards with a proportionable number of inferior rates all either out clean ships or vessels newly built that we had three years seasoned timber in the yards; that although it were not on actual service or turned into guardships were in dock where they could not meet with any injury; that the guardships, which formerly were useless in cases of emergency nor being fit for sea nor having rigging, or more than a third of their complement of men, were now ready for any service, at a few days notice; which he instanced in the year 1773, at the time we meant to send a fleet to the Mediterranean, when ten men of war of the line actually sailed for Plymouth within three days after they had received their orders. He next informed the House, that there were twenty guardships, three of which of the line of battle were on the American station; that we had squadrons besides in the East and West Indies, the Leeward Islands, and the Mediterranean; that after sufficiently providing for those respective services, we should still have seventeen men of war of the line at home, in clean sailing order, and prime condition, manned by 8000 men, consisting of 7200 seamen and 800 marines; that this was a force fully sufficient to defend us against any sudden attack of the combined fleets of France and Spain, though he was well assured they had no such intention; but if they had, we were prepared for them; and that he would now pledge himself to the House and the public, that with an augmentation of 2000 Seamen more, he would supply Government with such a naval force as would at once protect us at home, and be sufficient to enforce its measures respecting America. To strengthen his arguments, he observed, that he had been an instrument employed in bringing about the pacification at Aix la Chapelle during the war before the last; he would not pretend to say, that it was a good peace; but remembered very well that this naval peace establishment was fixed at 8000 men, which was no more than what was now proposed barely for our domestic security. He begged, however, that the House would not understand that he arrogated any peculiar merit to himself, relative to the present state of the navy, compared to what it was when he was called to the head of the Admiralty, for very little of it fell to his share. He had only performed his official duty; it was to Lord North, who had been the means of so amply providing for it in the House; and to his Lordship, therefore, almost the sole merit was due, that our navy was now on so respectable a footing.

The Duke of Richmond controverted several of the positions laid down by the noble Earl, both respecting the disposition of the French and Spaniards; and the force sufficient to resist them, should they make any attempts on these kingdoms, or give an occasion for a rupture by their conduct in the American seas. He again commented very ably on the answer given by the French Minister. What does this answer import, says his Grace, supposing it to be literally kept on their part? That if you detect any of their ships trading with our American subjects, we shall be at liberty to seize them, and confiscate their cargoes. Does the noble Earl pretend to interpret this explanation generally, so as to authorize our taking their vessels at sea? If he does not, what can such a vague deluding promise avail? If he does, then I will venture to assure his Lordship, that he is miserably deceived; and that the first attempt to prevent French or Spanish ships from navigating the American seas, for pretences will never be wanting on such occasions, will furnish them with an opportunity of asserting their maritime freedom, of making reprisals, and of justifying their conduct to the other great states of Europe, who are known to have been long jealous of what they are pleased to call our despotic claim to the sovereignty of the ocean. The noble Earl gives us a melancholy account of the deplorable ruinous state of our navy at the time he came to preside over our naval concerns. He says our ships were rotten, and our guardships useless. I would be glad to know from his Lordship what have been the means employed to work this almost miraculous change.

Lord Sandwich replied that the case was now entirely different from what it was in the year 1770, for that towards the conclusion of the last war, when the public exigencies called for a powerful fleet, they were glad to make use of green timber, or any kind of timber, in the construction of our ships of war; that those ships rotted at the end of five or six years; whereas those built lately would stand thirty, as they were built of seasoned timber, of which we had a large three years stock; and that besides we made use of another precaution, which was still seasoning the timber while the ship was building, by giving orders that no man of war should be hastily built, or launched in less than three years after she was put on the stocks.