Transactions of The Royal Society of Canada 
SECTION II 
SERIES III SEPTEMBER 1916 VoL. X 


The Contest for the Command of Lake Ontario 
in 1812 and 1813. 
By BRIGADIER-GENERAL E. A. CRUIKSHANK, LL.D., F.R.S.C. 
(Read May Meeting, 1916) 
A small British naval force had been maintained on the lakes ever 
since the cession of Canada in 1763. This was known as the Provincial 
Marine or the “King's ships’ and was administered by the Quarter- 
master-General’s Department. It was organized in two divisions, 
one on Lake Ontario with a dockyard and depot at Kingston and the 
other for the service of the upper lakes with its depot at Amherstburg. 
A master-builder was employed at each of these stations with a certain 
number of shipwrights and other workmen for the construction, 
repair, and maintenance of these vessels after the close of navigation. 
As green oak timber had been invariably used in building them it was 
found that they became unserviceable in about eight years. An 
experiment had been tried to prevent rot by filling the space beneath 
the sheathing with salt which was pronounced fairly successful but 
was not generally adopted owing to the trifling expense it would cause. 
In time of peace the King’s ships were usually employed in the trans- 
port of troops and public stores but occasionally carried civilian pas- 
sengers and private merchandise. They were consequently manned 
by crews barely sufficient to navigate them. The nature of their 
service made it desirable that they should be of moderate size and light 
draught to enable them to cross the bars at the mouths of small rivers 
and approach landings in shallow water. Efficient seamen were not 
easily engaged, particularly since the beginning of the war with France, 
as the pay was low and the service monotonous with few opportunities 
for recreation while in port. Most of them were French Canadian 
voyageurs who seldom remained more than one season. Nor were the 
officers of a class to inspire much confidence. Captain Steel, the senior 
‘officer on Lake Ontario was seventy-five years of age and naturally 
anxious to retire. Lieut. Hugh Earle, next in rank, had married a 
