162 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
natural daughter of Sir William Johnson, which gave him a powerful 
family influence. He was considered an experienced and capable 
pilot and sailing-master. His appointment to succeed to the command 
was approved without question. Several of the subordinate officers 
were confidentially reported as inefficient and totally unfit for their- 
duties. 
Four vessels were in commission at the opening of navigation in 
the spring of 1812. One of these, the Duke of Kent, was so rotten as 
to be unfit for repair, and was only used as quarters at Kingston for 
seamen during the winter. The Royal George was quite new and con- 
siderably larger than any other vessel then afloat on the lakes, but 
her great draught of water was regarded as a serious defect for general 
service. Her armament was formidable consisting of twenty thirty- 
two pounder carronades. The brig, Earl of Moira, needed much re- 
pair and it had been proposed to lengthen her for the purpose of in- 
creasing her armament but this was eventually effected by respacing 
her ports so as to mount an additional gun on each broadside. She 
was entirely armed with eighteen pounder carronades. The schooner, 
Duke of Gloucester, had been considered the most useful vessel on the 
lake in time of peace, but was condemned as beyond repair. The 
construction of a schooner at York to replace her had just been author- 
ized. It was proposed to arm her with ten twelve pounder carronades. 
The removal of the dockyard and naval depot from Kingston to 
York had also been practically decided upon as a measure of safety 
and expedience. The main objections to its retention at Kingston 
were forcibly stated by Captain Alexander Gray, lately appointed 
an Assistant Quartermaster General. 
“The impolicy of keeping the greater part of our means of defence 
for the Upper Province at a frontier post as defenceless and exposed 
as Kingston must be obvious. Here we have not only our marine 
establishment, (which entails the necessity of keeping the ordnance, 
ammunition, and stores of various sorts for the equipment of the vessels) 
but there is likewise the dockyard and depot of arms for the service of 
the militia, &c., and all within a day’s march of a neighbour who 
would not let so favourable an opportunity of striking a blow escape 
him, should war be the result. A loss of this nature at the commence- 
ment of the war would be irretrievable and at once decide the fate of 
the province as the communication with the Lower Province would 
in all probability be cut off, so that we would have no opportunity of 
replacing the military stores, if we even possessed the means. And 
the destruction of shipping would leave the whole of our frontier 
bordering on Lake Ontario totally defenceless. At present the gar- - 
rison of Kingston does not exceed 100 men of the Veteran Battalion 
