[CRUIKSHANK] COMMAND OF LAKE ONTARIO, 1712-1813 171 
and the construction begun of a schooner of the same size as the Prince 
Regent and several gunboats for service in the St. Lawrence. 
At York, however, owing chiefly to the incapacity and obstinacy 
of the superintendent who was flatly accused of disobeying or ignoring 
every order he received, little was accomplished and on the 24th of 
March the officer in charge reported little prospect of launching the 
ship before the beginning of June at the earliest. 
Chauncey had increased his squadron by the purchase of four 
more merchant schooners which were armed with heavy long guns 
like the others. He laid down a fast pilot-boat schooner for recon- 
noitering and carrying despatches. He had the full support of his 
government and the President wrote to General Dearborn who was 
in command of the land forces co-operating with him: “The command 
of the lakes by a superior force on the water ought to have been a 
fundamental part in the national policy from the moment the peace 
(of 1783) took place. What is now doing for the command proves 
what may be done.’’! 
About the middle of January, Chauncey received private infor- 
mation from Kingston which gave him considerable anxiety and he 
proposed an attempt to destroy the vessels lying there before they 
could form a junction with those wintering at York. 
“My plan is,” he wrote, “to prepare all my forces this winter 
and in the spring as soon as the ice breaks up, to take on board one 
thousand picked troops and proceed to Kingston, land them about 
three miles westward of the harbour in a bay, which I have marked 
on the chart herewith enclosed, leave two vessels to cover their retreat, 
(if such a measure should be found necessary,) proceed with the re- 
mainder of the squadron to the harbour of Kingston and attack the 
forts and ships, at the same time the troops would attack in the rear. 
With this force I have no doubt but that we should succeed in taking 
or destroying their ships and forts and of course preserve the ascen- 
dency on the lake.’”? 
Before this letter reached its destination, William Jones, an ex- 
perienced shipmaster, had succeeded Paul Hamilton as Secretary of 
the Navy and had written to him in the strongest terms, urging ac- 
tivity. 
“It is impossible to attach too much importance to our naval 
operations on the lakes,” he said. ‘The success of the ensuing 
campaign will depend absolutely upon our superiority on all the Lakes.” 
Chauncey was instructed to build another corvette of such 
dimensions as he deemed proper. 
1 Madison to Dearborn, Oct. 7, 1812, Writings, Vol. II, p. 547. 
* Chauncey to the Secretary of the Navy, January 21, 1813. 

