180 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
of ammunition for Chauncey’s squadron. The lack of seamen was 
still felt to such an extent that he declared if none arrived by the time 
he returned to Sackett’s Harbour he would be obliged to lay up his 
ships to man those on Lake Erie.! 
On the 20th of April the new ship at Kingston was launched and 
her name changed from the Sir George Prevost to the Wolfe by the 
special request of the Governor-General. It was then hoped that she 
would be fully rigged and ready for service in twenty days. Gray 
reported with unwonted enthusiasm that she was ‘as fine a vessel of 
her class as ever sailed under the British pendant.” The other vessel 
which had been laid down as a schooner was found to exceed greatly 
the dimensions proposed. Instead of 140 tons she would measure 
250 with scantling fit to carry heavy guns. He recommended in 
consequence that she should be rigged as a brig to enable her to take 
a place in the same line of battle as the rest of the squadron.? Two 
large gunboats were built on the advice of Colonel Pearson, the com- 
mandant at Prescott. “They are calculated for the calms so prevalent 
on Lake Ontario and by taking prompt advantage of such a moment, 
one of the boats in question could tease and cut up the largest vessel 
in such a way as to force it to shift its station, if not perhaps, to capture 
it. As during these calms our vessels of a larger description will 
necessarily keep in port, it is proposed to man these boats with the 
best seamen, (30 in each), armed with pistols, cutlasses, tomahawks, 
and boarding-pikes, also to put in such a boat an officer and 40 regulars. 
When the occasional service is at an end, the sailors to return to their 
vessels and the soldiers to their corps.”# A plan for the protection 
of the water communication between Kingston and Montreal was also 
approved and five gunboats were stationed at the River Raisin, 
Cornwall, and Lachine for convoy service. 
Early in March, Captains Barclay, Finnis and Pring, and six 
lieutenants from the ships under his command had been selected by 
Sir John Borlase Warren for service on the lakes in compliance with 
the request of the Governor General. ‘They are all active, zealous, 
young officers,’ he wrote, ‘and I doubt not, will cheerfully promote 
the service they are appointed to, with all the exertion in their power.’”* 
Two of the lieutenants were left at Halifax to prepare gun-tackle 
and rigging, which they were instructed to bring on in the first frigate 
sailing for Quebec after the opening of navigation with a small party 
of gunners and petty officers. Barclay and the other officers went on 
1 Chauncey to the Secretary of the Navy, No. 30, May 29. 
2 Gray to the Military Secretary, Kingston, April 20. 
3 Captain J. E. Irwin to the Military Secretary, Kingston, March 29. 
4 Warren to Prevost, Bermuda, March 5, 1813. 
