380 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. VI. 
In another place, however, Mr. Roosevelt states that the number of 
Barclay’s effective men “was most probably somewhat less than Per- 
ry’s.’* Dr. Usher Parsons, the assistant surgeon of the /Vzagara, states 
that the crews of the American squadron consisted of about 600 men, of 
whom 78 were reported unfit for duty the day previous to the action. 
Mr. Burgess adopts this statement, whlle Emmons, Lossing, and Ban- 
croft bring the number down to 490, and McAfee, who is followed by 
thc American Secretary of War, General Armstrong, and others, further 
reduces it to “four hundred seamen and marines.” The accuracy o 
Mr. Bancroft’s statements may be judged from his assertion that “the 
British had the superiority, their vessels being stronger, and their forces 
more concentrated. . . . . . In action, at a distance, the British, 
who had thirty-five long guns, had greatly the advantage.” Mr. 
Roosevelt takes the number 532, given by him from a prize list pub- 
lished in the American State papers, which classifies them as 329 officers 
and seamen, and 158 marines and soldiers, and 45 volunteers. 
An official return shows that three lieutenants, an assistant surgeon, 
eight sergeants, four drummers, and 234 rank and file, of the Newfound- 
land and qrtst Regiments, embarked on board Barclay’s vessels.+ If 
fifty seamen and eighty-five “Canadians ” be added, as stated by James, 
the total number of officers and men on board must have exceeded 385. 
As to the comparative size of the vessels, Mr. Cooper, who is far from 
being impartial, states that the “Lawrence and Nzagara measured 110 
feet on deck, and had more than 29 feet of moulded beam ; or were of 
about 450 tons carpenter’s measurement. Authentic accounts from the 
Custom house show that the Detroit and Charlotte were less than 100 
feet on deck, and each had less than 27 feet beam. The Prevost and 
Hunter were much lighter vessels than has been generally supposed, 
and the armament of the last was very insignificant.” { Mr. Roosevelt, 
it will be noted, ignores this evidence, and asserts that the Detrozt was 
slightly larger than the Lawrence or Nzagara. Mr. Dobbins, on the 
authority of his father’s measurements, states the entire tonnage of the 
American squadron at only 840, and that of the British at 826, agree- 
ing in the latter case very nearly with James. These accounts are, 
of course, hopelessly at variance, but there can be scarcely any doubt 
that the American squadron was actually much superior to the British, 
both in tonnage and number of men. A considerable number of the 
* “Naval War of 1812,” p. 261. 
t ‘Canadian Archives,” Q. 123, p. 67. 
{ ‘Naval History” (Edition of 1846), Vol. II., p. 194— Note. 
