HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



51 



thatj considering the extent of the 

 danger which now threatens us, the 

 means of repelling it by our naval 

 efforts were more inadequate than at 

 any former period. The present ad 

 miralty seemed to consider, that the 

 sort of vessels which were pecu- 

 liarly serviceable for meeting the 

 threatened invasion, were those 

 of small burthen, and which would 

 run into shoal water ; and yet, in 

 the course of a year, he understood 

 they had only built 23 gun-boats, 

 while, in the same period, the enemy 

 had built nearly 1000. During the 

 last war, the danger was much less 

 pressing, and yet he was prepartjd 

 to shew, that far greater exertions in 

 that way had been made. 



"In 1794, 1797, and 1801, it was 

 thought necessary to build small 

 craft, of the sort he had alluded to, 

 and a considerable number were got 

 together in ten or twelve ^veeks ; 

 but even the 23 gun-boats, which 

 were built last year, Avcre not finish- 

 ed in less than six months! He 

 should, therefore, also move for an 

 account of the different gun-vessels 

 built, or contracted ta be built, at 

 those several periods, in order to in- 

 stitute a comparison between the 

 exertions of the former admiralty 

 (when the danger was less pressing) 

 with those of the present board. He 

 believed that it would be universally 

 allowed, that, from the commence- 

 ment of the i)resent war, our navy 

 ojught to have been increasing, in- 

 stead of diminishing : notwithstand- 

 ing which, government had only 

 contracted, during the war, for the 

 building of two ships of the line at 

 the merchant yard'., although it was 

 known that, during a war, the 

 building of ships was always nearly 

 suspended at the king's yards, which 

 were then wanting for repairing the 



.damages our ships might meet on 

 service. It was also worthy of re- 

 mark, that, in the fir-t year of the 

 last w;ir, we began from a naval 

 establishment of 16,000 seamen, 

 which was increased in the course of 

 that year to 76,000 ;- whereas, we 

 began the present wiir with an esta- 

 blishment of 50:000, which, in the 

 course of the first year, was only 

 augmented to 86,000 men. He 

 concluded, by moving his first reso- 

 lution. 



Mr. Tierney considered the con- 

 duct of the right honourable gentle- 

 man as most extraordinary, and that 

 he had chosen a most extraordinary 

 time to bring forward his charges 

 against the administration of the na- 

 vy, when we had suffered no loss at 

 sea, while the enemy were sealed up 

 in their ports, and while our com- 

 merce was flourishing beyond exam- 

 pie. That right honourable gen- 

 tleman had once thought most highly 

 of carl St. Vincent, when he recom- 

 mended him as the only person fit 

 for the situation of first lord of the 

 admiralty, and yet the present mo- 

 tion was to declare lord St. Vincent 

 utterly incapable. The country was 

 much indebted to Mr. Pitt, for his 

 exertions as a volunteer, but he 

 thought the land service was enough 

 for him, and that he might leave the 

 sea service to abler hands. In an- 

 swer to the complaints against the 

 admiralty, he sliould state the num- 

 ber of vessels which we now have, 

 viz. ships of the line, frigates, sloops, 

 and other smaller vessels, amounted 

 to 511 ; block ships, 9 ; lighters, and 

 small craft, fitted out in the king's 

 yards, 373 ; and the flotilla, com- 

 pletely equipped, and fit for service, 

 amounted to 624 ; making a total of 

 1536 vessels, equipped by this un- 

 worthy first lord of the admiralty. 



J^2 As 



