HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



225 



place, save that the treasurership 

 of Greenwich hospital was alloted, 

 as the reward of the long and faithful 

 serrices of the gallant veteran sir 

 John Colpoys ; an appointment 

 which gave uiuTcrsal satisfaction. 



The new board, if it may be so 

 termed, pursued, without any devia- 

 tion, those wholesome measures bC' 

 gun by the one preceding, and in 

 consequence of the restored, and 

 indeed increased, energy of the 

 dock-yards, now replenished, and 

 full of naval stores, were enabled to 

 fit out 46 sail of the line in a com- 

 paratively short period, although at 

 a very considerable rate of enlarged 

 expenditure, the necessary conse- 

 quence of the unfortunate measures 

 of a former economic administra- 

 tion, and which brought home con- 

 yictiou to the most incredulous, of 

 the truth of the different charges 

 which had been adduced against it, 

 both within and without the walls 

 of parliament. These ships, so sup- 

 plied in this critical moment, en- 

 abled the government to reinforce 

 the British squadrons in every part 

 of the world, and thus rendered 

 them equal to the achieremcnt of 

 the glorious victories it is a plea- 

 sing part of our duty yet to recite. 



It is also allowed, on all hands, 

 that great commendation is due to 

 the professional science and skill 

 displayed by lord liarham, in their 

 equipment and distribution. 



Other regulations of th« new 

 board were also attended with the 

 best effects. Supplies of timber and 

 stores began to pour into the ex- 

 ^ansted arsenals of the royal dock, 

 y^ds, and the usual order and me- 

 thodical arrangement, in the dif. 

 ferent civil departments of the navy, 

 which Lad been superceded b^ a 



tyrannical, arbitrary, and capricious 

 conte'.npt of all former usage and 

 system, again took the lead In no 

 respect did the abilities of lord Bar- 

 ham appear more conspicuous, thaa 

 in the steady otTicial regularity he 

 introduced. A new board was also 

 appointed to survey and report upon 

 the state of our coasts, and to ex- 

 amine the sea-fenrible establish- 

 ment, a sort of defence which had 

 been most ostentatiously boasted 

 of, by lord Castlcreagh, and others 

 of the former administration, as a 

 most efficient strength, but which, 

 when explored by the accurate eye, 

 and brought to the test of the great 

 professional experience of the gal- 

 lant admiral, who was appointed to 

 this duty, >vas found to be useless 

 and expensive in the extreme ; and 

 so far from answering the vaunted 

 ends for which it was raised, that it 

 was proved, in his masterly and com- 

 prehensive reports upon the sub- 

 ject, under their present system, to 

 be highly detrimLUtal to the navj 

 and militia of the country, by 

 screening the most active and able 

 men from the impress and ballot ; a 

 new code, which went to the entire 

 correction of these abuses, was sug- 

 gested by this excellent oflicer, admi- 

 ral Berkeley, to whom his country 

 has more than one obligation, and 

 which met with the most unqualified 

 approbation of the minister. 



About this time, the project of 

 converting the harbour of FaU 

 mouth into a royal arsenal, for re- 

 fitting the ships of the channel Heet, 

 was adopted, and endeavoured to 

 be carried into execution, as being 

 farther to the westward than Ply- 

 mouth, and approximating more to 

 the ports of the enemy. In the pro- 

 secution of this wild and visionary 



scheme. 



