14 READJUSTMENT AFTER WAR 



tions from Washington, John Quincy Adams, 

 now minister of the United States at London, 

 proposed to Lord Castlereagh that both gov 

 ernments set a limit to their respective naval 

 forces on the Lakes. The actual situation there 

 had given much concern to American and Brit 

 ish authorities alike. The termination of hos 

 tilities came in the midst of energetic efforts by 

 the commanders on both sides of the frontier 

 to complete and equip new and larger vessels. 

 Especially on Lake Ontario, where the supe 

 riority of the Americans was less clearly estab 

 lished than elsewhere, the rivalry in naval con 

 struction was most energetic and ambitious. 

 The primitive processes by which a few acres 

 of forest had been turned almost overnight 

 into fleets of small but sufficient war-ships were 

 now being developed and extended to more 

 pretentious designs. At Kingston, on the Ca 

 nadian side, Sir James Yeo was pressing to 

 ward completion one ship-of-the-line that should 

 mount no guns and two that should mount 

 74, and across the lake at Sacketts Harbor two 

 rival 74 s were on the stocks. Many lesser 

 craft were in various stages of construction. 

 The cessation of hostilities naturally did not 

 end the strenuous rivalry. The same reason- 



