On the Lakes 269 



men, sent out by the home government especially for 

 service on the Canada lakes. 2 



The comparative force of the two fleets or squad- 

 rons it is hard to estimate. I have already spoken 

 of the difficulty in finding out what guns were 

 mounted on any given ship at a particular time, and 

 it is even more perplexing with the crews. A 

 schooner would make one cruise with but thirty 

 hands; on the next it would appear with fifty, a 

 number of militia having volunteered as marines. 

 Finding the militia rather a nuisance, they would be 

 sent ashore, and on ber third cruise the schooner 

 would substitute half a dozen frontier seamen 

 in their place. It was the same with the larger 

 vessels. The Madison might at one time have her 

 full complement of 200 men ; a month's sickness 

 would ensue, and she would sail with but 150 ef- 

 fectives. The Pike's crew of 300 men at one time 

 would shortly afterward be less by a third in conse- 

 quence of a draft of sailors being sent to the upper 

 lakes. So it is almost impossible to be perfectly 

 accurate; but, making a comparison of the various 

 authorities from Lieutenant Emmons to James, the 

 following tables of the forces may be given as very 

 nearly correct. In broadside force I count every 

 pivot gun, and half of those that were not on pivots. 



CHAUNCY'S SQUADRON 



. Broadside 



Name Ri Tonnage Crew Mctal.lbs. Armament 



Pikt ship 875 300 360 a8 lonp 24*3 



Madison 593 200 364 a4 short 32*3 



Omeida brig 243 100 17* 16 " 24*8 



1 James, vi, 353. 



