266 Naval War of 1812 



urement two feet shorter, and somewhat broader 

 than the Hornet, and with thicker scantling. She 

 tonned 477, compared to the Hornet's 480 a dif- 

 ference of about one-half of one per cent. This 

 testimony is corroborated by that of the naval in- 

 spectors who examined the Epcruier after she was 

 captured by the Peacock. Those two vessels were 

 respectively of 477 and 509 tons, and as such they 

 ranked on the navy lists. The American Peacock 

 and her sister ships were very much longer than the 

 brig sloops of the Epervier's class, but were no 

 broader, the latter being very tubby. All the Eng- 

 lish sloops were broader in proportion than the 

 American ones were; thus the Levant, which was 

 to have mounted the same number of guns as the 

 Peacock, had much more beam, and was of greater 

 tonnage, although of rather less length. The Mace- 

 donian, when captured, ranked on our lists as of 

 1,325 tons, 3 the United States as of 1,576; and they 

 thus continued until, as I have said before, the 

 method of measurement was changed, when the for- 

 mer ranked as of 1,341, and the latter as of 1,607 

 tons. James, however, makes them respectively 

 i, 08 1 and 1,533. Now to get the comparative force 

 he ought to have adopted the first set of measure- 

 ments given, or else have made them 1,081 and 



8 See the work of Lieutenant Emmons, who had access to 

 all the official records. 



