LETTERS OF A CITIZEN. 473 



1. The sloop-of-war Vincennes, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, Esq., 

 commander-in-chief, with twenty-two subordinate officers. This 

 is a twenty-gun ship ; which cannot, according to law, be com- 

 manded by an officer under the grade of master commander. 



2. Sloop-of-w r ar Peacock, Lieutenant William L. Hudson com- 

 mander, with nineteen subordinate officers. This vessel, now 

 second in the squadron, had recently been the flag-ship of a 

 commodore in the East Indies. 



3. Ship Relief, Lieutenant A. K. Long commander, with nine sub- 

 ordinate officers. 



4. Brig-of-war Porpoise, Lieutenant Cadwallader Ringgold com- 

 mander, with twelve subordinate officers. 



5. Schooner Flying Fish, Passed Midshipman Samuel R. Knox 

 commander. 



6. Schooner Sea Gull, Passed Midshipman James W. Reid com- 

 mander. 



Thus, sir, the country will observe the peculiarly ingenious man- 

 ner in which you have made the expedition <: altogether scientific" 

 in character, and reduced it to " one half" its original proportions. 

 This latter feat has been accomplished by withdrawing the Mace- 

 donian of 36 guns and 300 men, and substituting therefor the Vin- 

 cennes, Peacock, and Porpoise, of 56 guns and 460 men ! ! ! 



I speak from the 6oo/c, sir ; the Naval Register bears me out in 

 what I say. It matters not if these vessels went to sea with less 

 than their full complement of men ; I believe that wretched spe- 

 cies of trickery and humbug was practised : but it can deceive no 

 one, as it is well known that their number can be increased at al- 

 most any foreign port. The aggregate tonnage and number of 

 guns of your present squadron, sir, are greater than that of the 

 first ; the aggregate draught of water is greater ; and there is an 

 addition of one schooner, which addition had been pertinaciously 

 denied to Commodore Jones ! 



Standing, sir, as you now do, exposed, denuded before the pub- 

 lic, and stripped of all defence on the score of a reduced force, it 

 is hoped that you will not attempt to intrench yourself behind re- 

 duced expenses. As the two have usually been coupled, I will say 

 a word in reference to the latter. Will you condescend to inform 

 the public, or cause them to be informed, how the expenses of the 



