The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-03 00:00:00

THE FRLNCH NAVY.

The following article appears in the Quotidienne (a
paper that supports the Bourbon dynasty), for the
purpose of showing how France lost all her maritime
power when she cast off the old race of kings. It is
a curious document, and admits certain facts with re-
gard to the victories of the English navy, which Na-
poleon kept with the utmost care from public view :
"We have already shown what the naval forces of
France are i❑ 1844. They are very' much fallen off from
what they were fifty years ago. Louis XVI , it is true,
did not go to Windsor; he would have spurned the idea
of uniting two rival nations by the puerile knot of a
garter; but he forced the Britannic Plenipotentiaries to
come to Paris and sig❑ an act of renunciation of the
finest jewel in the crown of George 111., viz., an entire
continent. The French fleet on the Ist of October,
1792, reckoned 86 ships of the line, of which 39 be-
longed to Brest, 10 to Lorient, 13 to Rochefort, and 24
to Toulon. Three of these were of 120 guns ; five of
110 ; ten of 80 ; sixty-seven of 74 ; and one of sixty-
four guns. War broke out. The imperious tyranny of
the Commissioners of the Convention, the timid hesita-
tions of some of the Admirals, the ill-conceived and un-
connected instructions sent from Paris, by men who
knew nothing of navigation, and a concurrence of cir
cumstances, subjected our squadrons to great disasters,
although the courage of our naval heroes never for one
moment failed. Our losses were enormous. It is pain-
ful to recal them, but it is the duty of history, and we
have before us official documents of them which ought
not to be concealed, as being fecund in profitable lessons;
experience thus dearly bought should ever be brought
into use. In

1793—we had thirteen ships of the line, and nine frigates
taken or destroyed at Toulon, and five frigates
taken elsewhere.
1794—Six ships taken or sunk ; eight frigates taken.
1795—Five shies taken or burnt ; six frigates taken.
1796—Seven frigates taken.
1797—Three frigates taken.
1798—Thirteen ships taken or destroyed (eleven at
Aboukir) ; ten frigates taken, and two destroyed.
1799—Six frigates taken.
1800—Two ships and six frigates taken.
1801—Two ships and ten frigates taken.
1803—One ship and six frigates taken.
1805—Fourteen ships taken or destroyed (Trafalgar) ;
four frigates taken.
1808—Six ships and one frigate forced to surrender at
Cadiz ; two frigates taken.
1809—Six ships and seven frigates destroyed, and seven
frigates taken.
1810—Eight frigates taken.
1811—Three frigates taken; two destroyed.
1812—One ship taken; two frigates destroyed.
1813—Two frigates taken.
1814—Seven frigates taken,
1815—One frigate taken.
The losses of France during these twenty-three years
amounted to 91 ships of the line and 177 frigates, com-
prising 11 ships and as many frigates wrecked, or burnt
by accident. Out of 60 ships taken, 41 were added to
the British navy; and out of 137 frigates taken, 108
had the same fate. These reverses on the ocean, how-
ever, did not prevent France from being triumphant on
the Continent, and her ♦ictories on land compelled dif-
ferent nations to add their squadrons to hers, but her al-
lies were equally unfortunate. Their losses were—
Holland-22 ships of the line, and 40 frigates.
Spain-21 ships and 22 frigates.
Denmark-20 ships and 10 frigates.
And yet all these successes of Great Britain were
purchased by her at a very easy rate. She had
only seven ships of the line taken from her, viz. the
Alexander, in 1794 ; the Censeur and Berwick, in 1793;
the Leander, in 1798 ; the Hannibal and Swiftsure
in 1801 ; and the Calcutta in 1805. She had
also to record the capture of 12 of her frigates. One of
these was by a deed the most glorious in our naval an-
nals. On 14th December, 1798, the Ambuscade was
boarded and taken by our sloop the Bayonnaise, of very
inferior force. The preponderance of the naval strength
of Great Britain is further shown by the following state-
ment :

At the end of 1794 she had 117 ships of the line, of
which 85 were in commission.
In 1802 she had 126 ships of the line, of which 104 were

in commission.
:n 1809, 127 ships, of which 113 were in commission ;
and in 1813, 124 ships, of which 102 were in commis-
sion.

The totals of her efftctire nary were, at the end of 1793,
411 Yessels of war, measuring together 402,000 tons ;
133 of these were in commission.
In 1798 she had 696, measuring 581,000 tons, and of

these vessels 451 were in commission. In 1809 she
had 1,061, measuring 858,000 tons, and 709 of these
vessels were in commission ; and in 1813 she had

1,009 vessels of war, measuring together 870,000 tons ;
613 of these vessels were in commission.

Thus in twenty years England, to insure to herself the
absolute dominion of the seas, more than doubled the
numbers of her naval force."

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS'
PROTECTION SOCIETY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Your insertion of the letters signed " A Bag-
man," " A Modern Commercial Traveller," " A Com-
mercial Traveller, but no Teetotaller," and the " Secre-
tary of the Commercial Travellers' Protection Society,"
(who, by-the-bye, seems ashamed to sign his name) in
The Sun of Saturday last, demands the warmest thanks
of every firm sending out commercial travellers, as it at
once shows the great saving that may be effected in the,
present liberal allowance for " travelling expenses,"
which is a very serious item in these days of severe com-
petition, and consequently diminished profits.
The only extra charge those harpies, the landlords,
could make would be 6d. for dinner, and us the pint of
" wine" and the glass of " ardent spirits" would cost
3s. 6d., there would be a clear saving of 21s. per week,
which, with a house sending out four or five travellers,
would effect a saving of some 200 or 300 pounds per an-
num—as I cannot for a moment imagine such nice
people as your Correspondents would appropriate a sum
of money allowed them for the travelling expenses of
the house to any other purpose.
I therefore beg to express my thanks to you and your
Correspondents for this valuable information, although
I am fearful before we can realise any great benefit we
must procure a set of travellers who require a chairman,
treasurer, and secretary to protect them, and who con-
scientiously believe that taking a pint of wine at dinner
and a glass of grog at night constitutes a drunkard.
I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant,
A TRAVELLING PARTNER.