The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-06-02

/ was once to be the cafe, the houfe could not do
juaice, unleis it proceeded in the fubiequent
enquiry. Was he TO understand there was &
| man in the houie who would with fuch thing
| 1t would be attended with iingular inconveni-
ence at all times but more 70 ut the pretent
| moment, as many profeflional people actually
| employed, would be under the neceihty of a.
| bandoning for time, the REFLECTIVE important
duties committed to their truft. The houfe
| would bear in mind, that if the proposition OF
the right hon. gent. was in fome part acceded
to, by tacit acknowledgment OF ceniurc, he
would come forward and move for other do
euments, in order to improve and ftrenethen his
cafe. With regard to the motion before the
houfe for the number of ihips in commiflion,
he ihould not object to it; but whether the
companion would improve the defence of tke
country, he could not determine. There were
armed vefiels of all kinds at prefeit in commit
fion 500. There were liaewife fome irregular
additions, bsiides the Trnity-houfe FORCE, a.
mounting TO 10; lighters and fmall Graf SIS !;
Eaft Indiaraen l 9 and fotilla ofveeiS COM
pletely equipped and ready to fail of 6o4, ma
king grand total of 500 veiielS of war of vaTi-
Gus kinds, and calculated for various fpccies of
tervice. Such an immenfe force had this un-
worthy Lord of the admiralty collected in
the ihort fpace of twelve months, 70 that
it was not 70 furpri6ng if he fhould over
look gun-boats in this immenie arrangement.
The right hon. gentleman had fad, that for
merly gun-boats had been built in Is weeks !;
thoie to which he alluded were ordered in Jan.
lait, and the time, three months, by which they
were to be completed had not yet eXpircd d.
With regard to not building in the kings docks
during war, he did not think it impoilibIe; at
any rate, fhips formerly laid down might be
completed without attempting to lay down new
ones, thereby drawing largely on the kings
flores. Might it not alfo happen that the mer-
chants do not build 70 well, or that their con-
tracts are too high, or that the merchants do
not exactly difcharge their duty to the public.
From the nature of the right hon. gentleman's
1peech, and from its peculiar force on this point
he could not refrain from faying that it finet
ttrongly Of A contract. The Ajax man of war
l. which would explain itief WAS buiiI by
contract for Al ,oool. a bargain which was Jump
ed at, and the right hon. gentleman well knew,
that by the time fhe was three years old, it was
neceiiary to expend 17,oool. in repairing her,
and yet the great right hon. Shipwright behind
him laid down the law and practice on the fub-
Ject without any helitation. He then proceed
ed 10 fate, that 100000 feamen and marines
mad been voted for the fervice OF the year, and
be would fate, that fuch exertions had been
made by the Noble Lord at the head of the adj
mlralty, that the men had all been procured
within 1000 at leaf 70 iaid the general returns
made to the admiralty, and the fubiequcnt re-
turns Of the regulating officers. Mr. Tierney
concluded by propofng an amendment TO be
Inherited after the words 'sin commifiion,''-
:" and of all other armed veficls and boats en-
ployed in the public fervice."
Sir G, Poole, in defending the admiralty, OBJ
terved, that fuch was the vigilance and activity
uied, that within IS hours after it was known
that hoftiities were inevitable, admiral Corn
wallis, with his feet, had proceeded TO the
blockade of Brett; and the other ports were in
very ihort time in the fame fate.
Admiral Berkeley fupr rted the motion on
the ground OF the prefent dreadful fituation Of
the general affairs of the country, ard ihould
cordially vote for any enquiry and unlefs an
inveitigafion was gone into, dreadful were TIE
consequences likely to refult. To prove that
gun-boatS and veflels which draw a fmall GUAM
tity of water were bcft, he would refer to the
Gazettes, where, ifany gallant enterprise was
achieved, the commander fated, &c j have taken
one, two, OFT three, and wouldhave taken more"
Why did they efcape was the natural quef-
ton. Becaufe they got into fhalow water,
where he could not politely attempt to follow.
Gun-boatS had generally been ufed, though not
always, when frigates were in fate of repair
but the prefent lotilla of Mnifers was merely
collection of cockIe-ihelIs, incapable of going
from the Downs to Spithead.
Sir Edward Pellew took a view of the pro-
ceedingS of the prefent board of admiralty fince
their appointment, and particularly fince the
commencement of the prefent war, and as
pro efiional man, he found much to praife, and
nothing to blame in the whole of their conduct.
Their fyftem of blockade, from Toulon to the
Iexel, was the moft judicious that could he de-
vlied, and it was iuch as 20 preclude all pollibi-
lity of apprehension from the cockle-fheil navy,
which 70 much alarmed the minds of fome gem
tlemen. His only apprehension was, that the
fiotilla at Boulogne would never venture to give
our blockading fquadron the opportunity of
proving how Inefficient it was 20 the exccu-
ton of its gaiconading threats. As far as the
flhject could in any degree be connected with
the character or conduit OF the admiralty beard,
or with that of the noble lord who prefides over
1t. he NUT fay, that ne never knew any period
during his experience i'll naval affairs, at which
more universal and more jealous affection to-
wards III" government in general, or more cor
dial appreciation of all the meaiures of the adj
miraity, prevailed among all ranks of perfons
belonging to the navy and every officer in the
navy, he conicientiouny believed, was particu-
larly latisfied with the conduct of the noble
lord at the head OF the board. The cordaee,
the ltores the provilions, in Mort every necef-
fairy for the proper appointment of ftifticient
naval force 10 beat the enemy, was mott rigid
iy attended to. We had not only enough hut