Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-11-23

Iogps. Your whule book contains 5q8 paces
of your own writing, 100 pages "f which are
occupied with preparing The reader for the
deieafs which are Ia follow. What employ
hundred pages in order Id prepare thu RESI-
der for defeats of English ships A hundred
pages, in order to shew that the English
ships could not be expected 10 be match for
for the American shipsl The sight of these
hundred pages Is quite enough for any mode
derate man. However, my readers shall
iias. litt' specimen Of your preparatory
motions. They shall see you, ingenious string
OF re asons why the American frigaie Consti.
tuition ought TO beat and capture the Guerr-
ere!
What would, at any former time, have been
said Of such an attempt? An attempt TO
prove that an English ship ought to be beaten
ny an American friga,e. However, let ns
first quote the passage, and remark upon it
afterwards. 1t is the beginning of Chapter.
| fOh plead as il it We're for your life. Had
you been the Captain Of the Guerrero YOUR
sell you could not have pleaded with more
zeal. ! am sure the reader will say that this
extract itself ought 10 have ga vpd your back
from the wrath Of Sir John Phillimore.
"Erom the battle Of Trafalgar to the peace
oflGl5, (you begin far off, indeed three.
to'irths al the British navy, al sea, We're cun-
siantly employed Il, blockadiug the fleets of
their enemies. or the remainder, such as es-
capped the dull business OF Conveying, cr,s.d
about; hut the ouiy hostile ships that. Ia gen
eral crossed their tracks, were disguised neu-
trails; from " HON no hard knocks cuuld heck
pected. Once year or So, the capture of a
French frsate by British unc gave a mo
mentary flip 10 the service.
"a succession of insipid cruises necessarily
hegat, among bnth officers and men, habits Of
| inattenfion. The situ,tinn If gunner on boar
oar ships became almost a sinecure. A tweu: v
years war, of Itself, WAS sufficient to wear OUT
the strength of o,T sra,nea; hut "A lax,y of
discipline, IN all the essentials OF = ma,,-or-
wars man, produced much more sensible
effect.
Instead Of the sturdy occupation of hand
ling ship's guns, now sedan used hut on
sa'u'-s, the men were taught To polish the
tra,-rsi"s bars, eievating screws, copper On
the bits, Sc. by way of ornament to the
quarter deck. Such of thr crew AZ csrape,,
tall mrnial "iric', from the unnecessary IS ear
II occasions. lately forbidden Ivy an order fru,u
the Board at Admiralty were set 10 rrsfne
and III reehng The topsails, against time pre-
,araiory 10 match with any other of Hi:
Naj"sty's ships that nigh, happen to tall IL
company.
Macy were the noble exceptions 10 this
and many were the commanders WHIP DIES
pis'nS what was either fnica. or useless, ant
sim hoping to signalze themselves by som.
gallant exploit. spared no pains, consistent IS it'
their limited means, and the restraints IT the
SERVICE. to have their ships, Il, all times, a,
men war, should be, in brxipg trim
AS Napoleon extended his sway over the
European continent, the British navy. tha,
perpetual blight npon his hopes, required Ia b.
extended also. British oak and British SEA.
men, alike scarce, confract-sbips were hastily
hui't mp with soft wood and light frames and
then, manned with an impressed crew chic Nv
OF raw hands and small boys sent forth to as
srrt the rights and maintain the character
OF Bri'uns, upon the ocean. In June, 1872
when the war with America commenced, The
British navy consisted Of TAG ships in com
mission. Had these have been clarrd Of all
the foreigners and ineffective hands, how many
ships would the remainder have properly
manned?
L" the long duration Of war, and the rapid
increase of the navy. may he added third
cause ut the scarcity of seamrn the enor-
mons increase Of the army. In December.
iCl2, we had, in regulars alone, 9,t49 men.
How many frigstrs could have been manned.
and well manned too, by draugh's from the
hSht dr'goons, and the light infantry regi-
nrnis Nor is tbe.ea question SO inviting
were the bounties-that prime seamen have
enlisted in both.
The crews of onr ships exrprenced fourth
reduction in strength. Ivy the establishment,
about six years agn, of the battalion marines :
a corps embodied fnr the purpose Of acting on
shore IN cnnjrction with the seamtn and
marines Of the ships. The battalion mar ines
about 1000 in number, consisted &c the pick
OF the royal marines which, accordingly, be.
came reduced tn weak understand men, and
very younG recruits. Marines ought To T..
among The stOutpst men in The ship, because
until engaged in close aciiTn, their station is nj
the guns, where great physical strength is re-
CURED. Except on a few occasions in Cana,ia
and the Chesapeake. the battalion marines, al
though az fine brdy Of men as any in the
two services, have remained comparatively
Idle.
The canker- worm that, in the shape Of ne
g'rct, had So long bcen preying upon the vi
falls of The British navy, could not exist among
the few ships composing the navy of the
United States. Americas half dozen fFg
ares Claimed the whole Of her attention.
These she had constructed upon the most
improved principles. both for sailing and for
war. Considering that the ramparfs Of bat
terry should have, for one object, the shelter
of me men stationed at il, she had built up
The sides Of he: ships in the most compact
manner ADD The utmost ingenuity had bPen
exerfed. and expense bestowed, in their final
equipment
:" With respect TO seamen, America had, for
| many years previous fo the war, been decoy-
ing the men from oir ships by every arifnI
s'ratagem. The best of these were rated
as petty officers. Many British sea1nen had
entered on board American merchant vessels /;
anu me numerous noD-intercourse and pmbar-
go bills, in existence nj different periods dur
ing me Tour years preceding the war, threw
many merchant sailors ont Of employment