SWEDISH NAVY.-The Swedish fleet consists of 12 sail of the line, eight frigates, besides cutters, gun boats, &c. and there are two ships of the line and three frigates building. - PORTUGUESE NAVY.-The Portuguese have eight sail of the line, three frigates, and four sloops, at the Brazils-At Lisbon there are some ships of war, but they are chiefly unfit for service. DANISH NAVY.-The present naval force of Denmark consists of four ships of the line, two frigates, and about 120 gun-boats. There are two ships of the line and three frigates on the stocks. Their maritime operations are chiefly carried on by flotillas of gun brigs, which carry heavy metal, are well manned, manœuvred, and fought; and, in a calm, are formidable even to ships of war. UNITED STATES NAVY.-The republican navy, at present, consists of the following frigates :-Constitution, 44, Captain Hull; United States, 44, Captain Decatur; President, 44, Commodore Rogers; Chesapeake, 36; New-York, 36; Constellation, 36; Captain Bainbridge; Congress, 36, Captain Smith; Boston 32; Essex, 32, Captain Porter; Macedonian, (late British,) 38; the John Adams corvette: Hornet sloop, of 16 guns; Syren, Argus, and Oneida brigs, of 16 guns; Vixen, Enterprize, and Viper schooners, of 12 guns; 170 gun boats, stationed at New Orleans: and the Vengeance, Etna, Vesuvius, and Spitfire bombs. FRENCH NAVY.-In the various ports of France, Holland, and Italy, the French have 65 sail of the line, and 61 frigates, ready for sea; and 32 sail of the line, and 26 frigates, building and fitting out; so that in a short time we shall have opposed to us, under French colours, a numerical force of 97 sail of the line, and 87 frigates: but even the ships which are pretended to be ready for a start, particularly those in the Scheldt, are very badly manned; an evil for which the enemy does not possess any practicable remedy. 13th January, 1813. VESSELS OF WAR. A general view of the dimensions of the most approved ships of each class in the British navy. Prepared from authentic papers, for the Register. (Niles.) NOTE-Fractions omitted. When more than a half, added, when less than a half, unnoticed. Length of the gun deck Do. of the keel for tonnage Extreme breadth Burthen thickness feet 186 177 169 158 146 140 126 118108 96 do 151 146 138 119 115 103 97 89 78 129 dol 52 49 46 44 40 37 35 34 30 27 dol 6 5h 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 4h do 21h 21 201 19 17h 16 1210h 10 12 in tons 2162 18711620,13361045|879690|586129|300 yards 34h 33h 32 30 27 26 25 24 21 19 inches 34h 33 27 23 22 21 19 17 32 30 Main-mast-length yards 39 37 Mizen mast-length yards 34 33 31 29 A 42 pounder is 9 feet 6 inches long, 6 1-2 in the bore, and weighs 65 cwt. 6 50 48 39 34 25 16 6 The foregoing table is formed and inserted for the purpose of giving a general idea of the dimensions and force of a ship, on hearing her rate men, tioned in the newspapers. But their actual force in guns is commonly from a fourth to a third more than they are rated-and their weight of metal and many other particulars, differ widely from the rules of the admiralty, being governed by various particular circumstances, in the make or construction of the vessels.. years. At present the English resort to the Teek-wood of the want of proper seasoning. Pine wood will not last more than six of 50 acres of oak land. The modern built vessels of the British navy do not last, on an average, more than nine years, owing to the A 74 gun ship is calculated in England to consume the timber East Indies. An account of the number of vessels, with the amount of their tonnage, and the number of men and boys employed in navigating the same, (including their repeated voyages) which entered inwards and cleared outwards, at the several ports of Great Britain, from and to all parts of the world, in the years 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810 and 1811-distinguishing British from foreign. Outwards. 1806 BRITISH. Ships. Tons. Men. Ships 12,110 1,482,412 88,963 3,792 11,213 1,436,667 84,997 4 087 11,303 1,311,966 82.617 1,926 12,656 1,539,573 95,796 4,922 13,557 1,609,088|102,900 6,876 1811 12,908 1,522,692 94,740 3,216 1807 1810 1806 12,239 1,485,725 94,513 3,457 1807 11,428 1,424,103 89,720 3,846 1808 11,917 1,372,261 89,671 1,892 1809 12,499 1,531,152 102 523 4,530 FOREIGN. TOTAL Tons. Men. Ships, Tons. Men. 612,800 31,346 15,902 2,095,212120 309 680,144 32,488 15,300 2,116,811|117,485 283,657 15,540 13,2311,595,625 98,157 759,287 38,285 17,578 2 298,860 134,081 1,176,243 66,094 20,433 2 785,331 162,994 687,180 34,157 16,124 2,209,872 128,897 567,988 29,616 15,696 2,053 713 124,129 1810 15,090 1,624,120 107,713 6,641 1,138,527 60,870 19.731 2.762,647 168,583 Custom-House, } London, 28th April, 1812, the fall of the year 1813, the number of British merchant vessels It appears from some documents that I have mislaid, that in was near 23,000. BRITISH STOCK OR FUNDS. These are denominations of public debt, and the taxes appropriated by parliament to pay the interest of that public or national debt, and support the current expences of government; these have at different times been funded; that is, classed, arranged, and made permanent under different names, as temporary expedience required. Such as three per cents 1726: three per cents consol (consolidated annuities); three per cents reduced; three per cents deferred stock; three per cents south sea of 1751; three per cent. old south sea annuities; three per cent. new south sea annuities; three per cent. imperial annuities; four per cent. consols. Five per cent. navy annuities; five per cent. stock of 1797, and 1802; per cent. Irish. Old annuities; long annuities; short annuities; Irish annuities; imperial annuity; south sea stock. The Bank stock, and India stock, India annuities, India bonds belong exclusively to those two chartered companies respectively. five Thus it appears that some of these funds, consist of annuities payable to the public creditor or stock holder, for ever: and others, of annuities that expire at certain periods. When three per cent. consols, or any other three per cent. perpetual annuities can be purchased at 60; four per cents at 89; five per cents at 100; Bank stock yielding a dividend of seven per cent. at 140; India stock yielding 101 dividend, at 210, then does the purchaser get five per cent. or legal interest, for his money. Whenever the three per cent. consols for instance, which is the largest stock in amount, fall below 60, the stock is manifestly depreciated by national circumstances. Indeed, when legal interest is at five per cent. three per cents ought to fetch 80, owing to the ease and certainty, with which the interest is receivable. The funds existing in Sir R. Walpole's time, were then form ed (1715, and 1716) into three general funds, the aggregate fund; the south sea fund and the general fund: to which in 1716 Sir Robert added the sinking fund, of which I shall speak separately. To these funds certain taxes were respectively annexed, the produce whereof was invariably to be applied to the payment of the interest of that fund, which thus formed a mortgage on the tax. The following account from 1 Niles's Reg. 261, is tolerably ac curate. NATIONAL DEBT-EXPENDITURE-TAXATION. When queen Anne came to the throne in 1701, the debt was 7.16,394,702 When George I. came to the throne in 1714 54,145,362 When George II. came to the throne in 1727 52,092,235 When George III. came to the throne in 1760 146,632,844 At the close of the American war the debt was (1784) 257,213,043 At the close of the war against "revolutionary France," (1801) January 5, 1810 579,911,447 811,893,082 From a late debate in the British house of Lords, (1813), on a motion made by lord Lauderdale to enquire into the alarming state of the currency of that nation, we learn the following interesting facts, viz : 1. That three years ago, the war cost the British government 100 millions-next year, 104 millions-and last year, 112 millions sterling! 2. That, in the course of the present year, 50 millions have been added to the national debt. 3. That, in the year 1813, the bank of England bills, then in circulation, were only 12 millions; now, they amount to 43 millions. 4. That government, besides interest on the national debt, pays to the bank of England an extra interest of nearly two millions on their exchequer bills. 5. That in July last, an ounce of Portuguese gold, formerly 31. 17s. 6d. now brings 51. 5s. in bank paper. A silver dollar, formerly worth 4s. 6d. with the new stamp, now brings 6s. 9d. 6. That paper currency has depreciated 35 per cent. 7. That, some years ago, there were annually brought from New Spain between thirty and forty millions of dollars; now, only between seven and eight millions. Funded and unfunded debts of Great the 1st of January, Britain and Ireland on 1813. Great Britain 1812,013,135 8 11 94,926,454 7 81 Total, 1206,939,589 16 81 |