others are certainly written en badinant. Be the poet who he may, his Church-yard tale is a most admirable burlesque of Mr. Lewis's Cloud King. If we had room, we would insert it at length; but to quarter it, is to spoil it." CRITICAL REVIEW. "This is really a happy piece of humour." BRITISH CRITIC. (PRICE SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS) AN ACADEMY FOR GROWN HORSEMEN. GALLOPING, CONTAINING THE COMPLETEST INSTRUCTIONS FOR BY GEOFFREY GAMBADO, Esq. RIDING MASTER, MASTER OF THE HORSE, AND GRAND EQUERRY TO THE DOGE OF VENICE. Embellished with 12 Caricatures, from designs by Bunbury. "To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus, "And witch the world with noble Horsemanship." "With great delight do we hail this satisfactory republication of a work originally published before our critical existence, but always the source of hearty merriment and gratification to us. The singular and truly original humour of the writing, and the unrivalled burlesque of the plates, have always made these books prime favourites, with all who had any relish for harmless wit and satire, by which no individual is hurt. "Mr. Gambado, Master of the Horse, &c. to the Doge of Venice, which is perfectly equivalent to Lord High Admiral to the King of Bohemia, shines here, though in miniature, with undi. minished lustre; and amusement may be obtained for eight shillings, (the price of the London copy which before was rather an expensive luxury. Happy they, indeed, who possess the first edition; yet not unenviable they, who, for a much smaller purchase, obtain as much wit, humour, and amusement as were ever compressed into so small a compass.” BRITISH CRITIC NAVAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. CHAPTER I. Historical view of the strength of the Navy of the THE first act of the continental Congress towards the formation of a navy, was occasioned by a determination, on their part, on the 5th of October 1775, to intercept two vessels laden with arms and powder, bound to Canada. Two vessels belonging to the government of Massachusetts, were taken into the continental service and pay for the accomplishment of this object. Both were schooners; one, commanded by Nicholas Broughton, mounted 6 four pounders, and had a crew of 70 men; the other, commander by John Sehman, had a crew of 50 men. At the close of the year 1775, Congress commissioned several vessels, which were put under the command of Ezekiel Hopkins, as commodore. This fleet was fitted out in the Delaware, and consisted of the Alfred, Guns. Men. Commanders. 30 300 Commodore Hopkins. 300 Captain Whipple. 200 Biddle. (6 Hopkins. About the same period, the following row gallies were stationed in the Delaware for its defence: The following list, extracted from the Journals of Congress, October 10th, 1776, gives a correct view of the American navy, when at its greatest strength during the revolutionary war. (6 Resolved, That the rank of the captains be as follows: Though several frigates were, subsequent to the above resolve, added to the navy, yet at no other period of the revolutionary war was its strength greater. Its losses exceeded the inconsiderable additions made to it. This decline of the revolutionary naval force, after the first two years of its creation, is, in part, to be attributed to the low state of the finances of Congress, and the depreciation of their paper currency. The war, which took place between England and France in 1778, secured to the United States the co-operation of the powerful navy of the latter;-a navy, which, at that period, nearly rivalled the English. This, of course, in a great measure, supplied the want of a naval force on the part of the United States. On the 23d of January, 1777, Congress ordered two more frigates, one of 36, and the other of 28 guns, to be immediately built. Shortly after, the marine committee was empowered to purchase three ships for the service of the United States. A resolve of the 25th of July, 1777, shows that the naval department met with considerable difficulty in having the vessels of war, ordered by Congress, built and equipped: for on account of the great expense attending the construction of ships, at that part cular time, from the extravagant prices of materials and great wages of workmen; and also on account of some of the frigates having been set on the stocks in improper places, the marine committee were empowered to suspend the construction of public vessels, and to resume them again whenever the interest of the United States should require. By a resolve of Congress, of the 29th of March 1778, it appears that the vessel they had intended should carry 74 guns, was ordered to be so constructed as to mount 56 guns, on two gun decks, namely, 28 twenty-four pounders on the lower, and 28 eighteen pounders on the upper. At the same time a frigate, that had been lanched at Salisbury, in Massachusetts, was, by a particular resolve of Congress, termed The Alliance. In the Journals of Congress, 27th of July, 1780, two additional American frigates, the Confederacy and Dean, and the sloop of war Saratoga, are mentioned. In addition to the above, the names of several other frigates, in the service of the United States, occur, viz. the Bon Homme Richard, the South Carolina, Queen of France, &c. The very few armed vessels that constituted the navy of the United States, at the close of the Revolutionary war, were sometime after, sold by order of Congress. From the close of the Revolutionary war to the year 1794, Congress paid little or no attention to the naval concerns of the country. At the latter period the depredations committed, by the corsairs of the States of Barbary, on the commerce of the United States, forced them to take into consideration the formation of a naval force: accordingly, four 44 gun, and two 36 gun ships were ordered to be constructed. During the years 1798 and 1799 the general government made very great and spirited exertions in the formation of a navy. The following list will exhibit the state of the naval establishment during these two years. Guns. Years. |