A REFERENCE to the abstract of the British navy, drawn up for the commencement of the year 1800, will show a slight decrease in the number of line-of-battle ships.* This partly arises from the removal, by the pair of "Converted" columns, of four 64-gun ships to an under-line class. A similar cause explains the decrease in the total of 11 Cruisers; "from which, 26 of the 27 converted ships have been withdrawn, in order, as may be inferred from the denomination of the classes, to serve for the conveyance of troops in the several expeditions of the preceding and present years. On the other hand, notwithstanding that decrease, the total of commissioned cruisers remains the same as in the last abstract, and the grand total of the navy shows an increase of 35 vessels.

This is the first year since the war commenced, in which the "Launched" and "Purchased" columns appear vacant of line-of-battle ships; and the whole six acquired by the "Captured" column, were of little comparative value. The few ships and vessels in the "Ordered" column, are accounted for by the augmented numbers in the successive annual prize-columns, as well as by the number of fine ships which had been ordered and launched in the preceding years of the war, particularly in 1796, 7, and 8.

The numerical amount of vessels added to the navy of England by captures made from the respective navies of the

* See Appendix, Annual Abstract No. 8.

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