1800 - British and French Fleets, State of the British navy, Buonaparte's negotiation for peace

	Naval History of Great Britain - Vol III
1800	State of the British Navy	3

gun ship; so the 38, 36, and 32 gun frigates were now, according to the same rigid rule, reduced to frigates of 30 and 28 guns, being two guns more than they each mounted upon their main decks : whereas the total number of guns, established upon the three latter classes respectively, were at the least, 46, 44, and 40. It was this that threw such confusion into the Steel's lists of those days; some of the frigates having their carronades enumerated, others not, as information happened to reach the publisher.

The number of commissioned officers and masters, belonging to the British navy at the commencement of the year 1800, was,

Admirals			38
Vice-admirals			41
Rear-admirals			47
Rear-admirals	superannuated	31
Post-captains			515
Post-captains	superannuated	19
Commanders, or sloop-captains			394
Lieutenants			2091
Lieutenants	superannuated	50*
Masters			527

and the number of seamen and marines voted for the service of the same year, was, for the first two months, 120,000, and for the remaining 10 months 110,000.�

We left General Buonaparte on the 9th of October, 1799, just landed at Fréjus, from the French frigate Carrère, in which he had escaped from Egypt. He hastened to Paris, and, both on his journey to, and on his arrival at, the French capital, was most enthusiastically received by all ranks. Having a powerful army to second him in any thing he might undertake, Buonaparte, on the 10th of November, at the head of his soldiers, dissolved the executive directory, and on the next day changed the government to a consulate, composed of three members, Roger-Ducos, himself, and Sieyes. Early in December the plan of the new constitution was settled, and Buonaparte managed to oust Roger-Ducos, and Sieyes, and get himself appointed chief consul, having as his coadjutors, Cambacérès and Lebrun.

One of the first measures of the new government of France was, to attempt the renovation of the navy. The consulate issued several state-papers on the occasion; enjoining, among other important regulations, the exercise of the men in great guns and small arms, and of the ships in manoeuvring. Even swimming was included among the exercises ordered. The number of officers was fixed to be as follows:

Vice-amiraux
Contre-amiraux
Capitaines de vaisseau

8
16
150

Capitaines de frégate
Lieutenants de vaisseau
Enseignes de vaisseau

180
400
600

* With the rank of commanders

� See Appendix, No. 6.

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