1811	British and French Fleets	328

And the number of seamen and marines, voted for the service of the same year, was 145,000. *

Such had been the unremitting exertions of the shipwrights in the arsenal of Antwerp, that, by the latter end of the summer, Vice-admiral Missiessy was at anchor at the mouth of the Scheldt, with a fleet of 15 sail of the line, one frigate, and nine brigs, waiting to elude the vigilance of Admiral Young; who, since the preceding May, had superseded Sir Richard Strachan in the chief command, and, with a corresponding fleet, was cruising outside. In addition to the above French force in this quarter, the Gorée squadron, consisting of three sail of the line, the Chatham of 80, Hollander of 74, and Tromp of 68 guns, had recently been buoyed over the flats and brought to Antwerp, where they were repairing. Upon the stocks at Antwerp, Terneuse, Flushing, were from 12 to 15 ships of the line, five or six of them in a state of great forwardness. To protect the vast depot now formed and forming along the shores of the Scheldt, immense fortifications had been constructed, particularly at Flushing; the sea-front alone of which mounted 100 long 36-pounders and 60 (French) 12-inch mortars. The opposite or Cadzand shore had also had its fortifications greatly strengthened. In the Texel seven Franco-Batavian sail of the line were ready for sea. Proceeding southward, we find that, besides the two 74s at anchor in the road of Cherbourg, two were on the stocks in the arsenal ; and that Lorient, Rochefort, and Toulon had all their building slips full.

The latter port, indeed, was dividing with Flushing the attention of the British. The road of Toulon, in the course of the present year, contained as many as 16 sail of the line, and nearly half as many frigates, including among the former four immense three-deckers. The command of this fine and powerful fleet had, since the preceding year, devolved upon Vice-admiral Emerian, who had under him Rear-admirals Cosmao, Lhermite, and Baudin. During the first half of the year the British Mediterranean fleet remained under the command of Admiral Sir Charles Cotton ; but the latter, returning to England to take the command of the Channel fleet, was succeeded off Toulon, on the 18th of July, by Vice-admiral Sir Edward Pellew, whose force consisted of the

Frigates, Apollo, Impérieuse, and Franchise.

* See Appendix, No. 17.

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