1813	British and American Navies	141

IN the abstract of the British navy for this year will be found, among the " Ordered to be built " ships, four first-rates. Two of these were similar to the Caledonia and Nelson ; the Britannia, building at Plymouth, and the Prince Regent, at Chatham. The other two were of rather a smaller class; the London, building at Plymouth, and the Princess-Charlotte at Portsmouth. * To the fine class of N or middling 74s, as many as 11 new individuals have been added. By the addition of these and of other large ships, and by the gradual reduction of the O or small-class 74, and of the 64, although the number of cruising line-of-battle ships is three less than are to be found in Nos. 9 and 16 Abstracts, the tonnage of the 124 in No. 21 Abstract exceeds that of the 127 in No. 9 by 8564, and in that of the 126 No. 16 by 5585, tons. This makes the average burden of the 124 line-of-battle ships, belonging to the British navy at the commencement of the present year, 1830 tons and a fraction; whereas the average, at the commencement of the year 1802, was 1740, and, at the commencement of 1793, only 1645 tons; an unequivocal testimony of the improved State of the British Navy. �

On the 26th of January in this year a small increase took place in the complements of the different classes of frigates ; occasioned, in all probability, by the war with America. As far back as October and December, 1804, the large class of 38s had been ordered to have their complements augmented from

* See Appendix, Annual Abstract No. 21. � See Appendix, Nos. 4 and 5.

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