1817- 1820	British and American 74s	415

months before the Franklin, possessed the failing in a much greater degree ; her ports were within 3 feet 10 inches of the water, and she was not considered safe to cross the Atlantic without half-ports.

However, the fault certainly increased the ship's stability ; and the four last-built American line-of-battle ships, the Washington (the second), Ohio, Columbus, and North-Carolina are of greatly increased dimensions, and, even with their full establishment of guns, 102 in number, carry their ports at a proper height. We have recently gleaned a few particulars respecting the last-named ship, which is now in the Mediterranean under the command of our old friend Commodore Rodgers. The North-Carolina measures 206 feet on the gun-deck, and is 52 feet some odd inches in moulded breadth ; which gives the ship about 53 feet 4 or 5 inches for her extreme breadth, and makes her measure about 2650 tons English. Her actual force at this time, according to the representation of a British officer who has recently been on board of her, consists of 34 medium 42-pounders on the first deck, 34 medium 32-pounders on the second deck, and 34 carronades, 42-pounders, on the third deck ; total 102 guns. Her complement now on board is 1000 men. Her lower masts and topmasts are short, but of an immense stoutness. The mizenmast is within 4 inches of being equal in circumference to the Albion's mainmast. The masts have a fish on each side from the step to the head ; and Commodore Rodgers told the post-captain who was paying him this visit, that, in an action in the Constitution when he commanded her, he had 32 shot through his mainmast, but did not lose it ; which he attributed to the shortness of the mast, its size, and the strengthening fish. Had we been standing by the commodore, when he made this bounce [sic], we should almost have been tempted to ask him what action it was in which he commanded the Constitution.

We have already compared together an American and a British 74: we will now give a figure statement, showing the relative force of an American 74 (for so the North-Carolina is officially rated) and a British 120. The force of the Caledonia has already been particularized ; * but her third-deck guns have since been changed from long 18 to Congreve's 24 pounders, and her present establishment gives her six, instead of two, poop-carronades, or 126 guns in all. The following, then, will be the comparative force of a British 120, and an American first-class 74, gun-ship

^ back to top ^