History of the Russian Fleet. By a Contemporary Englishman (1724).
Edited by Vice-Admiral Cyprian A. G. Bridge. (Navy Records Society.)—Some Englishman unknown, who was probably in the service of Peter the Great, wrote, partly during his period of service, and partly, it may be conjectured, after his retirement, this account of the Czar's Baltic Fleet. Peter had been from very early days interested in the subject, but his serious efforts in this direction were not made till after his return from his sojourn in the shipbuilding yards of England and Holland. It is an interest, ing book, and the more interesting the more freely the author expresses himself. It is abundantly clear that the Czar had very poor material to work with. "The Russians in general have an aversion to the sea," says our author, and the foreigners whom he induced to take service were not commonly of the best quality. " The number of his ships is increased," lie writes in his con. eluding remarks, "yet his seamen, properly so called, are not
more numerous within the last four years." In 1724 Peter had • thirty-five ships, carrying 2,106 guns, but nine (520 guns) are marked as "old and crazy," and three (244 guns) "can't carry sail when it blows anything hard." And the whole fleet was conditional on "seamen being found to man it," and the condition that the "expedition be not far from the Czar's coast."
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