Intelligence news dealing with the Spanish navy from by J. Duff, British consul at Cadiz, for the month August 1803

Thanks to the by T.C. Hansard published The Parliamentary Debates from the year 1803 with the discussed papers, it’s possible to get an impression on what’s going in the Spanish navy at that moment an ally of the French empire and an enemy of the British empire.

“5th. Sailed, storeship Presentacion, with salt, for Galicia.

17th. The Rufina, frigate, 34 guns, with 11 millions rials vellon, for Carthagena.

18th. Store-ship Aurorei, with sailt, for Galicia.

19th. Ship Mino, of 50 guns, with salt and 10 millions rials vellon, for Galicia, to disarm.

Orders have been received at Ferrol for the ships, Neptune, of 74 guns, and Saint Augustin, of 74 guns, to take in their artillery, and keep in readiness until farther orders; and the same deposition haven been given at Cathagena, with respect to the Argonaut, of 84, and Bahame, of 74.

The Astrea, of 34 guns, with quicksilver, destined to Buenos Aires [Argentina], is to sail in Sept.[ember] and will carry the capt.-gen. of the Rio de la Plata, brig. Don Ruez Huidobra.

Of the frigates Pomona and Mercedes, which sailed from Ferrol, for Lima [Peru]; the latter was obliged to put into Montevideo [Uruguay], in consequence of some damage she had suffered in her helm, the other went on.

In the Carraca, the America of 66 guns is fitting out; she is to go to Vera Cruz [Mexico] , with quicksilver.

The Espana, of 64, has gone into Dock to careen, and will have the same destination.

The Sabrina frigate, with treasure for the king, is expected from Vera Cruz,

The French ship l’Aigle, and the corvette Torch, are gone up to the Carraca to receive some repairs.

Of 18 sail of the line which are there, 3 of them, which had been in the dry docks for a length of time, were lately taken out, without any thing of consequence being done to them. They, as well as most of the others, will require very great repairs, there being only 3 judged to require but a moderate one, and, in the opinion, of good judges, are not fit for any thing but to be broken up. There is a total want of timber in the arsenal, where there is hardly any but the country pine; and, in other respects, it is but very poorly provided.

Source

T.C. Hansard. The Parliamentary Debates from the year 1803 to the present time. vol III comprising the period from the fifteenth day of January to the twelfth day of March 1805. London, 1812. Parliamentary Debates, February 4, 1805, Second Additonal Papers relative to the war with Spain, p. 230. Digitized by Google.com.

Note

1. See also the notes on this weblog “A Russian built corvette offered for sail to Turkey or Egypt in 1831 and the Russian navy in general” and “The Turkish or Ottoman ship of the line Mahmoud”.