In the Napoleonic wars Great Britain was quite anxious for the faith of for instance the Portuguese navy. Did it managed to stay independent from the French emperor or in a worse case became part of the French navy. There were rumours that the Portuguese Prince Regent intended to leave his country for Brazil. In September 1806 the British earl St. Vincent visited Lisbon, Portugal and at that moment there was a quite strong naval Portuguese force available, lying in the river Tagus. In a list the ships and their condition of preparedness were described. Generally spoken were the ships all in good condition and compared with the British construction equal or even superior.
With the ‘lower masts rigged, and the lower yards are across’ : Principe Real ( 84 guns), Principe de Brazil (84 guns) and Rainha de Portugal (74 guns).
With the ‘lower masts rigged, top-masts up, and down the lower masts, jib-booms on the bowsprit, cables bent to the spare anchors: appear to have their ballast on board’: Alfonzo de Albuquerque (74 guns), Infante de Pedro (74 guns), Meduse (74 guns), Maria Principe (74 guns), St. Sebastine (74 guns, just large repairs and afloat), two anonymous (74 guns), Princesse de Abeire (64 guns) and Belem (64 guns).
‘In dock for 7 years and 3 months’: Santa Antonia (70 guns)
‘Still building’: Prince Regent (74 guns)
With the ‘lower masts rigged, and jib-boom on the bowsprit; just caulked’: Theriza (50 guns), Gulfinia (44 guns) and Amasonia (50 guns)
‘Just repaired, and fitting’: Real Fonsor (28 guns)
Still ‘caulking’: Bon Ventura (16 guns)
Real Fonza (16 guns)
‘Fitting for sea (new)’: schooner Fereta (8 guns)
Benjamma, French corvette (22 guns)
Wit the ‘lower masts rigged, and the topmasts up, and down the masts; anchors on board, and one cable bent’: Perolo (50 guns), Active (36 guns), Princessa de Abiena (36 guns) and Audoninha (32 guns)
Still ‘repairing and preparing to heave down’: Venus (36 guns) and Ulluses (36 guns)
With the ‘lower masts rigged; anchors and cables on board’: Serpenta (22 guns), Delegente (22 guns) and Gaivota (22 guns).
With the ‘lower masts rigged, topmasts and spars on board, just caulked’: Triton (44 guns)
Sources
Naval Chronicle vol. XVIII, p. 329-330.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil
Note
This prince regent was the later Portuguese king João VI. His son Pedro became the first Brasilian emperor Pedro I and was for a short time as Pedro IV king of Portugal.
