splendid regular troops. After two weeks spent in
liondon^ Braddock went to Cork, to hasten prepara-
tions for the sailing of the transports, but many weeks
elapsed before everything was in readiness, and it was
not until the 14th of January, 1755, that the fleet
was under sail. The delay was so irksome to the
General that he embarked on board the Norwich,
Captain the Honorable Samuel Barrington, and sailed
on the 21st of December, accompanied by the
Centurion, the flag ship of Commodore Keppel, and
the Syren, Captain Proby. The fleet, which sailed on
the 14th of January^ consisted of the following vessels:
TRANSPORTS. Aona, Captain r<[eviD ; Terrible, Captain Wright ; Halifax, Captain Terry ; Fame, Captain Jadd ; Osgood, Captain Crookshanks ; Concord, Captain Boynton ; London, Captain Brown ; Prince Frederick, Captain Barton ; Industry, Captain Niller ; Fishbam, Captain Wm. Tipple ; Isabel and Mary, Captain Hall ; Molly, Captain John Curling ; Severn, Captain Jehosa Rawlings.
ORDNANCE SHIPS* Whiting, Captain Johnson ; Newall, Captain Montgomery. Nelly.
These were under convoy of two men-of-war, the Seahorse and Nightingale, and in addition to the stores there were on board £14,000 in specie. Meantime Governor Dinwiddie, in Virginia, was exerting himself to make the provincial troops eflfective, and the House of Burgesses had voted £20,000 for the public service. He enlarged the army to ten companies of one hundred men each, and put all upon the establishment of independent com- panies, whereby the regimental organization was wholly destroyed, and the highest office possible was that of Captain, and all officers holding King's
