Scarcely was a French vessel taken ere it was copied, but generally on a larger scale (~Holmes~, p. 114). Shipbuilding, in the mean time, had become wonderfully perfected, especially under the Ministry of Colbert (1661), after the first foundations had been laid by Cardinal Richelieu in 1630. Save for a few changes in detail, the rules laid down by Colbert were followed until the XIXth century. In 1668, the French fleet numbered already 176 vessels, of which one of the most beautiful and famous specimens was the _Soleil Royal_. This fleet was organized on the same footing as that of Holland (~De Jonge~, Vol. III, part I, p. 114). Besides, there existed at this time but little difference between the French and Dutch types. Dimensions increased greatly at the end of the XVIIth century, under the reign of Louis XIV. This can be seen in the following table, prepared by Barras de la Penne (1698). +---------+------+-----------------+--------+-----+-----+-------------+ | RANK |Number| CALIBRE | | | | NUMBER | | AND | of | AND MATERIAL | LENGTH |BEAM |DEPTH| OF | | ORDER | Guns | OF THE GUNS | | | | BATTERIES | +---------+------+-----------------+--------+-----+-----+-------------+ | Ships of the line. | | | {1st battery, 8 of 48| M. | M. | M. |Three covered| |1st rank,| { the rest, 36| 56.01 | | |batteries, | |1st order|112{ 2d battery, 24|between |15.64| 7.64|poop, and | |Soleil | { 3d battery, 18|perpen- | | |forward | | Royal | {poop and topgallant |diculars| | |castle. | | | { forecastle, | | | | | | | { 12 and 18| 51.54 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Three covered| |1st rank,|70 to | bronze guns | 51.91 |14.29| 6.61|batteries, | | 2d order| 100 | | | | |castle, | | | | | | | |forward | | | | | | | |and aft. | | | | | | | | | | 2d rank,|60 to | bronze guns | 48.72 |13.47| 6.17| idem. | |1st order| 70 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3d rank,|56 to | ⅔ bronze | 47.47 |12.34| 5.68|Two covered | |1st order| 66 | ⅓ iron | | | |decks, poop, | | | | | | | |and forward | | | | | | | |castle. | | | | | | | | |