Although the following contracts for building vessels were made when Virginia was no longer a colony but had become a state, they are included here because of the descriptions of the vessels and the interesting contracts: (1) Contract between the owner and builder of a vessel in Gloucester county on July 31, 1777: It is this day agreed on between Mathias James of the one part and John Fowler of the other part ... That the said Mathias James for and in consideration of the sum of 35 pounds to him in hand paid, the receipt whereof he hereby acknowledgeth, doth oblige himself to begin, finish, and complete all the joiner's work properly belonging to the sloop he is now building, in a neat, convenient and workmanlike manner. The steerage must be sealed that the whole shall be finished as soon as possible. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the day and year above written. N.B.--There is to be no State Room in the above cabin. Matthew James, John Fowler. Witness, William Lilly. (2) Contract between the owner and builder of a vessel on November 20, 1779: I, Joseph Billups, Sr., of Gloucester county, Kingston Parish, do agree to build a boat 34 feet keel, with proper width of beam and hold, for John Avery.... I do hereby oblige him first to pay me, the said Billups, 120 gallons of good West India rum, and 300 pounds of lawful money.... The said Avery to oblige himself to pay the said Billups 100 pounds per ton, to supply the said Billups with suitable iron at ten shillings per pound.... To furnish him with money if wanting to carry on the said boat.... Joseph Billings, John Avery. Teste, Joseph Billups, Jr. Various statistics were given by different writers for the number of Virginia owned vessels in the period just before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. In _Shipyard Statistics_ by H. C. Smith and L. C. Brown, one of the articles that comprises _The Shipbuilding Business in the United States of America_, edited by F. G. Fassett, Jr., and published in 1948 by the Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineers, there are given lists of vessels owned by the several provinces in the years 1769, 1770, and 1771. Virginia is listed as having in 1769, 6 ships, 21 sloops and schooners--27 vessels of 1269 tonnage; for 1770, there were 6 ships, 15 sloops and schooners, 1105 tons; and for 1771, 10 ships, 9 sloops and schooners, 1678 tons. We notice that the report of 27 vessels for 1769, is the same number reported by Governor Andros in 1698, which is rather surprising, and shows how inadequate the statistics were, and how careful a writer must be in using them. APPENDIX II