[14] Works of John Adams, II, 469-83. In one of these debates, according to Adams, George Wythe of Virginia said: “Why should not America have a navy? No maritime power near the seacoast can be safe without it. It is no chimera. The Romans suddenly built one in their Carthaginian war. Why may not we lay a foundation for it? We abound with firs, iron ore, tar, pitch, turpentine; we have all the materials for the construction of a navy.”—Works of John Adams, II, 479. [15] See Chapter II, The Fleets of Washington and Arnold. [16] Journals of Continental Congress, November 2, 1775. [17] Ibid., November 10. Congress first ordered the marines to be raised from the Continental army, but on the objecting of Washington to such weakening of his forces, they were directed to be raised independent of the army.—Journals, November 10, 30, 1775; Ford, Writings of Washington, III, 225, 274. [18] Journals of Continental Congress, November 23, 25, 28, 1775. [19] Thomas Clark, Naval History of United States, II, 108. [20] Pickering’s Statutes, 22, George II, chapter 33; title of act, “An act for amending, explaining, and reducing into one Act of Parliament, the laws relating to the government of his Majesty’s ships, vessels, and forces by sea.” [21] King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions of 1772. [22] Works of John Adams, III, 11. Certain words of John Adams in a letter dated, Philadelphia, April 28, 1776, have an interest in this connection: “I have vanity enough to take to myself a share in the merit of the American navy. It was always a measure that my heart was much engaged in, and I pursued it for a long time against the wind and tide, but at last obtained it.”—Force, American Archives, 4th, V, 1111. [23] Ford, Writings of Washington, III, 165, 203-04, 213-14; Washington to President of Congress, October 5, November 8, 11, 1775. See Chapter II, page 67. [24] Journals of Continental Congress, November 17, 23, 24, and 25. The Journals for November 25 contain the resolutions. [25] Journals of Continental Congress, December 2, 1775. [26] Ibid., December 5, 1775. This legislation refers to American vessels captured by the British and recaptured by the Americans. [27] Ibid., December 9, 1775. [28] Journals of Continental Congress, December 13 and 22, 1775. [29] Ibid., January 6, 1776. [30] Manuscript letters of John Adams, Massachusetts Historical Society; Warren to Adams, November 14, 1775; Chase to Adams, November 16 and 25, 1775. [31] Collections of New York Historical Society, Deane Papers, I, 91-92. [32] Works of John Adams, III, 12. [33] M. I. J. Griffin, Commodore John Barry, 19; Pennsylvania Archives, 2nd, II, 668. In December, 1774, the “Black Prince” belonged to Thomas Willing, Robert Morris, Thomas Morris, John Wharton, and John Nixon.—Pa. Magazine of History and Biography, October, 1904, 495. [34] Edward Field’s Esek Hopkins, 78-9. [35] British Marine Encyclopedia, in Hogg’s Naval Magazine for 1801.