The dimensions determined upon in 1677 for ships of one hundred, ninety and seventy guns were sometimes exceeded; and in 1691 another set of dimensions, for ships of sixty and eighty guns, was established. In the following year an appropriation for “bomb vessels” was sanctioned; and about 1694, a revival of the fireships was tried. These vessels were called internals, possibly on account of their contents, which included “loaded pistols, carcasses (filled with grenadoes), chain shot, etc., and all manner of combustibles.” Their revival, or invention in this form, is attributed to an engineer named Meesters, who directed the operations against Dunkirk, without achieving any success with them. [Illustration: LINE OF BATTLESHIP, 1650. _From a Model in the Museum of the Royal United Service Institution._] Prior to the battle of La Hogue, in 1692, five advice boats appear in the navy list for the first time; they carried from forty to fifty men each and were deputed to acquire information of the enemy’s movements at Brest. Complaints were made in 1744-5 that the British vessels compared unfavourably with those of other nations in scantlings, seaworthiness, and armament. This induced the adoption of another set of rules, and the ships built according to them proved to be good sea boats, carrying their guns well, and standing up stiffly under sail, but they had the objection of being too full in the after part of their under body, which retarded their speed somewhat. After ten years’ trial this establishment was modified, the faults complained of were remedied, and the ships were increased in size, and from this time onward fifty-gun ships were seldom classed as ships of the line of battle. There has been some misconception in regard to the frigates of the period, as many small vessels carrying eighteen guns, or less, were so called, but were afterwards included among the sloops. The real frigate was a vessel constructed to cruise in all weathers, and able to show a good turn of speed; she had an armament which was fairly heavy for her size, and it was carried on one deck, with the exception of a few guns which might be disposed about the poop or forecastle. For over two hundred years vessels of this type were held in the highest esteem, until, indeed, they were superseded, in common with all other sailing warships, when steam was adopted. The career of the steam frigate was brought to an early close by the adoption of the ironclad.