W^m Bingham Esq^r War Office 28^th March 1798 Sir, I have the honor, in conformity with your request to subjoin an Estimate for building, rigging & Equipping one Ship of War to carry 22 Guns, one 20 Guns, & one 16 Guns with the cost of manning & victualing the Same for 12 Mo^s — Agreeably to this Estimate an armament of 20 ships, viz^t 2 Ships carrying each 22, 9 pounders, 8 sh^t carrying 20 — & 10 carrying 16 Sixteen Six pounders compleatly equipp^d & mann^d & provisioned for 12 mo^s including contingent Ex-pences will require an appropriation of 1,941,181 Dolls. This Estimate supposes that the 22 & 20 Gun Ships will be built Frigate Fashion, or with two decks, Quarter deck & forecasle — It is probable however capable of that some Ships carrying 22 or 20 nine pounders may be purchased and fitted out cheaper, than they can be built, or that they may be built for a less Sum than is stated in the estimate by constructing them without copper sheathing and with one heavy deck for the guns and a light upper deck fore & aft, under which the Guns may be fought By the act providing a Naval armament the pay of the first Lieutenant is 40 Dollars p^r mo^s and that of the Lieutenants of Marines 30 Dolls p^r Month. This inequality of pay between Grades apparently equal, will occasion disputes and inconveniences which it is to be wished could be prevented by an additional clause to the present