t. John's."

Unfortunately for the Americans, their resources in men and means were
far inferior to those of their opponents, who were able eventually
to carry out, though on a somewhat smaller scale, Arnold's idea of a
sailing ship, strictly so called, of force as yet unknown in inland
waters. Such a ship, aided as she was by two consorts of somewhat
similar character, dominated the Lake as soon as she was afloat,
reversing all the conditions. To place and equip her, however,
required time, invaluable time, during which Arnold's two schooners
exercised control. Baron Riedesel, the commander of the German
contingent with Carleton, after examining the American position at
Ticonderoga, wrote, "If we could have begun our expedition four weeks
earlier, I am satisfied that everything would have been ended this
year (1776); but, not having shelter nor other necessary things, we
were unable to remain at the other [southern] end of Champlain." So
delay favors the defence, and changes issues. What would have been the
effect upon the American cause if, simultaneously with the loss of
New York, August 20th-September 15th, had come news of the fall of
Ticonderoga, the repute of which for strength stood high? Nor was
this all; for in that event, the plan which was wrecked in 1777 by
Sir William Howe's ill-conceived expedition to the Chesapeake would
doubtless have been carried out in 1776. In a contemporary English
paper occurs the following significant item: "London, September 26th,
1776. Advices have been received here from Canada, dated August 12th,
that General Burgoyne's army has found it impracticable to get across
the lakes this season. The naval force of the Provincials is too great
for them to contend with at present. They must build larger vessels
for this purpose, and these cannot be ready before next summer. The
design _was_[3] that the two armies commanded by Generals Howe and
Burgoyne should cooeperate; that they should both be on the Hudson
River at the same time; that they should join about Albany, and
thereby cut off all communication between the northern and southern
Colonies."[4]

As Arnold's more ambitious scheme could not be realised, he had to
content himself with gondolas and galleys, for the force he was to
command as well as to build. The precise difference between the two
kinds of rowing vessels thus distinguished by name, the writer has
not been able to ascertain. The gondola was a flat-bottomed boat,
a