| | | | | Total |
| | Seamen | | | additional |
| | voted for | | | number |
| Year. | the navy | Increase. | 'Waste.' | required. |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| 1774 | 15,646 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1775 | 18,000 | 2,354 | 936 | 3,290 |
| 1776 | 21,335 | 3,335 | 1,080 | 4,415 |
| 1777 | 34,871 | 13,536 | 1,278 | 14,184 |
| 1778 | 48,171 | 13,300 | 2,088 | 15,388 |
| 1779 | 52,611 | 4,440 | 2,886 | 7,326 |
| 1780 | 66,221 | 13,610 | 3,156 | 16,766 |
| 1781 | 69,683 | 3,462 | 3,972 | 7,434 |
| 1782 | 78,695 | 9,012 | 4,176 | 13,188 |
| 1783 | 84,709 | 6,014 | 4,722 | 10,736 |
-------------------------------------------------------

It cannot be believed that the merchant service, with its then
dimensions, could have possibly satisfied these great and repeated
demands, besides making up its own 'waste,' unless its size were
much reduced. After 1777, indeed, there was a considerable fall
in the figures of English tonnage 'outwards.' I give these figures
down to the first year of peace.

1777 736,234 tons 'outwards.'
1778 657,238 " "
1779 590,911 " "
1780 619,462 " "
1781 547,953 " "
1782 552,851 " "