The report issued by this body in September 1618 gives a sufficiently lamentable account of the condition into which the navy had fallen during the fifteen years since the death of Queen Elizabeth. It was to little use that Pett was building finer ships, when they were allowed to go to decay, through mismanagement in the dockyards, from the very day they were built. As to the scandalous defects which had been steadily increasing under the lax supervision of Nottingham, there can be no sort of question. The Commissioners, to begin with, found that no accounts had been prepared for the last four years, and they were driven to discover what the expenditure of the navy had been by the laborious process of going over all the warrants issued during that period. After what appears to have been a very fair and careful examination, they came to a decision that the money spent yearly on an average during the last four years had been £53,004, 7s. 11d. It was far more than Elizabeth had spent to maintain an efficient sea force in war-time, and yet it could not keep the navy from decay. Out of a nominal force of forty-three ships, sixteen were either non-existent or absolutely rotten. The others, though they were capable of being repaired, were in so bad a condition as to need a thorough refit, and this although the cost of the navy had been increasing rapidly. The report of the Commissioners is a model of good order and explicit convincing statement. It leaves no doubt on the mind why it was that the strength of the navy decreased as its expenses grew. The Commissioners give an account of the administration, which is now of great historical interest.
First, they draw up a list of the officers to whom the government of the navy was entrusted, showing us the whole establishment as it stood in 1618, distinguishing between the old order created by Henry VIII. and the recent additions:--
The ancient Patentees and their payments are these-- The Lord High Admiral of England £ 133 6 8 The Lieutenants of the Admiralty, which was not bestowed all Queen Elizabeth's time 322 18 4 The Treasurer of the navy for his fee, travelling charges, boat hire and clerks 220 13 4 Comptroller of the navy, the like 155 6 8 Surveyor of the navy for the like 145 6 8 Surveyors of victuals for the like 159 10 0 Clerk of the navy for the like 100 3 4 Keeper of the stores-general for the like 78 5 10 Keeper of the stores at Portsmouth 20 0 0 Three assistants to the officers 60 0 0 A master for grounding the great ships 9 2 6 Three master shipwrights (at first but two) 66 18 4 A pilot or master for the black deeps 20 0 0 _____________ Total £1491 11 8