[MARINE]. Recueil de 12 ordonnances du Roi concernant la régie et l'administration générale de la Marine. September 27, 1776. Paris, De l'Imprimerie royale, 1776-1777. In-4, contemporary boards, 160-23-4-4-8-4-4-14-12-6-2 and 3pp. Spine stripped, the boards remain solid and the interior is fresh. Interesting collection of ordinances that led to the administrative reorganization of the Royal Navy, enabling France to compete with England in the 1780s. The 1776 reform went further than that of 1765. The functions of naval administrative officers were abolished, and replaced by those of stewards and commissioners of ports and arsenals, responsible for administering the resources of military ports. From this point of view, the 1776 reform also appeared to be a means of purging the administration of the Navy of its bad elements.

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