"... most notably the British and French as both background material and to demonstrate that the French weren't helpless at sea. The effort the French took in rebuilding their navy after the disasters of the Seven Years' War, ..."

In an effort to gain a better view of "The Period", I thought to read a bit more in depth about the so-called 'Seven Year's War'.

In that effort, I came across Jonathan R. Dull's The French Navy and the Seven Year's War - 2005, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0-8032-1731-5 or 978-0-8032-6024-5

I recommend it as a fascinating account of a navy as an instument of national policy as related to commerce, colonies, long-range training of a seaman class, maintenance of a fleet of ships, and the financial struggle between the army and the navy.

For me, it threw a whole new light on the French navy in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era.

Best regards, BaldJim