William assembled a large invasion fleet and an army gathered from Normandy and all over France, including large contingents from Brittany and Flanders. He mustered his forces at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and was ready to cross the Channel by about 12 August. The exact numbers and composition of William's force are unknown. A contemporary document claims that William had 726 ships, but this may be an inflated figure. Figures given by contemporary writers are highly exaggerated, varying from 14,000 to 150,000 men. Modern historians have offered a range of estimates for the size of William's forces: 7000-8000 men, 1000-2000 of them cavalry; 10,000-12,000 men; 10,000 men, 3000 of them cavalry; or 7500 men. The army would have consisted of a mix of cavalry, infantry, and archers or crossbowmen, with about equal numbers of cavalry and archers and the foot soldiers equal in number to the other two types combined. Although later lists of companions of William the Conqueror are extant, most are padded with extra names; only about 35 individuals can be reliably claimed to have been with William at Hastings. William of Poitiers states that William obtained Pope Alexander II's consent for the invasion, signified by a papal banner, along with diplomatic support from other European rulers. Although Alexander did give papal approval to the conquest after it succeeded, no other source claims papal support before the invasion. William's army assembled during the summer while an invasion fleet in Normandy was constructed. Although the army and fleet were ready by early August, adverse winds kept the ships in Normandy until late September. There were probably other reasons for William's delay, including intelligence reports from England revealing that Harold's forces were deployed along the coast. William would have preferred to delay the invasion until he could make an unopposed landing.

Where did WIlliam go first, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme or Hastings?
A: Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
Q: Facing their second West Coast game in as many weeks, the Patriots elected to practice at San Jos&#233; State University and to stay in Santa Clara, California in advance of flying to San Diego to face the Chargers in a Sunday night game at Qualcomm Stadium. On the first play of the game, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 48-yard pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson that brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 32-yard line. Three incomplete passes by Rivers from the Patriots' 7-yard line set up a 25-yard Nate Kaeding field goal that gave the Chargers a 3-0 lead. On their first possession, the Patriots reached the Chargers' 31-yard line, where Gostkowski missed a 48-yard field goal, his first such miss of the season. Four plays later, Rivers hit wide receiver Malcom Floyd on a 49-yard touchdown catch that extended the Chargers' lead to 10-0. The Patriots punted on their ensuing possession; the Chargers' Darren Sproles returned the punt 28 yards to start the Chargers' next drive from the Patriots' 45-yard line. A failed third-down conversion by the Chargers set up a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Kaeding. An exchange of punts early in the second quarter gave the Patriots starting field position at the Chargers' 43-yard line; seven plays later, Gostkowski hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the Chargers' lead to 10-3. After a Chargers punt set up the Patriots' next drive to begin from their own 6-yard line, the Patriots went three-and-out and a Jerod Mayo facemask penalty on the resulting punt gave the Chargers the ball at the Patriots' 31-yard line. Four plays later, Rivers extended the Chargers' lead to 17-3 on a 4-yard pass to Jackson. The Patriots began their next drive with a Marques Harris strip-sack of Cassel that was recovered by offensive tackle Mark LeVoir; the Patriots then ran out the clock to end the first half. Starting from their own 22-yard line to begin the second half, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on eight-straight Cassel passes or scrambles, the last of which was a 28-yard catch by Morris. However, the Chargers denied the Patriots the final yard needed for the touchdown on three straight downs, and on fourth down from the 1-yard line, Cassel was sacked to turn the ball over on downs. A 59-yard reception by Jackson on the second play of the Chargers' next drive as well as a 32-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Hobbs brought the Chargers to the Patriots' 1-yard line, where tight end Antonio Gates caught a 1-yard pass from Rivers that extended the Chargers' lead to 24-3. On the next play from scrimmage, Cassel was intercepted by cornerback Quentin Jammer, giving the Chargers the ball on the Patriots' 26-yard line; Kaeding would later hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 27-3 lead. A three-and-out by the Patriots on their next possession led to a 13-play, 77-yard Chargers drive that ended with the Patriots not allowing the Chargers past the Patriots' 5-yard line on three straight plays. On fourth down, Kaeding completed a 23-yard field goal that made the score 30-3 in favor of the Chargers early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots' next drive spanned six plays and lost two yards total, ending in a 23-yard Hanson punt on 4th-and-25. However, the Chargers gave the ball right back to the Patriots on the first play of their ensuing possession, a fumble by running back Jacob Hester. Starting from the Chargers' 46-yard line, the Patriots drove to the Chargers' 1-yard line on seven plays, four of which were Faulk runs, and then scored on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run that cut the Chargers' lead to 30-10 with just over five minutes to play in the game. After a Chargers punt, the Patriots moved the ball into the red zone in the final minutes but no further to end the game and drop the Patriots' record to 3-2.
Who caught the first pass?

A: Vincent Jackson
According to Paul Bairoch, since the end of the 18th century, the United States has been "the homeland and bastion of modern protectionism". In fact, the United States never adhered to free trade until 1945. For the most part, the "Jeffersonians" strongly opposed it. In the 19th century, statesmen such as Senator Henry Clay continued Hamilton's themes within the Whig Party under the name "American System." The opposition Democratic Party contested several elections throughout the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s in part over the issue of the tariff and protection of industry. In the U.S., the Democratic Party favored moderate tariffs used for government revenue only, while the Whigs favored higher protective tariffs to protect favored industries. The economist Henry Charles Carey became a leading proponent of the "American System" of economics. This mercantilist "American System" was opposed by the Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan. The fledgling Republican Party led by Abraham Lincoln, who called himself a "Henry Clay tariff Whig", strongly opposed free trade and implemented a 44-percent tariff during the Civil War—in part to pay for railroad subsidies and for the war effort, and to protect favored industries.William McKinley  stated the stance of the Republican Party  as thus:

What party did Henry Clay belong?
A:
the Whig Part