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beams should be prolonged a little beyond theoutside gunwales, where railings should he fixed.The interior width of the platform will thus beabout 18 feet. It may be carried so near to theends of the boat as to be made about 20 feetlong. Upon this space 72 men may be placed,and the buoyancy, or power of floatation of theraft at an immersion of 2 feet, bears such relationto the area of its platform, that it may safely beloaded with 70 infantry, or 40 cavalry, or 4field guns, at a time.

I do not lay down the preceding constructionas for a perfect vessel. The dimensions andother details of execution, may be modified andimproved; but inasmuch as the expedient ismade up of materials and methods which havebeen successfully, though severally used, I pre-sent them as highly susceptible of useful appli-cation by the ingenuity, talent, and knowledgeof local circumstances, of officers who may referto these pages in India ; or who may, any-where, find themselves acting under circum-stances where expedients, in default of regularmeans, become necessary.

Should rafts of such vessels be used as flyingbridges, it will be necessary to provide, in addi-tion, a vertical plane on the tide-ward sideupon which the current may act. In this case