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HISTORY OF 1 MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

moment be considered in its omginal and almost totally unimproved state, it isdrawing a very fair inference, cconsidering the subject in a philosophical light, tosay that the human mind, directced to the same point, has generally effected its pur-pose nearly in the same way, whether the artist was an aboriginal Briton, anEsquimaux, or an inhabitant of New Zealand. Partial variations must indeed beadmitted, but these are occasioned merely by the difference of situation and cli-mates, as well as the peculiar productions of the countries themselves. The inha-bitant of the Labrador coast cowers his Canoe with the skin of the seal, on whichhe feeds, because the frozen region, in which he is destined to live, affords him noother material so fit for his purpoose : others whom we might with ease select, andwho are placed by Providence iin a more genial latitude, have been wise enoughto use either the bark of trees, (curiously joined, a contrivance to which they havebeen driven, through the want of implements, or tools sufficiently hard to enablethem to make use of the trees tlhemselves; while the inhabitants of countries for-tunately or ingeniously supplied! with these, as a more durable and useful substance,better adapted to their purpose,, have carefully seized the opportunity of workingsuch light and buoyant woods aas nature hath furnished them with, into their rudeand uncultivated first attempts iin the science of Marine Architecture.

The difficulty of ascertainimg who were the original inventors of the art hasbeen already pointed out. Tlhe nations which stand foremost as joint candi-dates for the honour, appear tto have been the ^Egyptians and Phoenicians; atleast it is to them that the iinvention is ascribed by authors of the highestantiquity, as well as credit, on tthe score of affording the most authentic informa-tion. The Nile, which interrsected their country, presented to the former aless dangerous opportunity of making the first rude attempts in the scienceof navigation than the sea itseilf did; while the enterprising spirit, that appearspeculiarly to have marked the Phoenician character, as well as the advantageoussituation of their two principad cities, Tyre and Sidon, urged them, by gradualsteps, to bolder enterprises, whiich raised them to an unrivalled pre-eminency, asnavigators, among the natioms which surrounded them, and enabled them toengross, almost entirelv to thermselves, the commerce of the universe.

The following description is given us of the original method used by the^Egyptians in constructing vesssels, and it will forcibly strengthen the observa-tion we have already made, tlhat all primitive attempts in the art we are aboutto treat of, have been regulate;d or extended more by natural caufes and conse-quences than by any wonderfurl exertion produced from the mind of the artificer

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