HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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passage of rivers. Lintres, small flat bottomed boats, so called from the Greekword Xtivoi, signifying a vat. Ratiariae, vessels answering to the descrip-tion of modern lighters, not improbably the first essay towards improvementon the caudicae, or rafts; the name appearing to imply, that the modern term,now used, is thence derived. Catascopium, a scout, or advice boat, from <rxo7r<aa,video , to spy, or to look out.

These, with a few others which we might with very little industry select,formed the catalogue of the ancient civil, or commercial marine. Some of theirvessels were of wonderful magnitude, if we may credit the testimony of authors.In particular, Hiero king of Syracuse, is said to have possessed one, intended forthe sole purpose of carrying merchandize, which was of four thousand tons burthen:and the ^Egyptians, at a still earlier period, built a ship, which they called theIsis, that was an hundred and eighty feet in length, forty-five in breadth, and forty-three in perpendicular height, from the upper deck to the bottom of the pump-well *. The inhabitants of Alexandria were also much noticed, in ages some-what later, on account of the immense size of the vessels which they constructedfor the same species of service as that last-mentioned.

From the foregoing accounts we may fairly conclude, after making all possibleallowance for the extravagant and hyperbolical fancy of ancient writers, that thescience of shipbuilding very rapidly advanced, in some particular countries,soon after its first discovery; for though we may be sceptics enough to doubtsome particulars, still there will remain behind firm and immoveable facts, fullysufficient to convince us, that it must, in point of strength at least, have beenconducted on fixed and determinate principles, established bv close attention, andby no indifferent experience. The principal proportions, if those of the Isis are to,be taken as a pattern, differed not, as we have already shewn, very materially fromthose even of our own times : but we are much in the dark as to any other of thosemore minute particulars, the knowlege of which W'ould enable us to form that per-fect representation of their vessels, w'hich future ages, no matter how remote, willbe able to amuse themselves with doing, of those built at the present time, pro-

* The dimensions given of this vessel do not differ materially from those of the first rates built at theend of the last century, except that it was rather longer in proportion to its breadth. We calculateits burthen to have been about nineteen hundred tons; frpm whence it is evident how unwarily hyper-bolical the ancients sometimes were in their reports, and in none more, than in the assertion they have trans-mitted to us concerning this Leviathan, which they would fain persuade us was capable of carrying as muchwheat, for which purpose site was built, as would have supplied all Greece for twelve months.

Yol. I. D

vided'