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HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

means of evading them, than exist at present, scarcely less destructive than themore refined and perfect machine introduced into modern use under the samename. So perfectly were they found to answer the purpose to which they wereapplied, that although every other species of marine contrivance, whether in-tended in defence against, or for the annoyance of an enemy, has undergonea rapid variety of alteration and improvement, the machines in question havevaried so little in their equipment, that it will be found unnecessary to enterinto any farther detail of a vessel of the same description, till the historyreaches a period more than fifteen hundred years subsequent to the Chris-tian aera.

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