HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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of attention was paid to the disposition of them, that has ever since that timebeen uniformly practiced, a circumstance which affords an undeniable proof,that, however improvement is admissible on most occasions, there are someinventions which defy the farther power of human ingenuity, and burst forth,even at their very birth, in all the splendour of consummate perfection. Thoseguns which appear on the quarter and forecastle, were either sakers (five pounders)minions (four pounders) or falcons (two pounders) all which appear to have beenmounted in a very different manner from those on the lower decks *. Theirports were circular holes, cut through the sides of the vessel, so small as scarcelyto admit the guns being traversed in the smallest degree, or fired otherwise thanstrait forward. This fashion of circular ports prevailed in Britain, and othercountries, till after the revolution; but they were latterly enlarged so as toobviate the principal inconvenience which at first attended the use of them.The same practice was observed with regard to such other small cannon aswere intended for the defence of the ship’s deck, in case the enemyproved successful.in an attempt to board, and for that reason were mountedon the aftermost part of the forecastle. The two pieces of ordnance, whichappear one on each side of the rudder, being meant solely for defence, in caseof pursuit from a superior foe, were very properly stiled the stern chase : thesewere of greater calibre and weight than any others in the ship, being eitherdemi cannon, nearly of the same bore with a modern thirty-two pounder, orcannon petronels, which were twenty-four pounders.

The masts were five in number "j-, a usage which continued in the first rates,without alteration, till nearly the end of the reign of king Charles the First :they were without division, in conformity with those which had been in unim-proved use from the earliest ages. This inconvenience it was very soon foundindispensibly necessary to remedy, by the introduction of separate'joints, or top-masts, which could be lowered in case of need, an improvement that tended tothe safety of the vessel, which might very frequently, but for that prudent precau-tion, have been much endangered by the violence of the wind. The rigging was

* The minions and sakers on skids, or blocks of wood, hollowed in the middle to. receive them.The falcons, when used in ships of the largest dimensions, on stocks, not materially differing from thos?of the modern swivels.

f four of them upright, forming a right angle, or nearly so, with the keel, and one fixed, obliquely,which has, in later times, received the name of the boltsprit.

VOL. II.

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simple,