HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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species of defence, the novelty of which is much to be doubted even at thattime, was to prevent the opponents from grappling with the vessel; or, as isalso reported, and which is far more reasonable to suppose, from setting her onfire, either by combustibles, or some less artificial and more direct means. Thepractice has to a certainty been not unfrequently adopted since that time, forexperience has often proved its utility, and the advantage resulting from it.

The ship or vessel in question is described at some length by our author, whoreports it to have been very fully manned with the most resolute and bestappointed warriors belonging to the enemy, that the hatchways and planking, aswell as the whole frame, were so thick, and well constructed, that the cannonshot from the Portuguese could with the greatest difficulty penetrate; but aftera considerable space of time had been consumed in battering, with all the gunsthey could bring to bear, some shot at length took place. The brave defendersperceiving their danger, when the vessel was on the point of sinking, and despair-ing of quarter, resolutely jumped into the sea, in the desperate hope of swimmingto the shore, which was not many miles distant; but the Portuguese pursued thedefenceless fugitives with such alacrity, that a very small number were able tomake their escape *.

The same writer (lib. viii. sect. 13.) makes mention of a vessel belonging toJava, which was of such immense magnitude, that its stern was as high fromthe surface of the water as the top-mast-head of the largest vessel in the Portu-guese fleet: but the crusaders, on their return from the Holy Land, representedtheir Saracen opponents as men of somewhat superior strength, and bearing withthem more terror, from their manners and aspect, than the rest of mankind, inorder to palliate and excuse their own want of success. Osorio adds, that hiscountrymen, finding the little impression their shot made, drew off, and com-menced a regular, though more distant cannonade, flattering themselves, that thelong continuance of their attack might effect that success which had failed toattend it when carried on more violently and rapidly. They were neverthelessdeceived ; for to use his own w'ords, the vessel was so strong, and her sides ofsuch extraordinary thickness, that the cannon shot had not more effect than ifthey had been fired against a solid flinty mass of the same magnitude.

Exaggerated as it is not impossible both these accounts may be, they never-theless afford no inconsiderable information relative to the transatlantic marine,

* Osorio’s History of Portugal, lib. vi. sect. 10.

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