286

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

representation of the same ship, which is taken from a picture of it painted byVandevelde, immediately after the restoration of King Charles the Second.

There remains, however, just sufficient similitude between them, to establishas a fact, that the intention of these brother artists was directed to the sameobject, though in the representation of it they have so widely diverged fromeach other. It might indeed be suggested by persons who wish to excuse theinexpertness of Hey wood, that the superior appearance of Vandevelde’s de-lineation arose from various improvements made in the decorative partssome years after the vessel was launched; yet it is very certain, were thisexcuse admitted in its fullest extent, that the form, general outline, and numberof guns, as given by Heywood *, never could have been correct, and on theother hand, Vandevelde’s picture is so close an imitation of the very descriptiongiven bv the former, as to leave no doubt in the world of its accuracy.

The manner in which the materials were collected for the construction ofthis ship, which far surpassed any other built in Great Britain previous tothat time, are the more curious, because they appear in exact conformity tothose principles which were recommended in the report made in the 18thTear of the preceding reign, and which have been already inserted •j'. Fre-quently has a renewal of the same system been proposed and urged withconsiderable strength by persons who probably were uninformed that it everhad been before practised, but the existence and antiquity of the custom is'proved, beyond controversy, by the following extract from the journal ofMr. Pett, the builder.

" I (observes Phineas Pett, in his journal) May 14, 1635, took leave of hisMajesty at Greenwich, with his command to hasten into the north to provide andprepare the frame timber, plank and treenels, for the new ship to be built at Wool-wich. 1 left my sons to see the moulds, and other necessaries, shipped in a New-castle ship, hired on purpose to transport our provisions and workmen to New-castle. Attending the bishop of Durham with my commissions and instructions,whom 1 found wonderfully ready to assist us with other knights, gentlemen, and:justices of the county, who took care to order present carriage, so that in a short

* In the first print, tiie vessel in question is represented as having four masts, and in the second onlythree. It is not impossible both are correct in this respect: the use of the former number not havingbeen totally laid aside on board vessels of such superior size as the Sovereign, when it was first launched,though subsequent experience caused the custom to be exploded long before the time when Vandeveldepainted his picture

f See page 249 .

time