HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH.

Principles of Marine Architecture adopted by the different European Powers , atthe End of the seventeenth Century—Force of the French Marine in 1692—Improvements made by England in the Construction of Ships of War—Statementof the various Classes of Ships required for different Purposes—Institution ofa Philosophical Enquiry by Sir R. Haddock, Comptroller of the Navy, into thesolid and actual Contents of a Ship of each Class, or Rate, compared with theestimated Tonnage—Statement of the Impropriety of Maxims then in Practice , inregard to the Form of Ships—Argument and Reasons assigned by the Projectorin Defence of his own Opinion—Calculation of the actual Tonnage of Ships ineach Class, from a \th Rate downwards—Dimensions of the d^th, 5 th, and6 th Rates—Length and Diameter of their Masts and Yards—fournal ofPhineas Pett, in an official Excursion made by him for the Purpose ofpurchasingTimber;—the great Scarcity which prevailed with regard to that of BritishGrowth—inferior Quality of the Foreign Plank—Complaints of Vessels being builtof too small Dimensions in Proportion to their Rate and Force—the System insome Measure defended by Sir Cloudesley Shovel, together with the generalOpinion that was held on the Subject.

r I ''HE principles of Marine Architecture adopted by the greater part of thoseEuropean states which were dignified, during the latter part of the seven-teenth century, with the appellation of maritime powers, differed and divergedfrom each other less widely, at that time, than they did at any preceding period,or perhaps than they ever will do at any subsequent one. Venice, who had ledthe fashion, and certainly w r as the first contriver of that extension which con-verted the galley into what was called a ship of war, had proceeded, from thebeginning, on the principle of the square tuck, and the highly elevated stern.Spain, her first pupil, followed the first example; and all other countries heldthe knowlesre of their instructor in too much reverence to deviate from hermaxims, or even to enquire into the propriety of them. The same systemwas uninterruptedly pursued by almost all countries and states in Europe,Britain excepted, till nearly the end of the seventeenth century. Henry theEighth had, as a young scholar, acquiesced in the propriety ot his tutor’slaws; but his successors, ere fifty years had passed over, were arrogant enoughto dissent from this general practice, and introduce a material alteration withVox.. II. 3 P regard