HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

203

ter, far exceeded what took place in the former class; but the reason was naturaland obvious. The stake of the individual was trivial, and though the proposedalteration should turn out to be useless or even injurious, the loss would haveproved of immaterial consequence. On the other hand, the introduction of anynew system or contrivance into the roval navy till repeated experiment had con-firmed its utility, might have been followed by the most fatal public disasters : sothat the above may stand as a very sufficient reason for the apparent delay withwhich a variety of inventions and improvements in the art of ship-building havebeen adopted, which have been found so extremely useful and beneficial, as tocause wonder and admiration in some persons, because the general use did notinstantaneously follow the promulgation of them.

America, and the few districts in Asia which condescended to imitate and fol-low European practice, appeared totally in the rank of pupils, and consequentlyventured not to deviate materially from the instructions and practice of theirseparate tutors. In respect to numbers, the marine of America began to ac-quire consequence rapidly; the different materials necessary to the purposesof its creation were all of them produced in the country itself, and in greaterabundance, perhaps, than in any other on the face of the globe. The inferiority,however, of the timber, owing to causes already assigned *, and its very rapiddecay, tended very materially to check that mercantile consequence, whichBritish America would otherwise, in all probability, have soon acquired, inspite of every obstacle. The construction of ships of war, except priva-teers, or such as should be intended for the public service of Great Britainitself, was restrained as a matter of course, and about the year 1748, a ship of 40guns was built for the British navy at Boston, which was called the America, inhonour of the country ; but being found, on its arrival at Portsmouth, totally un-fit for the public service, was never again fitted for sea, and it is almost un-necessary to add, that the experiment just mentioned was never again repeated.

The quantity of timber with which the country, juft mentioned, abounds, andthe very extended value of it, when transported to many parts of Europe, not-withstanding its generally admitted inferiority of quality, gave birth to a sin-gular description of vessels, which, owing to the miserable fate which attendedmany of them, became soon exploded and laid aside. The method was simple,and, had it been found safe also, might have proved of singular advantage to thecountry. A quantity of timber was felled, and, being roughly squared, was con-

* See page 171, etseq.

Dd 3

veyed