HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

207

peculiar construction, and the singular manner in which the few guns they car-ried were mounted; for, their elevation above the surface of the water being lessthan in any which were then used by the more polished nations, their attackswere extremely difficult to be resisted, even by a force apparently so superior asto throw almost into absolute contempt their impending attack. Constructed,in a great measure, on the same principle with the modern gun-boat, their shotskimmed the surface of the water, scarcely ever failing to take place in such ele-vated objects as the ships which they attacked were, while the cannon from thelatter in vain displayed an impotent fury, it being almost next to a miracle, iftheir balls proved effectual against objects so much below what is scientificallycalled the line of fire. To counteract the mischievous assaults of such daring foes,the British East-India company soon found it expedient and necessary to cause asufficient number of vessels of the same description to be built and equipped. Notthat the marine of Angria was solely confined to grabs, but the few ships which,with his accumulation of wealth and consequence, he had the assiduity to col-lect, were of force not superior to a British frigate. As the grabs form a par-ticular species, or description of vessels, peculiar to India, it becomes neces-sary to give some detail of their form and properties. Built in conformity tothose principles which uniformly actuate the mind, and direct the movementsof all nations, with whom piracy has become so interwoven with governmentitself as to become a state measure; swiftness in sailing, so as to quickly overtakethe chace, and the means of retreating from an antagonist, who may chance toprove fuperior in force, have been the only points materially attended to. Someof them are of dimensions which may be considered by no means contemptible,even by Europeans. The fmalier are of about one hundred and fifty tons burthen,from whence they increase to upwards of three hundred tons, while there aresome which even exceed that burthen. They are extremely low and fiat in thewater ; a circumstance which, as just before remarked, not only renders them pe-culiarly fitted fer the annoyance of a vessel built according to the European me-thod, and consequently rising considerably above the surface of the sea, but alsopreserves them in a very great degree from the shot of the adversaries, who fromtheir superior elevation find it extremely difficult to strike with any effect an objectso much below them. They are of great breadth, particularly in the midship ; aform which enables them with safety to carry a press of sail, even though the windshould rise almost into a tempest, while, at the same time, the sharper contourof the fore body, and the clear run of the stern, or after part, enable them to passwith considerable swiftness through the water, especially if it be smooth, and thewind moderate. In addition to the already recited points, the flatness of. their

floor,