HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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In respect to the first rates, and ships having three tier of guns, though it maybe extremely necessary that the men employed in fighting the guns.should be aslittle incommoded as possible; yet, provided proper attention has been paid tothat particular, it appears a matter of infinitely less moment, than in the classesjust mentioned, that the enlargement which has, by many competent judges,,been beheld with astonishment, and regarded with disapprobation, should be con-tinued to that height, which, to use their own words, has been considered an actof wanton extravagance. “ Were it possible,” say they, “ to add an additional tierof guns to a first rate, such augmentation of force, brought to one point, would mostprobably be found very little conducive to the interest of the combatants, or thesuccess of the contest.” Supposing even that mechanical improvements were capa-ble ot reducing the inconvenience arising from the extraordinary weight ot thecordage, the sails, and the anchors, modern experience has proved, that themasts of the Santissima Trinidada *, the largest ship in existence, were no morecapable of resisting the effects of cannon shot, than those of the most inferior ship,or vessel, either in the same fleet, or of that which was opposed to it. The accumu-lated inconvenience that must of necessity overwhelm a ship of the above descrip-tion when dismasted, or by any inferior disasterrendered unmanageable, must be tooobvious to render anv argument or explanation necessary.

The excellence which the British slups, of recent construction, have been found,by their navigators, to possess, seems to.point out that very little deviation from theirprinciples can ever become necessary, unless some new, and hitherto unthought of,change should take place in naval tactics, or some wonderful discovery, of whichthe present race entertains not the most distant idea. Notwithfianding, therefore,national arrogance and prejudice may, on some occasions, ridiculously figure toitself cncrease of consequence from the possession of a nominal strength, which canonly intimidate cowards, the country that pays a proper attention to its own greatnessof character will reject as ridiculous and disgraceful, every attempt towards imposingon the fears of an antagonist by a boast of power, which, should any necessity causeits employment, must inevitably shrink, under circumstances extremely likely to.take place, from that duty which it has presumptuously professed to perform.

* The Guillaume Tell, captured from the French on the 30th of March, 1S00, and now called theMalta, was attacked with fucli fuccess by the Penelope frigate, that although of nearly equal dimen-sions with the largest British built first rate then in service, the fire of so very inferior an opponent:deprived the mighty antagonist of its main and mizen topmasts.

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