HISTORY* OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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non.—Remarks on the trivial Variation in the Vessels built in the different South'Sea Islands, though far distant from, and totally destitute of all Intercourse witheach other.

rri H E account or history of the European navies being brought to a conclu-JL sion, it is necessary next to give a short description of those subordinate de-partments, if the term be allowable, into which the vessels of the Asiatic, and otherregions, are capable of being divided. Respecting America, the shipping of whichquarter of the world, perhaps, exceeds that of the other two, Africa and Alia, it isscarcely necessary to add a single word. The aboriginal vessels *, and those inmodern use, which may be considered as natives of the country, have already beensufficiently, though briefly, described -fv through a necessity which may serve toexcuse, or, at least, palliate the anachronism. Those of more modern constructionvary so little from the fashion or practice of the different countries in Europe, fromwhence the people who are the constructors of them, have proceeded, that thevariations which immaterially affect every country, Britain excepted, are neces-sarily included under the general head of modern improvement and practice.

Africa, though not in the same predicament in respect to colonization, isequally so with respect to its stamping, and the more humble branches which arenecessarily comprisable undfer the general subject of marine architecture. Thesavage nations, (with anxiety, and no small apprehension of censure, is the termused), inhabitants of the western coast, possess not a single vessel exceeding inconsequence the canoe of the aboriginal Indian, and the peculiarities which distin-guish those of the different countries, have been related in the same place with those ofthe former. Destitute of that species of ambition which excites the lust of foreignconquests, or of soliciting any commercial intercourse not directly sought withthem on their own territories, the dusky natives of Caffiaria have passed on, tp thepresent time, in an uninterrupted scene of contiguous, or, as it might be fairlytermed, domestic warfare, confined to inroads reciprocally made on the respectiveterritories of each other, to which, as plunder, and the hope of making captives,seem the only incentive, so are they gratified completely without any existingnecessity, whatever, of their entering into any nautical,pursuits.

A different line of conduct renders it, however, inexpedient, and, improper toinclude, in the same class, the northern, and, if it be not, a satire qn tjie term,

* The. Cannes..

+ See. vpl. I,.

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