HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

291

in those remote ages, when Europe itself had, comparatively speaking, scarcelybegan to emerge from the rudest state of barbarism, in almost erery branch ofscience, enabled the self-taught Chinese to explore, as it is generally admitted hedid, the face of the ocean, and construct vessels which, even at the present mo-ment, were their burthen only to be considered, as the standard of perfection,would be deemed, by the most scientific nations, by no means inconsiderable,but fit for- every purpose that could be required of them.

The Chinese are said, by modern travellers, to build vessels which trade as faras Manilla, Japan, and Batavia, the burthen of which frequently amounts toeight hunched, or even a thousand tons. All well informed writers agree, as al-ready stilted, that no alteration has been made in the naval architecture of thisextraordinary people for several centuries past; and it has excited their wonder,in no small degree, that though Canton is visited by the ships of various nations,the superior construction of which, it might be apprehended, must be neces-sarily acknowleged, yetthey have never thought proper to adopt any improvementwhatever in the art. It is rational, however, to believe, that if no innovation hasbeen made in the form and rigging of their vessels, the size and burden of them,has been nevertheless permitted to increase, with the spirit ot trade and foreigncommerce which the example of Europeans cannot but have diffused. Thissupposition will reconcile the account just given of the tonnage of the modernChinese vessels, with the seemingly contradictory authority of former visitors, fromwhom it has been understood that the capacity of the Chinese vessels, or junks,never exceeded three hundred tons.

To the eyes of Europeans, these vessels, whether armed or commercial, are, inform, little varying from flat-bottomed boats, or that particular species called, byEuropeans, punts, with two or three masts. 1 hose which are built and equipped forwarfare, as might be expected, somewhat better formed for alertness and dispatchthan such as are destined for trade alone ; but, in other respects, the mode of deco-ration and general design are nearly similar; the latter being provided with ports,though seldom with ordnance. The most remarkable features in their hull are theabrupt and fiat termination of the prow, together with the total absence of a bow-sprit. In the vessel represented on the annexed plate, a.strangely fashioned contri-vance answering the purposes of.a l windlass,.is; affixed tq the outside of the bow, bymeans ofwhich the anchor, is weighed ; ; but,this- appendage is hv no means univer-sal. The prevailing idea among this, as, indeed, among almosbtvery- other people,

A respecting