HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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It seems not a little singular, however, that the inhabitants of the SouthSea Islands should have adopted, in the contrivance just described, a conductdiametrically opposite to that which, under the same existing circumstances,would, in all human probability, have suggested itself to an European.The latter might, at first sight, conceive the position of the outrigger towindward, one of the most violent outrages that could be committed againstreason and common sense. It, nevertheless, appears to have perfectly answeredthe intention and wishes of the inventors; but it would certainly be an ex-periment well worth making, what difference would be occasioned by fixingthe outrigger to leeward, adopting such alteration in its mechanism as should per-mit the sail to continue in its present position, which, without the removal of theshore C D, fig. 2, would be inconvenient, if not impossible. The Hollanders,whose vessels, more particularly those intended for commercial purposes, are so con-structed as to be singularly buoyant or floatsome, would consequently be renderedextremely subject to fall to leeward; to say nothing of other inconveniences underwhich they would labour when the wind were not considerably abaft the beam, hadthey not adopted in remedy of the inconvenience, a well-known contrivance, knownby the name of a lee-board. This being drawn up or let down into the water at plea-sure, according to the tack on which the vessel may happen to be (one being fittedto each side), will, from its hold on the water occasioned by its reaching whenbrought into use, considerably lower than the bottom of the vessel itself, makethat resistance to the impulse of a lateral or side wind, which not only serves tokeep the vessel upright, but also enables it to make head-way with infinitely lessdeflection, from its intended course, than would inevitably take place, were suchaddition wanting. This board being closely attached to the vessel, and serv-ing as a species of keel, might, according to common comprehension, certainlybe used on either side at pleasure; and in direct contradiction to the common prac-tice, or confined totally to one only, with infinitely less alteration of effect, thanwould be discoverable in the removal of position in the Indian outrigger. The lat-ter acts first by its weight, as before remarked, which cannot fail of having con-siderable effect in swaying over the principal vessel to windward; and, secondly,by the resistance which the*flatness of the lee-side, kept by the weight of theoutrigger nearly at a right angle with the horizon, makes to the fluid throughwdiich it passes. It must be obvious, therefore, that, were the smaller boatclosely attached to the larger, or the length of the outrigger shortened, theeffect would be materially diminished, if not annihilated ; and that, on theother hand, were the lee-board of the Hollander, which acts solely on the

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