HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

35 *

Scliank, “ it rarely happens, under the present system of constructing ships,but that fleets, or even small squadrons, entirely composed of vessels built purpose-ly for war, are separated, or, at best, very inconveniently and injuriously dis-persed, in consequence of laying to till the return of daylight. A short ob-servation, attentively made, of the difference in drift between a frigate anda ship of the line, will confirm this fact so fully as to shew, that the misfortuneswhich have frequently arisen from the separation of fleets, have not beenowing, in the smallest degree, to the inattention of the officers who commandedthem.”

Although it must be admitted, that, in the case of a convoy under the pro-tection of ships of war, the merchant vessels, or transports, may not in generalbe able to sail so fast as the former, yet they may be, by the use of slidingkeels, totally prevented from falling to leeward; an inconvenience of infinitelygreater consequence and moment, than that of being left astern. In the lattercase, the delay of a few hours at most, till the vessels can get up, is the worstthat can take place ; in the former, their absolute separation, or, perhaps, a tenfolddelay, may happen in defiance of every exertion, made by all persons concerned,to prevent, or palliate it. Experiments made on board the Trial Cutter, built byorder of the British Government, prove, that a ship or cutter, having all hersliding keels up, will drive directly to leeward, leaving its wake over the weatherbeam ; but that, in proportion as the keels are lowered, the drift will be lessened,and she will gradually forereach, so that, when they shall be all completely down,and the vessel put under steerage, she will run a-head from one to five knotsan hour, according to circumstances *.

Hitherto

* The properties of this system, and the promised advantages resulting from the adoption of it,cannot be placed in a clearer point of view than by the following official documents, which speak tooclearly for themselves to render any comment or observation necessary.

Certificate of the Officers of the Trial Cutter respecting her Qualities.

We, the officers of his Majesty’s Cutter the Trial, do hereby certify, that the said cutter with threesliding keels, does, from the effect of the keels, tack, wear, steer upon a wind, sail fast, work to wind-ward, and hold a good wind ; that the keels work with ease, and are not attended with any incon-venience in working of the vessel: and we also certify, that we see no difference in heaving up ordown the keels in blowing weather, or in a sea ; but that they work equally well in all sorts of weather,that these keels are in our opinion a great improvement, and are still capable of greater improvements.We further certify, that when die vessel rolls deep in a high sea, we do not observe that the keels

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