HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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s-peak in plain nautical terms, a vessel may be said to have more or less stability in pro-portion to her making more or less lee way. Stiffness implies only that abstract partof stability which signifies such resistance made by the hub, in consequence of thesurrounding fluid pressing upon it, to the action of the wind on the sails, as shallserve to keep the vessel, as far as may be, in an upright position, the first mentionedproperty is to be derived from the form of the ship’s hull, the second on the positionof the central gravity, or to use a plainer term, the mode of stowing, and loadingthe ship. To render this point as intelligible as possible, let a vessel, consideredfrom her form, and the actual expeiience of her excellence in that respect, aspossessed of great stability, have the whole of her bottom filled with commoditiesof the light', st nature as high as her extreme breadth, let her then receive asmuch lead on board as will bring her down to her load water mark. If thevessel were sent to sea in this condition, ’twould be a miracle when compelled to sail'close upon a wind, if she did not overset, but, if the cargo were transposed, thevery same vessel might stand unrivalled, in that very point where her deficiencyhad been, just before, so much complained of.* The theory of this proof willbe very clearly explained by the mid-ship sections A and B, where in A thecentral gravity being placed at a, enables the resistance of the water against thesection of the hull b c, to preserve a situation almost complecely upright. In Bthe central gravity being raised to d, it acts in conjunction with the wind, andcontributes with all its might to raise the section of the side e/out of its properposition, by which means the vessel becomes crank and unsafe. In this arrange-ment, however, as well as in every other, there is a proper medium to be pre-served ; for though if the central gravity is placed too high, the vessel, as already

* So extremely unacquainted with-this point, or so inconsiderate relating to it, were even experiencedseamen, a few years since, that a French vessel, captured in 1779, and considered one of the finest formsever seen at that time, and against which no objection, either from theory or experience, was adduced,except that of being rather too short, was purchased by some merchants, taken immediately into dock,and lengthened. The vessel was then laden, under the inspection and direction of the master, for a WestIndia voyage; the cargo was precisely of the description above given, and as injudiciously arranged..The consequence was, that the ship, having proceeded to sea on a very fine calm day, without any appre-hension being entertained of the consequences, was overtaken by a gale of wind within a veiy few hoursand very narrowly.escaped oversetting. Having made for the first port, the master, under the first par-oxysms of fear, was on the point of protesting against the vessel as unfit for sea, and probably would ■have done it, had not a person professing greater sagacity been informed of the circumstance, and advisedthe transposition of the cargo. The effect was considered almost magical, and the master put to sea inperfect confidence, though somewhat ashamed of his former absurdity.

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