82 REVIEW. 



have misunderstood the arguments which he refers to, and the 

 other, more explicit, and positive part, which Capt. P. has 

 .quoted, must have escaped Mr. H.'s notice. 



The question however appears to us to be so simple, that it is 

 impossible a difference of opinion can exist between authors who 

 have attentively examined it ; and Bouguer, and Chapman, the 

 celebrated Swedish naval architect, have evidently but one opini- 

 on on the subject : for, in a quotation which Capt. P. has given. 

 Chapman says, "the point of stability or metacentre is that point 

 in the vertical longitudinal section, which divides the ship into 

 two equal and similar parts;" and which is in strict accordance 

 with what Capt. P. has quoted from Bouguer. And although 

 Mr. Henwood denies that the metacentre of Bouguer is coinci- 

 dent with the before mentioned plane, unless the angle of heeling 

 is infinitely small, he does not appear to imagine that the meta- 

 centre of Chapman is ever out of that plane ; which is rather 

 extraordinary, considering the simplicity of the question ; and we 

 think that Captain Pearse has clearly proved Mr. H. to be in 

 error. 



At page 8, Captain P. explains a theory by which Mr. II. 

 has attem pted to prove, " that the axis of rotation of any body 

 whatever, acted on by any forces, must always pass through its 

 centre of gravity." But, Captain P. very properly observes, that 

 this theory is only applicable to bodies that are free, and which 

 move in free space; and proves, by a very simple illustration, the 

 fallacy of Mr. H.'s argument. For this gentleman, in following 

 such a theory, cannot have recollected that the motions of a ship 

 must be controlled by the action of the water, or have considered 

 tliat the action of the water may compel it to turn round some 

 other point than its centre of gravity. And Captain P., in a 

 preceding part of his paper, shews plainly, that a ship will turn 

 round the point, which the action of the water determines to be 

 the place of the metacentre, with more facility than round any 

 other: because, by turning round that point, a ship will displace 

 less water than by turning round any other, consequently find 

 less resistance, and therefore, the ship not only turns round that 

 point because it can do so with most facility, but, likewise, 

 because it is compelled to do so by the resistance of tlie water. 



The arguments and illustrations which Captain P. continues to 

 give, all tend to shew the fallacy of Mr. IL's reasoning, and to 

 prove that the axis of rotation of a ship passes through the meta- 

 centre. And, at page 17, he gives an illustration of an experiment 



