of Steam-Power in Navigation. 241 



near enoupjh to veer in a boat or raft to save life ; and in others they could 

 either lay out anchors, or if the water was too deep, be themselves harnessed 

 to a wreck, and bring it off, when no other force could possibly be applied 

 to it. 



Again, it is not probable that a large steam-engine can ever be embarked 

 to advantage in a man-of-war. Steam-frigates have been successively tried in 

 America, in England for the service of Greece, and more recently in France : 

 they have uniformly failed, even for holiday work : when the extreme dan- 

 ger of opening a magazine on board of them, while a blazing fire is under 

 their boilers, and the chance of their being disabled by a single random shot, are 

 further considered, there seems to be no inducement to repeat the experi- 

 ment ; and even the large steam-boats wliich have been of late years kept at 

 our dock -yards, and occasionally also sent on detached services, are but of li- 

 mitetl utility, — most convenient when they can be applied, but expensive, 

 and, from the quantity of fuel which they require, scarcely to be kept at all, 

 unless on the home stations. If, however, the value of even the lowest 

 powers, suitably embarked, were duly appreciated, and, in addition to these, if 

 every ship was supplied, as a part of her furniture, with a two, three, four, 

 six, or eight horse-power engine, according to her rate, and with a light clever 

 flat fitted to receive it when required, an immense step would be gained in 

 the application of steam to naval purposes. In a calm, these engines, even 

 alone, would be found of the greatest service to their respective ships ; and 

 they could be worked night and day, without fatigue to the crews, who at 

 present are knocked up altogether, whatever the emergency, by a few hours* 

 towing. They would thus give an advantage to large ships i)osses8ed of 

 them, over the small craft usually employed in privateering, piracy, and 

 smuggling, which would go far of itself to put these down. In a fleet, two or 

 three together would do almost any thing which a powerful tug could do, 

 without the embarrassment of having to study such a vessel in blowing wea- 

 ther, so as to keep company with her. On blockade service, they would bet- 

 ter enable a squadron to resist a steam force sent against it in light weather, 

 than one or two large boats, and would not be so liable to be disabled by a 

 few random shot. And in watering and provisioning ships, in laying out an- 

 chors when a-shore ; or, were the same system applied to large merchantmen, 

 in towing the ship, or bringing off cargoes, their powers of draught would be 

 invaluable, and would frequently save life, as well as property and fiitigue,** 

 this sort of boat-service being of all others that which injures ships* compa- 

 nies most, in unhealthy climates almost invariably bringing fever amongst 

 them. 



III. These, then, are some of the advantages direct and c<mtingent to be 

 derived from the system proposed, and it only remains to consider the prin- 

 cipal difficulties in its way. They certainly do not appear to me considerable ; 

 and as I write, my views on the subject are in part borne out by the circum- 

 stance of a large West Indiaman being picked up in a gale of wind dismasted, 

 and towed into Cork by a passing steam -boat. The question, as it appears 

 to me, suffers by some little apparent resemblance between 5/<riwi.towing, 

 and one of the most awkward and embarrassing of all nautical operations. 



