( 8 ) 



LetAEFG, reprelent a piece of Oak timber, fplit or cleft 

 lengthwife into fix parts, one end of which is lawed tranf- 

 verfcly, and planed or fmoothed, as reprefented in the figure. Now 

 if this wood be cleft in fuch manner that A E, A F, or A B C D H 

 I G is made one fide of the Have, it follows that all the perpendicu- 

 lar veflels, and alfo the horizontal ones which extend from the 

 centre A to the circumference E F, and here are denoted by fixteen 

 double lines, mull be feparated from each other longitudinally, 

 A^■hereas, on the contrary, if the wood was to be cleft from E to- 

 wards G, then all the horizontal veflels would be cut tranfverfely, 

 and thus lying through the Itave with one of their orifices 

 opening in the cavity of the calk, and the other on the outfide, the 

 liquor would leak out. And this is the reafon, why if entire trees 

 are fawed into Haves, all thofe, except what are fawed out of the 

 middle of the tree, will fufFer the water to pafs through them, 

 efpecially if the prellure of the water be very great. 



And confidering this, we are not to wonder that new built fhips 

 are fubjedl to leaks, for if the horizontal veflels have their orifices 

 both on the inlide and outfide of the planks, and thefe are not flop- 

 ped by fome kind of pitching or drefling, the water mufl leak 

 through. 



