CATALOGUE OF THE WATERCEAFT COLLECTION. 39 



The Masula boat, built for transportation of passengers and 

 freight to and from ships lying in an open roadstead, is one of the 

 curious productions of East Indian naval architecture. The detailed 

 description elsewhere renders unnecessary more than a passing 

 allusion here. 



The boats of Bengal, like those of Madras, are, many of them, crude 

 dugouts, some of which are chiefly remarkable for the m^tnner in 

 which they are used. The collection from the Bengal Presidency, 

 however, include Shola swimming floats. These constitute one of 

 the most primitive appliances for flotation which man has ever used, 

 and in one direction at least furnished the starting point, the very 

 beginning, of man's effort to secure the means of support in or on the 

 water. 



The boats used on the rivers and inland waters of Kashmir present 

 in their construction another most interesting phase of oriental naval 

 architecture. Although built in the simplest form, with flat bottoms, 

 narrow ends, and nearly vertical sides, the easy curve given to the 

 bottoin, which rises with a long overhang at each end, makes pos- 

 sible its easy passage through the water, notwithstanding the sharp 

 angles on the sides. It may be worthy of note in this connection 

 that one of the most successful small yachts in the United States 

 during the season of 1895, the. little single-hander. Question^ of 

 approximately 15 feet length on the water line, was built substan- 

 tially on the principle embodied in the Kashmir boats, so far at 

 least as form is concerned. While sails are not used on these river 

 craft of Kashmir, it follows, as a matter of course, that it is of much 

 consequence to secure a form which, while having a light draft, will 

 pass easily through the water. 



The representations of Japanese merchant " junks " apply to types 

 of vessels in use some years ago, when the size as well as the con- 

 struction of merchant vessels was limited by law. In recent years 

 Japan has made many advances in all that pertains to commerce, 

 and the junks of several decades ago are interesting chiefly from 

 an historical standpoint. 



The fishing boats of Japan are numerously represented by models. 

 They are, practically without exception, flat-bottom craft, which, for 

 certain reasons stated elsewhere, are preferred by the Japanese. 



The models of Chinese war junks in the collection represent types 

 of vessels still in use in China in 1876. In more recent years, as 

 late events have demonstrated, China has built a fleet of warships of 

 the most approved types, several of them being armored vessels. 

 The sailing junk is no longer depended upon, even by China, as a 

 means of offense or defense, particularly in case of war with enlight- 

 ened nations. 



