MARITIME OBSERVATIONS. 301 
might have remained on board in fafety, without hazard- 
ing themfelves in an open boat on the wide ocean. (Fig. 8.) 
Befides the greater equality in the height of the two 
furfaces, there may fometimes be other caufes that retard 
the farther finking of a leaky veflel. The rifing water 
within may arrive at quantities of light wooden work, 
empty chefts, and particularly empty water cafks, which 
if fixed fo as not to float themfelves may help to fuftain 
her. Many bodies which compofe a fhip’s cargo may be 
fpecifically lighter than water, all thefe when out of wa- 
ter are an additional weight to that of the fhip, and fhe is 
in proportion prefled deeper into the water; but as foon 
as thefe bodies are immerfed, they weigh no longer on the 
fhip, but on the contrary, if fixed, they help to fupport 
her, in proportion as they are fpecifically lighter than the 
water. And it fhould be remembered, that the largeft 
body of a fhip may be fo balanced in the water, that an 
ounce lefs or more of weight may leave her at the furface 
or fink her to the bottom. There are alfo certain heavy car- 
goes, that when the water gets at them are continually 
diffolving, and thereby lightening the veffel, fuch as falt 
and fugar. And as to water cafks mentioned above, fince 
the quantity of them muft be great in fhips of war where 
the number of men confume a great deal of water every 
day, if it had been made a conftant rule to bung them up 
as faft as they were emptied, and to difpofe the empty 
cafks in proper fituations, I am perfuaded that many fhips 
which have been funk in engagements, or have gone down 
afterwards, might with the unhappy people have been 
faved; as well as many of thofe which in the laft war 
foundered, and were never heard of. While on this to- 
pic of finking, one cannot help recolle&ting the well known 
practice of the Chinefe, to divide the hold of a great fhip 
into a number of feparate chambers by partitions tight 
caulked, (of which you gave a model in your boat upon. 
the Seine) fo that if a leak fhould {pring in one of them 
Qq the 
