424 REPORT — 1856. 



rate of speed ; also to show the sacrifice which attends the employment of 

 vessels of an inferior type of build, as compared with vessels of a superior 

 type. The supplement published with the second edition of this essay ex- 

 tended the tabular calculations to embiace vessels of hypothetical magni- 

 tude, and to demonstrate a system of £ s. d. arithmetical calculation appli- 

 cable to estimating the cost of goods conveyance per ton weight by steam- 

 ships, based on the constructive type of the ship, the speed to be realized, 

 and the size of ship employed to do the work. The appendix to this essay 

 embraces a dissertation on the probable capabilities of ships of unprece- 

 dented magnitude, showing the advantage of magnitude so far as mechanical 

 principles are concerned irrespective of mercantile considerations, and under 

 what combinations of speed and distance without re-coaling, comparatively 

 with the more frequent coaling depots available to smaller vessels, the me- 

 chanical advantage of magnitude becomes neutralized; also giving new tables 

 for facilitating steam-ship calculations, by showing the cubes of numbers 

 from 5 to 25, rising by the decimal "01 , and the cube-roots of the squares of 

 all numbers likely to be embraced in the tonnage displacement of ships. 



3i-d. A paper on " Steam-ship Capability," read before the Society of 

 Arts, London, 16th May, 1855. 



The object of this paper was to expose the indefinite nature of the terms 

 " horse-power " and " tonnage " as respects their not being what tbey are 

 generally supposed to be, definite units of measurement of engine-power and 

 ships' size ; also to show the uselessness for scientific purposes of all statistical 

 data based on nominal horse-power and nominal tonnage, and the fallacy of 

 all calculations based on those indefinite terms, thence showing the necessity 

 for some definite measure of power being legalized as the unit of power to 

 be denoted by the term " Marine Horse-power," and used as the base of 

 calculation and contract engagement in steam shipping affairs. 



4th. A paper on " Tonnage Registration," read before the Society of Arts, 

 London, January 16, 1856, with the discussions thereon. 



The object of this paper was to show the insufficiency for scientific pur- 

 poses of the system of tonnage registration now in force, as prescribed by 

 the Merchant Shipping Bill of 1854, in so far that under this Act the 

 registered tonnage of a ship affords no certain indication of the tons weight 

 of cargo that the ship will carry, nor does it give, even approximately, the 

 displacement with reference to any given draught ; nor does the registration 

 afford any indication of the power capable of being worked up to by the 

 engines of steam-ships, or any other data whereby the dynamic properties or 

 locomotive duty of vessels may be scrutinized on scientific principles. By 

 this paper, I brought forward certain suggestions for public consideration 

 and discussion with a view to our official registration of shipping being ren- 

 dered more comprehensive for the fulfilment of the various useful purposes 

 to which statistical registration, if complete, would undoubtedly conduce, in 

 a scientific point of view, irrespectively of merely fiscal objects. 



These papers, oP 16th May 1855, and 16th of January 1856, urging the 

 establishment and recognition of definite units as the legal admeasurement of 

 marine engine-power and ships' tonnage, I beg respectfully to submit to the 

 notice of the Committee appointed by this Association for the consideration of 

 the tonnage question, of which Committee I had the honour of being named 

 a member, but I was under the necessity of declining to take part on this 

 Committee in consequence of my being, as above stated, committed to cer- 

 tain views and publicly engaged in agitating the question of Tonnage Regi- 

 stration amendment, with a view to supplying the deficiencies of the present 

 system. 



