[ ^3 ] 



water level, or a part of it at leaft, ought to referable a lee 

 board of confiderable extent. By means of this board many- 

 Dutch merchant vefTels, notwithflanding they are conftruded 

 with a floor almoft flat to fit them for great burden and 

 fliallow water, are found to fail tolerably well upon a wind, 

 and yet they are in general fliort, with bluiF upright bows, 

 and many other defecSls. 



Dutch fiflring veffels too, particularly thofe employed in 

 great numbers on the coaft of England, are rendered by the 

 ufe of a lee board good failers. Not being intended for burden 

 they do not in general much exceed boat fize ; and although 

 they are the moft flat of all decked veflels I have feen, their 

 fecurity in blowing weather is proverbial. 



Now in refpedl to the bows of merchant fhips, I will only obferve, 

 that although they flope ofi^ tolerably well when veflTels arc light, 

 they prefent, when laden, fuch refiftance to head way as can 

 fcarcely be overcome by any preflure of fail. The evident 

 remedy is to render them lefs upright ; expanfion in them, 

 although abfolutely neceflary above the water level, being quite 

 ufelefs below it. 



By adopting thefe improvements I am perfuaded that the 

 fame quantity of timber and other materials now employed in 

 building a merchant veflel of one hundred tons burden, would 

 ferve to form one capable of carrying at leafh one hundred 

 and thirty, and that the velocity gained would rather exceed, 



this 



