212 NOTICES OF THE MEETINGS [June 4, 
Builder the radical points of construction, which compel him to make 
a bad ship, or at least deprive him of the elements of a good one :— 
Then comes a more important man, even than the ship-builder or 
the owner,—the Captain who is to sail the new ship, who has sailed 
the preceding ship, who may have no notion how the ship is formed, 
and yet may have prejudices as strong, and notions as obstinate, as 
if his will were a law of nature, and his notions truths in hydraulics ; 
Then there is the Lumper who stows your ship by contract, and your 
Mast-maker who puts in his spars, and the Sail-cutter who cuts your 
sails, and the Rigger who places ropes and blocks; all done by each 
contractor, and by .every one under him according to the rules of 
his trade. Among all these gentlemen, let me ask you, if they are’ 
ignorant and prejudiced, what is to be expected from the poor ship- 
builder ?—and the poor ship?—To improve British navigation we 
must improve the state of knowledge of all these classes, and by 
that means alone can extensive improvement take place in the Naval 
constructions of England.” 
The Lecturer then explained, and illustrated by diagrams, the 
various points in the construction of a ship which give her peculiar 
qualities, dividing the examination of a ship into three categories ; 
Ist, The Geometry of Naval Construction, viz. : — 
The Midship Section. 
The Body ‘Plan. 
The Sheer Plan. 
The Water Lines. 
The Ribband Lines. S 
The Buttock Lines. 
2nd, The Mechanical Qualities of Ships : 
' Weight. 
Displacement. 
Stability — Statical and Dynamical. 
Easiness in Rolling and Pitching. 
Dryness. 
‘Weatherliness. 
Handiness in Working. 
3rd, Equipment and Stowage of Ships, as affecting their qualities : 
Trim. 
Stowage. 
Centre of Weight. 
Centre of Oscillation. 
Sails. 
Masts. 
Number of Men. 
Economy of Working. 
In regard to these three classes of elements, it was shewn that all 
must be combined with a perfect understanding of the effect of each 
