482 Loss of Life at Sea. [Oétober, 
greater than is necessary to give the requisite stability 
without having the centre of gravity too low. 
The correctness of the above reasoning was abundantly 
shown in the behaviour of the ships forming the Channel 
Squadron in 1871, the large ironclads exhibiting to great 
disadvantage when compared with the small wooden and 
unarmoured ships, though it is proverbial that, ceteris paribus, 
the larger the ship, the better the weather she ought to 
make. 
Some of the ironclads rolled as much as 62°, some 56, 
others 50°, while the much smaller Topaze rolled but 22°. 
Again, while the little Topaze rolled but 22°, the large and 
most approved ironclad Minotaur rolled 39°, and the large 
and fine Northumberland rolled 38° under similar circum- 
stances. 
True, Mr. Reed attributes this difference to the existence 
of that which he thus admits, though he had previously 
denied it in former examples, the fact that the Topaze had 
larger masts and yards for her size than the others. 
But we may ask if large masts produce such remarkably 
favourable and, we may add, essential qualities, why not 
increase the size of the masts of the Minotaur, as they would 
serve other useful purposes in addition? and why have 
shortened the masts in the Vanguard class ? 
The fact is that the effect of the difference of the size of 
the masts in mitigating the rolling motions of the Topaze 
was little compared to the disturbing effect of her broad 
plane of flotation, and but for which she would be easier in 
fine weather also, as she is so much easier in rough weather 
than the ironclads. The proportion of breadth to length in 
the Topaze was 1 to 4°7, while in the Minotaur it was I to 6°7; 
the proportion of breadth to length of the Lord Clyde, which 
was the vessel that rolled through the largest arcs, was also 
Ito 4°7. In fact, the metacentric height of the Topaze was 
greater than that of most of the ships present on that 
occasion. 
The rolling of these ironclads is without parallel amongst 
wooden vessels, and is only approached by those of the,very 
worst form, and yet the ironclads are, in some respects, of a 
better form than the wooden ships; the excessive rolling, 
taking them as a whole, being mainly, though not entirely, 
due to the concentration of weight on the sides and want 
of stability, the fact being that no ironclad possesses near 
the amount of stability assigned by the ordinary mode of 
calculating. This arises from the excessive overloading of the 
solids of immersion and emersion, by the armour and by the 
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