852 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



each of the ends round two of the 

 ports, excepting one that was clench- 

 ed round the main-mast; and with 

 great difficulty, by long rods and 

 tliving, I got small lines rove through 

 four of the ports on the starboard- 

 side, by which means I got four of 

 the cables threugh those portsacross 

 her decU, which were clenched to 

 the main-mast and larboard-side, 

 Laving four ends on each side com- 

 j)letely fast, at equal distances from 

 each other. I brought the Broc- 

 dcrscarp, of 1063 tons burthen, out 

 of the harbour, which received the 

 four ends on the starboard-side, 

 also four lighters of 100 tons each, 

 which took in the other four ends, 

 on the larboard-side, over their 

 bows. All the eight ends were, at 

 low water, hove down with great 

 power, by a purchase lashed dis- 

 tinctly on each of them. I then 

 laid down two thirteen inch cables, 

 spliced together with an anchor of 

 twenty-four hundred weight, in a 

 direction with the ship's keel. On 

 the end of the cable next the frigate 

 a block was lashed, through which 

 was rove a nine inch hawser, one 

 end of which was made fast to the 

 ship; the other end was brought to 

 a capstan on board the liroedcrs- 

 carp, and hove on it as much as it 

 ■would bear, with an intention to re- 

 lieve the frigate from the powerful 

 vR'cf\ of cohesion. This had so far 

 the desired effcCt that, at about half- 

 flood, I perceived Ihe ship to draw 

 an end, and swing to the tide; and 

 all the slings were considerably re- 

 lieved. At high water she was com- 

 pletely out of her bed. At the next 

 low water I hove all the purchases 

 down again. At half-llood she floated ; 

 a,nd the whole group drove together 

 ilifo the harbour, a distance of three 

 Ifiik'iij and grounded .the frigate on 



the west side of it. It took me 

 two tides more to lift her on the 

 shore, sufliciently high to pump her 

 out; which was then done with case, 

 and the ship completely recovered, 

 without the smallest damage what- 

 ever, cither to her bottom or her 

 sides. 



I do not apprehend there is any 

 thing new in the mode I ado|)tcd in 

 weighing the Ambuscade, excepting 

 the idea of removing the effect of co- 

 hesion, by the process before de- 

 scribed ; and I have every reason to 

 think tlmt if that principle had been 

 adted on in the attempt made to 

 weigh the Royal George, it would 

 hav« succeeded. 



Of the Marnier of prejntiing China' 

 So>/, Irij Michael von Gnibbens. 

 Frvin the Memoirs of the Academy 

 of Sciences of Stoclcholm. 



The transactions of the academy 

 of sciences for the year 1764 con- 

 tain a description, by the late cap- 

 tain Ekeberg, of the preparation 

 of China soy ; but as that descrip- 

 tion is not only incomplete but even 

 inaccurate, (for by following it the 

 genuine China soy cannot be ob- 

 tallied,) 1 am persuaded that M. 

 Ekeberg never saw, nor was ac. 

 quaintcd with, the method employ, 

 ed for preparing it. I presume that 

 he gave this description from ths 

 accounts of the Chines^e, which are . 

 not always to be depended on, as I ■< 

 found, by exi)erience, in the five 

 3 ears of my residence among them, 

 when I wished to make myself ac- 

 quainted with their method of manag- 

 ing a kind of silk worm, which spins 

 five or six times a year, of dying 

 cotton and silk, and with several 

 other branches of Chinese economy. 



Having since, at a dear rate, ac- 

 quired 



