USEFUL PROJECTS. 



857 



Though the advantages mentioned 

 of this species of vessels Ir.ive long 

 been known to the aJiuirci'S of 

 naval architecture, and were pub- 

 lished at large by Mr. Gordcm in 

 1784. yet the honour of introdncing 

 them to the service of tlie country 

 is certainly due to Sir Sydney 

 Smith ; all those Mho hart any con- 

 cern with tile national Lhiijping 

 Laving hitherto passed them o\er, 

 and .Mr. Gordon's repented apjjli- 

 cations in his time having been 

 treated with the most unmerited 

 neglect. It is to be hoped, how- 

 ever, thiit '^ir Sydney's e.\ample .will 

 excite othciS, who have suflicient 

 interest for the purpose, to liave 

 adequate trials made, of the plans 

 now before the public, fui' econo- 

 mising timber in the constiuctiou of 

 large ships, and for other useful 

 purposes. 



The first in Earope who made 

 any trial of double vessels, generally 

 known, was the celebrated Sir 

 William Petty, the founder of the 

 Lansdown family, who, a great 

 many years ago, had a double vessel 

 built, which niadf numerous vovaseir 

 between Englanil and Ireland, and 

 performed extremely well. Al- 

 though double vessels have never 

 been in general use in this part of 

 the world, they have been so for 

 ages on tlic Pacilic Ocoan ; where 

 double cjnocs, of a large size, have 

 been kni)wn from the earliest times 

 that wc have any intelligence from 

 that part of the globe. It may, 

 with great ap[)earance of truth, be 

 said, that these double canoes were 

 constructed without any particular 

 Ticw to the excellent properties they 

 possess for sailing. This, however, 

 cannot he asserted of another species 

 of vessels of the same genus, found 

 ia that »ea, m their peciiiioi' shape 



and woTiderful performance testify, 

 and which-are called, for this latter 

 cause, 'ijying proas. They hava 

 one side iiat, like the Gemini, 

 (wtiich construction of the latter 

 was probably derived from them,) 

 and vario'js authors relate surjjri- 

 sing accounts of the great velocity 

 with which they move. In Anson'* 

 V03 age (where there is an accurat« 

 description of them) this is stated, 

 at a moderate computation, at 

 twenty miles in an hour ; and the 

 author mentions, that accounts were 

 related by the Spaniards of instance* 

 of tiieir swiftness far surpassing 

 thii; : from whence we may infer, 

 w hat Sir Sydney's boats are capablo 

 of in this respect. 



The best construction for vessels 

 ef this sort for swift sailing is un- 

 doubtedly that of the Gemini, whora 

 the sides opposite to each other, of 

 the two hulls, are perpendicular 

 planes. This not only, prevents 

 leeway, but enables* the vessel to 

 move faster forward ; for by tlii* 

 form the accumulation of water be- 

 tween the hulls is prevented, which 

 would take place if their heads, at 

 the opposed sides, were rounded off 

 in the usual manner, and which 

 would of course increase the resist- 

 ance. Tiieir length should also 

 considerably exceed the breadth of 

 the platform, and should not be less 

 tlian twice thi.5 space at least, be- 

 cause the great press of sail, which 

 their breadth enables them to carry, 

 without danger of oversetting,woulrt 

 force the head of the vessel under 

 the water, if the vessel had not suf- 

 ficient length to resist this pressure. 

 In small vessels of this sort, the shear 

 should also be great, to prevent the 

 sea going over (hem, to which they 

 will be peculiarly liable from their 

 sliflnesii and Uataess. These cir- 



t;uu«,staii^Hr|l 



