114 THE EEE, OR Jan. 19. 



movifiible keels could bs eafily lifted up at pleafure ; fo that 

 when he was entering into a harbour, or fhoal water, he 

 had only to lift up his keels, and the boat was as capable 

 of being managed there:, as if it had wanted them entirely ; 

 and when he went out to fea, where there was depth enough, 

 by letting them down, the ke keel took a firm hold of the 

 water, (while the other floated loo/e), and gave fuch a ftea- 

 dinefs to all its movements, as can fcarcely be conceived by 

 thofe who have not experienced it. 



This gentleman one day carried me out with him in this 

 boat to tiy it. We made two experiments. At firft, with a 

 moderate breeze, when the moveable keels were kept up, 

 the boat, when laid as near the wind as it could go, made 

 an angle with the wake of about 30 degrees ; but when the 

 keels were let down, the fame angle did not exceed live or 

 fix degrees^ being nearly parallel with the courfe. 



At another time, the wind was right a-head,abrifk beeze. 

 Vv''hen we began to beat up again (1: it, a trading floop war; 

 very near us, lleering the lame courfe with us. This floop 

 went through the water a good deal fafter than we could : 

 But in the courfe of two hours beating to windward, we 

 found thit the floop was left behind two feet in three, though 

 it is certain, that if our falfc keels had not been let down, 

 we could fcarcely in that fituation have advanced one foot 

 for her three. 



It is unneceflary to point out to fea-faring men, the be- 

 nefits that may be derived from this contrivance in certain 

 ciicumltances, as thefe will be very obvious to them. 

 North-Weft Faffage. 



Notwithflanding the many fniitlefs attempts that have 

 been made to difcover a north-weft palTage into the South 

 Seas, it would feem that this important geographical quellion 

 is not yet fully decided ; for at a meeting of the Academy of 

 Sciences, Paris, heldon tlie 13th of November laft, M. Bauche, 

 firit geographer to the king, read a curious memoir concern- 

 ing the noith-well paiiage. M. de Mendoza, an intelligenj: 

 captain of a velfel in the I'ervice of Spain, charged with fhe 

 care of former ellablilhments favourable to the marine, has 

 nade a careful examination of the archives, of feveral de- 

 jiartments ; there he has found the relation of a voyage 

 made in the year 1598 by Lorenzo Hcriero dc Maldonada- 



