162 Description of an Instrument for gatiiering Fruit. 



ship's hold. Certainly no change of climate can' produce a vari- 

 ation in the temperature of that part, sufficient to effect any ma- 

 terial change in the dimensions of the piece?. The method at 

 present is to make deck beams convex on the upper am! con- 

 cave on the under side. It appears from this form of beam, to 

 be the intention of the constructor to destroy rather than to pre- 

 serve the ship in its original figure. 



The deck and beams of this form may be considered as an 

 arch of very large radius, incessantly endeavouring to tinust the 

 sides of the ship to a greater distance, the destructive effects be- 

 ing greatly increased when the ship is but partially supported 

 in a heavy sea ; or, what is perhaps nearly as bad, strained by 

 the percussion of the guns in action. It may be said, and no 

 doubt it is true, that most of the beams have perpendicular sup- 

 ports in the middle : but this only converts the beam into two 

 arclies ; the evil may be diminished, it is certainly not removed. 



Tlie way in which the beams are connected to the sides ap- 

 pears to me to be equally exceptionable. What but the most in- 

 veterate prejudice could retain the fastenings called knees ? The 

 present method of building ships is to place the timbers as near 

 to each other as possible. Would it not be more eligible to increase 

 the depth of every other limber or frame by the addition of the 

 intermediate one? Double the number of timbers, as they are at 

 present disposed, gives double strength ; by doubling the depth 

 the strength would be quadruple (or as the square of the depth): 

 those double timbers should he carried as high as the lower gun 

 deck, their termination serving as a support for the beams of the 

 same. This no doubt would diminish the capacity of the hold ; 

 but let the external width be increased in the proportion of the 

 augmentation made to the thickness of the timbers : greater 

 breadth is said to be much wanted in most of our ships. 



If you will favour this with a place in your very valuable mis- 

 cellany, it may fall into the hands of some of your readers much 

 more capable of appretiating what has been done, or pointing 

 out what should l)e done, than 



Your most obedient and very humble servant, 

 _^_____ I. K. K. 



XXII. Description of an Instrument for gathering Vruil. By 

 Mr. Thomas Lane, of Stockivell*. 



1 Chapel-street, Stockwell, Nov. 3, 1818. 



BEG leave to lay before the Society for the Encourage- 

 ment of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, a machine for gather- 



* From the Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, 

 Manufactures, and Commerce, for 1819. The sum of Ten Guineas was voted 

 to Mr. Lane for this invention, and a specimen of thp instrument ia pre- 

 served in the Society's Repository. jng 



