stalioiied at Landgiiard Fort. 4i 5 



plugs in, she will continue a dry boat, and alive to her duty, 

 with more men on board than she could conveniently stow. 



Remarks. — In the generality of life-boats the great body of 

 the floating capacity is effected by fixing cork round the out- 

 side of the vessel ; but as these external projections, when do- 

 ing their duty by immersion, are a material hindrance to the 

 progress of the vessel through the water, the designer of the 

 present plan has placed the floating capacity within-board. 

 A life-boat, to be perfect, should not only have the property 

 of floating herself and all on board, when tilled with water ; but 

 she also should possess the capability of being made to obtain 

 the position of the luifortunate who are to be saved. The de- 

 signer has seen several of the most approved life-boats ; but 

 all have appeared to him as too large and heavy for the pur- 

 pose, and materially wanting the essential property of loco- 

 motion ; and to be possessed of floatation without celerity of 

 motion, is to render the whole abortive. 



Cork is usually employed in life-boats as a floating capacity, 

 and is highly valuable from not being liable to accident ; but 

 the best of cork, when closely packed, has more specific gra- 

 vity, and will take up far more room in the vessel, than the 

 coppered cases here employed to effect tlie purpose. Cork 

 will also contain a considerable body of water hanging about 

 it, for a length of time, in its inclosed state, which must rot 

 the vessel ; whereas the coppered cases, from becoming pre- 

 sently dry, produce no such evil effect. 



Tliis lit(2-boat is not provided with a rudder; indeed the 

 form will scarcely admit an effective rudder to be attaclied to 

 lier ; and for a lite-boat, on her proper duty in heavy weathej", 

 a rudder is not only useless, but might become dangerous. A 

 rudder can be of no service to any vessel without way through 

 the water ; and the small way obtained on pulling against a high 

 head-sea, is not enough to affect the steei'age, when a com- 

 manding hehn is absolutely necessary to keep the boat's head 

 to the sea. A rudder, therefore, can be of no value to a life- 

 boat; but, on the contrary, it may even prove the cause of 

 her destruction ; — for instance, on the occasion of passing to 

 the land to beach the boat through a heavy following sea, 

 bieakiny; with violence into a hijjh surf as it reaches the shore. 

 At such time, by tiie surf passing the boat with impetuosity, 

 the rudder will be forced across the stern, and the people at 

 tiie same instant being, in all likelihood, thrown from their 

 oars, the boat, of necessity, under the influence of the rudder 

 alone, will be cast broadside to the sea, and swamped. The 

 commanding oar, iherelbre, at the stern is the only safeguaid 

 on tli(f occasion, and indeed every other; for, even when 



