Deceased Felloivs : — Sir Robert Seppings. 69 



preventing that perpetual racking of beams and working of joints, 

 which, in the ancient system of ship-building, produced hogging, 

 creaking, leakage, and rapid decay ; and filling up likewise every 

 vacuity between the timbers, whicli were occasionally the unavoid- 

 able receptacles for foul air, filth, vermin, and various other 

 sources of rottenness and disease. 



These important improvements, though opposed to the inveterate 

 prejudices of the older shipwrights, a body of men who have not 

 sufficiently valued and understood, in tiiis country at least, the just 

 principles of mechanical action, in the practical operation of ship- 

 building, were universally adopted in the Navy under the enlight- 

 ened administration of Mr. Charles York, and the powerful advo- 

 cacy of Sir John Barrow * : and the merit of their author was ac- 

 knowledged by his appointment as Surveyor of the Navy, and by 

 the award of the Copley Medal of this Society. 



This was not the only important improvement which Sir Robert 

 Seppings introduced into our system of naval architecture. The 

 Admiralty presented him with £1000 as a reward for his simple 

 yet most useful invention of an improved block for supporting ves- 

 sels, by which their keels and lower timbers were much more easily 

 and promptly examined and repaired. His plan for lifting masts 

 out of the steps, which superseded the employment of sheer hulks 

 for that purpose, has been the means of saving much expense and 

 labour. His new mode of framing ships has led to a much more ex- 

 tensive use of short and small timbers, which were formerly of little 

 value ; but (he most valuable of all the reforms of construction for 

 which the Navy of England is indebted to him, was the substitution 

 of round f()r flat sterns, which afford increased strength to the frame- 

 work of the ship, greater protection agsdnst poopinc/ in heavy seas, 

 an almost equal power of anchoring by the stern and l>y the bow, a 

 more secure and eflTective position for the rudder, and a stout platform 

 for a powerful battery, embracing a sweep of more than 180°. This 

 capital improvement was strenuously opposed by many distinguished 

 naval oflRcers, who regretted the loss of those magnificent cabins, 

 which were ])etter suited for purposes of state than of service ; but 

 the good sense of less prejudiced judges iiappily prevailed, and se- 

 cured for our ships of war an additional claim upon the respect of 

 our enemies. 



Foreign nations have not been tardy to acknowledge the value of 

 these important improvements, and their author received many sub- 

 stantial jiroofs of their sense of iiis merits ; and we may safely affirm, 

 that in the national record of the great benefactors of their country, 

 there are few names which will deserve, and, we trust, continue to 

 receive, a mon' grateful conunemoration than that of Sir Hubert 

 Seppings. 



It has long I>een the practice; of the Royal Society to associate 

 with its body those |)ersons in our country who are most (iminent 

 for their hit'jh rank or their conuuanding talents, for their distin- 

 guished public serTiccs, for their accomi)lislmu"nts in the arts, 



• In very able articles in the 24th and 43rd Numbers of the Quarterly 

 Review, 



