HUDDART. 65 



so pleased with its clear directions, that he set to work and suc- 

 ceeded, after immense labour and ingenuity, in making a model of a 

 seventy-four gun-ship, with ribs, planks, and bolts complete. When 

 engaged in herding his father's cows, he used to carry out into the 

 country a desk of his own manufacture, employing his time in 

 reading, and mathematical drawing and calculations. 



As Huddart grew up he evinced a strong bias for a sea-faring 

 life, and an event occurred in 1756 which decided his future career. 

 In that year large shoals of herrings came into the Solway Frith, 

 and the elder Huddart took advantage of the circumstance to trade 

 in conjunction with a Herring Fishery Company, while his son took 

 his place with others in the boats, and soon displayed so much skill 

 and ability in their management that he became noted among his 

 fellows for superiority of knowledge in nautical matters. Young 

 Huddart continued more or less in this new employment until his 

 father's death, in 1762, when he succeeded to a share in the fishery, 

 and at once took the command of a sloop employed in carrying the 

 salted herrings to Cork and other parts of Ireland, for the supply of 

 the West India markets. 



These voyages gave him a thorough knowledge of St. George's 

 Channel, convinced him of the insufficiency of the charts then in 

 use, and ultimately led to his making a complete survey of that 

 sea, and to the subsequent publication of his own most valuable 

 chart. In 1768 Huddart, with the assistance of his uncle, designed 

 and built a vessel for himself, and named it the Patience, every 

 timber in it having been moulded with his own hand. In this 

 vessel he made his first voyage to North America, and continued to 

 sail in her until the year 1771, when he was induced by Sir Richard 

 Hotham, with whom he had become acquainted, to enter the East 

 India Mercantile Marine, in which service he continued for many 

 years, and realized a considerable independency. 



Captain Huddart's scientific knowledge and high character intro- 

 duced him into the Trinity House as an Elder Brother, and also into 

 the Committee of the Ramsgate Harbour Trust, and into the London 

 and East India Dock Directions. At the Trinity House all inquiries 

 relating to lights, lighthouses and charts were chiefly referred to 

 him, while the lighthouses on Hurst Point were built under his 

 superintendence and immediate direction. 



On retirement from the East India Company's service, Huddart 

 engaged again in his favourite pursuit of ship building, making 

 many practical experiments to determine the lines, which consistent 

 with stability and capacity for stowage would give to vessels the 

 greatest velocity through the water. Bat that which constitutes 

 Captain Huddart's chief claim on the gratitude of posterity are his 

 great improvements and inventions in the manufacture of Cordage ; 

 before his time nothing worthy of the name of machinery had been 

 applied to rope-making, and to him was reserved the honour of 



