652 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I67I. 



plates, fastened with gilt nails, as also were the boards ; the whole ship so 

 close, that not a drop of water was found soaked through into any close room. 

 The author concludes it to have lain there about 1400 years. — 5. Relates what 

 great fleets were anciently set out, and what distant voyages undertaken : 

 where he takes particular notice of the expedition of the Argonauts, of Xerxes, 

 of Alexander, of Rome, and Carthage, of the Saxons, Britons, &c. — 6. De- 

 scribes what the ancients observed in building their ships, and how they closed, 

 rigged, and beautified them ; where occur several relations of divers ways of ce- 

 menting, caulking, pitching, and defending ships from rottenness and worms ; 

 of which I shall only mention, what occasionally he alleges of a certain cement 

 now used by the Indians, made of finely beaten reeds, chalk and oil, with 

 which their ships are overlaid to keep them from rotting. — 7. Rehearses the 

 State of naval architecture after the ruin of the Roman empire ; especially 

 amongst the Scythians and Saracens invading Italy, Spain, France, &c ; with 

 the endeavours of the Romans, under Justinian and others, to defend them- 

 selves against those barbarians : not omitting what was done by the Danes, 

 Huns, English, Saxons, and particularly by that brave and vigilant King Ed- 

 gar, who maintained a fleet of 3600 sail, which he divided into three squadrons, 

 called the eastern, western, and northern, sailing in them himself every year 

 round about England and Scotland. To this he annexes at what time shipping 

 was at the lowest ebb, and how it began to be restored by some kings of Por- 

 tugal, the Frieslanders, and his countrymen in general, about 200 years since. 

 — 8. Gives an ample and very particular account of the present way of building 

 ships, both for war and trade in Holland. — 9. Contains a particular description 

 of the proportions of all the parts of a Dutch ship, and the measures of some 

 peculiar sorts of vessels of that country. — 10. Declares the make and weight of 

 all sorts of anchors, and the bigness and weight of cables in general, and in 

 particular of certain ships built there ; as also the measures and proportions of 

 masts, and sails, of divers vessels, and how sails may be best ordered to take 

 in most wind, mathematically shown : Where occasion is taken to insert con- 

 siderable remarks about the several sorts of hemp, and the best way of 

 working cables, and the care to be had in the manner of tarring them, 

 and in the degree of heating the tar for that purpose, &c. — 11. Delivers 

 the method of conjoining the parts of a ship one after another, used by 

 Dutch shipwrights ; with a representation of a ship upon the stocks, and 

 their manner of launching ships : Adding their way of redressing a ship that 

 lies on her side, as well as of laying her on her side for repairing or cleansing. — 

 12,. Speaks of the measures and proportions of several other sea vessels, that 

 are of a structure and use different from that of the former ; such as are flutes. 



