ON SHIP WAVES. 495 



Thus Froucic worked out a splendid theory, 

 according to which, for the speed at which a ship 

 is to go, a certain length of parallel middle body 

 may, if otherwise desired, be an advantage. But 

 on the whole the conclusion was that if the ship 

 is equally convenient, if it is not too expensive, if 

 it can pass through the lock gates, &c., and if all 

 the other practical conditions can be fulfilled, 

 without a parallel body it is better that the ship 

 should be all entrance and run, according to 

 Newton's form of least resistance : fine lines for- 

 ward, swelling out to greatest breadth amidships 

 and tapering finely towards the stern. In other 

 words, the more ship-shape a ship is, the better. 



I wish to conclude by offering one suggestion. 

 I must premise that, when I was asked by the 

 Council to give this lecture, I made it a condition 

 that no practical results were to be expected from 

 it. I explained that I could not say one word 

 to enlighten you on practical subjects, and that 

 I could not add one jot or tittle to what had 

 been done by Scott Russell, by Rankinc, and by 



