Proceedings of the Polytechnic Association. 881 



countries have devoted to it their best efforts. Tlie Institution of 

 Civil Engineers first directed special attention to it in their proceed- 

 ings, and subsequently the Institution of Naval Architects was 

 established for the special object of promoting naval construction. 

 This body is composed of the most distinguished and learned men of 

 the kingdom, who have made naval architecture their study. Men 

 of science, practical ship builders, and eminent navigators, meet in 

 session annually, and discuss for several days all questions relating to 

 this highly important subject ; and each annual volume of their 

 transactions forms a valuable contribution to the common stock of 

 knowledge of the art or science of ship building. 



I may here mention that the success of this institution has led to 

 the endowment by the British government of a school for the educa- 

 tion of naval architects. The public at large has become interested 

 in the subject, and all the scientific and leading daily and weekly 

 journals freely open their columns to well written communications on 

 every conceivable question connected with ships, engines and naviga- 

 tion. All this has England been doing to develop and maintain her 

 maritime superiority, and France has done scarcely less. 



It is now time for us to pause and inquire what loe have meantime 

 been doing to advance our knowledge of the science of naval architec- 

 ture and improve our commercial marine. It will scarcely be using 

 too strong language to reply, nothing ; certainly nothing in comparison 

 with the activity and enterprise of our rivals. What we have been 

 doing has been to remain stationary, which is nearly the same as going 

 back, and to continue to build wooden ships, after all Europe has dis- 

 carded that material as no longer profitable or feasible. The Pacific 

 mail line is now the only one, except the coasters, which we are able 

 to maintain, and that is supported by a mail subsidy, and protected 

 by our navigation laws against competition. But for these circum- 

 stances it would be driven off the ocean like the trans-Atlantic lines. 

 This company continues to build vast, unwieldy, wooden structures, 

 costly to build and costly to operate. Whatever their actual cost may 

 be, they are said to be cliarged to the company at about one million 

 of dollars each. As compared with iron built vessels, they carry 

 about 500 tons extra, and wholly useless weight, at the very highest 

 and most expensive rate of freight, and this on every voyage for life. 

 This is worse than the fate of Sinbad the Sailor, carrjang the " old 

 man of the sea" on his shoulders, because the Pacific Mail Company 

 possesses the talisman by which to rid itself of its dead weight, which 



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