Ships and Shipping. 163 



With regard to passenger ships, no definite rule was 

 arrived at. 



In the case of the measurement of steam vessels, the 

 spaces occupied by the machinery, fuel and passenger 

 cabins under the deck, would be dedu6led from the space 

 or tonnage under the deck, before the application of 

 the measurement fa6lor, and as regards dead weight 

 cargo, the weight of the machinery, water in the boilers, 

 and fuel, were to be dedu6led from the whole dead weight 

 as ascertained by the application of the dead weight 

 faftor. By these rules it was assumed that there is a 

 fixed proportion between the internal cubical contents 

 of ships of the same or a similar class, the internal con- 

 tents being indicated by the register tonnage under the 

 ship's deck, the external by the load displacement which 

 is supposed to be a proportion of the ship within the ex- 

 ternal surface of the ship under deck, the rules applicable 

 were, no doubt, intended only as to what ships might be 

 supposed to convey with a certain register tonnage, and 

 not as to the limit of what they ought to convey, and it 

 must be observed, at this time, they only referred to 

 wooden ships. 



It has been remarked that ships by their register do 

 not carry any special quantity of cargo ; it must be further 

 stated that register tonnage is adopted as a principle for 

 assessment of the ship for dues ; further, the estimate of 

 cargo under the rule can only be obtained by ascertain, 

 ing in steamships the dead weight of the engines, machi- 

 nery, &c., and the allowance for these under the law 

 affords no indication for their calculation. 



Owing to the substitution for the most part of steel 

 and iron for wood, and steamships for sailing ships, to- 



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