BOX 



to vtriT and haul llie fcrubber along tlitsLottom for* and aft, 

 clofc tu tilt kcd. Anothfr rope is bent. to the lower part of 

 the fcrubber, and hauled ti^ht under the bottom, and made 

 fall to the infide of the boat's main-jllBvart, the upper part of 

 the fcrubber being even with the water's edge, at nii'JIhips, 

 on the other fide. The people are thcB ordered to walk fore 

 and aft with the rope to the fcrubber, t:U !t comes to the 

 water's edge both ways, tlie boat movinij tlie fame way with 

 the fcrubber, the people in hir helping, by puftiiiig their 

 bands agauid the Ihip's fide, ti!l the firll depth is thought to 

 b« clean enough ; then the people in the boat haul by llieir 

 rope the fcrubber a depth lower, by which, and the empty 

 caflcs, it, is confined and picdtd to the bottom, at the different 

 depths, til! it is fcrubbeJ diwn to the keel ; and even the 

 kctl ilCelf, by the rope going fore and aft u--i<r it. 



Bottom, Hogged, a concave keel by which the fliccr of 

 the (hip is apparently broken. Ships with long ftraiglit 

 floors are moll lial)le to this defedl, eitlier from accident, in 

 taking the ground, improper llowage of the cargo, or other- 

 wife. To prevent this, Mr. Hulchinfon adviles to build 

 (tips with their floors and bottoms lengthways, to form an 

 arch with the projecting part downwards, which will na- 

 turally not only contribute greatly to prevent their taking 

 damage by their bottoms hogging and llrair.ing upwards, 

 either aground or afloat, but will, among other advantages, 

 be a help to their failing, fleering, Haying, &c. This 

 curved bottom is one of the principal properties of the life- 

 boat. 



Bottom having /enteral kieh, which, upon account of the 

 very different form of the bottom from the common form, 

 requires a particular defcription. This is a piopofal of 

 Thomas Gordon efq. of Prcmiiay, in his " Principles of 

 Naval .-Vrchitefturc," printed at Aberdeen in the year 1784, 

 in order to unite the feveral properties of fhips, which has 

 hitherto been deemed impiaiTticable ; fuch as to make a fhip 

 fail well, draw little water, keep a good wind, &c. For this 

 purpofe the bottom, fays Mr. Gordon, fliould be formed 

 quite fiat, and the lides made to rife perpendicular frofn it, 

 - without any curvature ; which would not only render her 

 more (Icady, as being more oppofed to the water in roUing, 

 but likewife more convenient for (lowage; &c., while the 

 fimplicityof the form would coniribute greatly to the eafe and 

 expedition with which iTie might be fabricated. Though 

 diminifhing the draught of water is, ceteris parilms, undoubt- 

 edly the moll effectual method of augmenting the velocity 

 with which veflcls go before the wind, yet, as it proportion- 

 ably diminilhes their hold of the water, it renders them e.K- 

 tremely habie to be driven to leeward, and altogether inca- 

 pable of keeping a good wind. This dcfeft may, however, 

 be remedied, in a fimple and efleclual manner, by proportion- 

 ally augmenting the depth of the keei, or, as fo large a keel 

 would be inconvenient, on many accounts, proportioi.ally in- 

 creafing their number ; as, in place of adding a keel eight 

 feet deep to a velfel drawing fix feet water, to a£Hx to differ- 

 ent parts of her flat bottom, which w ould be well adapted for 

 receiving them, fix diflercnt keels of two feet deep caci;, at 

 equal riiftanccs from each other, with proper intervals be- 

 tween ; which w ill be found equally effcttual for preventing 

 thefe pernicious effefts. 



Thus then it appears, that a vcffel drawHng eight feet 

 water only, keels and all, may be made to keep as good a 

 wind, or be as little liable to be driven to leeward, as the 

 (harpefl built veffel of the fame length drawing fourteen, nay 

 twenty feet or upwards, if a>few more keels are added, at the 

 fame time that Ihe would be little more refilled in moving in 

 the line of the keels, than a veffel drawing fix feet only. 

 Thefe keels, belldes, would ilrengtben the veffel confiderably, 



3 



B O T 



would render her more (leady, and Icfs liable to be OTerftr, 

 and thereby enable her to carr>- more fail, <^c. Veffels of 

 thi» kind would likewife be well quahfi.-d iof lying in dock* 

 and harbours when dry ; and though the very quickell 

 liiilers of any, tnijht be navigaud in the ihallnveft water ; 

 from whicli lattei''civcumll:.iice many important advantages 

 would rcfult, as nii. .iug httle danger from faud-banits, rocks, J 

 &c. being cnpabld of riding in many bays, and entering 

 many ha;bo\irs, rivers, and creeks inacctjTible to others, 

 whether as an afylum, or for the p-jvpofe."! of trade or war ; 

 for bombarding, or making dcfcents on an enemy's coall. 

 By enlarging, perhaps doubling, tlie bveai'th of (!-,;ps, and 

 forming their bottoms flat, and well furniflicd with k;rel.v, 

 tluy mull, in the firfl place, become much fteaditivfo as to 

 carry their guns well, roll liule, if at all, and be enabled to 

 carry greatly more fail, ai^d that in a belter direftion ; at the 

 fame time that they would he in no danger of being dif- 

 maftcd croveifet, unlcfsthe malls were of a moft extraordinary- 

 height indeed. Secondly, that they could carry more gun« 

 on their bow and ftern, would have little or 1.0 occafion for 

 ballall ; and if any was ufed, would incur lefs darger upon its 

 (hifting. Thirdly, that there would be much more room 

 upon deck, as well as accommcdat on below, the breadth 

 being fo much increafed without any diminution ot the 

 heicht above the load water line, and without occaConing 

 any neceffary augmentation in the number of men for work- 

 ing the vefiel, &c. Thefe are the principal advantages of a 

 fhip of this conltruclion ; Mr. Gordon, however, proceeds 

 to enumerate others. 



BoTiOM •with Jliding letls- See Ship •with JJiJing 

 L-e!s. 



Bottom, fagged, the keel having a convex curvature.- 

 Long llraight floored (hips are inoft liable to be fagged, as 

 well as hogged. This detect ariits, in agrcat meafuie, from 

 loading the fliip with a werighty cargo, as lead, iron-ore, 

 ftones, &c. and (lowing it in tiie main-body of the fhip. 

 This fagging of the bottom has, Irom experience, been found 

 to increaic the velocity ; but, on the other hand, the fliip is 

 generally in a leaky condition. The principal method of 

 remedying this defett, is to dillribuce the cargo more equably, 

 fo that the upward and downward preffuics may nearly 

 counterbalance each other. This may be accomphflied by 

 means of a form-gage; for an account of which fee that 

 article. 



Bottom, to prevent from le'ing 'worm-ealen. One of the 

 bell rem.edies hitherto diicovered for preventing worms frora 

 deilroying the bottom of a (hip, feems tu be the coal-tar, in- 

 vented by the earl of Dundonald, and manufaflured at Cul- 

 rols in Scotland. By many comparative trials, by finking 

 piles of wood for fome coni'iderable time in the water, fome 

 of which were payed with coal tar, and the others with com- 

 mon v.-getable tar ; it was found that, in thofe payed with 

 coal-tar not the leall appearance of the worm could be traced, 

 the tar iliU remaining black and fmootii upon the wood, 

 whicli, on being cut, emitted a ftrong fmell of the tar ; 

 whereas the other piles were obferved to be full of worms. 

 Some proofs of the efficacy of this tar will be inferted under 

 the proper article. 



A mixture of the oil of the cocoa-nut with lime has alfo 

 been uied to pay the bottoms of ftiips, in order to exclude 

 worms . 



Bottom is alio ufed to denote a whole (hip, or rather 

 veffel. 



In this fenfe we fay, Englifli bottoms, foreign bottoms. 

 By the acl of na%-igation, certain commodities imported in 

 foreign bottoms, pay a duty called petty cullom; from which 

 they are exempt, if imported in Englilh bottoms. 



Bottom- 



