26 NAVAL SCIENCES. 



three feet, and are hoisted by an immense rope. The mainsail is of very 

 large dimensions, and weighs more than nine tons. It takes the whole crew 

 two hours to unfurl it. The rudder weighs about eight tons. The anchor, 

 which is made of bamboo and iron wood, weighs 2700 pounds. The bow 

 and stern are of a most extraordinary height, the former being, thirty feet 

 and the latter forty-five feet above the surface of the water. It has 

 neither keel, bowsprit, nor shrouds. There are four galleries, one above 

 the other. As there is no kelson, the mast does not rest on the keel, but 

 the mainmast terminates four feet from the bottom of the ship, where it is 

 secured with ropes. The ribs, as has been stated, are not inserted until 

 after the completion of the plank-work, which is fastened with strong 

 spikes. As soon as the ribs were attached, two large and stout beams or 

 braces were fastened above and below the deck with clamps, serving to 

 hold the other beams in their place. The deck timbers are curved, and a 

 platform is built over them, which secures them from shocks. The seams 

 between the planks are caulked with a kind of cement, consisting of burnt 

 and pounded oyster shells and oil, and made water-tight. The gunwale is 

 very broad, so that the sailors can pass outside upon it ; the wales project 

 about three feet. The saloon in the interior of the ship is adorned with 

 great magnificence, though in Chinese taste ; it is thirty-two feet in length, 

 twenty-eight feet in breadth, and fifteen and a half feet in height. The 

 vessel is furnished with three large wooden reservoirs, each of which holds 

 about eight thousand gallons of water. 



The Chinese and Japanese ships of war, with their deficiency in rigging, 

 and the awkwardness of the seamen in the use of sails, must evidently be 

 propelled only by oars, as the general rule. The small size of these vessels 

 is made up by their number. There is a countless host of such war- 

 penishes as are represented in pi 5, Jig. 2, which are entirely propelled by 

 oars, while that shown in Jig. 3 has all its inconvenient sails unfurled. The 

 construction of these penishes, which differ considerably from the original 

 Chinese model, shows that the Chinese were not blind to the advantages of 

 English ship-building. 



A peculiar kind of vessel is used in China and Japan, when it is required 

 to transport light articles, which take up a good deal of room. These 

 vessels still more nearly resemble the European construction, but on their 

 sides are very low ; they have a scaffold twelve or fourteen feet high on 

 each side, made of stout bamboo rods, and covered with thick matting. A 

 semicircular or saddle-shaped roof is on the top. PL 6, Jig. 1, is a Macao 

 vessel constructed on a similar plan, but with the roof supported by the 

 side planks, and made use of only when the sailors wish to guard themselves 

 against the weather. The Manilla coasters (Jig. 9) give an idea of this 

 mode of building. 



Of a more original fashion are the barks or gondolas, which are used by 

 the Chinese and Japanese in their pleasure voyages, especially during their 

 great festivals. It is needless, however, to describe them more particularly, 

 as a good idea of their construction can be obtained horn pi. 5, Jigs. 6 and 7. 

 Before the present regulation of trade between Europe and China, while 

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