80 NAVAL SCIENCES. 



Privateers are men-of-war of every description, not exceeding light frigates 

 in size. They are fitted out in time of war by private persons, in order to 

 attack the enemy's merchantmen and to destroy his commerce. They receive 

 a commission, called a letter of marque, from the government, with which 

 they share their prizes. The vessel captured must be brought into a port 

 and there condemned by the court of admiralty, before the privateer can 

 claim her as his property. Privateers should be swift sailers, in order 

 to overtake their prizes and to escape the enemy's cruisers. Schooners, 

 luggers, and brigs are employed as privateers, but their masts and sails 

 are larger in proportion than those of other ships of war, and in a calm 

 they also make use of oars, which pass through small openings between 

 the port-holes. 



B. Merchant Vessels. 



Those vessels which are built exclusively for the merchant service are 

 called merchantmen. The guns which they usually carry are so light thai 

 they need not be taken into account. It is the main object in merchant 

 vessels to gain an abundance of stowage-room for the freight, together with 

 the necessary accommodations for the crew, which we may add should be 

 as small in number as possible. The spare rigging and sails are mostly kept 

 in tlie forward part of the vessel, as this space is so much occupied by the . 

 fore-mast and windlass bitts that it is not adapted to the stowage of freight. 

 The different parts of the merchant vessel are less exact in their propor- 

 tions than in ships of war, and their construction often varies essentially 

 in the same country. The smaller vessels do not compare with the larger 

 ones ia swiftness of sailing, though they are more pliable. They can, 

 indeed, be built to sail as well as the larger ones, but in that case they must 

 be built broader in proportion, in order to carry more sail, consequently 

 they require a larger crew, so that the advantage is again lost. We have 

 just stated the properties of a good merchantman. In order to secure these 

 it must be very broad in proportion to its length, deep in the hold, and 

 with a flat bottom ; but then it will not sail rapidly, nor close to the wind, 

 and the less as it is laden heavily and has a great depth of draught. For 

 a ship to sail well, close to the wind, making small leeway, and easily 

 managed in a rough sea, it must be able to take on much sail, and conse- 

 quently must be stiff" in the timbers; it must be of good breadth of beam, 

 with a sharp bottom, and on account of the large sails and anchors in that 

 case, must be manned with a numerous crew. If a small crew is to be 

 employed, the vessel must have small sails and anchors, and hence must be 

 of a narrow build ; but it can then carry little freight. These various 

 qualities, it is evident, are for the most part inconsistent with each other, 

 and on that account the main proportions of merchantmen differ, according 

 as they are designed for different objects. 



The burden of merchantmen is measured by tons. A ton weight is equal 



to 20 cwt. dead weight. But as both capacity of carriage with regard to 



weight and room for stowage have to be taken into consideration, the ship 



is usually measured by the latter, and a ton of measurement is equal to 



732 



