70 



A DISCOURSE 



steril and barren, that, nothing ahnost prospering in it, the inhabitants 

 were quite deserting it, and with theh wives and children going to seek 

 some other more propitious abode; when some of them happening to come 

 into Italy, and tasting the juice of the delicious grape, the rest of their 

 countrymen took arms, and invaded the territories where those vines 

 grew, which they transplanted into Gallia, and have so infinitely improved 

 since, that France alone yields more of that generous liquor, than not only 

 Italy and Greece, but all Europe and Asia beside : who almost would 

 believe that the austere Rhenish, abounding on the fertile banks of th^ 

 Rhine, should produce so soft and charming a liquor, as does the same 



" endured to be backed * but with a set-bolt, just as well as though they had been iron ; where- 

 " as Oak trenails are usually bored out with an auger. The next voyage the ship made, was 

 " to the West-Indies, where the captain died, and with him ended (for the present) any 

 " further prosecution of this matter : for though the success of the above experiment was 

 " known to many, yet (as is frequently the case with new discoveries) none, that I ever 

 " heard of, made any use of Locust trenails in ship^building, till many years after ; 

 " though on the goodness of that article greatly depends the strength and durableness of 

 " a ship. I frequently recommended it, when opportunities offered, but all to no purpose, 



till about twenty years ago, when I was settled in trade at Rhode Island, I persuaded 

 " some ship-builders to try the experiment ; but notwithstanding all my endeavours, the 

 "use of Locust trenails still continued to be little practised or known, till it happened to 

 *' be adopted by a builder of some eminence at New York, and of late years has been 

 f introduced into general use there, and in some parts of New England : but as yet the 

 " use of the Locust-tree, in ship-building, is confined to the article of trenails, on account 

 " of its scarcity ; for, was it near as plentiful as Oak, it would be applied to more purposes, 

 " such as knees t, floor-timbers J, foot-hooks ||, &c. being much superior to it, both as to 

 " strength and duration ; and from its spreading into branches, affords full as large a pro- 



portion of crooks, or compass-timber, as the Oak. 



" The growth of the Locust-tree has of late been much encouraged in North America : 

 " and here, in England, several gentlemen have propagated great quantities of it, partir 



• Backing out a bolt, or trenail, is driving it out by means of a tool called a setrbolt, which is an iron punch, 

 something smaller than the bolt or trenail, to be taken out, against which it is driven, with a heavy black, 

 smith's sledge, or hammer ; but Oak trenails, except such as are very hard and sound, will seldom bear this 

 operation ; in which case, they are obliged to bore them out with an auger. 



^ Knees are those crooked pieces, that, by means of iron bolts, fasten the ends of the beams to the sidet 

 of the ship. 



{ Floor-Timbers are those ribs or timbers that lie across the keel, and are bolted into it. 



t1 FoDT-HooKS are those circular ribs or timbers that form the body of the ship from the floor to the top, 

 timbers : and all pieces of timber that are not straight, are called crooks or compass-timber. 



