{>3S 
been found to answer all the purposes of na- 
vigation, have a certain breadth in propor- 
tion to their length, they have inferred that it 
would be improper to depart from this pro-' 
•portion ; but as other ships have been con- 
structed with different breadths, which were 
•equally perfect, a variety of diffluent general 
ru es have been adopted by these, artists, who 
are accordingly divided in their opinions 
.about the breadth which ought to be assigned 
to a ship relatively with her length, whilst 
•each one produces reasons and experience in 
support of his own standard. Those who 
would diminish the breadth, allege: !. That 
a narrow vessel meets with less resistance m 
passing through the water. 2dly. That by 
increasing the length she will drive less to 
leeward. 3diy. That according to this prin- 
ciple, the water-lines will be more conve- 
niently formed to divide the fluid. 4thlv. 
That a long and narrow ship will require less 
sail to advance quickly ; that her masts will 
be lower, and her rigging lighter; and, by 
consequence, the seamen less fatigued with 
managing the sails, &c. Those, on the con- 
trary, who would enlarge the breadth, pre- 
tend, 1st. That this form is belter filled to 
preserve a good battery of guns. Sadly. That 
there will be more room to work the guns 
conveniently. 3rdiy. That by carrying more 
sail, the ship will be enabled to run faster; 
or, that this quality will at least overbalance 
the advantage which the others have of more 
-easily dividing the fluid. 4thly. That being 
broader at the load water-line, or place 
where the surface of the water describes a 
line round the bottom, they will admit of 
being very narrow on the floor, particularly 
towards the extremities. And, fifthly. That 
.abroad vessel will more readily rise upon 
the waves than a narrow one. From such 
•opposite principles has resulted that variety 
of standards adopted by different ship- 
wrights. 
It has been remarked above, that a ship of 
war must carry her lower tier of cannon high 
.enough above the water, otherwise a great 
•ship which cannot open her lower battery, 
when sailing with a fresh side-wind, may be 
taken by a small one that can make use of 
Jjcr cannon. 
A ship should be duly poised, so as not to 
dive or pitch heavilv, but go smooth and 
easy through the water, rising to the waves 
when they run high, and the ship has re- 
duced her sail to the storm ; otherwise they 
will break aboard, and strain the decks or 
•carry away the boats : the masts are likewise 
in great danger from the same cause. 
A skip should sail well w hen large and be- 
fore the wind, but chiefly close hauled, or 
with aside-wind, and her sails sharp-trimmed, 
and then not fall off to the leeward. 
Now, the great difficulty lies in uniting so 
many different qualities in one ship, which 
seems to be nearly impossible ; the whole 
art, therefore, consists in forming the body 
in such a maimer that none of these qualities 
should be entirely destroyed, and in giving a 
preference to that which is clpelly required in 
the particular service for which the vessel is 
designed. We shall briefly show the po - 
tiibiUty of uniting them all in one ship, that 
each of them may be easily discerned ; when 
it happens otherwise, the fault must lie in the 
biuluer, who lias not applied himself to study 
sstip-building; 
I the fundamental rules and principles of his 
art. 
To maize a .ship carry a good sail. A flat 
it )or-timber,- and sumewhatldng, or the lower 
futtoek pretty round, a straight upper fut- 
b.'ck, the top-timber to throw the breadth 
out aloft; ai any rate, to carry her main 
breadth as high as the lower deck. Now, if 
the rigging is well adapted to such a body, 
| ami tin: upper works lightened as much as 
J pos ib!e, so that they all concur to lower tlu 
[■centre ot gravity, there will be no room to 
doubt of her carrying a aoed sail. 
/ 1° make a ship steer zvell, and an steer 
the hr ; hi (jincHj. If the fashion-pieces are 
well formed, the tuck, or spreading parts 
under the stern, carried pretty high, the mid- 
ship-frame well forward, a considerable dif- 
ference in the draught of water abaft more 
than afore, a great rake forward and none 
abatt, a snug quarter-deck and fore-castle ; ai! 
these will make a ship steer well. A ship 
which sails well will certainly steer well. 
To make a ship carry her guns vcell out of 
the zvater. A long floor-timber, and not of 
great rising; a .very full midship-frame, 
and low tuck, with light upper works. 
To make a ship go smooth ! / through the 
-center zvi fruit pitching hard. A long keel, 
a long floor, not to rise too high afore and 
abaft ; but the area or space continued in the 
lore-body, according to the respective weights 
they are to carry ; all these are necessary to 
make a ship go smoothly through the water. 
lo make a ship keep a good zvind, and 
drive lit-le to the lee-card. A good length 
by the keel ; not too broad, but prettv deep 
in the hold, which will occasion her to have a 
short floor-timber, and a great rising. As 
such a ship will meet with great resistance in 
the water going over the broadside, and little 
when going ahead, she will not fall much to 
the leeward. 
Now, some builders imagine it is impos- 
sible to make a ship carry' her guns well, 
bear a good sail, and be a prime sailer, be- 
cause it would require a very full bottom to 
gain the first two qualities, whereas a sharp 
ship will answer better for the latter; but 
when it is considered that a full ship will 
carry a great deal more sail than a sharp one, 
a good artist may so form the body as to have 
all these three good qualities, and also steer 
well, 
Without attempting to describe the pieces 
of which a ship is composed, and to exp'ain 
the principal draughts used in the construc- 
tion thereof, we observe that in vessels of 
war, the general dimensions are established 
by authority of officers appointed by the go- 
vernment to superintend the building cfships. 
In the merchant-service, tf)e extreme breadth, 
length of the keel, depth in the hold, heiaht 
between decks and in the waist, are agreed 
on bv contract ; and from these dimensions 
the shipwright is to form a draught suitable 
to the trade tor which the ship is designed, 
In projecting the draught of a vessel of 
war, the first article to be considered is her 
length. As all ships are much longer above 
than below, it is also necessary to distinguish 
tlie precise part ot her height from which her 
length is taken: this is usually the lower 
gun deck, or the load water-line. It has 
been already observed, that water-lines are 
described longitudinally on a ship’s bottom 
by the surface of the* water in which she 
floats, and that the line w hich determines her 
depth under the water, is usually termed the 
load water-line. In this draught i-t will be 
particularly necessary to leave sufficient dis- 
tance between the ports. 
'1 he next object is to establish the breadth 
by the midship-beam. Although thine is 
great difference of opinion about prupoi turn- 
ing too breadth to the length, yet it is most 
usual to conform to the dimensions of ships 
of the same rate. After the dimensions of 
the breadth and length are determined, the 
depth of the hold must be fixed, which is ge- 
nerally half the breadth ; hub the foi m of ihe 
body should be considered on this occasion; 
for a .flat floor will require less depth in the 
hold than a sharp one. The distance betw een 
the decks must also be settled. 
YVe may then proceed to fix the length of 
the keel, by which we shall be enabled to 
judge of the rake of the stem and stern-post. 
1 lie rake is known to be the projection of the 
ship at the height of the stem and stern-post 
beyond the ends of the keel afore and abaft, 
<>r the angle by which the length is increased 
as the fabric rises, do these we may also 
add (lie height of the stem and wing-transom. 
After these dimensions are settled, the tim- 
bers may be considered which form the sides 
of the ship. A frame of limbers, which ap- 
pears to be one continued piece, is composed 
ot one floor-timber, whose amis branch out- 
ward to both sides of the ship ; two or three 
futtocks, and a top-timber. r J he futtocks 
are connected to the upper arms of the floor- 
timbers on each side ot the ship, and serve to 
prolong the timber in a vertical direction; 
and the top-timbers are placed at the upper' 
pari of the futtocks for the same purpose;, 
all these being united, and secured by eioss- 
bars, or a circular inclosure, which is called 
a frame of timbers. And as a ship is much 
broader at the middle than at the extremities, 
the arms of the floor timber will form a very 
obtuse angle at the extreme breadth; but 
this angle decreases in proportion to the dis- 
tance of the limbers from the midship-frame, 
so that the foremost and aftmost ones will 
form a very acute angle. Floor-timbers of 
the latter sort are usually called crutches. 
Shipwrights differ extremely in determin- 
ing the station of the midship-frame; some 
plating it at the middle of the ship’s length, 
others further forward. 'They who place it 
before the middle allege, that if a ship is full 
forwards, she will meet with no resistance 
after she has opened a column of water ; and 
that the water so displaced will easily unite 
abaft, and by that means force the snip for- 
ward ; besides having more power on the 
rudder, in proportion to its distance from/ 
the centre of gravity; this also comes nearer 
the form of fishes, which should seem the 
most advantageous for dividing the fluid. 
When the rising of the midship floor-timber 
is decided, w r e nuiv then proceed to describe 
the rising line of the floor, on the stern-post 
abaft, and on the stem afore, 
Ihe height of the lower-deck is the next 
thing to he considered : it is determined in 
the middle by the depth of the hold ; and 
some builders make it no higher than the 
stem ; but they raise it abaft as much above 
its height in the middle, as the load w*ter- 
