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wedges which are drove in until the pieces 
tig. 5 are shoved out so as to till the hoop 
and hold it all firmly. 
Small yards may be made from one spar 
■without joining; in that case the four pieces 
are left connected at each end, and the piece 
rv is a plain block like the rest. 
Sards’ on this construction can be consi- 
derably increased i,i their strength (if found 
too weak) by putting in larger blocks ; which 
increases their diameter, and throws the tom- 
bars farther from each other without increas- 
ing their weight more than the extra weight 
of the blocks. ° 
i he principal articles to be considered in 
equipping a ship with masts are, 1st, the num- 
ber ; 2d, their situation in the vessel; and, 
3d, their height above the water. 
1 he masts being used to extend the sails 
by means of their yards, it is evident, that if 
their number was multiplied beyond what is 
necessary, the yards must he extremely 
short, that they may not entangle each other 
m working the ship, and by consequence 
their sails will be very narrow 7 , and receive a 
small portion of wind. If, on the contrary, 
there is not a suflicient number of masts In 
tiie vessel, the yards will be too large and 
heavy, so^ as not to be managed without dif- 
ficulty. I here is a mean between these ex- 
tremes, which experience and the general 
practice of the sea have determined ; by 
which it appears, that in large ships every ad- 
vantage ot sailing is retained by three masts 
and a bowsprit. 
The most advantageous position of the 
ruasts is undoubtedly that from whence there 
results an equilibrium between the resistance 
ot the water on the body ot the ship on one 
part, and of the direction of their effort on 
the other. By every other position this equi- 
librium is destroyed, and the greatest effort 
of the masts will operate to turn the ship ho- 
rizontally about its direction ; a circumstance 
which retards her velocity. It is counterbal- 
anced indeed by the helm ; but the same in- 
< .. incidence s' fil continues; for the force of 
the wind, having the resistance of the helm 
to overcome, is not entirely employed to 
push the vessel forward. The axis of the re- 
sistance of the -water should then be previ- 
ously determined, to discover the place of 
the main-mast, in order to suspend the efforts 
of the water equally, and place the other 
masts so that their particular direction will 
coincide with that of the main-mast. The 
whole of this would be capable of a solution 
if the figure of the vessel was regular, be- 
cause the point, about which the resistance 
of the water would be in equilibrio, might be 
discovered by calculation. 
The exact height of the masts, in propor- 
tion to the form and size of the ship, remains 
yet a problem to be determined. The more 
the masts .are elevated above the centre of 
gravity, the greater will be the surface of sail 
which they are enabled to present to the 
wind ; so fat an additional height seems to 
have been advantageous. But this advantage 
is diminished by the circular movement of 
the mast, which operates to make the vessel 
stoop to its effort ; and this inclination is in- 
creased in proportion to the additional height 
of the mast, an inconvenience which it is ne- 
cessary to guard against. Thus what is gained 
upon one hand is lost upon the other. To 
reconcile these differences, if is certain, that 
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the height of the mast ought to be determin- 
ed by the inclination of the vessel, and that 
the point ot her greatest inclination should 
be the term of this height above the centre 
of gravity. 
In order to secure the masts, and counter- 
balance the strain they receive from the effort 
ot the sails impressed bv the w ind, and the 
agitation of the ship at sea, they are sustain- 
ed by several strong ropes, extended from 
their upper ends to the outside of the vessel, 
called shrouds. r I liese are further supported 
by other ropes, stretched from their heads to- 
wards the fore-part of the vessel. 
I he mast, which is placed at the middle 
ol the ship’s length, is called the main-mast; 
that which is placed in the forepart, the fore- 
mast ; and that which is towards the stern, is 
termed the mizen-mast. 
SH 1ST US. See Sckistus, and Rocks 
primitive. 
SHIVERS, or Sheevers, in tlie sea-lan- 
guage, names given to the little rollers or 
round wheels ot pulleys. See Pulley. 
SHOE, a covering for the foot, usually 
made of leather, by the company of cord- 
wainers. 
Shoes, horse. See Farriery. 
Shoe, for an anchor, in a ship, the place 
for the anchor to rest, and tilted to receive 
the stock, &c. so as to prevent the sheets, 
tacks, and other running-rigging, from gall- 
ing, or being entangled with the flooks. 
SHOOTING, in the military art. See 
Artillery, Gunnery, and Projectiles. 
Shooting, in sportsmanship, the killing of 
game by the gun, with or without the help 
of dog.5. 
Tim first thing which the sportsman ought 
to attend to is the choice of his fowling- 
piece. Gonveniency requires that the barrel 
should be as light as possible, at the same 
time it ought to possess that degree of 
strength which will make it not liable to 
burst. Tn a former article (G un-smithery, 
vol. i. p. 890) it was stated that very little 
was gained by extending the length of the 
ban el. It ought, however, to bear some pro- 
portion k> the bore, and be of sufficient 
length to permit all the powder to inflame. 
The usual length is now from 26 to 30 
inches. 
It may appear as an objection to this, that 
a duck-gun which is live or six feet long kills 
at a greater distance- than a fowling-piece; 
but this is not owing to its length, but to its 
greater weight and thickness, which give It 
such additional strength, that the shot may 
be increased, and the charge of 1 * powder 
doubled, trebled, and even quadrupled. 
Moie, indeed, will depend on the goodness 
of the powder, and using a proper charge 
(which must be learned by trying the gun at 
a mark), than on the length of the barrel. 
1 he patent milled shot is now very gene- 
rally used, and is reckoned superior to any 
other. The size of the shot must vary ac- 
cording to the particular species of game 
which is the object ot the sportsman's pur- 
suit, as w'eil as be adapted to the season. In 
the first month of partridge-shooting. No. 4 
is most proper. 
As hares also sit closer, and are thinly co- 
vered with fur, at this season, they may easily 
be killed with this shot at 30 or 35. paces. 
No. 5, is proper for shooting quails ; and No. 
3, for snipes. About the beginning of ©c» < 
tober, when the partridges are stronger, and ! 
pheasant-shooting commences. No. 3 mav 
be used. 3 
In loading a piece, the powder ought to 
be slightly rammed down by only pressing 
tiie ramrod two or three times on the wad- 
ding. and not by drawing up the ramrod and 
then returning it into the barrel with a jerk 
of the arm several times. The - shot ought to 
be rammed down with some force, since it 
is from the shot being loose in the gun, and 
a space being consequently left between it 
and the powder, that accidents most fre- 
quently happen by the bursting of guns. A 
sportsman ought never to carry his gun under 
his auii w ith the muzzle inclined downwards, 
foi * l) is practice loosens the wadding and 
charge too much. 
Immediately after the piece is fired it ouffiit 
to be re-loaded ; for, while the barrel is slid 
warm, there is no danger of any moisture 
lodging in it to hinder the powder from fall- 
ing to the bottom. As it is found that the 
coldness of the barrel, and perhaps the mois- 
ture condensed in it, diminish the force of 
die pow del in the first shot, it is proper to 
lire oft a little powder before the piece is 
loaded. Some prime before loading, but this 
is not proper unless the touch-hole is very 
large. After every discharge the touch-hole 
ought to be pricked, or a small feather may 
be inserted to clear away any humidity or 
foulness that has been contracted. 
The sportsman having loaded his piece, 
must next prepare to fire. For this purpose 
he ought to place his hand near the entrance 
ot the ramrod, and at the same time grasp the 
barrel firmly. The muzzle should he a little 
elevated, for it is more usual to shoot low 
than high. 1 his direction ought particularly 
to be attended to when the object is a little ■ 
distant ;. because shot as well as ball only 
moves a certain distance point-blank, when, 
it begins to describe the curve of the para- 
bola. 
1 met ice soon 1 teaches the sportsman the 
proper distance at which he should shook 
J lie distance at which he ought infallibly to 
kill any kind of game with patent shot, pro- 
vided the aim is well taken, is from 25 to 35 
paces for the footed, and from 40 to 45 paces 
for the winged game. Beyond this distance 
even to 50 or 55 paces, both partridges and 
hares are sometimes killed; but in general 
the hares are only slightly wounded, and 
carry away the shot ; and the partridges at 
that distance present so small a surface, that 
they frequently, escape untouched between 
the spaces of the circle. Yet it does not 
follow that a partridge may not be killed at 
60 and even 70 paces distance; but these 
shots are rare. 
In shooting at a bird flying, or a hare run- 
ning across, it is necessary to take aim at the *i 
foie pait of the object. If a partridge flies 
across at the distance of 30- or 35 paces, it 
will be sufficient to aim at the head, or at 
most but a small space before it. Another 
thing to be attended to is, that the shooter 
ought not involuntarily to stop the motion of 
tiie arms at the moment of pulling the *- 1 r i g- 
gei ,ioi the instant the hand stops in order to 
lire, however inconsiderable the time may be, 
the bird gets beyond the line of aim, and the 
shot will miss it. A sportsman ought, there- 
