320 Captain Hall’s Remarks on the Utility of' Chain- Cables . 
cannot be undertaken if the ground-tackling be not trust-worthy ; 
and innumerable commercial speculations are put to imminent 
hazard, or altogether prevented, by the absence of secure means 
of anchoring at all seasons, and on all descriptions of coast. 
In an economical point of view, the advantage to the country 
in the equipment of his Majesty’s ships is very great. As an 
example, I may state what came under my own knowledge on a 
recent voyage which I made to South America. We sailed in 
his Majesty’s ship Conway from Portsmouth in July 1820, and 
returned to England in the beginning of 1 823, having been in 
commission somewhat more than two years and a-half. In this 
interval, the ship visited thirty-six different sea-ports and road- 
steads, and many of them repeatedly ; besides which, there was 
a good deal of coasting and river navigation ; upon the whole, 
there was probably more than an ordinary proportion of anchor- 
ing than is usual in the same length of period. Judging from 
experience in similar climates, I should say that six new cables 
of the best description of hemp would have been completely worn 
out by the same service, the cost of which could not have been 
less than L. 650. But in consequence of our having an iron- 
cable to perform the greater part of the work, a single hempen 
one in addition was found quite sufficient. This cable, as may 
be supposed, was completely worn out ; while the chain, costing 
♦riginally less than L. 200, was returned into store as good as 
ever, with the advantage of having been well tried during the 
voyage. Had I been ordered to re-equip the ship for service, I 
should certainly have applied for this old chain in preference to 
a new one. 
During the voyage in question, it often became advantageous 
to the public service to anchor in particular parts of a harbour, 
where the bottom was rocky, and in situations where the best 
hempen-cable would have been chafed through in a single tide. 
At others, we were enabled to lie in security on open coasts, 
which, previous to the introduction of chain-cables, no ship dared 
to approach. I have frequently, also, seen merchant ships trad- 
ing on such coasts to great purpose, when other vessels, equally 
well circumstanced in other respects, were obliged to relinquish 
considerable mercantile profits for want of this single article in 
their equipment. Important advantages, therefore, belong to its 
use besides the saving of cost, which is very great. 
