'xxxvi 
APPENDIX. 
of sailing of only two and a half sea, or geographic, miles per hour, 
or less than three at the utmost. The cause must either have been 
the defective form of the ships’ hulls, or the faulty disposition of the 
cargo and ballast, which might not permit them to spread sail 
enough*. Certainly the sails of ancient ships are represented, on 
medals, as being remarkably small, and do not seem to be on a par 
in that respect even with Chinese junks, which, like the others, have 
generally lower masts only. If we reject the examples given by 
Herodotus on the Caspian Sea, and by Pliny in the open sea, as 
being out of rule, we have thirty-five (miles) only for the mean rate 
per day of the Grecian, Egyptian, Phoenician and Carthaginian 
ships, between the times of Darius, Hystaspes and Alexander, gene- 
rally ; and in which none rise above thirty-eight, or fall below 
thirty-two sea miles. 
“ It appears (continues our author) that the principal difficulty to 
be surmounted in antient voyages, arose from the impracticability of 
storing the ships with provisions adequate to the vast length of 
time required for their navigation, when the rate of sailing was so 
remarkably slow. They were ill adapted to distant voyages, which 
indeed they seldom, it appears, undertook, but did very well in 
situations where they could land and command provisions almost at 
pleasure ; or, at any rate, by compulsion, when they sailed in fleets. 
But, on the other hand, they were better adapted to those coasting 
voyages which constituted almost the whole of their navigation. 
The flatness of their bottoms required much less depth of water than 
modern vessels of the same tonnage: whence arose an incredi- 
ble advantage over ours in finding shelter more frequently ; and 
indeed almost everywhere, except on a steep or rocky shore — since, 
in default of shelter afloat, they drew their large ships upon the 
beach, as our fishermen do their large boats. And we may certainly 
* The constant yawing to which the vessels of the antients must from their build 
have been necessarily exposed, in a far greater degree than even our light colliers, 
(their upper works being lofty, sails small, and floor flat.) would also materially 
contribute to retard their progress. 
