Mr Whytock the ctpplkaUon of Oars to Steam-Boats. 35 
ted with greater safety, at least around the shores of our own 
island. 
The second objection which I have stated against the use of 
wheels, is more radical and important than the first. I do not 
know whether it has been taken into consideration, that, by pla- 
cing the wheel or other propelling apparatus too near the side 
of the vessel, a most important advantage has been lost, and a 
principle which ought to have been very obvious, has been over- 
looked or neglected. Not only has a resisting force been invi- 
ted and called into action, but a powerful auxiliary force has 
been allowed to remain unemployed. Although this force, to 
which I refer, has not been called into action in aid of the pro- 
gress of steam-boats, yet the motion of every row-boat, since the 
oar was first invented, has been powerfully accelerated by its 
influence. It must have appeared strange to every accurate ob- 
server, that the rower should be able to exert his strength so ef- 
fectually as he does, when it is considered that he holds in his 
hand the short end of the oar or lever. Instead of having the 
benefit of any of the mechanical forces to assist him, he has the 
most powerful of these operating against him. This disadvan- 
tage would long ere now have proscribed the use of the oar, and 
occasioned the substitution of some other instrument, w^ere it 
not that the operation of this force, to which I am about to di- 
rect the attention of the reader, has, although unobserved, the 
effect of overcoming the disadvantage, and of counterbalancing 
the loss of power occasioned by the use of the reversed lever. 
When the rower takes hold of the water by dipping his oar, 
a double effect is produced. There is first a motion communi- 
cated to the boat, equal to what would have been communicated, 
had he taken hold of some fixed object, with the point of his 
oar, and exerted the same strength. But, besides the impetus 
which is given to the boat by the pressure upon the point under 
the fulcrum of the lever, technically speaking upon the tliaid- 
pm^ (and which impetus would be nearly the same whether the 
oar took hold of the water, or whether it took hold of a fixed 
object at the same distance from the boat), there is another 
force called into action hy the strohe in the water^ which would 
not be obtained by resting the point of the oar upon a fixed ob- 
ject. This force is neither more nor less than a current occa- 
c 2 
