M Mr Harvey’s Observations on Sir R. Seppings" Plan 
lowed, by way of illustration, to borrow a few terms from the 
practice of field fortification, to apply to the mode of defending 
a ship of war, we may without impropriety say, the saliants” 
the square stern are unprotected; that we cannot apply to 
those “ saliants” a few teeth of cremaillere much less direct 
the saliants” towards “ inaccessible points,” or erect in front 
of them artificial obstacles.” But that the fire of the circular 
stern is without a ‘‘ fixed direction,” because it will spread” 
itself over every point of the ocean that surrounds it, and more- 
over, that its defence will be found “ uniform” ip every part of 
the circumference. It is true, that the defence of the stern only 
includes the form of a semicircle, while the defence of the re- 
doubt here alluded to, embraces the whole range of its circum- 
ference ; still the J'easoning holds good for the latter figure, as. 
well as for the perfect circle, because the chord of the semicircle, 
in the case of the circular stern, requires 7io defence. 
To illustrate these remarks, by means of a diagram, we may 
refer to Plate II. Fig. 1. being a plan of the gun-deck of a ship 
of 84 guns, with a round stera. In the first place, the right aft 
and quarter guns at B, C, D, can be brought at the same time, 
so as to defend the arc E, F, G ; and if the arc GH requires 
defence, the gun at D may be placed at different angles, so as. 
to command it ; and it may even be assisted by the gun at tlie 
after broadside port A, this gun commanding the arc IFJ. The 
same remark will apply to the other quarter of the ship, that so? 
the whole stern may be powerfully defended at all points by the 
guns on the different decks,— a defence which a ship with a 
square stern would be incapable of making. 
And how necessary such a mode of defence may be at times^ 
has been most clearly and forcibly shewn by Sir Bobert Sep- 
pings in several instances. Among those mentioned in his Let- 
ter, we may allude to the attack made on the Gibraltar, North- 
umberland, Terrible, and Powerful, by gun-boats in the Bay of 
Gibraltar ; and also when the Minotaur and Dictator passed 
the Beit, by gun-boats raking them in a calm. In the retreat 
also of the squadron of Admiral Cornwallis before the French 
fleet, tliey had no means of firing but right aft; and in order to 
accomplish this. Sir Robert observes “ they^ were mutilated to 
jsuch a degree, td enable them to apply their guns, that a refit 
