662 
LIFE-PRESERVER. 
the flings of the calks,’which had been previoufly prepar¬ 
ed. The fame procefs was obferved in the after-part of 
the boat. And laftly, a bar of iron, about three hundred 
weight, was fixed to the keel, on the infide. A fmall 
quantity of cork was alfo placed in the Hern, intended 
chiefly to raife to a proper height the calks placed above 
it; but without which the refult of the experiment would 
have been the fame. The quantity of cork neceffary, which 
will depend on the fize of the boat, is to be made up into 
feveral parcels, but none larger than one perfon can eafdy 
manage. 'Each parcel to be properly fecured and num¬ 
bered, fo as that the whole may fit and fill up the boat 
completely, in the fpaces betwixt the ring-bolts', fore and 
aft, as above defcribed; and to artfvver the end, it is ma¬ 
terial that there fhould be cork enough to rife nearly three 
feet-above the gunwales, fo as to form an arch from gun¬ 
wale to gunwale. The cork being thus laid in the boat, it 
is to be properly fecured, firft by palling a flrong rope round 
all, over the gunwales, and through the auger-bore, out- 
fide the keel; as all'o by palling feizing-ropes from the 
ring-bolt in the dem to that next it in the keel, taking 
care to make as many turns and feizings betwixt thebe 
ring-bolts, as completely to fecure the cork from flipping 
out. The very fame thing to be done as to the rope round 
the gunwales, and through the hole outlide the keel, with 
feizing-ropes from the ring-bolts, to be made aft, or in 
the dern of the boat. 
Where cork cannot be had, or may not be kept in rea- 
dinefs on account of its expenfe, which, however, is not 
very great, calks will anfwer the purpofe, though it may 
be doubtful whether there would not be a greater chance 
that the fury of the waves might unloofe them, unlefs 
particular care was taken to have them properly fixed. In 
the cafe of calks, two empty ones are to be placed in the 
fore-part of the boat, parallel to one another, clofe toge¬ 
ther, and to be laid length wife fore and aft. Two other 
empty calks to be placed in the fame way in the dern, or 
aft-part of the boat; and the whole to be fecured as firmly 
and compatdly as poflible, by drong ropes round the boat 
and calks, and alfo by feizing-ropes in the fame way as 
defcribed in the cafe of cork; then two other empty calks, 
of the fame dimenfions, one fore, and another aft, to be 
placed over and in the middle between the two already 
fixed, and to be firmly fecured, as above-mentioned. As 
the boat is to be thus prepared on the deck of the fliip, 
when danger appears, a piece of fail fhould be thrown in 
below, betwixt, and about, the calks, for the more effec¬ 
tually fecuring them, and to prevent the feizing-ropes 
from fo readily flipping; it would be proper alfo to have 
flings on the calks, with eyes in them, through which to 
pafs the feizing-ropes. 
Ladly, both in the cafe of cork and calks, an iron bar, 
of about three hundred weight, for fuch a boat as above 
defcribed, fhould be fecured to the keel on the infide, in 
the middle or empty fpace. This middle or empty fpace 
of the boat is for the failors; and in a fhip’s boat of the 
common fize may hold eight people, with room to work a 
pair of oars. Every thing being previoufly ready, it is 
certain that the neceffary fixing of the calks will not take 
up above ten or twelve minutes, and.it is obvious the cork 
can be fixed in a much fhorter period. It is alfo com¬ 
pletely afcertained, that a boat fo prepared, though full 
of water, will not fink, but on the contrary be extremely 
buoyant, and will eafily go a-head: that it w'ould be next 
to impoflible the boat fhould overfet; but, in cafe of this 
at any time happening, lhe would inftantly return to her 
proper pofltion on her keel. Though the experiment was 
tried only with calks, with but a fmall quantity of cork, as 
before Hated, yet it is generally believed, and Mr. Brem- 
ner himfelf is of the fame opinon, that it might anfwer 
equally well, and perhaps better, to have thecork or calks 
flowed in midfhips, leaving an empty fpace in each end, by 
which means the management of the boat by the helm or 
rudder would be preferved; though the other plan feems 
better in the view of ufing oars, 
1 
The great benefit derived from the common life-boats 
is well known, and univerfally acknowledged ; but they 
are very far from being adequate to the calamity they are 
intended to remedy. Their number comparatively is very 
few, and the fphere of their operations extremely limited. 
In darknefs by night, and in thick fnow by day, when 
their aid is molt wanted, they are of no avail. Storms 
may blow, and fometimes have blown, fo hard as to de¬ 
feat theirutmoflexertions; and, even in the molt favour¬ 
able cafes, they require a confiderable time before they can 
reach the wreck ; in the mean time the veil'd may be dafhed 
to pieces, and all hands loft. 
The very pre-eminent advantage of the (hip-boat in 
thefe and feveral other refpeds is very confpicuous. This 
boat is wherever the fliip is, and recourfe may immedi¬ 
ately be had to her; is of equal utility by night as by 
day, and in the thickefl as well as in the clearelt weather; 
and, whillt the life-boat, with extreme flow progrels, muft 
be impelled againft wind and lea by a force iuperior to- 
both, the (hip-boat has only to drift with eafe before the 
ltorm ; for it is well underltood, that, when a life-boat has 
reached the fliip in diftrefs, the moft difficult part of her 
talk is performed ; the return is always comparatively 
eafy. 
Of this advantage the Highland Society were fully 
aware ; and the following is an extract from the Report 
of the committee, after feeing the experiment detailed 
above : “ Mr. Bremner’s.contrivance differs from any life¬ 
boat of which they have received information, in fo far as 
the latter, being Itationed at particular ports, are intended 
and calculated to afford occalional relief in thofe cafes of 
danger that may occur within their reach ; and, though 
very ufeful and proper in their invention, are yet thus li¬ 
mited in their ufe, while they are fo conltruded as not to 
be fit for the ordinary purpol'es of a boat, and on thefe ac¬ 
counts are neither proper nor convenient to be carried to 
fea on-board a fliip; whereas, on the other hand, Mr. 
Bremner’s plan is of more general application, the objed 
of it being a Ample and expeditious method of convert¬ 
ing every boat whatever, in all fltuations of danger, into 
a life-boat; fo that, at the fame time that a boat retains all 
its common utility, it may be alfo eaiily reforted to as a 
fafeguard againlt danger, and, in many cafes, as the only 
poflible means of efcaping from death, otherwife inevita¬ 
ble ; where life-boats, properly fo called, as well as every 
other means of efcape, are wanting.” 
Mr. Bremner fays; “From the obvious fhnilarity there 
is betwixt the prepared (hip-boat and the common life¬ 
boat, fome have been led to imagine, that the former has 
been borrowed from the latter. This I can with truth af¬ 
firm was by no means the cafe; and, to prove it beyond 
all quellion, I can refer to the evidence of a nobleman 
now living, the right hon. lord M&lyille, to whom, when 
treafurer of the navy, I lent the outline of my plan in the 
year 1792, a period at which no life-boat exiited, nor for 
feveral years afterwards ; and the plan, detailed at more 
length, was tranfmitted afterwards by his lord (hip, to the 
Elder Brethren of the Trinity of London, for their opi¬ 
nion thereon; upon which I received the anfwer, under 
the hand of their fecretary, as mentioned in the Highland 
Society’s Report. From whence it appears that this was 
the firlt attempt that ever had been made upon any regu¬ 
lar plan, to find a remedy for the manifold dangers and, 
dillreffes to which feamen are expofed by fliipvvreck. 
Whether my communications and correl’pondence lb many 
years before may have given rife to the life-boats or not, 
is a quellion that probably never will be folved.” 
Mr. Bremner propofed fome other contrivances for fav- 
ing the lives of feamen, particularly a life-preferver to be 
applied to the body. And he was the inventor of an im¬ 
portant improvement in the ufe of great guns, which is 
now adopted throughout the Britilh navy ; we mean gun- 
locks to cannon. In reference to his inventions and to 
his circumftances, he fpeaks as follows in his letter to the 
Society of Arts, upon communicating to them a copy of 
