98 
verfally become too little for their number 
of paflengers. I lately took a journey in 
a ftage-coach to a county-town about 50 
yniles from London. The carriage was 
fhowy, new, and built for the purpofe, 
but after four middle-fized people were 
feated in the corners, it appeared {carcely 
poffible to get two more to their centre- 
places, or to feat them when got there. 
This was at length effected by help of 
wedging, and we proceeded, like pinioned 
maiefaétors, with this fole confolation, 
that we were fecured from harm by rol« 
ling over each other in cafe of an over- 
turn. Such an event, we found, was 
likely enough to happen; for the coach- 
man took a loading of no fewer than fif- 
teen ‘precious fouls’ on the outfide, 
whofe legs hung dangling from the roof, 
aiding the momentum of the top on each 
flight inequality of ground, and debarring 
the accefs of air and light at our little 
windows. The pleafure of a fummer’s 
day journey, in thefe circumftances, may 
be conceived: in fa&t, he would be a fe- 
vere confeffor who fhould enjoin fuch a 
penance for a moderate fin! This is the 
ordinary travelling of perfons of the mid- 
dling rank in England at the beginning 
of the 19th century! | 
I am not one of thofe,. Sir, who make a 
great affair of a trifling perfonal inconve- 
nience; but I own I can fcarcely witnefs, 
with-patience, the fcandalous indifference 
with which public abufes of every kind are 
tolerated, merely becaufe individuals do 
not think it worth while to take the 
trouble of feeking redrefs. Reliance on 
this indifference fick prompts, and then 
perpetuates, the abufe; and quiet fub- 
miflion, in one cafe, furnifhes an argument 
for the fame in all fimilar ones. I know 
of nothing that would be more ufeful than 
a periodical work, that fhould be devoted 
to.the expofure of all frauds, extertions, 
and impofitions, praétifed upon the public, 
authenticating every inftance with zames, 
as far as with fafety could be done. [ 
throw out this hint for your confideration, 
and remain, 
‘Your’s, &c. 
PUBLILIUs. 
——a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIRs ' 
WAS much gratified by having your 
valuable Magazine for laft month 
put into my hands, in-which is an article 
by “*A Son of the Tyne’ refpecting the 
Life-boat. 
It has often feemed ‘ftrange to me, that 
this invention, fo highly valuable te our 
Invention of the Life-boat. 
[Sepf. 1, 
feamen, has never yet been fairly laid be- 
fore the public, that its invention, even 
at this period, remains in difpute, and 
that no man of feience has yet favoured 
the word with any hints refpecting the 
conftru&tion, which, it would feem, has 
been adopted by chance, and, having fuce 
ceeded, any farther improvement of which 
it is capable, has been entirely overlooked. 
At the time when Mr. Greathead has 
received a remuneration from feveral pub- 
lic bodies, and from Parliament, a cor- 
refpondent informs you, that the merit of 
the invention, or rather the application of 
the good properties of different plans and 
models is due to the committee who ad- 
vertized for them, but gives Mr. Would- 
have the credit of fuggefting the idea of 
rendering it fufficiently buoyant by the 
-addition of cork, which, from his account, 
is no trifling one, fince by the help of 
that alone, he informs you, a common 
boat may, upon emergency, be rendered 
tolerably fafe. 
Having been employed here feveral 
years asa fhipwright, I became acquaint- 
ed with Wouidhave,: and have feveral 
times feen the original model, made of 
tin, with the cork attached to it, which 
he laid before the committee in ccnfe- 
quence of their advertifement. If his 
account be true, and I have no reafon te 
call in queftion his veracity, he was re- 
warded with a guinea for his trouble, 
and was informed by the committee, that 
he was fecond:—on enquiring who was 
the more fortunate candidate, that infor- 
mation was withheld. 
That the public may be enabled to 
judge how far his plan would have an- 
f{wered the purpofe required, I fhall take 
the liberty of furnifhing the dimenfons 
of his model, which I have viewed for 
the purpofe. | 
He propofed to build the boat of fheet- 
copper; the length of the model was 23 
inches over all, an inch toa foot (feale) 
breadth 9 inches, fheer 3 inches, mea- 
fured a-midfhip, calculated to row either 
end foremoft, confequently both formed 
alike ; no keel, the form of the veffel-on 
the whole nearly that of a Norway yawl ; 
no hollow in the bottom; that is, bes 
tween the place of the keel and floor- 
heads, no hollow water lines, but fair 
curves, the convex part outward ; ballaft 
in the athip pr fufficient to prevent 
her overfetting, and fo lined with cork 
as to render her buoyant if filled with 
water. Her buoyancy and capacity of keep- 
ing @ proper pofition was abundantly 
proved before the committee: his model 
having 
