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Nautical Affairs.

THOUGH Britain beftows more attention to trade than any other nation, and though it be the general opinion, that the fafety of the ftate depends upon her navy alone; yet it feems not a little extraordinary, that most of the great improvements in fhip-building have originated abroad. The beft failing veffels in the royal navy, have in general been French prizes. This, though it may admit of exceptions, cannot be upon the whole disputed.

Nor is Britain entirely inattentive to naval architecture; though it is no where fcientifically taught, and those who devife improvements, have feldom an opportunity of bringing them into practice. What a pity it is, that no contrivance fhould be adopted, for concentrating the knowledge that different individuals attain in this art, into one common focus, if the expreffion may be admitted. Our endeavours fhall not be wanting, to collect together, in the best way we can, the fcattered hints that fhall occur under this head, not doubting but the public will receive with favour, this humble attempt to awaken the attention to a fubject of fuch great national importance.

Dr. Franklin, among the other enquiries that had engaged his attention, during a long life fpent in the uninterrupted purfuit of ufeful improvements, did not let this efcape his notice; and many ufeful hints, tending to perfect the art of navigation, and to meliorate the condition of feafaring people, occur in his work. In France, the art of conftructing fhips has long been a favourite ftudy, and many improvements in that branch have originated with them. Among the last of the Frenchmen who have made any confiderable improvements in this refpect, is Mr. Le Roy, who has conftructed a veffel well adapted to fail in rivers, where the depth of the water is inconfiderable, and that yet was capable of being navigated at fea with great eafe. This he effected in a great measure by the particular mode of rigging, which gave the mariners much greater power over the veffel, than they could have when of the ufual construction

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I do not hear that this improvement has in any cafe been adopted in Britain. But the advantages that would refult from having a veffel of small draught of water to fail with the fame steadiness, and to lie equally near the wind, as one may do that is fharper built, are fo obvious, that many perTons have been defirous of falling upon fome way to effect it. About London, this has been attempted by means of lee boards (a contrivance now fo generally known as not to require to be here particularly, defcribed), and not without effect. But these are subject to certain inconveniences that render the use of them in many cafes ineligible.

Others have attempted to effect the purpose by building veffels with more than one keel: and this contrivance, when adopted upon proper principles, promifes to be attended with the happiest effects. But hitherto that feems to have been scarcely adverted to. Time will be neceffary to eradicate common notions of very old standing, before this can be effectually done.

Mr. W. Brodie, fhip-mafter in Leith, has lately adopted a contrivance for this purpose, that feems to be at the fame time very fimple, and extremely efficacious. Neceflity, in this case, as in many others, was the mother of invention. He had a small, flat, ill-built boat, which was fo ill conftructed as fcarcely to admit of bearing a bit of fail on any occafion, and which was at the fame time fo heavy to be rowed, that he found great difficulty in ufing it for his ordinary occafions. In reflecting on the means that might be adopted for giving this useless coble fuch a hold of the wa ter as to admit of his employing a fail when he found it neceffary, it readily occurred that a greater depth of keel would have this tendency. But a greater depth of keel, though it would have been useful for this purpose, he eafily forefaw, would make his boat be extremely inconvenient on many other occafions. To effect both purpofes, he thought of adopting a moveable keel, which would admit of being let down or taken up at pleafure, This idea he immediately carried into effect, by fixing a bar of iron of the depth he wanted, along each fide of the keel, moving upon hinges that admitted of being moved in one direction, but which could not be bent back in the oppofite direction. Thus, by means of a small chain fixed to each end, these VOL. I.

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moveable keels could be easily lifted up at pleafure; fo that when he was entering into a harbour, or fhoal water, he had only to lift up his keels, and the boat was as capable of being managed there, as if it had wanted them entirely; and when he went out to fea, where there was depth enouhg, by letting them down, the lee keel took a firm hold of the water, (while the other floated loofe), and gave fuch a fleadinefs to all its movements, as can fcarcely be conceived by thofe who have not experienced it.

This gentleman one day carried me out with him in this boat to try it. We made two experiments. At first, with a moderate breeze, when the moveable keels were kept up, the boat, when laid as near the wind as it could go, made an angle with the wake of about 30 degrees; but when the kcels were let down, the fame angle did not exceed five or fix degrees, being nearly parallel with the courfe.

At another time, the wind was right a-head, a brisk breeze. When we began to beat up againfl it, a trading floop was very near us, fteering the fame courfe with us. This floop went through the water a good deal fafter than we could: But in the courfe of two hours beating to windward, we found that the floop was left behind two feet in three, though it is certain, that if our falfe keels had not been let down, we could fcarcely in that fituation have advanced one foot for her three.

It is unneceffary to point out to fea-faring men the be nefits that may be derived from this contrivance in certain circumftances, as these will be very obvious to them..

North-Weft Paffage.

Notwithstanding the many fruitlefs attempts that have been made to discover a north-west paffage into the fouth feas, it would feem that this important geographical queftion is not yet fully decided; for at a meeting of the academy of sciences, Paris, held on the 13th November laft, M. Bauche, firft geographer to the king, read a curious memoir concerning the north-weft paffage. M. de Mendoza, an intelligent captain of a veffel in the fervice of Spain, charged with the care of former eftablishments favourable to the marine, has made a careful examination of the archives of feveral departments; there he has found the relation of a voyage made in the year 1598, by Lorenzo Herrera de Maldonada.

There it appears, that at the entry into Davis's ftraits, north lat. 60 degrees, and 28 of longitude, counting from the first meridian, he turned to the weft, leaving Hudson's bay on the fouth, and Baffin's bay on the north. Arrived at lat. 65 and 297, he went towards the north by the straits of Labrador, till he reached 76 and 278; and finding himfelf in the icy fea, he turned fouth-west to lat. 60 and 235, where he found a ftrait, which separates Afia from America, by which he entered into the fouth fea, which he called the traits of Anian. This paffage ought to be, according to M. Bauche, between William's Sound and Mount St. Elias: The Ruffians and Captain Cook have not obferved it, because it is very narrow. But it is to be wished, that this important difcovery fhould be verified, which has been overlooked for two centuries, in fpite of the attempts that have been made on these coafts. M. Bauche calls this paffage the ftraits of Ferrer.

Anecdote of the Emperor Charles V.

DON Martin Yanez de Barbuda, mafter of Alcantara, having, about the year 1390, attempted with a small force to kill all the Moors in Spain, was, together with most of his forces, flain in battle; on his tomb is the following infcription; Aqui yacaquel, in cujo gran corazon nunca pavor tuvo entrado. "Here lies he, into whofe great heart fear never found entrance;" which gave occafion to the Emperor Charles V. to fay, Efe fidalgo jamas debio apagar alguna candela con fus dedos. "Then that gentleman never has fauffed a candle + with his fingers."

+ Candles were then used, in the time of Charles V.

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HISTORICAL CHRONICLE.

INTRODUCTION.

ACurfory VIEW of the prefent POLITICAL STATE of Eurors, continued from page 80.

Poland.

POLAND has for fome time past enjoyed a state of tranquillity that has been very rarely experienced in that country. This arifes entirely from the political state of the kingdoms. around it. Since the elevation of Prince Potemkin to power, the court of Ruffia has had a predilection fort he operations of war, rather than the intrigues of the cabinet; fo that the ftate of parties in foreign nations has been lefs diligently attended to than formerly. And the late Emperor was fo little capable of adverting to the nice springs that operate on the human heart, as to lofe every advantage in political fineffe that his natural fituation put in his power Between the partifans of these two potentates, and those of the king of Pruffia, there was a perpetual struggle for power, which produced troubles and national difputes that often disturbed the public tranquility. For though the influence of the former preponderated, the Pruffian party always had a confiderable influence. Now, however, nothing of that kind takes place. The king of Pruffia, eager to improve every circumftance to his own advantage, availed himself of the opportunity that the remiffness of the two imperial courts prefented to him; and his party, by confequence, 'foon obtained an undisputed fuperiority in the councils of the republic.Ruffia, which had for a long time had the chief afcendancy there, does not seem to have been aware of the tendency of her remiffness till it was too late; and, trusting to the continuance of that afcendancy, the used freedoms with the government of Poland which he had been accustomed to take; but was foon convinced of her mistake. The republic afferted its independency in a language the had not been accustomed to receive from them, at a time

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