Gazette Of The United States

ENGLAND.

NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

Weymouth, March 1.

Last Wednesday arrived in this harbour his Majesty's cutter the Trial, commanded by Lieut. Malbon. She is built on an entire new construction, with three sliding keels, which are enclosed in a case or well; one forward, one midship, and the other abaft; they are worked with the greatest facility, and are not of the least inconvenience to the crew when manœuvring the vessel. She has been universally approved and admired by all our most experienced professional gentlemen in this place, as well as by our ingenious ship-builder, Mr. Stephens, and other mechanics. Her length is 66 feet, breadth 21, her hold 7 feet only, which, in justice to the vessel, ought to have been nine at least, and measures 120 tons. Has a perfect flat bottom, only draws 6 feet water, whereas all others of her tonnage on the old construction draw 14; so that by such an easy draft of water, she can go with safety into almost any harbour or creek whatever. She sails incomparably fast, either before or upon a wind; and though her timbers and planks seem to be of an immoderate degree of thickness (for what reason I cannot tell, but which must impede her sailing) yet no vessel she has ever been in company with, of equal size (even though copper-bottomed, which she is not) has been able, upon many trials, to beat her in sailing, and yet her sails seem too small. Her hold is divided into several compartments, all water-tight, and so contrived, that should even a plank or two start at sea in different parts of the vessel, she may afterwards be navigated with the greatest security to any part of the world: a method hitherto never thought of, before this ingenious officer contrived it, and which may be the means of saving thousands of valuable lives, and large quantities of merchandise: besides, if the vessel should be drove on shore in a gale of wind, she does not become a wreck; for her keels will all naturally be drove up into their cases, and the ship being then flat bottomed, she cannot easily be overset, and all the crew may be saved with perfect security, by her being able to go into such shallow water. The crew of the Halsewell East Indiaman might all have been saved, had she been thus constructed. These are blessings, too obvious to mankind, not to fill every feeling heart with pleasure, and no comment need be made on the great good that may be expected. The Dutch, who are esteemed a very sagacious commercial people, have already adopted this plan of ship-building, which at once shows the utility and advantage of this wonderful invention. These discoveries also demonstrate plainly, how far behind hand the art of ship-building has been till this favorable epoch; and from the ingenuity and mechanical powers of this gentleman, the art is astonishingly improved already, and will probably be carried to still greater perfection. The world is indebted for these noble discoveries to John Schank, Esq. of Barton House, Dartmouth, a Captain in the Royal Navy, who had the command of the King's ships of war on the great Lakes of America, in the last war and who accompanied the late ingenious Sir C. Douglas, when he sailed to the North Seas, by order of Government, to make observations on the Transit of Venus. It is worthy of remark, that Captain Schank, with the greatest liberality and public spirit, has given up every emolument to his country and mankind in general, which otherwise he might have secured to himself, and which he highly deserves in the greatest degree. Great merit is due to Lord Keppel and the present Lords of the Admiralty, who, getting the better of all former old prejudices, ordered this vessel to be constructed.