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ATreatise on Practical Navigation and Seamanship, &c. To which is added, an Appendix, containing Remarks on various Subjets, and on the particular Situation of the Centre of Gravity in a Ship, &c. &c. By William Nichelfon. 4to. 175.

Boards.

Gilbert.

A Seaman of the old school gives us the refult of the experience of above fifty years. He tells his plain tale without much regard to accuracy of diction; but he amply compenfates for the defects in his ftyle by the foundnefs of his judgment, the freedom of his remarks, the naïveté of his manner, and the ftrength of his piety. When he attempts to philofophife, we find it difficult to comprehend his meaning; but the facts of which he was an eye-witnefs, and which he seems to have faithfully recorded, deserve the attention of every seaman. A few extracts will manifeft the character of the writer, and the importance of his obfervations.

I am rather of opinion that fhip's reckonings are often much out, by their want of attention to the length of their half minute glaffes, the measurement of their log-line, and to the heaving of the log. I have often failed in company with fhips that have been in a fresh gale gale of wind failing 8, 9 or 10 knots, when we have not gone fo faft by one, one and an half, and sometimes two knots, yet they only failed a-breast, and did not go an inch a head of us; these ships must have many more miles on their log-board in 24 hours than we, and in running the distance of a thousand leagues would make a number of leagues difference; this I have often experienced in a paffage, that fhips in company have made one fifth, or fometimes more difference in the distance run more than we had done, entirely owing to their paying no regard to the length of their glaffes, and to their marking the log-line too fhort, which is an abominable and shameful neglect, as it can fo eafily be avoided, and otherwife may be attended with the most dangerous confequences; and another great mistake in heaving the log is, the too often fending the young men and unexperienced people of the quarter deck to heave the log, who are entirely incapable of judging what allowance to make, whether there has been more or less wind, or more or lefs fail made, or if the wind has hauled more forward or come more aft, fince the log was laft hove, &c. This is a matter that requires the niceft infpection and judgment of the most experienced and judicious officer, but it is too often neglected.

- People too frequently take it for granted, that the half and quar*ter minute glaffes are the juft length they are marked upon the end, cor fometimes both ends, with a pen and ink, 28, 29 or 30 feconds, which I have reafon to believe are marked by guess, without any regard to the true time, for which reafon I have always made it rule to try and prove the glasses before the hip failed out of port,

to proceed on her voyage to fea, and fearce ever found a glafs marked right. I have seen one marked 27 or 28 feconds, which I have found upon trial to be full 30, and others that have been marked 30 feconds have not run more than 28. Thus people are led into an error, by marking their log line according to the time of the glafs, as they find it marked, without trying or proving its exactness, which may be very easily done, and what I would recommend to all commanders of ships to fee done, as a thing of the greatest confequence to them, particularly in long voyages.

And when the half minute glaffes are found to be 30 feconds, which is what they should be, then should the log-line be marked 50 feet to each knot, that being, according to the opinion of thofe learned men who have measured a degree of the meridian in different parts of the earth, the most exact proportion to the ineasurement of a terreftrial degree, and is what I have always marked the log line, and in general I have found my reckonings as exact as most people's in either long or fhort voyages, and if it fo happens that a perfon fhould have no glafs of thirty feconds, then let the log-line be still marked in the fame rule of proportion; which is, if a glass of 30 seconds gives 50 feet to a knot, how many fhould a glafs of 28 feconds give, Anfwer, 461 to a knot, &e.' r. vi.

To thofe officers of our nayy who defpife the talents of a good feaman, and confider their whole duty as confined to the fighting of a fhip, the following plain truths may be of fervice.

I must beg leave to observe, that there is a fort of doctrine which I hope will never gain credit in the service, and which cannot be too much discountenanced or reprobated, which is, that it is poffible to be a good officer without being a good feaman, which I pofitively deny, it being a flat contradiction of reafon and common fenfe; I believe it to be generally favoured by thofe officers who came too late into the fervice to be initiated into a feaman's duty; withing at once to become officers, they were perhaps placed to command, instead of being placed in the tops, or other parts of the hip to be taught a failor's duty. To fay that it is poffible for a man to be a good officer without being a seaman, is an affertion that no man who calls himself an officer can maintain, and which every feaman will call abfurd. It may with equal truth be said, that an officer may at once be a good farmer, when to his cost he would foon find, that being ignorant in the mystery and labour of husbandry, he would be deceived by every perfon he employed, as that officer will most affuredly be, and with a rifque to his reputation, who has not a knowledge of a feaman, sand whosis obliged to truft to his boatswain, fhould his fhip be disabled either in bad weather or in battle. It is well known, that when there has been an exertion from the captain or commanding officer's own knowledge, as a feamany with what advantage the fervice has been

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carried on, greatly to the good of it; lower mafts have been got in and rigged, top-mafts have been got up after being carried away, in the fourth part of the time that the fame duty has been performed when entrusted to officers, whofe abilities, whether good or bad, and the captain has been a judge of the duty. There is a confidence alfo which the men have in their commander; when they find he is a feaman, the duty is carried on with a good will and a steady chearfulness, because they know that he is a compe¬ tent judge of all that can be expected in the performance of their duty. So much for the feaman and the officer.

But how often has it happened, that a whole set of top-men have been flogged, because the top-gallant yards have not been got across so foon as other fhips, though there has been the utmost alacrity fhewn by those people; and perhaps from their over eagernefs the mistake happened; but the captain, being a lubber himself, and having never rigged a yard arm, calls his zealous fail◄ ors lubbers (who have as much pride for the ship he commands as himself) and flogs them at a venture, for not doing what he is not a judge of, and which often does not depend upon their best exer

tions. So much for the man who is neither the feaman nor the officer. This is what caufes real discontent in the feamen,

'I therefore shall beg leave to draw a conclufion from what has been faid, and leave it to thofe who are judges to decide upon it, and fure I am, that feamen like to be commanded by officers who are feamen, and greatly diflike and deteft the idea of being commanded by officers who are not the former may lead them to any length that men can go, or the love and esteem for their officer can carry them, whilft the latter will neither carry nor lead them to perform any noble action that may tend to the good of the fervice, 'but will ever be difcontented and unhappy whilft they are under fuch an officer's command. This fhews the good or ill confequences of an officer's being a seaman or not, with refpect to the good of the fervice.' P. xiii.

We agree with the writer, that a complete knowledge of the lunar tables, and the beft opportunities of using them, ought not to fuperfede the old admiral's LLL, or the three beft guides to a failor on coming near the channel, latitude, log, and look-out. A curious inftance is recorded of dependence on lunar tables.

An inftance we have had not many years fince, when a navigator, reckoned to be of great and long experience in lunar observations, was coming from abroad and bound up channel, he com mitted a blunder that the ignorant navigator could not have committed a greater; he got on the wrong fide of the poft, that is to fay, he got into Mount's Bay in hazy weather, without knowing where he was, and it is not to this day known, whether he went to the northward, or to the fouthward, or to the eastward, or wefts

ward of Scilly; how the hip got into Mount's Bay is a mystery yet unravelled, but it must be acknowledged he was very fortu nate, to escape the imminent danger the fhip must have been in; no less than a miracle. It is things like this that navigators fhould observe and pay attention to, as it is better to improve by other men's miscarriages than our own. The idea of keeping the longi. tude, or being governed by the lunar obfervations after you strike. foundings, is a mistaken idea; your principal director and guide is the latitude and depth of water, which I have given in the following work; according to the depth of water, the exact diftance to the weftward of Scilly, or the Lizard, providing you are fure of your latitude, is the first principal thing to be confidered; and the fecond principal thing is the depth of water.'

P. XV.

Our old feaman seems to be prejudiced against the improved appearance of the officers of the navy. A man may poffefs the skill of the failors of former days, though he should be more attentive to his dress than they were.

It is not hats and periwigs, powdered hair or filk ftockings, fribbles or beaux, that are equal to the task required to be performed at this time, it must be men with heads and brains, the feaman and the officer, whofe well grounded experience, accompanied with a firm refolation, with a conftancy of mind peculiar to a brave feaman and a good officer, that must support the man at all times, but more particularly fo at fuch times as I have just mentioned. But I must beg leave to fay, in my opinion we have loft a great deal of our feamanship in the last twenty years, and if it should happen that we fhould lofe as much in the next twenty years, we fhall become despicable feamen indeed; which I pray God forbid.' P. xviii.

But our author has, in general, true ideas of feamanfhip.

A feaman' (he says), should be understood to be quite diffe rent from all other claffes of men, he does not spring up like a mufhroom, it requires many years to make him a feaman, it is fervice at fea, and long experience, that must qualify him for a feaman, with fatigue both of body and mind, and must suffer many hardships in ́acquiring the profeffional knowledge requifite to make him a good feaman, which is often forgot to be added to the merit of a seaman, who seems to stand friendless in a country, where the community at large should befriend him.' P. xix.

An occurrence in Mr. Nichelfon's practice points out the difference between following a crowd, and being guided by juft principles.

In the year 1748, I was in a man of war coming up channel from Plymouth, bound to the Downs, in the latter end of October, there were 70 or 80 fail of ships in company, all bound up

channel; we were about 5 P. M. between Dunnofe and the weft end of the Owers, rather nearest the Owers, ar.d at this time nearly high water in the offing, the wind flew round from SW. to fouth and SbE. with some rain, and continued between the SbE. and fouth all night, with drizzling rain, and began to fnuffle and blow fresh, which obliged us to take in our small fails and fingle reef the topfails, all the fhips in company tacked and stood to the westward, but us in the man of war, who continued to ftand to the eastward; my captain made ufe of the following argument with me, who at that time was mafter of the man of war, fays he, it is very ftrange that you will advise our standing to the eastward, when all the fhips that were in company have tacked and ftood to the weftward; there must be many experienced men in fo great a num ber of fhips, who are apprehenfive of the danger of the Owers, by their discontinuing to ftand to the eastward with the wind to the fouthward as it now is; and though I have a very good opinion of your knowledge and experience in the channel, yet I with you not to be too pofitive in this matter, in ftanding to the eastward, which may be attended with ferious or bad confequences, fhould we not be able to weather the Owers, and efpecially as we differ in opinion from all the fhips that were in company, who are all tacked and stood to the weftward, and are now out of fight.

To which I replied, fir, I am obliged to you for the caution you have given me, and reminding me of the danger or rifque we may run, fhould we not be able to weather the Owers, and as to the ships that were in company, their tacking and standing to the weftward does not give me any concern; I compare a fleet of ships to a flock of sheep, one goes through the hedge and all the reft will follow; I fhall take no example from them contrary to my own fenfe, reafon and experience, there is no danger in our standing on to the eastward, the fhip goes quick through the water, makes but little lee way, we will keep the lead conftantly going, and as long as we can keep in 22 or 21 fathoms water, we need fear no danger from the Owers, but if we fhould fhoal the water to 20 fathoms or under, we will tack and ftand to the weftward. The captain was fatisfied with my reafoning, and we continued to ftand on to the eastward, the wind nearly fouth, the fhip lay up no better than ESE all night, we kept the lead conftantly going, and had 23, 22, 21, 22, 23, 22, 22, 21, 21 and 22 fathoms water, and never had lefs than 21 or 22 fathoms; the fhip failed at the rate of 5 or 6 knots all night, the moon got up about 2 o'clock in the morning. At 4 A. M. faw Beachy Head bearing NbW, distance 4 leagues; at noon got into the Downs. I muft here observe, the fleet of flips that were in company with us in coming up the channel when we were off the west end of the Owers, did not get into the Downs till 30 hours after us. So much for not following the croud, and making ufe of our own