1800.] An Account of the Tranfit,&c, 323

Portſmouth+ to the Thames, may be attributed to the happy adaptation of her hull to her fails,‘The hull is calculated to admit her principal capacity to reít nearer the ſurface of the water, ſo that in her progreſs, ſhe may remove a volume of water more ſuperficial than veſſels of her tonnage of the preſent build; for the reaſon that water nearer the ſurface is more readily removed than deeper water.

She arrived: at Blackwall, from her firſt voyage, on Sunday, June 22d, 1800; an account of which appeared in the Morning Herald of Monday, June 23, from which the following is ex- trated:-—-“ Yeſterday arrived at Blackwally, Mr. ants newly conftruéted veſſel, the TRANSIT: She failed from the Motherbank on Tueſday evening at ſix o’clock, with the wind at Weſt, and arrived in the Downs at noon on Friday. At one o’clock on the ſame day ſhe ſailed for the river, turning up within Margate ſands, through the Narrows, and over the Flats, with a double reefed top-ſail breeze at weſt, and arrived at Graveſend at midnight on Saturday: on Sunday morning, at eight o’clock, ſhe again got under-weigh, and turned up to Blackwall the ſame tide, amidſt the admiration of thoſe who viewed the ſimplicity of her manœuvres. It appears by the teſtimony of the Downs pilot, Mr. William Norris, that ſhe would have reached Graveſ- end on the ſecond tide from the Downs but for the darkneſs of the night, which prudentially delayed her.

From the principles on which ſhe is conſtru&ed, and for which his Majeſty has granted Letters Patent, there wili be little left to do in improvements, but to learn by experience how far the dividing of the canvas may be carried on to advantage; that is to ſay, how many maſts are admiſſible in 2 given length of deck, ſo that hereafter a calculation may be made of the maxi- mum or extent of the principles. The keel of the TRANSIT is 96 feet, and her deck is about 104, on which are at preſent placed{ve maſts; but as the patent does not confine the inven- tor to number, he may add more, or tate away from the pre- ſent number as experience teaches. On ſhips of larger tonnage, viz. above 200 tons(which is the preciſe tonnage of the TRAN- sIT) ſix, ſeven, or eight maſts may be thought eligible.

NAUTICUS.

+ She was built on the river at, Itchenor, which runs from Chicheſter to Portſmouth, on the eſtate of His Grace the Duke of Richmond; and was launched on Saturday, May the 10th, 1800, receiving the name of the Traníit,