to the mechanical labour of the dock-yards. The art of ship-building was zealously and successfully cherished by the first Lords Melville, Barham, Grey, the Honourable Thomas Grenville, Lord Mulgrave, the Right Honourable Charles Yorke, and the present Lord Melville; and it has now reached a degree of perfection both gratifying and astonishing to the lovers of their country. Sir Robert Seppings has given a stability and compactness to ships of war, which render them at ́once more invulnerable to hostile attack, and more capable of resisting the elements. The introduction of chain cables, by Captain Brown of the Royal Navy, has disarmed a lee-shore of some of its terrors: the iron tanks introduced in 1810, by increasing the quantity of fresh-water, have added to the comfort of the men, and enabled the ships to remain longer at sea: the invention of the Truscott pump, by the valuable officer whose name it bears, has done away with the laborious, and dangerous occupation of getting up, and lumbering the decks with water-casks during the night, which disturbed the repose of the people, and rendered the ship unfit for action. We are indebted to Vice-admiral Foote, for having abolished the destructive practice of sending king's stores from the dock-yards in boats of ships of war, by which lives were lost, and incalculable damage sustained in the service. powder, instead of being sent on board unfilled, now comes prepared for immediate action, and thus one great danger of explosion is avoided;

The

for want of this salutary precaution, which we owe to Sir William Congreve, many ships, no doubt, have been lost at sea.

Nothing, it would appear, is now wanting to the perfection of our navy, but a system by which it may be more readily manned, without having recourse to impressment; this is a subject worthy of the first attention of the legislature, and no time is so favourable for the discussion as that of profound peace.

The advancement of science has been successfully applied to our favourite profession. Chemistry has enabled us to preserve the health of our crews, and philosophy has added to the velocity of floating bodies, by the application of steam. The voyages of Ross and Parry to Lancaster sound, and Melville island, have enriched the collections of the learned, and added to the stock of human knowledge, in the interesting branches of natural history and geography. The breakwater in Plymouth sound, one of the most stupendous works of any age or nation, has given us a safe sea-port, where a dangerous roadstead before existed. This valuable monument of our national enterprise and ingenuity we owe to the foresight of the Earl St. Vincent, and the perseverance of Mr. Yorke, by whom the following memorial was laid before his Royal Highness the Prince Regent.

May it please your Royal Highness,

The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having, in the early part of the year 1806, had under their consideration the

exposed state of Plymouth sound, and being deeply impresse with the importance of Plymouth, on account of the natural advantages it possesses as a naval station, directed Mr. Rennie and Mr. Whidbey, whose abilities eminently qualified them for this service, to examine and survey Cawsand-bay, the sound, Catwater, and Hamoaze; and particularly to state their opinion on the practicability of rendering the sound a secure anchorage for ships of war.

And those gentlemen having, by their report of the 21st of April, 1806, submitted to the Admiralty a full statement of all the advantages and disadvantages to which the harbours and roadsteads in the neighbourhood of Plymouth are liable; together with their decided opinion, that if a pier or breakwater were constructed in Plymouth sound, having its eastern end about sixty fathoms east of St. Carlos' Rocks, and its western end about three hundred fathoms west of the Shovel, forming in the whole a length of eight hundred and fifty fathoms, it would, with another pier, to be constructed from Andurn Point towards the before-mentioned breakwater, of about four hundred fathoms in length, having an inclined slant, forming an angle of about 120°, completely shelter Plymouth sound from all storms, without there being any danger of its lessening the depth of water, or any doubt of the practicability of executing the work; thereby enabling a considerable fleet of line-of-battle ships to ride within the sound with perfect safety, in all winds and in any weather, and with ample room to work out.

We beg leave most humbly to represent to your Royal Highness, that having lately taken the before-mentioned subject into our most serious consideration, and having also consulted several of the most intelligent naval officers of his Majesty's dock-yards thereon, by whose reports the opinions of Messrs. Rennie and Whidbey, of the practicability of the construction of a breakwater in the situation proposed, and of the security it would afford to his Majesty's ships, has been fully corroborated; we have been led, from these reports, and from all information we have been able to obtain, as well as from every consideration we can give to the subject; to form the most decided opinion, that it would be highly expedient for the good of his Majesty's naval service, that the said breakwater should be undertaken without delay, on the plan proposed by Messrs. Rennie and Whidbey, the estimated expense of which amounts to one million, one hundred and seventy thousand pounds.

We are therefore induced most humbly to propose to your Royal Highness, that your Royal Highness would be graciously pleased, by your Order in Council, in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, to authorize us to give such directions for commencing this important work, according to the before-mentioned plan, proposed by Messrs. Rennie and Whidbey, as shall appear to us to be most expedient for the benefit of his Majesty's naval service; and to prepare a supplementary estimate, to be laid before parliament, of such part of the before-mentioned sum, as may be found necessary to expend thereon in the course of the present year.

Which is, &c.

The first stone of this great work was laid on the 12th of August, 1812, its increase has been most rapid, under the direction of Mr. Whidbey, and it is probably the first instance of a national work, not exceeding its estimate. The mode of commencing it, was scientific and simple: two lines of white buoys were laid down parallel to each other across the sound, within which the stones were placed, by vessels constructed for the purpose the material was purchased from the Duke of Bedford's estate, at Turnchapel, and cost as it lay, no more than one farthing per ton. The work forms an island of one thousand seven hundred yards long, three hundred and fifty yards from each end, inclining towards the citadel, in an angle of 120°; its base is three hundred feet in width by one hundred on the top of the plat

form. The inclination of the outer side is three feet in slope to every foot in height, that of the inner side is eighteen inches to every foot: the former is an angle of 18° 30′, the latter 33° 30', to the horizon.

On the 5th of September, 1823, the quantity of stone that had been laid down, amounted to two millions ninety-seven thousand two hundred and seventy-seven tons, and the work is so far above water as to be complete for all the purposes of breaking off the force of the sea.-In 1815, the Royal Sovereign, of one hundred guns, lay in the sound, and felt the benefits of its protection from a fresh gale at S. W. It will require five years longer for its completion; though there are twelve vessels employed on it, with nine men in each, and sixty men transporting stone to the water-side.

While this great work has been carrying on in the west, the east has not been neglected. A noble basin has been constructed at Sheerness, under the direction of the late Mr. Rennie, and on the 5th of September, 1823, it was opened with great ceremony, in the presence of his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence, Lord Melville, and an immense assemblage of the first people of the country. The Howe, of one hundred and twenty guns, was taken into dock on the occasion. There are three docks for ships of the line, opening into the basin, which is capable of containing six ships of the line in a complete state of equipment. Sheers are to be erected on the walls for masting