it would prevent the sea from coming aboard. At 10 P. M. the sea was so high that it was dangerous to scud. Having in 1783 been on board the brig Lively, Capt. Rich, which had lost her rudder on her passage from New Orleans to Port au Prince ; I brought to recollection that, in a gale of wind, she laid to, during several hours to a spar. I therefore had the boat's mainmast unshipped and spanded, and a rope bent to the bight; it being then put overboard,, and about eight fathoms of rope paid out, we lay under its lee in safety, during a heavy gale and a high sea of six hours continuance. The next morning at daylight the weather was pleasant; the wind at S. E. and we had got so far to the eastward in the gale, that it gave us an advantage. At sunrise saw Great Heneaga, bearing from S. E. to S. W. distant about three leagues. The wind light, made sail close by the wind, and at 3 P. M. discovered a schooner's masts over the N. W. point of the island. At 5 P. M. got on board of her. She proved to be the Grooper, of East Caycas, Captain Clark.

On the third day after we left the Hogsties, we anchored there in the Grooper, when the provisions on the key would not have sufficed for more than four days. All hands embarked on board the Grooper, and were landed safely at St. Marks.

I do not recollect what I made the latitude of the Northwest Key. It was, however, erroneous, as I took the declination out of an old epitome of Hamilton Moore, in which the declination was one day advanced; for the cause of which error see pages 36 and 38. In consequence of which error in the sun's declination the aforesaid brig Active was lost. We were from Philadelphia bound to St. Marks in the island of St. Domingo. It was Captain Gardner's intention to run for and make the island of Mayaguana; but by the sun's declination being erroneously laid down in the aforesaid epitome, and the daily dif ference of the sun's declination being twenty-three miles, and being on the 23d of March, 1794, we ran down the latitude too far north; and in the place of making Mayaguana, we made the French Keys, which lay to the northward and westward of the former island, and mistook them for Mayaguana; so that we were fifty miles farther to the westward than we reckoned ourselves, and by that means we ran on the aforesaid reef at 2 A. M. on the 24th of March, 1794.

This error in the sun's declination I learned afterwards.

Marine Life Preserver.*

In the first volume of the Liverpool Mercury we published, with an engraving, an easy method of speedily converting any

From the Liverpool Mercury, November 8th, 1820.

ordinary boat into an infallible life-boat, by means of empty casks. I am more pleased with the simple plan which we have now the satisfaction to lay before the public. A ship's boat may be stove or lost; but the apparatus for constructing the life-raft here proposed are always at hand.

Plate XXX. is the plan of a raft for passengers and sailors, when a ship is wrecked, or founders at sea, which has been approved of by the Royal Humane Society. A deputation also from the Trinity House expressed their approbation, and voted the inventor an honorary prize; which he ordered to be paid to the Missionary Society, and received a letter from the late Dr. Haweis, acknowledging the receipt thereof.

EXPLANATION.

A A, is a plank nine or ten inches long, two or three inches thick, and six or eight inches broad. Spars may be substituted. It would be adviseable to fasten some weight with a rope to the bottom of the plank, near the ends; bags of gold or silver, or any other valuable heavy articles, which would act as ballast and keep the men upright, say forty to fifty pounds weight each barrel; but long bags mads with strong canvas, and filled with stones, sand, or coals, would be less liable to shift or get loose. B B, one or two empty barrels or water casks, such as would contain thirty or forty gallons, the larger the better. Two wine pipes or butts would do well on twelve or fourteen feet planks, and would carry all the men that could sit on it. These barrels, pipes, or butts should not have any article put into them that is heavy, but only light articles, as papers, &c. for the more buoyant the casks are so much the better. These casks must be water-tight and closely bunged. CC, CC, is a small rope bound two or three times round each side of the bulge of the cask; and four small notches should be cut on each side of the plank, to prevent the casks from shifting off the plank. D D, is a rope made fast from C C, to C C, on each side, to prevent the men from being washed off the plank, fixed under their arms, so as to leave sufficient room for them to row with their hands. E, E, E, E, men sitting on the plank, between the ropes. If the casks are large, the ropes D D, should be frapped closer together with small ropes, close to the ends of the casks, and once in the middle, so as to have just room for the men to sit between the ropes D D, and row with their hands. A barrel that will hold thirty-six gallons will carry three hundred weight without sinking. Forty or fifty pounds will keep any man's head above water. There is no fear of overloading. It is considered that water-casks, planks, or spars are articles that very few ships sail without; and hav

ing the means in their own power, the mariners are more likely to escape.

The only objection the inventor ever heard to this plan is, that the sailors would be likely to leave the ship too soon; but this is not probable; for they would not readily leave the ship, if there were any chance of saving her ; besides it would be safer for men to sit on planks till the ship goes down.

When the Tiller is Broken

In the rudder head, the rudder must be immediately chocked, that the stump may be taken out, and another tiller fitted in. While the rudder is useless the ship must be laid to.

On Losing a Rudder at Sea.

The readiest way to supply the place of a rudder, till a better can be made, is the following:-To a long spar lash several pieces of junk and spars, from six to ten feet long, beneath each other stiffen them by nailing boards across them; at the bottom attach a weight of some kind to sink it, and put it over the stern: then, by means of guys, topping-lifts and tackles this may steer the ship until a better rudder be made.

:

On Temporary Rudders.

The following is a description of a temporary rudder, invented by captain Edward Packenham, of the British navy.

Plate XVII. Fig. 1. is a topmast inverted, which constitutes the main piece of the rudder; its heel becoming the head, which is secured by anchor hoops, the fid hole may be enlarged so as to receive a tiller. This main piece is pointed through a topmast cap, which is enlarged so that the main piece may turn in it. 3. represents the cap, with its square part cut out to fit the stern post. Fix chains to it, if there be any on board. Upon the after part of the main piece, small pieces of spars, about the size of the jib-boom must be bolted or trunnelled and stiffened by plank or boards being nailed across it. 6. is an anchor stock, cut out to receive the round part of the main piece. The whole being prepared, let it be got under the stern, and its head hove up, through the rudder case to the necessary height. To each of these chains bend the end of a hawser, from the hawse holes then bear the rudder a-midships, and heave taught the hawsers, which will secure the cap of the sternpost: then the anchor-stock must be secured to the deck, round the rudder head, that it may act as an upper gudgeon for the rudder to turn in, the tiller being fixed. The vessel is now fitted with a