that in the event of leak from the deck, 1 or 2 of the pieces only might be wet, and not the whole bale.

GENERAL CARGO.-The strongest casks-such as beer, tallow, &c.,— should be selected for the ground tier, and not dry goods, if it can be avoided,--reserving wines, spirits, oils, molasses, for second or third tier, in order to reduce the pressure. Special attention must be directed to the preventing of dry goods in bags or bales being placed near other goods liable to leakage, or moist goods—as for example, salted hides, grease, lard, bales of bacon, &c.; if possible, stow dry goods in the after hold.

GUANO requires a dunnage of from 12 to 15 inches, and some even recommend 2 feet, as it tends to make the cargo more secure, and the ship easier in a sea-way. It has been recommended to stow guano on a platform similar to that used when taking in copper ore, or it should be well dunnaged, as high up as the keelson; then place bags-say 2 tiers—fore-and-aft, so as to prevent any air from being drawn through by the suction of the pumps, or the powder or loose guano from finding its way between. Dunnage the ship's sides not less than 3 inches, and carry a tier of bags up as high as the lower beams; the hold must be so stowed that a man can go on and around the cargo daily to inspect it.

ORES.-Heavy cargoes, such as copper ore, iron ore, or lead, should be conveyed in vessels having a platform built at about a fourth of her depth from the bottom; this will cause the vessel to be lively in a sea-way. Copper ore, from South America, is stowed in cases or trunks shored up in the centre. With an entire cargo a trunk way is built up in the hold, otherwise the ship will be considered not sea-worthy.

ACIDS, &c., must be stowed on deck, and on no account below, but in such a position that if there is any breakage, they can readily be cut adrift and thrown overboard.

ON CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING.

ON CUTTING LOWER RIGGING.-Draw a line from the side of the partners abreast of the mast, on the deck, parallel to the channels, and to extend as far aft as they do. On this line mark the places of each dead-eye, corresponding to their places against the channels. Send a line up to the mast-head, and fasten it to the mast by a nail above the bibbs, in a range with the centre of the mast, and opposite to the side the channel line is drawn upon. Then take the bight of the line around the forward

part of the mast, and fasten it to the mast by a nail, opposite the first nail, so that the part between the nails will be half the circumference of the mast-head; then take the line down to the mark on the channel line for the forward dead-eye, and mark it as before; and so on, until you have got the distance between the mast and each mark on the channel line. Now cast off the line from the mast-head, and the distance between the end of the line and each mark will give you the length of each shroud from the lower part of the mast-head. And to make an allowance for one pair of shrouds overlaying another, you may increase the length of the pair put on second-that is, the larboard forward ones-by twice the diameter of the rigging, the third pair by four times, and so on.

The size of the lower rigging should be as much as eight and a half inches for vessels of 700 or 800 tons, and from seven and a half to eight inches for smaller vessels over 300 tons.

For the length of the fore, main, and mizen-stays, take the distance from the after part of the mast-head to their hearts, or to the place where they are set up, adding once the length of the mast-head for the collar. The standing stays should be once and a half the circumference of the shrouds.

FITTING LOWER RIGGING.-Get it on a stretch, and divide each pair of shrouds into thirds, and mark the centre of the middle third. Tar, worm, parcel, and serve the middle third. Parcel with the lay of the rope, working towards the centre; and serve against the lay, beginning where you left off parcelling: serve as taut as possible. In some vessels the outer thirds of the swifter are served; but matting and battens are neater, and more generally used.

Formerly the middle third was parcelled over the service, below the wake of the futtock staff. Mark an eye at the centre of the middle third, by seizing the parts together with a round seizing. The eye of the pair of shrouds that goes on first should be once and a quarter the circumference of the mast-head; and make each of the others in succession the breadth of a seizing larger than the one below it.

Parcel the score of the dead-eye, and heave the shroud taut round it, turning in with the sun if right-hand-laid rope, and against the sun if hawser-laid; then pass the throat seizing with nine or ten turns, the outer turns being slacker than the middle ones. Pass the quarter seizings half way to the end, and then the end seizings, and cap the shroud, well tarred under the cap.

Make a Matthew Walker knot in one end of the lanyard, reeve the other end out through the dead-eye of the shroud, beginning at the side of the dead-eye upon which the end of the shroud comes, and in through the dead-eye in the channels, so that the hauling part of the lanyard

may come in-board, and on the same side with the standing part of the shroud. If the shroud is right-hand-laid rope, the standing part of the shroud will be aft on the starboard, and forward on the larboard side; and the reverse if hawser-laid.

The neatest way of setting up the lower fore-and-aft stays is by reeving them down through the bull's eye, with tarred parcelling upon the thimble, and setting them up on their ends, with three or four seizings. The collar of the stay is the length of the mast-head, and is leathered over the service. The service should go beyond the wake of the foot of the topsail, and the main-stay should be served in the wake of the foremast. The main and spring-stay usually pass on different sides of the foremast, and set up at the hawse-pieces.

CUTTING AND FITTING TOPMAST RIGGING.-For the forward shroud, measure from the hounds of the topmast down to the after part of the lower trestle-trees, and add to that length half the circumference of the mast-head at the hounds. The eye is once and a quarter the circumference of the mast-head. The topmast rigging in size should be threefifths of the lower rigging. For the topmast backstays, measure the distance from the hounds of the mast down to the centre of the deck, abreast of their dead-eyes in the channels, add to this length one-half the circumference of the mast-head. Add to the length of the larboard pair, which goes on last, twice the diameter of the rope. The size of the fore and maintopmast backstays is generally one quarter less than that of the lower rigging, and that of the mizentopmast backstays the same as that of the maintopmast rigging. The size of the topmast-stays should be once and a quarter that of the rigging. The topmast rigging is fitted in the same manner as the lower. The backstays should be leathered in the wake of the tops and lower yards. The breast backstays are turned in upon blocks instead of dead-eyes, and set up with a luffpurchase. The foretopmast-stay sets up on the starboard, and the spring-stay on the larboard side of the bowsprit.

All the fore-and-aft stays are now set up on their ends, and should be leathered in their nips, as well as in their eyes.

The maintopmast-stay goes through a heart or thimble at the foremast-head, or through a hole in the cap, and sets up on deck or in the top; and the mizentopmast-stay sets up at the mainmast-head, above the rigging.

JIB, TOPGALLANT, AND ROYAL RIGGING.-The jib-stay sets up on its end on the larboard side of the head, and is served ten feet from the boom, and its collar is leathered like that of the topmast-stay. The gaub lines, or back ropes, go from the martingale in-board. The guys are fitted in pairs, rove through strap or snatches on the spritsail-yard,

and set up to the eye-bolts inside of or abaft the cat-heads. The foot ropes are three-quarters the length of the whole boom, and go over the boom with a cut splice. Overhand knot or Turk's-heads should be taken in them at equal distances, to prevent the men from slipping when laying out upon them.

The most usual method of fitting topgallant rigging in merchantmen is to reeve it through holes in the horns of the cross-trees, then pass it between the topmast shrouds over the futtock staff, and set it up at an iron band round the topmast, just below the sheave-hole; or else down into the top, and set it up there. Then get the length of the starboard forward shroud, measure from the topgallant-mast-head to the heel of the topmast, and add one-half the circumference of the topgallant-masthead. Its size should be about five-sevenths of the topmast rigging. Each pair of shrouds should be served below the futtock staves. They are fitted like the topmast shrouds. The fore-and-aft stays of long topgallant-masts go with eyes, and are served and leathered in the wake of the foot of the sails. The fore-topgallant-stay leads in on the starboard side of the bowsprit, and sets up to a bolt at the hawse-piece; the main leads through a chock on the after part of the fore-topmast crosstrees, and sets up in the top and mizen usually through a thimble on the main cap, and sets upon its end.

The topgallant backstays set up on their end, or with lanyards in the channels; and for their length, measure from the mast-head to the centre of the deck, abreast the bolt in the channels.

The royal shrouds, backstays, and fore-and-aft stays, are fitted like those of the topgallant-masts, and bear the same proportion to them that the topgallant bears to the topmast. The fore royal stay reeves through the outer sheave-hole of the flying jib-boom, and comes in on the larboard side; the main, through a thimble on the fore jack crosstree; and the mizen, through a thimble at the maintopmast cap. The flying jib-stay goes in on the starboard side, and sets up like the jibstay. The gear of the flying jib-boom is fitted like that of the jib-boom. RATLING.-Swift the rigging well in, and lash handspikes or boat'soars outside at convenient distances parallel with the shear-pole. Splice a smaller eye in the end of the ratlines, and seize it with yarns to the after-shroud on the starboard side, and to the forward on the larboard,

"The plan adopted in some ships, of having the topgallant and royal backstays singly, with eyes like the stay, may be recommended in preference to the horse-shoe; for, though there are two eyes on the mast-head, yet when well fitted they do not look so clumsy as the horse-shoe, and are much safer, for it is a very common occurrence for backstays to be stranded in the nip of the grummet, or seizing. Those who imagine that they will look badly if single, have only to give the plan a trial to find themselves mistaken."-The Mate and his Duties, page 30.

so that the hitches may go with the sun. Take a clove hitch round each shroud, hauling well taut, and seize the eye of the other end to the shroud. The ratlines of the lower rigging should be thirteen, and of the topmast rigging eleven inches apart, and all square with the shear-pole.*

ON RIGGING SHIPS, ETC.

RIGGING SHEARS.-Shore the decks from the skin up, particularly abreast of the partners. Sling "skids" up and down the sides, for the purpose of keeping the shear-legs clear of the channels; reeve the parbuckles, and bring the shear-legs alongside, with their small ends aft; parbuckle them on board, and their heads or after-ends resting either on the taffrail, the brake of the poop, or a spar placed in the most convenient spot-the more elevated the better. Square the heels exactly one with the other, so that when they come to be raised, the legs may be found of equal height.

As near the after ends as may be considered necessary, when crossed, put on the head-lashing of new well stretched rope (figure of 8 fashion), similar to a racking seizing, and cross with the ends. Open out the heels, carrying one over to each gangway, and placing it on a solid piece of oak or shoe, previously prepared for the purpose. Clap stout tackles on the heels, two on each-one leading forward, the other aft; set taut the after ones, and belay them. Lash a three or four fold-block, as the upper one of the main-purchase, over the main lashing (so that it will hang plumb under the cross), with canvas underneath to prevent chafing, and in such a manner that one-half the turns of the lashing may go over each horn of the shears, and divide the strain equally: also sufficiently long to secure the free action of the block. Lash the small purchase block on the after horn of the shears, sufficiently high for the falls to play clear of each other, and a girtline block above all.

Middle a couple of hawsers, and clove hitch them over the shearheads; having two ends leading forward and two abaft, led through vial blocks, and stout luffs clapt on them. These should be sufficiently strong to secure the shears while lifting the masts.

* "The most approved method of ratling is, after the rigging is properly sparred and swiftered, to begin at the shear-pole, and work UPWARDS making "the hitches right-handed which are formed on the shroud, before the other end is cut; and before cutting, the man should call out that he is ready to do so, that the mate may (by going to the opposite side of the deck or rail) be satisfied that it is properly put on. After rigging has been newly rattled, the spars should not be taken away till the tar about the hitches is well set."-The Mate and his Duties, page 32.