ng the rigging three or four
feet further out on each side, and making its angle with the masts
greater, and consequently increasing the support of the shrouds. These
channels act merely as out-riggers, for the ultimate point of fixture,
or that against which the shrouds pull, is lower down, where long
links of iron called chain-plates, are securely bolted through and
through the solid ribs of the ship, and rivetted within. The upper
ends of these chain-plates are furnished with what are called
dead-eyes, great round blocks of wood pierced with holes, through
which the lanyards are rove by which the rigging is set up, or drawn
almost as tight as bars of iron. The topmasts, rising immediately
above the lower masts, are supported chiefly by rigging spread out by
the tops, or what people on shore miscall round-tops. These, like the
channels for the lower rigging, are mere projections or out-riggers;
the true point of support for the topmast rigging is the lower
shrouds, the connection being made by what are called futtock shrouds
and catharpins. The top-gallant masts, at the next stage aloft, are
supported by shrouds passing through the ends of small spars called
cross-trees, at the head of the topmast; and so on in succession, up
to the sky-scrapers and moon-rakers in some very fly-away ships.

As early as possible, the boats, which are duly warranted for the
ship, should be selected, and their equipment superintended by the
officers of the ship, who are the persons most interested in their
completion. The master boat-builder attends to any little extra
fittings that the first lieutenant may have a fancy for--such as the
arrangement of the kedge and steam-anchor davits, the slide for the
carronnade in the launch, and so on. The boats will be painted of any
required colour, provided that colour be consistent with the dockyard
regulations; if any other be required, the captain must purchase it
himself, but the dockyard painters will lay it on. In the same way, if
the gun carriages are to be painted of any particular or fancy colour,
the people at the gun-wharf will prime them in a manner suited to
that colour, but no more.

I may here take occasion to remark, that in the numberless dockyards I
have drawn stores from, I never met with any real difficulty in
getting all that was reasonable from the officers in any department. I
have heard, indeed, one and all of these persons abused over and over
again, for being crusty and