ion of the
Committee of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Those marked + are taken from
"The History of Merchant Shipping and Ancient Commerce," and were kindly
lent by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. Those marked ++ are
reproduced from "La Marine Francaise de 1792 a nos jours," by l'Amiral
Paris.

ANCIENT AND MODERN SHIPS.

PART I.

_WOODEN SAILING-SHIPS._

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

A museum relating to Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding is of the
utmost interest to the people of Great Britain, on account of the
importance to them of everything that bears on the carrying of their
commerce. Every Englishman knows, in a general way, that the commerce of
the British Empire is more extensive than that of any other state in the
world, and that the British sea-going mercantile marine compares
favourably in point of size even with that of all the other countries of
the world put together; but few are probably aware of the immense
importance to us of these fleets of trading ships, and of the great part
which they play in the maintenance of the prosperity of these isles. The
shipping industry ranks, after agriculture, as the largest of our
national commercial pursuits. There is more capital locked up in it, and
more hands are employed in the navigation and construction of ships,
their engines and fittings, than in any other trade of the country
excepting the tillage of the soil.

The following Table gives the relative figures of the merchant navies of
the principal states of the civilised world in the year 1898, and proves
at a glance the immense interest to our fellow countrymen of all that
affects the technical advancement of the various industries connected
with shipping:--

NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF SAILING-VESSELS OF OVER 100 TONS NET,
AND NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF STEAMERS OF OVER 100 TONS
GROSS, BELONGING TO EACH OF THE COUNTRIES NAMED, AS RECORDED
IN LLOYDS' REGISTER BOOK.

------------------------------------------------------------------
| Total No. of | Total tonnage of
Flag. | steam and sailing | steam (gross) and of
| vessels. | sailing-vessels (net).
----------------------+-------------------+-----------------------
United Kingdom | 8,973 | 12,926,924
Colonies | 2,025 | 1,061,584
+-------------------+---------