In

GWYN'S BOOK OF SHIPS. No. 8.-Bow and stern view of a frigate. We have in the Marine Museum at Dunkirk a model brig of 20 guns built during the War of American Independence and a 17-gun cutter of the same date. both these models the stern is exactly like that in Gwyn's drawing, very narrow compared with the beam. In the models the stern is high and the freeboard very low. In about 1875 I saw a collier brig at Newcastle built in the same way. never saw another square-sterned ship with such a narrow stern as this brig.

I

GWYN'S BOOK OF SHIPS.

To my mind the most interesting of the ship-drawings reproduced from this book in the MARINERS' MIRROR for February is the one referred to in the text as (6) (Frigate with oars)."

May I suggest that this is probably one of those vessels generally referred to in the 18th and late 17th Century as "Gallies"? Not, of course, the Mediterranean or Baltic style of gallies, but such ships as the famous Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley, which 1S described as being of 287 tons mounting 34 guns and carrying a crew of 154 men. As late as 1735 we find two such Gallies in the Navy List-the Mary Galley of 40 guns and 190 men, reckoned as a Fifth Rate" and the Sixth Rate" Dursley Galley of 20 guns and 130

men.

"

Many other similar ships are mentioned in old Naval works, etc., but I have never before seen a detailed picture of such a war vessel.

This class of ship seems to date from about 1691, and the following references to them in Luttrel's Brief Relation of Foreign Affairs from 1680 to 1711 "' are of interest. On 14th October, 1691, he notes that "Several persons are going to build privateers to carry from 18 to 40 guns after the galley fashion with oares, and hope to have an act passed at next sessions for encouraging the same.'

The new craft seem to have been a success, since on June 30th, 1709, it is noted that "Tuesday was launched at Woolwich the Royal Anne Galley, of a new invention under the direction of the Marquess of Carmarthen, carrying 40 guns, being the finest that ever was built."

The ship portrayed in Gwyn's sketch book is apparently a 32-gun ship-if we assume there are a couple of bow-chasers --and pulls 28 oars, so that she might well be comprised among such Gallies as are referred to by Luttrel. Perhaps some members of the Society might be able to supply the M.M." with further particulars of this little remembered class of British war ship.-C. F.

[An article on these "Gallies" will appear shortly.-Ed.].

NINETEENTH CENTURY SHIPPING FROM BILLHEADS.

The accompanying illustrations, taken from Billheads and Backnotes (the receipt given by the Master of a vessel to the Farmer or Merchant embarking corn, etc.), are perhaps of interest. They are all dated during the 19th century, but the dies in some cases had obviously been used by the printer for a good many years. The earliest examples are woodcuts on hand-made paper; these are succeeded by really delicate engravings, which are followed by the coarser but cheaper lithographs.

No. 1 is a Backnote of 1805. It represents a sloop but is not at all well drawn, the forestaysail being too much inboard. The girting across the Mainsail is presumably caused by flag halyards. It is noticeable that the vessel is apparently carrying the Man-o'-war Jack.

No. 2, another Backnote of 1805, is a very crude picture of a Ship-rigged vessel. The designer seems to have got a bit disturbed over the mizzen.

No. 3 a Backnote of 1807 shows a Hoy apparently caryring a Spritsail. Her shrouds are somewhat unduly emphasised.

No. 4, a backnote of 1812, is rather a

pretty little picture of an old-fashioned Brig or Brigantine.

No. 5, a Backnote of 1814, shows a sloop carrying a jibboom, a square topsail and short gaff for her mainsail.

No. 6, from a Bill of Lading for 1832, is a ship-rigged vessel carrying a crossjack

course.

No. 7, a Billhead of 1832, shows a twotopsail Schooner.

of the

No. 8, a Billhead of 1841, shows an early steam-vessel, ketch rigged, with a smokestack reminiscent of some American Warships that came to Gibraltar during the war,

No. 9 is rather a nice little picture of a vessel being loaded with coals by a patent loading device (1841).

No. 10 is a view of Newcastle on a billhead of 1841, showing various shipping. A paddle-steamer with sails brailed up, a quarter view of a brig and the foremasts of two other square-rigged vessels.

No. 11, a billhead of 1842, shows a topsail schooner.

No. 12, a billhead of 1843, showing the floating dock at Newcastle; the ships are mostly collier-brigs in varying stages of dismantlement. There is, however, one three-masted vessel in the middle of the picture in act of sending up her top

masts.

No. 13 is a topsail schooner (1846) much more modern in appearance than No. 11, although the dates only show a difference of 4 years.

No. 14, dated 1845, shows a paddlesteamer without any sail and a shiprigged vessel.

No. 15, a receipt for ballast dated 1846, is a pleasant but somewhat indistinct little picture of a ship-rigged vessel. She gives the impression of having a spritsail furled.

No. 16, a billhead of 1848, shows a typical collier brig; the double dolphinstriker may be noticed.

No. 17, a billhead dated 1850, shows a snow-brig with main-course set.

No. 18 is worthy of remark on account of the careless drawing; the crossjack yard has apparently been omitted altogether and no foretopmast-stay is shown : it may be noted that the vessel has a forestaysail set (dated 1850).

No. 19 (also 1850) is rather a nice quarter-view of a barque.

No. 20, billhead of 1867, shows a shiprigged vessel. The double dolphinstriker may be noted.

No. 21, another billhead of 1867, shows a cutter yacht with a gaff-topsail.

No. 22 shows a sloop. This billhead bears a printed date of 1870.

No. 23 shows a ship-rigged vessel carrying a spritsail yard, but the billhead has a printed date of 1870.-H. R. H. V.

THE HALF DECK.

The half-deck covered half the length of the ship, and the after half of it being covered by the poop, the remainder which was uncovered very reasonably was called the quarter-deck. That, I think, is the modern standpoint.

It may be that in earlier days it was the same, but there seem to be difficulties, and I must confess I have been unable to come to any conclusion.

The first difficulty is, of course, the frigate without a poop and a deck covering half the ship, commonly called the quarter-deck. Guns on the Q D." is I think always the form of the armament lists. With the exception of the 80 two-deckers, the ships of the later XVII. century are spoken of as having

guns on the quarter-deck," though in many of the third rates that deck must have extended over half the ship, and if they had poops, the guns under it were counted in the Q.D. armament. The Sovereign of 1637 had a half-deck but there were only six guns upon it, which does not look as though it extended over half the ship. Mainwayring and Boteler, I think, said that in the ships of their day it did do so, but it does not follow with certainty from that fact that, because of it, this platform was called a half-deck.

In Payne's engraving, the Sovereign's sides do not appear to be built right up to the half-deck--there is a space letting in light under the half-deck. In the Prince Royal, Sebastian Vicars was paid 355. for carving six arches" to give light under the half-deck (Perrin N.R.S. LI. 210)-an early reference. A still earlier reference is given by Mouson in 1602. He states that the Swiftsure was rent so terribly that a team of oxen might have crept through her under the half-deck (Oppenheim N.R.S. XXIII. 181.)

The half-deck (leaving the Sovereign out of the account) practically went out with the flush-decked ship the ghost of it flits about afterwards, I am referring to the Royal Navy, of course.

When did it make its first appearance? Sometimes I think it came in with the galleon, though we may find earlier references in merchant ships, which were in the form of a galleon; you will remember that Hawkins was criticised for making Her Majesty's ships too like the Merchant's. The galleon's half-deck covered half the length of the ship, its forward portion passing over part of the upper deck at such a height that even the thickest headed greenhorn would have it impressed on his mind--if he tried to stand upright-that he was under the half-deck. The deck over the after portion of the half-deck was called the quarter-deck; when the decks in the fourth quarter of the ship were flushed with the rest, the Q.D., which was also the roof of the captain's cabin, was carried forward full height; thus the inconvenience of the half-deck was abolished. The portion of the upper deck just forward of the captain's cabin was still called by some under the half deck," while others, who argued the half-deck was the extension of the sole" of the cabin called it the halfdeck." This is all very pretty, but, really, I do not know whether it is true.

"

There are several alternatives : a deck half closed in at the sides, a deck covering only half athwartships. I think I have said enough to show that it is not sufficient to say cheerfully a half-deck was a half-deck." No doubt it was but which way?

Mr. Alan Moore thinks that the origin was the same in both the Royal and Merchant Navies. No doubt it was. The open-waisted cattle ship of the chivalric period was the mother of the Great-ship, and the foreign-going trader of the XVI. century took upon herself the burden of the heavy cannon. If I were certain that Great-ships had halfdecks, I should be quite certain that the half-deck had nothing to do with length, but I am not certain. When the Elizabeth came in for repairs in 1598 she was repainted; in the extract of the account there is mention of a barbican, a somerdeck and a study, but no mention of a half-deck (Oppenheim, Administration, p. 131). The Swiftsure, which we know had a half-deck in 1602, was built in 1573 as a great-ship. Whether at her rebuilding in 1592 she had been brought into the form of a galleon I do not know. The steerage seems to have trespassed

FRIGATE, FRIGATE-FASHION AND GALLEY-BUILT.

Falconer, towards the end of the 18th century, stated that galley-built merchant ships were those built with a flush deck, and poop and forecastle built upon that deck. On the other hand, he says that frigate-built ships were those with falls in the deck fore and aft. That is the effect of what he said; Burney repeated it; James ( Naval History," introduction, p. 23) contradicts it. We know, at any rate, that the man-of-war frigate of the same date was flush-decked. In passing one may note that the term galley-built frigate" is occasionally met with.

Frigate was applied by Sir Anthony Deane, the master-shipwright of the Restoration, to ships with even two-anda-half tiers of ordnance, and Pepys used it in the same way (Tanner N.R.S., XXVI., 226). It was, I believe, generally used for all ships, great and small, during the Commonwealth. James thinks that it was not applied to firstrates, but I think he is wrong. All these ships, of course, were flush-decked.

In the T. S. Mercury's Museum there is a model of a vessel fitted for oars, labelled :- "A galley-built corvette of 1700." The label is. of course, of little authority, but there it is. She is a block model with painted ports, but there is little doubt she represents a vessel with falls fore and aft. Among the Sergison models now in Mr. R. C. Anderson's care is a ship obviously of the 17th century. She is pierced for oars; she has falls forward and aft. One suspects that some day a label will be found for this model with galley-built " written upon it.

On the 3rd May, 1696, Sir Peter Pett wrote a letter to Mr. Pepys, in which he mentions that :- Many years ago I gave Sir Christopher Wren the draught of an old-fashioned ship, and another of the frigate fashion, that he might see the difference of them; and he afterwards desiring me to bring him into the company of some excellent shipwright, who might resolve many of his questions, I brought to him Captain William Castle,