are twenty-six feet on the ram (or from stem to stern-post), and ten feet beam; the smaller size are sixteen feet on deck, whilst the breadth of beam is eight feet six inches. The lateen fore-sail, which is much the larger sail of the two, is peaked up by a yard of almost incredible length in the larger sized boats. The customary length of yard for the smaller size is from forty-nine to fifty feet! thus enabling them to set an immense sail with a very lofty peak; but notwithstanding this, the sail, if properly made, stands very flat, and the boat is extremely handy under such a rig in staying, or any other manoeuvre requiring quick movements. The safe management of a boat rigged in this manner may be performed by one person alone. After the lateen fore-sail is once set, it is entirely under the control of the person attending the mainsheet, and may be turned about in any direction with ease and precision. An iron traveller is connected with the boom at the lower part of the mast; and as this is the only fastening by which the sail is held down, it may be worked with almost equal facility to that of a revolving-rigged boat. The boom is elevated a little above deck, so that nothing may incommode the crew; the mizzen works of itself, with little or no trouble. The Norfolk lateen is altogether a most useful and ingenious rig for short tacking in smooth water, and there is none that can compete with it for beating up against wind in very narrow waters; but for wide waters and sea-going purposes, the Norfolk lateens were never intended. This main-sail is reefed in the same manner as other lateens, viz. along the fore-leech, so as to be frapped or laced close to the yard. THE STRANGFORD LATEEN RIG. This is a new form of lateen rig, upon a plan adopted by Lord de Ros, who kindly sent me a description of it, with a drawing from which the engraving on the next page has been made. His lordship's well-known skill and experience in yachting and boat-sailing is alone sufficient to recommend it; and his lordship informs me that he finds it a remarkably handy and weatherly rig for a small boat. The Strangford Lateen Rig. From the above engraving, it will be seen that the boom is parrelled to the mast at b, but the yard is kept to the mast by a jack-rope, a, which is hauled taut by a small tackle, d, composed of two small blocks, or of metal thimbles, and ratline; thus enabling the yard to be lowered, either partially for reefing, or wholly for striking sail, without disengaging the tack from the fore end of the boom, which must be done if the yard be hoisted and held to the mast by a traveller. The boom and gaff thus close like a pair of compasses; and the reef-points being run from the apex at the tack, to the usual distance on the aft-leech, the sail, when reefed, is brought down lower, but the aft-power of it is not diminished. It will also be seen that by this ingenious contrivance the sail may be reefed at the lower part, instead of along the yard, as in other lateens; a great advantage in a lateen-rigged sailing-boat, as the sail would otherwise have to be lowered for the purpose of being reefed. (1) (') I have called this the 'Strangford Lateen,' as the inventor, Lord de Ros, first tried and brought it into use at Strangford. F THE SHOULDER-OF-MUTTON SAIL. So called from its resemblance to the flat side of a shoulder of mutton. It is a rig best suited for smooth water, and seldom used on the coast, or in wide open rivers. The main-sail, when properly shaped, is neat and pretty; whilst the tapering peak is useful under high cliffs, when the lower part of the sail is sheltered from the wind. The shoulder-of-mutton sail requires neither spreet nor yard; it is set entirely by the mast, a light tapering spar, placed well forward in the bows of the boat. The rig very much resembles the Bermudian, and is in some respects very similar. The halliards need only be of small-sized rope, much smaller than for square-headed sails, and should be rove through a small block at the mast head, and securely hooked to the peak of the sail: no other halliards will be necessary for the main-sail of a small boat. The sail may be bent to the mast by a lacing, or by small copper hoops, or rope grommets; but neither hoops nor grommets must extend higher up than the fore-halliard block, which should be seized to the mast about three-fourths of its height from the stepping. A boom should be used for the main-sail; and the fore-sail, which is necessarily lofty, must be narrow, unless the boat is very stiff, in which case a large and powerful fore-sail can be set. The advantages derived from this rig are, that the heavy sway of spreet or yard is avoided; that, on reefing the sail, the widest and heaviest part is taken off the boat at once, whilst the light tapering peak is still maintained. Boats under this rig sail well, are easily worked, and quickly reefed; brails may be fitted to the main-sail in the same manner as for other sails. The neatest and quickest method of stowing these sails is by furling them close to the mast, without lowering. THE settee rig, though now but little used in English waters, was formerly a favourite one for small open boats; and it is still the most general form of rig that is used for the native sailing-boats and vessels of India, where it is termed 'lateen.' It has, in fact, the appearance of a lateen sail with the fore angle cut off. In some respects, and for some purposes, it is to be preferred to a lateen sail, by reason of the facilities afforded for reefing, which cannot usually be accomplished in a perfect lateen, and by reason also that a settee sail may be set with a shorter yard than a lateen. The settee mainsail, when close-reefed, forms a triangle, and has then the appearance of a true lateen. Although the settee sail has a lofty peak, the hoist is low, therefore a short mast suffices to set the sail; and consequently the fore-sail is short in the aft-leech. The mizzen may be either a perfect lateen, or a settee of the same shape as the main-sail; for small open boats the former is to be preferred, but for larger ones the latter. The settee is a very safe and pretty rig for a skiff, or any small open boat. It also answers well for boats of a narrow form, in which it is important, for safety's sake, to keep the broadest part of the sails as low as possible. It is also well adapted for a sailing punt, or indeed any other light and narrow-shaped boat fit for carrying sail; no higher peak need be made to the main-sail than necessary, but for a stiff and powerful boat the lofty peak is very effective in smooth water. THE SAILING BARGE. PLEASURE barges are best adapted to those localities in which the water is shallow, and where the keel-bottomed boat would be found inconvenient. They are a comfortable form of vessel for pleasure parties, and well suited to the taste of the timid; being flat-bottomed, they do not careen to the wind so much as other vessels, and they generally afford ample accommodation for passengers or cargo; no ballast is necessary, the flat floor being sufficient to maintain stability under considerable pressure of canvas. The general form of rig is a gaff-mainsail without a boom, spritsail-mizzen, and a fore-sail; but sometimes they are rigged with a sprit-mainsail, fore-sail, and mizzen, similar to the London trading barges. The flatbottomed sailing barge is, of necessity, fitted with lee-boards on each side of the hull, the leewardmost of which is lowered when sailing on a side wind. These vessels require a very broad-shaped rudder, and are not generally so manageable, nor so fast under sail, as boats with round bottoms and keels. THE SLIDING-GUNTER. THE sliding-gunter is a pretty and ingenious form of rig for a pleasure boat; it is also one that is often used for the sailingboats attached to large yachts, ships of war, and large merchant ships. It consists (as regards a single-masted slidinggunter) of two sails only, viz. main-sail and fore-sail. The main-sail of the sliding-gunter is of the same shape as a |