have been dug out of the earth in various parts of England within the last century; some of them perfect in form, and in an excellent state of preservation. It is stated in King's 'Munimenta Antiqua,' that in a morass called Lockermoss, a very little distance from the Castle of Wardlaw, in Dumfries, an ancient canoe was dug up in the year 1736. This canoe was seven feet long, and dilated to a considerable breadth at one end: its paddle was found at the same time in the morass near to it. Another canoe was found near Kiblain, eight feet eight inches in length, and two feet in breadth; having a cavity of six feet seven inches in length, and of eleven inches in depth, the hollow of which had plainly been formed originally by means of fire. (1) In the year 1720, several canoes similar to the above were dug up in the marshes of the River Medway, above Maidstone; they were made of the trunks of trees hollowed on the inside: one of these was so perfectly preserved, that it was afterwards actually used as a boat for some time. (2) On the draining of Martine Mere, or Marton Lake, in Lancashire, a few years ago, there were found sunk at the bottom eight canoes; each made of a single tree, which there is every reason to believe had been used by the Ancient Britons in fishing upon that lake, and which in size and shape were much like the American (Virginian) canoes. (3) So also during the present century, on the draining of Whittlesea Mere, and in other parts of the Fen districts, canoes in a very good state of preservation have been excavated at a considerable depth from the surface. (') Pennant's Voyage to the Hebrides. (2) King's Munimenta Antiqua, vol. i. p. 20. BOATS OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. IT appears that among the ancient Egyptians, there were two classes of boat-builders, carpenters and wicker-workers. The boats built by the latter were used chiefly for fowling and fishing; they were made of oziers, and bound together with bands taken from the stalks of the papyrus or cyperus. (1) Boats made from the papyrus are frequently mentioned by ancient writers. Isis is described by Plutarch, as going in search of the body of Osiris, 'through the fenny country, in a bark made of the papyrus.' (2) But they were so small and light, as to be easily carried from place to place on a man's shoulders. (3) They are also described by Strabo, (4) at the cataracts of Syene, passing the falls in perfect safety, to the astonishment of the beholders: and Celsius affirms, that they were made of the papyrus. Theophrastus mentions boats made of papyrus, and their sails and ropes of the rind of the same. (5) Pliny, also, speaks of boats woven of the papyrus, (6) the rind being made into sails, curtains, matting, and ropes: and he elsewhere observes, that the papyrus, the rush, and the reed, were all used for making boats, in Egypt. (7) Vessels made of bulrushes, are mentioned in the Old Testament. (8) The mode of binding and sewing boats with bands of the papyrus, are also alluded to by Lucan: 'Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro.' (9) With these evidences before us, and those of the sculptures of Thebes and Memphis, there can be no doubt that boats were anciently made of the material papyrus; and employed in () Vide Champollion's Monuments de l'Egypte. Also Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians,' by Sir Gardner Wilkinson, F.R.S., M.R.S.L., &c. Third Edition. Vol. iii. A.D. 1847. (2) Plut. de Is. s. 18. (1) Strabo, xvii. p. 562. (3) Achilles Tatius, lib. iv. Plin. v. 9. (5) Theophr. iv. 9. (6) Ex ipso quidem papyro navigia texunt.' Plin. xiii. 11. (7) Plin. vi. 22, vii. 16. (9) Lucan ir. 136. (*) Exod. ii. 3. Isaiah xvii. 2. various parts of Egypt, for fowling and fishing. Punts and canoes, made of oziers and papyrus, are still used on the Nile, and the lakes of Egypt. The Egyptian 'boats of burden' were called baris; they are described by Herodotus as made of a thornwood, very similar to the lotus of Cyrene, from which a tear exudes, called gum. Of this tree they cut planks measuring about two cubits, and having arranged them like bricks, they built the boat in the following manner:-They fastened the planks around firm, long pegs; and after this, they stretched over the surface a series of girths, but without any ribs, and the whole was bound within by bands of papyrus. A single rudder was then put through the keel; and a mast of thorn wood, and sails of the papyrus (rind) completed the rigging. Pliny speaks of papyrus vessels crossing the sea, and visiting the island of Taprobane (Ceylon). Quia papyraceis navibus armamentisque Nili peteretur (Taprobane).' (1) It may be, however, that he merely alludes to the sails of the vessels being made of the papyrus; for there is abundant evidence that the Egyptians had large boats of burthen, made of wooden planks. Sir Gardner Wilkinson observes,- 'We may be certain that the Egyptians had strong and well-built vessels for the purpose of trade, by sea; and for carrying merchandize, corn, and other heavy commodities, on the Nile: and that, even if they had been very bold and skilful navigators, they would not have ventured to India, nor have defeated the fleets of Phonicia, in their paper vessels.' (2) MODE OF NAVIGATION OF THE VESSELS OF THE NILE. Neither sails nor rudders were used with the canoes and punts of the ancient Egyptians: they were propelled with paddles, in deep water, and pushed ahead with a pole, in shallow water. But the absence of a sail in the canoes did not always depend on the size of the vessel; for it appears that many of their fishing canoes, some of which were very small, were frequently provided with a mast and sail. (') Plin. vi. 22. (2) Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians,' vol. iii. p. 189. The pleasure boats of the ancient Egyptians were usually provided with two rudders, one on each side of the stern: the rudder consisted of a long broad paddle, of great strength; and the tiller, which formed part of the paddle, or rudder, was of enormous size, and supported by pillars or masts. The steersman moved the rudder by means of a rope fastened to the tiller head. Other boats, though of large size, appear to have had but one rudder, and this was usually placed in a groove, or notch, in the centre of the stern. The only kind of sail used by the ancient Egyptians appears to have been a sort of square-sail, with a yard both at the top and bottom. The prow of the ancient Egyptian boats was generally decorated with a painted eye on each side of the stem; a peculiarity that has been kept up or adopted by the Chinese, through centuries, to the present day. The head and stern of the pleasure boats were generally ornamented with a painting, or carving of a richly coloured flower. Most of the ancient Egyptian boats are shown with a man standing at the prow with a pole in his hand, wherewith to sound the depth of the water and signal to the helmsman when near a shoal, or sand-bank. The precaution of the soundingpole is still adopted in all the Nile boats, wherever the pilot is doubtful about the depth of water: The war-galleys of the ancient Egyptians were also provided with a square-sail, but it differed from the rig of the pleasure boats, inasmuch as it had no lower yard; the sail was therefore easier furled or brailed up, by means of four separate furling-ropes, or brails, which, on being pulled, frapped the sail close to the upper yard, in four or five folds. The square-sails were always guided or trimmed by braces, or guy-ropes, called pedes; these were attached to the extreme ends of the upper yard of the sails. Some of the boats were rigged with a sort of shear-mast, which consisted of two separate spars, placed wide apart below, but closing at the top, so as to leave sufficient space for the yard of the sail to be hoisted between them. The mast was secured by one fore stay and several back stays. None of the boats of the ancient Egyptians appear to have been fitted with more than one sail to each mast. When a single mast was used, it was very firmly fixed and secured; the foot of it to a strong beam, or step, which extended across the whole breadth of the floor; it was also supported by strong knees and lashings, and finally secured by stout stays and shrouds, leading from the mast head to the sides and stern of the boat; and it appears, that all these were necessary to compensate for the heavy yards and sail that were carried on the boat; and which, when hoisted and fairly set, were so considerably elevated, that the lower yard was fully six feet above the gunwales. When they wished to furl or lower this sail, the upper yard was let down, whilst the lower one continued stationary; and in this position the sail was furled, and remained so until again required. The yards consisted of two separate pieces, scarped and joined in the middle. The sails of the grand pleasure-boats of the ancient Egyptians were sometimes painted with gaudy colours, and embroidered with fanciful devices: but these sails were made of cloth or linen, woven expressly for sails: the outer edges, or leeches of the sails, were strengthened with hems or borders, and sometimes with a small rope.(1) (1) Vide 'Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians,' by Sir Gardner Wilkinson, F.R.S., &c., 1847. 3rd edit. cap. IX. |