The native American., 1837-09-02

exceeding
the tonnage Of many of Atlantic packets have ge-
nerally proved heavy useless craft unmanageabe in
gale, and rdculously impoient in war. The Dutch,
in the meridian Of their naval greatness never exceed
ed ninety gnnshps and though rstrates. as they are
termed, have been built in England and France, they
have been regarded rather vessels of superior show
than Of additional practical power.
There is very lille doubt but that the anciens occa-
sonay constructed vessels equal in magnitude 10 any
Of the monsters Of modern times The recorded size
OF the Isis, built by Ptolemy Philopater the cedar
ship of Sesosiris the wonderful craft built by Ar
lcmedes, by order of Hero, contained sufficient wood
for the construction offfy gaeys The curious clas-
sic may read lengthy account of this levathan in
Athenans' Feast of the sophists. This ship contain
ed beside The requisite arrangements, magnificent
temple OF Venus, superb banqueting apartments with
floors inaid with from Illiad elegant galleries,
baths, stables and ish-ponds. When this floating city
was finished, the monarch perceived that there was
not port IN Sicily capable of receiving il; he there
lore hled the ship with grain, and sent it pre-.
sent to Ptolemy Of Egypt, who was much in want Of
corn.
Constanis built vessel of sufficient capahility to
remove The largest Of the ohelisks that stood before
the temple Of the Heliopolis and weighed ff-
teen hundred tons. His father. Constantine had re-
moved two IF the obeisks to Byzantum but friehen-
ed at the size OF The third, had abandoned all idea Of
disturbing il. His succeeded and even Transient
ed the enormous block to Rome, and erected i, in the
circus OF the Vatican, where il sow stands Besides
the crank, unmanagrabe bur,hen Of the obeisk, the
vessel was filled up with eleven hundred and thirty
ei2ht tons OF gran-nah ing in all twentysix hundred
and thirty eight tons, almost tile burhen Of the Penn
sylvania How this craft would have astonshed Cic
ero, who mentions ship of ffty-six tons as vessel
| Of remarkable capacity.
After these ancient eviathans, the largest ships on
record the celebrated S2afiSsima Irintada, the
pride of the Spanish navy, the French vessel the gi-
gantc Commerce de MarseHes, the English Grem Harry
The Caledonia, and The Great A7chae whose warlike
aPpurenances described hass. mynards. hag-
ers cnlverngs, filings, falcons, double dogs and pes
iient serpenters. ''-These wondrous specimens of
naval architecture in the oden me had dgiously
high bows and fgnered sterns, immense bcaks and
solid castles at the sem with towers each side Of
the poop and gangways-loolng like the turrcts of
caseled chateau, The signal lantern the poop Of
the Great Harry was level with the round tops,
owing to the height of her exremties, and the sudden
slnklngIn at mdshps. She had four masts actually
round, and shaped like huge inverted cones Gilt
work, carving gaudy streaners prefusely scatter
ed over her hull and rigging She cost $550,000 an
enormous sum in those days, yet one
Thousand tons burthen. She was burnt at Woolwich,
through the negligence Of persons on board.
Henry VIII, IN the year 1912, built the 6 largest
ship in the world 1t was thus that the English de-
nominated the Regent yet sne did exceed thou
sand tons. She was burnt while engaging the great
carrack Of Brest; both ships blown up. and siS-
teen hundred mel destroyed. To replace the Regent.
the king1bhilt larger ship, and named it Henri,
Grace de Dieu.
NnlnPdhy, IN tne IclgH OF James l.,
built ship If twelve hundred TONS and named it The
lrades hc7toe. She also considered the greatest
ever built, and The Royal Family attended her launch.
She was lost when returning home from voyage to
the Red Sea, and nearly all her cas-, away.
After this mshap, James himself built vessel Of four
teen hundred TONS and amounting sixtvfou pieces Of
ordinances; he gave it to his son Henry who named
after his own dignity, The Prince
The unfortunate but gifted monarch Eric XIV; Of
Sweden. lost in sea fight with the fleet of Frederick
IL, OF Denmark his mammoth ship, which is described
as having been Of enormous bulk. and mounting two
hundred pieces Of brass cannon. The ssels Of the
enemy surrounded her and being difficult to manage,
she was easily nverpowered and set on fire. She is
presumed to have been the largest of-war that
4 ever was built
i The English navy boasts Of several vessels Of one
\ hundred and twenty guns, two OF which, The Lora
Houe, and Tie HDnterloo have heen in commits
son.-Ihe Lord Nelson, launched July A, 1914, from
the Kings Yard, Woowich is the largest man-of-war
in the service, but is something smaller ,han the Penn
| syIvania.