in the difpenfation of both evil and good, as means of effecting ultimate purposes worthy of his ineffable perfections; fo that whether we confider ourselves as chriftians or philofophers, we must acknowledge that he deferves bleffing not more when he gives than when he takes away. If the fall of a sparrow, as well as its preservation, is imputed to providence, why not the fall as well as the preservation of a man? and why should we attribute to Providence only what appears to be good in its immediate effect, when we suppose that the whole concatenation of events, whether the preservation or deftruction of particular parts, tends ultimately to the good of the whole? The fame voice commiffions the winds to plough up the deep, which at the appointed time rebukes them, faying, " Peace, be ftill." If the adorable Author and Preserver of Nature was fuch a being as Baal is reprefented to have been by the prophet, when he derided his worshippers; if he was fometimes on a journey, and fometimes afleep, we might with propriety fay that a fire happened to break out, or a ftorm to rife, but that by the interpofition of providence life was preserved, expreffions which imply that the mischief had one origin, and the remedy another; but fuch language certainly derogates from the honour of the great Univerfal Caufe, who, acting through all duration, and fubfifting in all space, fills immenfity with his prefence, and eternity with his power.

It will perhaps be faid, that in particular inftances evil neceffarily refults from that conftitution of things which is beft upon the whole, and that Providence occafionally interferes, and fupplies the defects of the conftitution in thefe particulars but this notion will appear not to be fupported by those facts which are said to be providential; it will always be found that Providence interposes too late, and only moderates the mischief which it might have prevented. But

who

who can fuppofe an extraordinary interpofition of Providence to fupply particular defects in the constitution of nature, who fees those defects fupplied but in part? It is true that when the Endeavour was upon the rock off the coast of New Holland, the wind ceased, and that otherwife she must have been beaten to pieces; but either the fubfiding of the wind was a mere natural event or not; if it was a natural event, providence is out of the question, at least we can with no more propriety say that providentially the wind ceased, than that providentially the fun rose in the morning. If it was not a mere natural event, but produced by an extraordinary interpofition, correcting a defect in the conftitution of nature, tending to mischief, it will lie upon those who maintain the pofition, to fhew, why an extraordinary interpofition did not take place rather to prevent the ship's ftriking, than to prevent her being beaten to pieces after she had ftruck: a very flight impulse upon the fhip's courfe would have caused her to fteer clear of the rock, and if all things were not equally easy to Omnipotence, we should say that this might have been done with lefs difficulty than a calm could be produced by fufpending the general laws of Nature which had brought on the gale.

I have, however, paid my homage to the Supreme Being, confonant to my own ideas of his agency and perfections; and those who are of opinion that my notions are erroneous, must allow, that he who does what he thinks to be right, and abstains from what he thinks to be wrong, acquits himfelf equally of moral obligation, whether his opinions are falfe or true.

VOL. I.

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AN

A N

EXPLANATION of the NAUTICAL TERMS

A

not generally understood which occur in this WORK.

A.

BACK, the fituation of the fails when their furfaces are flatted

against the mafts by the force of the wind. The fails are faid to be taken aback, when they are brought into this fituation, either by a fudden change of the wind, or by an alteration in the fhip's courfe. They are laid aback, to effect an immediate retreat, without turning to the right or left; in order to avoid some danger.

ABAFT, the hinder part of a fhip.

AFT, behind, or near the ftern of the ship.

ANCHOR, the principal are the sheet anchor, the best bower and the small bower, so called from their fituation in the fhip's bows. The smaller anchors, are the ftream anchor, the kedge anchor, and the grappling.

AWNING, a canopy of canvafs extending over the decks of a thip in hot weather.

AZIMUTH-COMPASS, an inftrument employed to difcover the magnetical azimuth or amplitude of any heavenly object. This operation is performed at fea, to find the exact variation of the magnetical needle. B.

To BALANCE, to contract a fail into a narrower compafs, in a ftorm, by retrenching or folding up a part of it at one corner.

BEAMS, ftrong thick pieces of timber, ftretching across the ship from fide to fide, to fupport the decks, and retain the fides at their proper distance. On the weather beam, is on the weather fide of the fhip.

To BELAY, to faften a rope by winding it feveral times round a cleat, belaying-pin, or kevel.

BENDING a fail, faftening it to its yard or flay.

BIGHT, the double part of a rope when it is folded, in contradiftinction to the end.

BIGHT, is alfo a fmall bay between two points of land.

BULGE, or BILGE, that part of the floor of a fhip, on either fide of the keel, which approaches nearer to an horizontal than to a perpendicular

d 2

cular direction, and on which the ship would reft if laid on the ground: or more particularly, thofe parts of the bottom which are oppofite to the heads of the floor-timbers amidships on each fide of the keel. Hence, when a fhip receives a fracture in this place, fhe is faid to be bilged.

BIRTH, the station in which a thip rides at anchor.

BIRTH, alfo fignifies the room or apartment where any particular number of the officers or thip's company ufually mefs and refide.

BOARD, the line over which the fhip runs between tack and tack, when the is turning to windward, or failing against the direction of the wind.

BOW, the rounding part of a fhip's fide forward, beginning at the place where the planks arch inwards, and terminating where they close at the ftem or prow.

BREAKERS, billows that break violently over rocks lying under the furface of the fea.

To BRING-TO, to check the courfe of a fhip when fhe is advancing, by arranging the fails in fuch a manner as that they thall counter-act each other, and prevent her either from retreating or moving forward. In this fituation the thip is faid to lie-by, or lie-to.

BULK-HEADS, certain partitions, or walls, built up in feveral places of a ship between two decks, either lengthways or acrofs, to form and feparate the various apartments.

BUOY, a fort of clofe cafk, or block of wood, faftened by a rope to the anchor, to determine the place where the anchor is fituated.

C.

CABLE's-length, a hundred and twenty-fathom.

CAP, a ftrong, thick block of wood, ufed to confine two masts together, when the one is erected at the head of the other, in order to lengthen it. It is for this purpose furnished with two holes perpendicular to it's length and breadth, and parallel to its thickness; one of these is fquare, and the other round; the former being folidly fixed upon the upper-end of the lower-maft, whilft the latter receives the maft employed to lengthen it, and fecures it in this pofition.

CAPSTERN, or CAPSTAN, a frong, maffy column of timber, formed like a truncated cone, and having its upper extremity pierced with a number of holes to receive the bars or levers. It is let down per