The only sail

In stormy If the wind

upon two yards towards the stern or after part of the ship, over which it projects a few feet. The lower yard of the main-sail is called the boom, and the upper the main-sailyard. This is by far the largest sail in the sloop. Above it is spread the gaff, which is comparatively a very small sail, and is used when the wind is not very strong. The fore-sail is a triangular sheet, which traverses on the forestay; that is, the strong rope which runs from the lower mast-head to the bow, or front part of the sloop. On the bowsprit is stretched the jib, another triangular sail, which reaches nearly to the top of the lower mast. that rises above the lower mast is the gaff. weather this sail is always taken down. increases to a gale the jib is lowered, and lashed to the bowsprit. Should the gale increase, a reef is taken in the main-sail. One, two, three, and sometimes four reefs are taken in, according to the violence of the storm; when the last reef is taken in, the sloop is under close-reefed mainsail. Increased violence in the storm necessitates the taking in of the main-sail and lying-to under the fore-sail, or a part of it. Lying-to is putting the sloop's head to the wind, and placing the helm in such a position that it tends to turn the vessel in one direction, while the gale acting on the fore-sail tends to force it in another, and thus it remains stationary between the two opposing forces. Many vessels thus lie-to, and ride out the severest storm. Sometimes, however, a dreadful hurricane arises, and compels vessels to take in all sails and "scud under bare poles ”—that is, drive before the wind without any sails at all, and it is at such seasons that man is forced to feel his utter helplessness and his absolute dependence on the Almighty. Of course, there are slight variations in the rig of sloops-some have

a square-sail, and some have a flying-jib; but these are not distinctive sails, and they are seldom used in small craft.

Our Illustration represents a sloop under full sail, mainsail, gaff, fore-sail, and jib, sailing with a side wind.

Now it may strike some of our observant readers, that in our engraving the cutter and the sloop, although acted upon by the same wind, are sailing in precisely opposite directions. Perchance our sceptical friends may think they have "caught us napping," putting upon paper what was never seen in nature. Nevertheless, this apparent paradox may be explained thus:

Suppose a vessel with the bow and stern sharp and precisely alike, so that it might sail backwards or forwards with equal facility. Suppose, also, that it has two masts exactly the same in all respects-both of them amidships, one near the bow, the other near the stern. Suppose, further, a square sail stretched between the two masts quite flat, and remember that this would be a fore-and-aft sail, namely, one extending along the length, not across the breadth of the vessel.

Well, now, were a breeze to blow straight against the side of such a vessel, it would either blow it over, flat on its side, or urge it slowly sideways over the water, after the fashion of a crab. Now remove one of these masts-say the stern-most one-and erect it close to the lee-side of the vessel (that is, away from the wind-ward side), still keeping the sail extended. The immediate effect would be that the sail would no longer present itself flatly against the wind, but diagonally. The wind, therefore, after dashing against it would slide or whisk violently off in the direction of the mast that had been removed, that is, towards the stern. In doing so it would of course give the vessel a shove in

the opposite direction, on the very same principle that a boy, when he jumps violently off a chair, not only sends his body in one direction, but sends the chair in the opposite direction. So, when the wind jumps off the sail towards the stern it sends the ship in the opposite direction, namely, forward. Reverse this; bring back the mast you had removed to its old place in the centre of the deck, and shift the front mast near to the lee-bulwarks. The wind will now slide off the sail towards the bow, and force our vessel in the opposite direction, namely, backward.

By means of the rudder, and placing the sails in various positions so as to cause them to press against the masts in a particular manner, vessels can be made to sail not only with a side wind but with a breeze blowing a good deal against them—in nautical phrasology, they can be made to sail "close to the wind." In short, they can sail in every direction except directly in the "teeth" of the wind. Some ships sail closer to the wind than others; their powers in this respect depending very much on the cut of their sails, and the form of their hulls.

The Lighter is a small rough clumsy species of coasting vessel usually of the sloop rig. It is used for discharging cargoes of large vessels in harbours, and off coasts where the depth of water is not great. Lighters are usually picturesque-looking craft with dingy sails, and they seldom carry top-sails of any kind. Being seldom decked they are more properly huge boats than little ships. But lighters are not classed according to their rig,-they may be of any rig, though that of the sloop is most commonly adopted. In the annexed wood-cut you have a specimen of one very much in use. The sail of this boat is kept extended by means of a sprit or wooden pole which is fastened low

down on the mast just above the heads of the crew; its other end being fastened to the upper outside corner of the sail, which, in consequence of this arrangement, is called a sprit sail. The sprit in the cut is on the other side of the sail, but its presence is indicated by a diagonal line on the canvas.

THE CUTTER.

This species of vessel is similar, in all respects, to the sloop, the only difference being that it is better and more elegantly built. Gentlemen's pleasure yachts are most frequently cutters, but yachts may be of any form or rigthat is, they may belong to any class of vessels without changing their name of yacht. Cutter yachts are much more elegantly moulded and rigged than the sloops that we have just described. They are clipper-built-that is, the hull is smoothly and sharply shaped; the cutwater, in particular, is like a knife, and the bow wedge-like. In short, although similar in general outline, a cutter-yacht bears the same relation to a trading sloop that a racer does to a cart horse. Their sails, also, are larger in proportion, and they are fast-sailing vessels; but, on this very account, they are not such good sea-boats as their clumsy brethren, whose bluff or rounded bows rise on the waves, while the sharp vessels cut through them, and often deluge the decks with spray.

In our Engraving we have a sloop-rigged yacht sailing with a light side wind, with main-sail, gaff, fore-sail, and jib set, and the Union Jack, our well-known national flag, flying at the peak.

The yard observed stretching across the vessel is that on which a square-sail is sometimes spread when the cutter is running before a fair wind.