Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p2.djvu/320

	Number of Accidents,
“From carrying away either of the four buntline legs, or of the two buntline whips belonging to each course, in hauling up the courses to reef, which might split the sail by shaking	12
“From carrying away either the tack or sheet of each course in setting the sails after reefing them	4
“Number of accidents the courses of the old make are liable to	26

“It is to be observed of these twenty-six accidents that the old courses are liable to, and any one of which unnecessarily exposes a ship to great danger, and in some situations to certain destruction, that there is not one of them wherein the resources of seamanship might not prove unavailing to remedy the accident in time to save a ship, when she is in that horrible situation) that the loss of a sail would cause her to drive on shore. It is well known to intelligent seamen, that the difficulty of performing any operation necessary to the preservation of a ship, increases with the danger; and that the loss, or want of one of the dependant sails for a few minutes only, might prove the loss of the ship.

“The want of a chasing reef at the foot of the top-sails and top-gallant-sails may be sensibly felt, when it may be necessary to carry a press of sail in squally weather to avoid a lee-shore; or in chase; or when obliged to haul suddenly to the wind from sailing large. Men of-war in chase cannot always risk carrying sail through a squall, and by lowering these sails down to reef at the head, they lose time; and the sails are partly aback whilst they are reefing.

“By diminishing the dangers of the seas (many of which might be easily averted) the attractions to a sea life are increased, and the sum of human misery reduced; for every individual in the country is at this present period deeply interested in the preservation of the valuable lives of British Seamen.

(Signed)“Malcolm Cowan^[1].”

The other enclosures were as follow:–

“H.M.S. Thisbe, Falmouth, Feb. 13th, 1805.

“I am happy to inform you, that I had an opportunity in the late gale of trying your reef, which I approve of more than ever. Captain Norway, of the Tromp, and another gentleman, came on board this morning to look at it. They highly approve thereof, and think it a most excellent plan. My officers and men, from seeing the sail reefed in the gale, are quite delighted with it, now they perceive its utility. Depend upon it,

1. For a particular account of this improvement in ship’s sails, vide the Naval Chronicle for April 1806, November 1807, and November 1808.