Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 1).djvu/319

 and that the highest tiers, both in respect to length and weight, should be sufficiently manageable: from these grounds the discovery immediately resulted to him, which was, that by a combination of two obliquities between the galley and a rower's gallery running along its waist part, projecting outwards from a small distance above the water's edge, with an angle of 45°, and rows of horizontal seats of about two feet in length, fixed obliquely upwards from the bottom of this gallery against this obliquely projecting part of the side, with no more space betwixt them in all directions than should be found necessary for the free movement of men when rowing together, a quincunx or chequer order would be formed, with all the above-mentioned requisites, to the highest degree of advantage which could co-exist consistent with each other."

It is not easy to understand the General's scheme by this description of it. He lays down, practically enough, some essential points which require to be considered; but while the oar adapted for the lowest banks might be "sufficiently manageable," the oars of the upper banks, even if well balanced, could not be effectively worked by one man. Nor is it easy to understand what is meant by "rows of horizontal seats, of about two feet in length, fixed obliquely upwards from the bottom of this gallery." However, the General caused a model of a quinquereme to be erected against a high wall belonging to his house in London, which was of the same proportions as would have been required for a "fifth part of a real galley." The model is said to "have held, in a very small space, but with sufficient ease, the rowers of