Page:The history of yachting.djvu/185

 Rh and Christopher, as already noted, held good dockyard positions, and were descended from one Pett who had been master-shipwright at Deptford in the reign of Edward VI. Their cousin, Joseph Pett, also was master-shipwright at Chatham; another cousin, Richard Holborne, was master-mastmaker; and a brother, Phineas, Master of the Shipwright's Company. These men, no doubt, were good, practical shipbuilders; innocent, however, of any mathematical knowledge, yet supposed to possess the "art or mystery," which they were always bound by indentures to impart to their apprentices.

Their envious contemporaries called them the "indestructible Petts"; but they gallantly kept on serving their country, sticking to their posts like South-Sea barnacles.

King Charles had a bent for natural science, and, by his own efforts,—and more by encouraging others,—did much to dispel the "art or mystery" superstition relative to shipbuilding. It was during his reign that Sir Anthony Deane first calculated a vessel's displacement, thus described by Pepys, under date of May 19, 1666:

"Mr. Deane and I did discourse about his ship Rupert, built by him there, which succeeds so well that he hath got great honor by it, and I have some by recommending him; the King, Duke, and everybody saying it is the best ship that was ever built; and then he fell to explain to me his manner of casting the draught of water which a ship will draw beforehand; which is a secret the King and all admire in him; and he is the first that hath