DOCK, in maritime affairs, is a pit, great pond, or creek, by the side of an harbour, made convenient either for the building or repairing of ships. It is of two sorts : 1. Dry-dock, where the water is kept out by great flood-gates till the ship is built or repaired, when the gates are opened, and the water let in to float and launch her. 2. Wet-dock, a place where the ship may be hauled into out of the tide's way, and so dock herself, or sink herself' a place to lie in.
Dams, &c. Liverpool, Hull, and Bris tol, but especially the two first of these places, had proved the advantages of wet docks long before London possessed any such accommodations. The inconveni ences arising from the crowded state of the river at all times, but particularly when ships arrived in large fleets, and from the want of sufficient wharf-room for discharging their cargoes, were long felt and complained of by all the princi pal merchants in London, who were sub ject to considerable losses from the de lays in getting their goods landed, and the opportunities of plunder to which they were exposed. At length, about the
year 1793, a plan was circulated for form ing capacious wet-docks, with wharfs and warehouses, in a convenient situation ad joining the Thames at Wapping ; the project gave rise to much discussion, and to the formation of other plans accommo dated to particular interests ; but through the indefatigable perseverance of Mr. William Vaughan, assisted by other high ly respectable mercantile characters, the original plan was matured, and a bill brought into parliament for carrying it into execution. Contending interests ren dered the first application unsuccessful ; and a few years after the corporation of London proposed to make a navigable canal or passage across the Isle of Dogs ; while another plan was brought forward for making wet docks for West India shipping only ; and afterwards on for making docks for East India shining only ; all in the vicinity of each other. These several undertakings, all arising out of the original project of the London