But with a commander of a steamer, navigation is quite another thing; for in the first place, where a sailing commander deems it advisable not to close in with the land towards nightfall, because he depends upon the wind only, a change in which might suddenly place hint on a lee shore ; the steam commander would, as a matter of duty, take the shortest route, in whatever direction that might lie. It will then Inc evident that with a vessel of greater comparative speed, often using the more dangerous passage along a coast, her commander should be a man of increased nautical skill, and of special proficiency in navigation—the latter attainment being the more needed as ho has scarcely the discretionary power to "lay-to," except tinder special circumstances. The stranding of a sailing ship may often be the result of sheer accident of wind or weather, while that of a steamer, which is locomotive, and can steer readily in any direction (in moderate weather), has been in too many instances found to have its cause in at least error in judgment.
To make the distinction between steam navigation and sailing navigation the plainer, we will suppose a case, as applicable to the following imaginary chart and track :— Two vessels, the one sailing and the other steaming, are bound round the headland, g, of a continent. There are several outlying dangers near it, such as the island b, the rocks at d, the shoal at e, and in addition, rocky spits run off the points c and g. Suppose the two vessels to be in company at a, and each desirous of reaching the position It : the steamer would, as a matter of course, take the inner pustage, in whatever direction the wind might blow, while if the wind were as indicated by the arrow in the diagram, the sailing ship could not venture, but must take the outer pasaage—and as a square-rigged ship can only rail within about six points of the wind, her track in working to windward or " tacking," would In this case between a and it Le about thirty miles, while the steamer's would be about twelve. Now if we compare the two tracks it will be evident that the mind of the sailing master might well be free from care, except when approach ing e, or the weather side ; while during the whole passage, through a slight mistake or inattention on the part of the steam commander, he might lose the ship. Suppose farther, that just as the steamer reached her position near d, the weather became hazy or foggy, obscuring the land : the master of the sailing ship in the offing could without a care lay-to with the ship's head off the laud, while the steamer must push on, if possible ; because anchoring would incon veniently delay her passage. He would have in such case to prick off
his actual position on his chart by hasty bearings, subject to the delay of correction for local attraction, &c., and indeed his work of navigation would form a perfect contrast to that of the ship-master outside. Farther investigation will even heighten the contrast, for in a passenger steamer, the commander finds the necessity of verifying his position as often as possible, by night as well as by day. He takes a larger number of observations, and needs every accomplishment which nautical astronomy offers him.
If then such disparity exist in the duties of certain maritime com manders, and if, moreover, no amended system of training have been yet perfected under authority, calculated to meet the increased in telligence called for by the exigence of steam navigation, the subject is worthy of most earnest attention.
An impression is gaining ground among experienced commanders themselves, that whereas ether professions have their training based. upon principles which are carefully explained to them, the navigator is consigned to work with formula of which he has no comprehension beyond their mere adaptation to his work. Trigonometry, plane and spherical, is the foundation of all his calculations, but neither are its principles explained in schools of navigation generally, nor is even the projection of its figures deemed important. In the Royal Naval School, and one or two others, this great defect has been of late attended to, and their example cannot, for the good of the community, be too soon followed by those who have had the training of nearly 50,000 of our population whose profession is that of the sea officer. That our sea captains are successful in their voyages as a general rule, depends on their perseverance and intelligence as a body : they com plain that they owe little to ecience and teaching.
With regard to spheric trigonometry, circumstances already ex plained under GREAT-CIRCLE-SAILING have strangely driven it from even the "Manual" of the Navigator. [SPHERICS ; SPIIEROGRAPH.] (Rapers Treatise on. Aarigation ; Jean's Works on Trigonometry ; The Calculation and Projection of the Sphere, Longman & Co.)