In general a ship, trimming by the head, carries a taut weather helm. If, on the contrary, she is too much by the stern, she will carry a lee or slack helm.

When by the wind, a tremulous motion in the cloths of the mainsail will always indicate that the ship is then at the desired point of "full and by "-for when sailing thus obliquely to the breeze, the dog-vane does not show the true direction of the wind.

When steering a course, much will depend upon the helmsman anticipating, or checking the ship in her inclination to yaw to starboard or to port; nor must he trust too much to the compass-card, but alternately watch the card, and the motion of the vessel's head passing the clouds, the sea, or any other objects which may present themselves to view, more fixed than the compass itself. In blowing weather, the feel of the helm and the force of the wind are nice criterions to judge whether the vessel be falling off or coming to. As the vessel comes to against the helm, it will appear heavier, and the wind drawing forward will seem stronger. On the contrary, as she goes off, and gives way to the power of the helm, it eases in the hand, while at the same time the wind lessens in its force as it draws more abaft. To an attentive and nice observer, these circumstances, though seemingly trifling in themselves, indicate the motion of the vessel sooner than the compass. The stars or the breaking of the waves, at night, may also assist to prevent yawing the vessel about.

Use as little helm-technically, small helm, as possible. This rule should be impressed upon beginners.

The leech of the mainsail is always best to steer by when blowing fresh; and when the wind is very light, the main royal. It frequently occurs with an old sea on, in light airs, that the sails all flap to the masts with every roll. and render it extremely difficult to tell when the ship is near the wind. If, under these circumstances, the officer of the deck will occasionally walk to the lee side, and cast his eye up on the fore part, or front of the light sails, he can more easily tell when the ship is near the wind, as the difference sometimes amounts to more than a point in the course which the ship might make.

Conning is the art of directing the helmsman to steer the ship on her proper course by compass or by the wind; the person who performs this duty is generally the quartermaster or pilot. By means of dial plates and annunciators, worked either automatically or by electricity. the angle of the rudder, at any moment, may be seen, and any change can be communicated to the man at the wheel by the officer on the bridge. The following are some of the terms used in conning ship: When steering by compass or landmarks, and it is desirable that the vessel's bows should go to the left, or to port, the order is given, Starboard! Whereupon the helmsman turns the spokes of the wheel over to port, or in the same direction the ship's head is to go, and this according to the usual method of arranging the steering gear, has the effect of sending the tiller to starboard, and consequently of presenting the port side of the rudder to the action of the water.

Hard a-starboard! means to heave the wheel over, so that the tiller will go to the extreme limit. When the vessel's head points in the right direction, the order is given, Steady! if slightly to the right of her course, needing to go very little to the left, the order is given, Steady a-starboard-that is, steady as she goes, but a little to starboard with the helm, if anything. In the same way to send the ship's head to starboard, order: Port, Hard a-port, Steady a-port. The terms wheel and helm are used indiscriminately.

Meet her! When the ship's head flies to starboard or port in obedience to the helm, then, as she approaches her course the wheel is hove, spoke by spoke, the opposite way. to check her gradually that her head may not pass the desired point.

Should the ship be standing along on a bowline, and the quartermaster perceive a cloth or two of the main-topsail to be lifting, he cries out, No higher! by which he means that the ship is not only too high, or too near the wind, but that she should go off a little. Whereupon the helmsman gives her a spoke or so, of the weather wheel. On the contrary,

should the quartermaster observe that the vessel was not quite near enough, he would say, Nothing off! meaning to let her come to the wind, when the helmsman must ease the wheel and permit her to come up. When the ship is a good full and by, he says, Very well thus! Again, he orders, Luff! Let her luff! when the helmsman eases the wheel and lets her come up into the wind; if she does not come up enough the order is given, Hard down! To prevent her from going around on the other tack, the quartermaster exclaims, No higher! and to stand on again, Keep her a good full and by! or simply Full and by! meaning close by the wind with the sails full.

To keep the ship away, the order is, Let her go off! which may be followed by, Hard up! when off nearly enough, Meet her! and when heading the right. way, Steady so! To haul her up to the wind again, Let her come to! Bring her by the wind! Keep her full and by! When any of these orders are given when sailing by the wind, or steering a course, you may see a bad helmsman heave his wheel over inconsiderately, giving the ship a rank sheer. This should be corrected by ordering him to give her a small helm. There are other expressions, such as, Nothing to starboard or port. "Nothing to the N'd, &c., of your course.' Mind your weather wheel! Keep her a clean full! right the helm! or put it amidships; Shift the helm, or change it from one side to the other, &c. When sailing with the wind aft, the terms starboard and port are used, and the same should be observed with the wind quartering to prevent mistakes.

As a general rule, in the service, when the helm is a-starboard, the turns of the starboard wheel rope will be found to have accumulated around the forward half of the barrel of the wheel-for a port helm the turns will be found aft. A midship helm is indicated by the midship spoke of the wheel which is made differently from the rest that it may be detected at night by the touch.

In contriving any new steering gear it is quite an important item that the working of the wheel does not differ from that to which seamen are accustomed; that is, to heave the wheel in the direction the ship's head is to go— otherwise, at some critical juncture, confusion may ensue, and probably serious disaster.

The perfection of equipping a ship with spars, rigging and sails, consists in so disposing them that the efforts of the forward and after sails to turn the ship will be so exactly balanced as not to require any continued assistance from the helm in either direction. Of the two evils, however, seamen have more patience with a ship disposed to approach the wind than with one needing the continued action of the helm to keep her from falling off.

TACKING.

When a vessel is headed off from her course, the yards are braced up sharp, sheets trimmed aft, and by keeping her as near as possible to the wind, with the sails all full or drawing, she is then "close-hauled;" and the tack she is on is designated by the side of the vessel on which the wind blows; for instance-if the yards are braced up by the port braces, having the wind forward of the starboard beam, she is then "close-hauled on the starboard tack," or "has her starboard tacks aboard."

Your port of destination, or the point for which you wish to steer, being in the direction from which the wind blows, the nearest you can steer to that course, is when the vessel is close-hauled. In this case she will, if a square-rigged vessel, lie within from five and a half to six points of the wind (some vessels working nearer to the wind than others). And if, after standing on one tack a certain length of time, you "go about," and stand on the other, and so on, you are approaching the object continually, in the proportion of about one-third of the distance sailed. This is termed "working," "beating," or "turning to windward."

Tacking is the most usual method of going from one tack to the other, in moderate weather and with a good working breeze. It has this advantage over all others, that you lose nothing to leeward when it is properly performed; for vessels will frequently, if well managed, luff up head to wind, and go about, without for a moment losing their headway, but, on the contrary, gain several times their length directly to windward, while in stays.

In working to windward, the wind frequently "veers and hauls" three or four points, heading the vessel off or allowing her to come up; this is particularly the case in the vicinity of land. The proper moment to tack in such cases, is when the wind is heading her off, for on the other tack you will evidently gain more to windward. By watching attentively, and taking advantage of such slants of wind, keeping the vessel a good full, and by the wind, you will gain much more on your course, than if you stood a certain number of miles or hours on each tack.

We will now proceed to "tack ship" under courses, topsails, topgallant sails, jib, and spanker; giving as nearly as possible the treatment for different vessels, and the necessary orders.

Ready about! Station for stays!

Keep her a good full for stays, see the men at their stations, viz a hand by the jib-sheet, hands by all the bowlines, lifts, tacks, and sheets; hands in the chains to overhaul the lee main sheet; the clew-garnets manned; and a

few aloft to overhaul the lifts, and to attend to the outriggers; a good helmsman at the wheel; a quarter-master at the conn; a few hands at the spanker sheet and lee topping-lift, and all the rest of the force at the weather main and lee cross-jack braces, lee main tack and weather main sheet. The men being at their stations, proceed as follows:

Ready! Ready! and to the man at the wheel, Ease down the helm! Fig. 462, No 1.

Haul the spanker boom amidships. down, order

The helm being

HELM'S A-LEE! Ease off the fore and jib-sheets.

Overhaul the weather lifts! She is now coming up rapidly to the wind, and as soon as the sails shake, the wind being out of the lee clew of the mainsail

RISE TACKS AND SHEETS!

The fore and main tacks and sheets are let go and the clews of the sails hauled up by the clew-garnets, high enough to clear the hammock rails; at the same time, Shorten in the lee main tack! and weather sheet. Haul taut the lee spanker boom topping-lift, and overhaul the weather one; * and as soon as the wind is directly ahead, or a little on the weather bow

Haul taut! MAINSAIL HAUL! Fig. 462, No. 2.

The lee braces and the bowlines are let go, and the yards swung around briskly by the weather braces; hauling aboard the main tack, and hauling aft the sheet. To hasten the operation, the order is sometimes given, Haul forward the lee main tack and main to' bo'line! Brace the yards sharp up, trim them by the wind, and haul taut the weather braces and lifts; she has now the sails on the foremast aback, which, with the jib, are paying her off rapidly.

Man the head braces!

Man also the fore tack, sheet and head bowlines; and as soon as the after sails take, or are full

Haul well taut! LET GO AND HAUL! To the man at the wheel, Right the helm! Brace around the head yards briskly; boarding the fore tack and hauling aft the sheet, as the yards are swung. And, as with the main, the order is frequently given, Haul forward the fore tack and head bo'lines! Brace up sharp, trim the yards. Fig. 462, No. 3. Haul taut the lifts and weather braces! Steady out the bo'lines! The lower lifts and the braces are hauled taut, and the weather leeches of the sails hauled out by the bowlines. Keep her by the wind.

When you swing the after yards, the wind being ahead, shift over the jib sheet, when it will take the right way, and trim aft.

In vessels which are dull in stays and go off slowly after

* Not applicable to ships having but one topping-lift.