Vladimir, in the Crimean war, and who was in command of the Russian fleet in the Baltic at the time of the accident, informed me that he saw the frigate I have already referred to, sunk by accidental ramming in midday in a few minutes, and that many men were drowned, notwithstanding that ships were close to, and the weather was fine; but many were saved by the hammocks. After a few weeks the masts were removed, as they obstructed the navigation, although the hull was in over twenty fathoms water. In removing the masts the hammock cloths were torn, and some of the hammocks floated to the surface, even after so long a submersion. I have lately learnt that the Russian beds are stuffed with cork shavings, and the incident is worth recording. I have learnt also that the Russian Government are known to have ordered a few years since a large number of Messrs. Pellew's patent cork mattresses.

EXTRACT OF LETTER FROM COMMANDER BRIDGE, OF H.M.S. Caledonia. "H.M.S. Caledonia, Malta,

"DEAR ADMIRAL RYDER,

September 10th, 1870.

"Some time since you asked me to try an experiment with a hammock, as to how many men it would float? Until our arrival here this time, I have always been prevented, from one cause or another, from carrying out the experiment. A well lashed up hammock, containing only a bed and a blanket, supported for a few minutes seven naked men, for a considerable time four men, and would, I believe, have continued to do so for nearly an hour. Its power of supporting small weights evidently seemed to be limited by its own power of floating itself, which it would have continued to do, I should say, for considerably over an hour.

"The officers who witnessed the experiments, were, with myself, astonished at the floating powers of the hammock.

"I ought to mention that the hammock itself was a new one, and consequently was rather less pervious to water than an older one would have been, but that probably did not add greatly to its floating capabilities, though of course it did to some extent.

"Your, etc.,

"CYPRIAN BRIDGE,
"Commander, R.N."

Captain Arthur Wilmshurst, commanding H.M.S. Valiant, has kindly made further experiments at my request. The most trying test to which the buoyancy of the ordinary hammock can be exposed, appears to be that of suspending a weight at one end, so

that the hammock is brought upright in the water. If the hammock itself and the ticking are pervious to the water, the water, aided by the increased pressure on the portion of the hammock a considerable distance below the surface, soon finds its way in, and gradually destroys the buoyancy by forcing the air out; a weight of six pounds of iron so suspended sunk a hammock in five minutes. The weight of water displaced by the

hammock was estimated at

The weight of the hammock, viz., bed and

If an equal weight, viz., 6 lbs., were suspended at the middle of the hammock, the latter would float much longer. The result of further experiments made by Captain Wilmshurst has been, that the ordinary hammock floating horizontally will support 6 lbs. of iron for nine minutes. The effect of oiling the bed-cover or ticking, was that the hammock floated the 6 lbs. weight for 24 hours, and would, no doubt, have supported a man for nearly as long. It is hardly necessary for me to state that the buoyancy requisite to support a man in the water who remains quite self-possessed, does not exceed a few lbs. ; but it would be well to aim at providing for each man a buoyancy of 20 lbs., and if the hammock is to support two men easily and continuously, then 40 lbs.

I have ascertained that the horsehair bed supplied to the seamen of the Royal Navy is charged to them at ten shillings and sixpence; that beds stuffed with cork shavings can be supplied wholesale (by the Messrs. Birt, who make the well known Cork Life Belts for the Admiralty) at five shillings each, and that with cocoa-nut fibre they would cost about seven shillings and sixpence, and would not have so much buoyancy, but they might be more comfortable.

A mattress of the following dimensions, viz., 6 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 inches, weighs 20 lbs. if stuffed with cork shavings. Its buoyancy, which in the case of cork shavings is four times its weight in pounds, is said to be 80 lbs., i.e., it will support an iron weight of that amount. The mattress on the table has a buoyancy of 26 lbs. The valuable buoyancy that exists even in an ordinary Naval hammock is, I think, established by the experiments above referred to. The increased buoyancy that can be given to it by various

means, viz., by making the hammock or the tick impervious, or by substituting cocoa-nut fibre or cork shavings for horsehair, have been pointed out, and the question may now, I think, be safely left in the hands of the Naval authorities, who have an opportunity of practising economy and promoting efficiency at the same time. The mattress stuffed with cork shavings is less than half the cost of the hair mattress now supplied, viz., only five shillings. The reason why the cork shaving mattresses are so cheap is that the shavings are refuse, and would otherwise be burnt.

I may add that I have been informed since these experiments were tried for me at Malta, that an officer of rank, who was in Her Majesty's ship Bombay, when she was burnt off Monte Video, has stated that if it had occurred to them to stand by hammocks before the men jumped overboard, all hands might have been saved. It will be remembered that a considerable part of the ship's company, including nearly all the marines, and a great many boys, were drowned alongside, while the boats were floating in safety, deeply overladen with men, a short distance off. The boom-boats could not be hoisted out, as the falls were burnt, and there was not time to make a raft, all hands being employed until the last instant in vain attempts to put out the fire.

but

YACHTING.

OBLIGED by "the exigencies of the press " to cut short our last month's resumé of the doings of the yachting world, we have now, so to speak, to deal with an unusually heavy cargo of "intelligence" -one that it will puzzle us to stow away within the limits assigned us by the Editor of the Nautical. However, we must make the attempt. Upon one of the latter days of July the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club Regatta took place, the Humber being the scene of action. The first day was devoted to sailing for the " open" prize given by the Club. There was a capital entry of a dozen yachts, and only one of these was absent from the station when the gun signalled the start. Lest we devote too much time and space to the affair, let us say briefly, that Mr. J. V. Maclein's cutter Aura, 42 tons, passed the winning post first, but on the time allowance, Mr. W. R. Garthorne's cutter Madcap, 20 tons, won, the famous little Fairlie taking second prize. We rather think that this was

the first victory of the Madcap. She was built by Messrs. Hatcher, of Southampton, and launched on the 27th of June. The Corinthian match which was sailed on the second day of this Regatta was won by Captain Cator's cutter Ivy, 18 tons. The weather played Marplot with the season's wind-up of the Royal Alfred Club, and greatly reduced in interest an otherwise highly attractive réunion. Let us summarize the results. The first event was the match for the new third-class champion prize (to be held one year). It was won by Mr. C. H. Coddington's 20-ton cutter, Lizzie. The fourth-class champion prize was carried off, after a series of disasters had befallen one and another of the three competitors, by Mr. J. G. W. Griffith's 15-ton cutter, Glide. The fifth-class was won by Mr. E. H. Smyth's 6-ton cutter, Nikomi. Of course the interest of the race centred in the first-class match, which was reserved to the last. It was wonderful how the Egeria and Enid, the only yachts of the ten entered, that ventured to leave harbour, managed to live in the gale and sea which prevailed. The Egeria was smartest at start and got away with a good lead: but it proved a case of more haste the less speed" with Mr. Mulholland's gallant schooner. When she was gybing round the flagship moored off the South Bar Buoy, the sudden "chuck" of the mainmast snapped the iron band which was round the boom, and the spar tore away to leeward until it came against the main-rigging and snapped. Eventually, to make a long story of dispiriting disasters short, the Enid succeeded in doggedly winning through the tempest and secured both the champion cup (which she won last year) and that given by the Duke of Edinburgh. We should be wanting in gallantry were we to omit mention of one remarkable circumstance in connection with the brave exploit of the Enid. The weather, as we have suggested-for it is beyond brief description-was "coarse enough to have daunted the heart of the stoutest yachtsman, but nevertheless the "ship's company" included the Misses Putman who stood the voyage in a manner that speaks volumes for their valour and endurance.

The Royal Irish Yacht Club Regatta was a most brilliant affair. For the Queen's Cup, a match sailed over a course that roughly speaking measured about forty-two miles, there were seven entries, exclusive of the Alcyone which held back after having been nominated, for a race in another class. Some of the finest yachts afloat were comprised in this septette, which, a real relief, did not include the notorious Livonia. One is glad now and then to escape harping upon conspicuous Mr. Ashbury. The day on the whole proved as disappointingly calm as that on which the Enid had fought through

her perilous voyage was unpleasantly rough. The five that were together at the finish, weathered the mark in this order-Oimara, Garrion, Egeria, Vanguard, and Enid, and Mr. W. Turner's Vanguard won by time. It was pretty well a "reaching" match, from first to last, and devoid of all save minor points of interest. Mr. Turner is to be congratulated on the result of this match, nevertheless. It would in some sort console him for his loss of the prize he sailed for at the Royal Northern Yacht Club Regatta-a prize gained, it struck us at the time, by the victor's non-observance of a wellunderstood rule of the road. The £40 prize for yachts of 40 tons and under, attracted seven speedy vessels to the station, including the flying Foxhound. A start was made at eleven o'clock, and the two leading yachts finished thus: Alcyone, 3 h. 35 m. 27 s., and Foxhound, 3 h. 37 m. 11 s., whereby the Marquis of Ailsa won on the time allowance, there being five tons difference between the Scotchman and the leading yacht. The Lizzie won the £20 prize. On the second day when the weather was dreadfully unpleasant, heavy rains and scarcely any wind, the £60 match was sailed by the Oimara and Garrion, and the latter won an unsatisfactory contest easily by time. The £50 prize was won by the Vanguard, beating her only opponent, the Enid, without any difficulty; while the Forhound carried off the £35 prize for yachts under 40 tons. The £20 and £12 prizes for yachts of 15 tons and under, and 10 tons and under, were respectively carried off by Mr. G. Murney's Ripple, 12 tons, and Mr. Alex. Richardson's Naiad, 10 tons.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club, which, by the way, devotes its attention to a pack of harriers in the winter, and is we believe the oldest yacht club in existence, dating as far back as 1720, held its annual regatta immediately after the more important one which took place at Kingstown. The weather was simply wretched for sight-seeing, and anything but what it should have been for sailing purposes. On the first day the £30 match for yachts not exceeding 20 tons, a time race, was sailed by the Shadow, 20 tons, Mr. D. M'Iver, Kilmeny, 30 tons, Mr. P. S. French, and the Foxhound; when the last-named of the trio won as she pleased with time in hand, having led all the way. Two yachts only started for the £60 prize, the Enid and the Xema cutter, 34 tons, Mr. W. H. S. Crawford, and the former added another victory-an easy one-to her list of Irish successes. The Queen, 15 tons, Mr. W. R. Johnson, won the £10 prize given for yachts of that tonnage and under, with ridiculous facility. On the second day of the Regatta the Queen was beaten in a similar match on the time allowance (notwithstanding a protest made by the owner) by the Mamie, 23 tons, Mr. H. H.