which voyaged through half the rivers and not a few of the seas of Europe, generally carry a miniature lug-sail not much larger than a pocket-handkerchief. They have probably the distinction of setting the smallest sails ever hoisted.

A curious and elegant modification of the lug is shown in Fig. 21. The sail is laced to a light boom, which is held to the mast by a ring. This sail sets very flat, and is graceful and handy for a river boat, when no fore-sail is carried.

We need scarcely say that every one ought to know how to swim. There is not a man, woman, or child in the kingdom that cannot learn, and ought not to learn how to swim. There is no absolute necessity for learning the various aquatic tricks which are performed by masters and mistresses of the art; but there is a necessity that all should know how to support themselves in the water.

There is, perhaps, no athletic exercise which is so easily learnt, which is s well adapted to both sexes of all ages, and yet is so little known. There is really no art whatever in ordinary swimming that is to say, in the ability to keep the head above the water, and to propel the body in any given direction. Art certainly confers greater grace, gives more endurance, and ensures greater speed; but in the mere support of the body, nothing is needed except confidence, and very little even of that quality.

As to the value of swimming, it is simply incalculable. How many most

precious lives might have been saved had the deceased persons only known the least rudiments of swimming! How many families have been thrown suddenly into grief and distress because the father and bread-winner happened to fall into a canal or a pond that a swimmer could cross at a single stroke! How many parents annually lament the loss of some beloved child, who has been accidentally drowned by falling into a river, or by stepping into a hole in the stream in which he is bathing!

We have seen a fine young lad of sixteen drowned by simply stepping into a hole not cighteen inches in width and barely seven in depth. Even when standing at the bottom of the hole, he was tall enough for his nostrils to be above the surface; but he was so frightened at the sudden slip that he lost his presence of mind, opened his mouth to call for help, allowed the water to run down his throat, began to cough, sank beneath the surface, and was swept away by the tide long before we could descend from the top of the cliffs.

Since seeing this lamentable accident, we have lost no opportunity of impressing upon all whom we could influence the absolute necessity for learning to swim-at all events, for learning the rudiments of the art, so that under similar circumstances they would be able to sustain themselves until help arrived. We have taught very many pupils to swim, and, although the attainment of any bodily exercise is not easily learnt from a book, we will try to convey, in a few instructions, sufficient information for a beginner to teach himself.

Of course the instructions apply equally to both sexes, and I have generally found that girls learn to swim much faster than boys.

The first care of the intending swimmer is, of course, to find a proper piece of water in which to learn his first lessons. The very best water that can be found is that of the sea, on account of its saltness and bitterness, whereby two great advantages are obtained.

The first advantage is, that, on account of the salt and other substances which are dissolved in it, the sea-water is so much heavier than fresh that it gives more support to the body, and enables the beginner to float much sooner than he can expect to do in fresh water.

The other advantage is, that the taste of the sea-water is so nauseous that the learner takes very good care to keep his lips tightly shut, and so does not commit the common error of opening the mouth, which is fatal to all swimming, and is sure to dishearten a beginner by letting water get down his throat and half-choke him.

As to place, there is nothing better than a sloping sandy shore, where the tide is not very strong. In some places the tide runs with such force, that if the beginner is taken off his legs he will be carried away, or, at least, that he will have great difficulty in regaining his feet.

We strongly recommend him to walk over the spot at low water, and see whether there are any stones, sticks, rocks, or holes, and if so, to remove all the movable impediments and mark the position of the others.

Take especial care of the holes, for there is nothing so treacherous. A hole of some six or seven inches in depth and a yard in diameter looks so insignificant when the water is out that few persons would take any notice of it; but, when a novice is in the water, these few inches may just make the difference between safety and death.

On sandy shores the most fertile source of holes is to be found in large stones. They sink rather deeply into the sand and form miniature rocks, round which the water courses as the tides ebb and flow, thus cutting a channel completely round the stone. Even when the stone is removed, the hole will remain unfilled throughout several tides.

The next best place for learning to swim is a river with a fine sandy bed, clear water, and no weeds. Since that extraordinary river-weed, the anacharis, has swept throughout our canals and rivers, it is extremely difficult to find a stream that is free from weeds. However, it will be easy enough to clear a sufficient space in which a learner can take his first lessons.

When such a spot has been found, the next care is to examine the bed of the river and to remove very carefully everything that might hurt the feet. If bushes should grow on the banks, look cut carefully for broken scraps of boughs, which fall into the stream, become saturated with water, sink to the bottom, and become fixed with one of the points upwards.

If human habitations should be near, beware of broken glass and crockery, fragments of which are generally flung into the river, and will inflict most dangerous wounds if trodden on. If the bed of the stream should be in the least muddy, look out for mussels, which lie imbedded almost to their sharp edges, that project upwards and cut the feet nearly as badly as broken glass. Failing sea and river, a pond or canal is the only resource, and furnishes the very worst kind of water. The bed of most ponds is studded with all kinds of cutting and piercing objects, which are thrown in by careless boys, and remain where they fell. Then, the bottom is almost invariably muddy, and the water is seldom clean. Still, bad as is a pond, it is better than nothing, and the intending swimmer may console himself with the reflection

that he is doing his duty, and with the prospect of swimming in the sea some time or other.

Of course the large public baths possess some of the drawbacks of ponds; but they have, at all events, the advantage of a regulated depth, a firm bank, and no mud.

As the very essence of swimming lies in confidence, it is always better for the learner to feel secure that he can leave the water whenever he likes. Therefore, let him take a light rope of tolerable length, tie one end to some firm object on the bank, and let the rest of the rope lie in the water. "Manilla" is the best kind of rope for this purpose, because it is so light that it floats on the surface instead of sinking, as is the case with an ordinary hempen rope.

If there is only sand on the shore, the rope can be moored quite firmly by tying it to the middle of a stout stick, burying the stick a foot or so in the sand, and filling up the trench. You may pull till you break the rope, but you will never pull the stick out of its place. If you are very nervous, tie two sticks in the shape of a cross and bury them in like manner.

The rope need not be a large one, as it will not have to sustain the whole weight of your body, and it will be found that a cord as thick as an ordinary washing-line will answer every purpose.

On the side of a stream or pond, tie the rope to a tree, or hamır.er a stake in the ground. A stake eighteen inches in length, and as thick as an ordinary broomstick, is quite large enough. Hammer it rather more than two-thirds into the ground, and let it lean boldly away from the water's edge. The best way of fixing the rope to it is by the "clove hitch."

Now, having your rope in your hand, go quietly into the water backwards, keeping your face towards the bank. As soon as you are fairly in the water, duck completely beneath the surface. Be sure that you really do go fairly under water, for there is nothing more deceptive than the feel of the water to a novice. He dips his head, as he fancies, at least a foot beneath the surface; he feels the water in his nose, he hears it in his ears, and thinks he is almost at the bottom, when, in reality, the back of his head is quite dry.

The best way of "ducking" easily is to put the left hand on the back of the head, hold to the rope with the right hand, and then duck until the left hand is well under water.

The learner should next accustom himself to the new element by moving about as much as possible, walking as far as the rope will allow him, and jumping up and down so as to learn by experience the buoyancy of the water. Perhaps the first day may be occupied by this preliminary process, and on the second visit the real business may begin.

In swimming, as in most other pursuits, a good beginning is invaluable. Let the learner bestow a little care on the preliminaries, and he will have no bad habits to unteach himself afterwards. It is quite as easy to learn a good style at first as a bad style, although the novice may just at the beginning fancy that he could do better by following his own devices.

The first great object is to feel a perfect confidence in the sustaining power of the water, and, according to our ideas, the best method of doing so is by learning to float on the back.

We will give a separate paragraph to this important point.

FLOATING ON THE BACK.

Take care that the cord is within easy reach, so that it may be grasped in a moment, should the novice become nervous, as he is rather apt to do just at first. Take it in both hands, and lay yourself very gently in the water, arching the spine backwards as much as possible, and keeping the legs and knees perfectly straight and stiff.

Now press the head as far back as possibly can be done, and try to force the back of the head between the shoulder-blades. You can practise this attitude at home, by lying on two chairs and seeing whether your attitude corresponds with that which is given in the illustration.

When you have thus lain in the water you will find that you are alınost entirely upheld by its sustaining power, and that only a very little weight is

sustained by the rope. On reflection you will also discern that the only weight which pulls on the rope is that of your hands and arms, which are out of water, and which, therefore, act as dead weight.

Indeed, you might just as well lay several iron weights of a pound each upon your body, for the hands and arms are much heavier than we generally fancy. Just break an arm or a leg, and you will find out what heavy articles they are.

Now let your arms sink gradually into the water, and you will see that exactly in proportion as they sink, so much weight is taken off the rope; and if you have only courage to put them entirely under water, and to loose the rope, your body will be supported by the water alone.

These are facts, but we may as well have reasons.

Bulk for bulk, a human being weighs considerably less than water, i.e., at the temperature of ordinary sea or river-water. Now, as the lighter substance will float in the denser, it follows that the human body will float in water. If a dead body be flung into the water, some part of it will float above the surface until the lungs get choked up with water, and so the whole body is much heavier than it ought to be.

Now, supposing that a living person in a fainting condition, and therefore