IN our last Number we published some remarks on the management of boats in a surf and broken water, embodying the substance of inquiries made on various parts of the coasts of the United Kingdom, together with our own comments on the same and our own views on the subject. As regards the latter, we stated that " in offering our opinion on so important a matter, we desired to do so with all deference to those who had already experience for a guide—who would || be able to compare our suggestions with their own experience, and then be guided by their own judgment in a matter wherein their own safety was concerned." We had nevertheless clear and definite notions of what we conceived to be the proper management of a boat in the broken water on a beach; nor .after mature re-consideration of the subject do we see reason to materially alter the conclusions we had come to.

Since the publication of our last Number, we have received a letter from an officer of well-known experience and competency, Capt. CHARLEWOOD, R.N., late Inspecting Commander of Coastguard in the Deal district, which, as it disputes the correctness of our opinions under some circumstances, we feel called on to place before our seafaring readers, and to which we beg to solicit their attention, that our varying opinions may be compared together, and, above all, that each may be tested by individual experience; for we may presume that Capt. CHARLEWOOD, like ourselves, cannot have had opportunities for personally testing the proper management of every description and size of boat in every variety and magnitude of beach surf.

On comparing his subjoined letter (vide p. 109) with the paper on this subject in our last Number, it will be seen that his opinion is opposed to our own and to the practice of many of our coast-seamen only as regards steep beaches; whilst, where the shore is flat, we agree as to the proper management; and that he traces an important distinction between the character of the waves in the two cases and the corresponding management required, which we have not done. In the paper above referred to, we stated that the practice of the Deal boatmen was the reverse of that of the greater number of experienced boatmen on other parts of the coast, both when rowing against a heavy broken sea and when running before it; they, in the latter case, giving a boat all speed possible, and in the former checking her way on the approach of a sea. Capt. CHARLEWOOD coincides with them in considering this the proper management.

Although, however, his opinion is backed by so high an authority, we cannot say that we are convinced of its correctness.

It will be observed, by comparing his argument with our own, that he chiefly apprehends danger through a sea breaking into a boat and filling her, over the bow or stern, according as she may be proceeding towards it or running before it; whereas we conceive the greater danger to arise, in a really heavy sea, from a boat's being driven back by a broken wave or roller, and either thrown end over end, or driven down stern foremost when rowing against it; and from being overborne and driven down bow foremost, or turned round broadside to a sea, and then capsized w.hen running before it.

On the general question of difference of management on flat and steep beaches, upon which Capt. CHARLEWOOD kys some stress, we do not think that there is any greater difference of management called for than that, as regards the latter, the attempt should be made to avoid the breaking wave altogether if it be possible, which it perhaps generally is. On flat beaches, where broken water extends to a much greater distance from the land, it is almost impossible to evade the successive seas which a boat must encounter, or to choose the most propitious moment for meeting each; the most favourable manner -of meeting them is therefore, under such circumstances, the only point which has to be considered.

On the 1st question, of rowing against a broken sea, Capt. CHARLEWOOD states, " that if all speed be given to a boat against, or rather into a green sea, almost perpendicular, with the crest just beginning to topple over, she is sure to be buried; but that, if the oars be eased and the way checked, there will be every probability that her bow will have time to rise, and she will fide over it." Now, on this point, with the qualification above expressed, of avoiding the sea if possible, we see no reason for a different management on a flat or a steep beach; if it be wrong to give a boat all speed in the one case, we conceive that it must be so in the other also. As stated in our former Article, p. 83, if a boat be small, with a low bow, it would be folly to row her right into the crest of a heavy roller at the moment of its curling over, as it would then fall into and fill the boat; but that we believe it would do still more certainly if her motion were slow than if it were rapid, provided she entered it at the same moment; for as a boat instantly accommodates itself to any change of level, such as the advancing surface of a wave which precedes its crest, she would meet the crest of the wave at the same angle in the one case as in the other, whilst in proportion as she passed more rapidly through it would she, we believe, be the less likely to fill with water. The only hope, even though it be a " forlorn hope," of such a boat, under such circumstances, we must still believe to be in propelling her as rapidly as possible through the approaching wave which threatens to overwhelm her, unless by very skilful management she can be balanced, as it were, between the ridges of the advancing seas, allowing their fury to be half spent before she be taken through them. The heavier and longer the sea, the more true, we think, will be the practice above recommended. We are' not practically acquainted with the character of the sea on Deal Beach, but owing to its proximity to the opposite coast of Europe, and being protected, in a great measure, by the Goodwin Sands themselves, we have no doubt that it is a shorter and less heavy sea than is to be found on many of the more exposed parts of our coasts.

On the 2nd point, running before a broken sea, Capt. CHARLEWOOD, after stating generally that his opinion is almost diametrically opposed to our own, quotes the facts that the Deal luggers, of from 8 to 15 or 20 tons burden, always carry a press of sail through the surf when running for the shore; and that they positively do run as fast as the icaw, when assisted by the run of the sea which makes towards the beach in advance of the crest of the wave.

Now we do not mean to dispute the able management of their boats by the Deal boatmen, which is acknowledged by every one; and we have no doubt that under the three conditions, of large boats such as theirs, ranging from 8 to 20 tons, a steep beach, and, comparatively speaking, not very heavy sea, the rule which we have laid down may, with impunity, be set at defiance; nevertheless, we are positively informed that boats have been lost by broaching-to when running for the shore at Deal; and we have known a Suffolk yawl, of 18 or 20 tons burden, broach-to, upset, and drown the greater part of her crew, when running under sail for the shore on as steep a beach as that at Deal.

Capt. CHARLEWOOD acknowledges that" if landing in a smaller rowing-boat it is not possible at all times to row with sufficient speed to beat the wave, and that when such is the case, the speed should be checked, and the breaking water be received against the stem, should the boat be too long to turn to receive it." This opinion, therefore, so far coincides with our own, and he may be said only to differ from us as regards those cases where, either from the peculiarity of the beach or the character of the boats, the latter are enabled to outrun and keep ahead of the sea. We will only further remark on this head, that if it be acknowledged, which it generally is, that there is greater danger in running before a broken sea or surf in an open boat than in advancing against it, and that that danger arises chiefly from the liability to broach-to, or be turned round by the force of the sea, it must follow that the more nearly the retreating motion can be approximated to the advancing (which can only be by checking the speed), the less liability there will be of incurring the danger of broaching-to.

Indeed, on what other theory can the phenomenon be accounted for than on that which we endeavoured to explain in our former Article, page 85 ? With reference to' our statement (page 86), that " no boat can be propelled so fast but that the waves will overtake her," we certainly had more especially in view the sea on a flat beach, and we will now so far qualify that opinion, as to acknowledge that, on a steep beach, in some local ties, a powerful sailing-boat may generally be enabled to outrun the sea. As a general rule, however, we consider our previous recommendation to " down mast and sail, and lash all loose gear in the boat before entering the broken water," to be by far the safer course, regarding as we do the phenomenon of broaching-to to be the chiefest risk to which an open boat is exposed; and that the danger of upsetting, under such circumstances, is greatly increased by the top weight of a mast and sail, which, when a boat is thrown on her beam ends across a sea, must in most cases make it impossible for her to right again.

With reference to our recommendation (page 86) " to turn a square-sterned boat round, head to the sea, and back her in," we take this opportunity to record our opinion that no boats which are ever liable to encounter a heavy sea or broken water should be built With square sterns; but that, as is the case with life-boats and whale-boats, the sterns and bows should be made of nearly the same form, so that either end might, with equal impunity, encounter a broken sea; in that case there would never be occasion for a boat to turn round bow to the sea, and such boats could not but be better sea-boats in every sense of the word than they would be if built with square sterns.

The operation of beaching a boat we regard to be distinct from that of running through broken water for the shore, although the one merges into the other. It is undoubtedly one which is more especially influenced by the character of the beach and the peculiarities of the boat itself. As it is also one respecting which the boatmen of the locality will probably, in general, have become correctly informed by experience.

We can easily conceive the probability of such an occurrence as that quoted by Capt. CHARLEWOOD, as having occurred at Walmer, near Deal, when one small boat, which her crew attempted to beach in a different manner from that they were accustomed to, was upset, while her 19 or 20 companions safely landed by their usual mode of handling.

Without other evidence, however, one such instance would afford insufficient proof on which to build or reject a theory. A workman may perform better with an inferior tool to which he is accustomed than on his first essay with a new one, however superior it might be. A circuitous route, known to us, may be travelled over in a shorter time than a more direct one that we are unacquainted with. So also must it be in all human operations, whether of mind or body, and especially so in one of so difficult, varying, and practical a character as the management of a boat when landing in a heavy surf.

Capt. CHARLEWOOD next comments on our statement, " that the first effect on a boat's being overtaken by a sea is the upheaving of her stern and its becoming buried in its crest." This action of the sea we conceive to be the immediate cause of boats broaching-to, and of their turning end over end, by its overbearing and driving a boat's stern before it, whilst no such action is at the same time taking effect on its bow. Captain CHAKLEWOOD observes that this is true with large boats but not with small. Now this we at once dispute; if it is not true as regards one it is not true with either. Like him, we have seen boats with half their keels out of water, but we pronounce, both practically and theoretically, that the risk of broaching to is then past. We can pronounce it practically from having ourselves been in a boat when she broached-to, and was thrown on her beam ends by a heavy roller, and when we especially observed the manner of the same being effected. Theoretically, we will endeavour to farther explain it as best we can. On a boat being overtaken by a wave, its first effect on her is to throw up her stern, but this it can only do by immersing it; otherwise the buoyant power of the stern, which lifts the boat into this oblique position to its natural horizontal one, could not be brought into play: if the boat be stationary, or is advancing with much less velocity than the, crest of the wave, so as to have some disposable inertia—if we may use the term— to oppose to it, it quickly passes from her stern to her midships; she must then, in obedience to the laws of gravity and of flotation, change her position from a descending plane, nearly parallel to the front face of the wave, to a • horizontal one, being for a moment poised amidships on the top of the wave. 'As the crest, or apex, of the latter progresses to the forepart of the boat her stern and the afterpart of her keel will frequently be out of water until the summit of the wave being under her bow it is raised in the same manner as was her stern, and she then lies on the water parallel to the ascending plane of the rear face of the wave.' In illustration, we may observe that the change of position she has undergone is precisely analogous to that of a plank balanced on its centre, and being made to oscillate upon it by a person standing on either end: the plank is brought to an oblique position to the surface of the ground by the muscular action of one of the persons on it; by a similar action on the part of the other it passes gradually to a horizontal plane, and then to an oblique one, the reverse of what it was at first. The persons on the plank ends here correctly represent the bow and the stern of the boat as acted on in succession by a following sea. Now, when a boat broaches-to she never leaves the first of these positions until she is suddenly turned broadside to the sea; but she remains on the front face of the wave, the crest of which never passes her quarter: if not too heavy for her, she may be taken safely to the shore by it, but if heavier than she can bear, it throws her so much out of a horizontal position that her own gravity, which induces her to run down the descending plane, aided by the force of the top of the sea, which is urging her on from behind, causes her to " run herself under," as it is termed, when the water, coming over her bow, she loses all buoyancy at that end and is driven down bow foremost, or turned end over end; or if again she happens to have a high bow, or to be furnished with an end air-box there, as in some life-boats, which prevents its being immersed, the sea, which is carrying her along vapidly before it, presently catches her a little .on one quarter, and in an instant turns her round broadside towards it, and throws her on her beam-ends.

Such we believe to be the real character of this peculiar effect of the sea, which is more dreaded by our coast mariners than any other of its dangerous attributes.

In bringing to a close our second paper on this, as we think, most interesting subject, we desire to express our thanks to Captain CHARLEWOOD whose communication has caused us to return to it. Although he has failed to convince us of the incorrectness of our previous opinions, yet it is not our desire to dogmatically pronounce them as infallible, We both respect his opinions and the public spirit which induced him to address us on the subject; and we beg a careful and candid consideration for them, in conjunction with local experience, as well as for our own. We could have wished to have received other communications from experienced coast seamen on the subject, but Captain CHARLEWOOD is the only individual who has addressed us on it, and canvassed it in detail.