f the boats, and the gradual supersession of sail and
oar by steam power. Under these influences we hear of the _fifie_ and
the _skaffie_ classes, old favourites in northern waters, being
superseded by the more modern _Zulu_, which is supposed to unite the
good qualities of both; and these in turn running to such a size as to
take them outside the category of boats. But even in the case of smaller
boats the _Zulu_ model is widely followed, so that they have actually
been imported to the Irish coast for the use of the crofter fishermen in
the congested districts.

For the Shetland _sexern_ and the broad boats of the Orkneys, and the
_nabbies_ of the west coast of Scotland, the curious will do well to
refer to H. Warington Smyth's most excellent account.

On the eastern coast of England the influence of the Dutch type of build
is manifest in many of the flat-bottomed and mostly round-ended craft,
such as the Yorkshire _Billyboy_, and partly in the _coble_, which
latter is interesting as built for launching off beaches against heavy
seas, and as containing relics of Norse influence, though in the main of
Dutch origin.

The life-boats of the eastern coast are in themselves an admirable class
of boat, with fine lines, great length, and shallow draught, wonderful
in their daring work in foul weather and heavy seas, in which as a rule
their services are required. Here, however, as in the fishing boats, the
size is increasing, and steam is appropriating to itself the provinces
of the sail and the oar.

The wherry of the Norfolk Broads has a type of its own, and is often
fitted out as a pleasure boat. It is safe and comfortable for inland
waters, but not the sort of boat to live in a sea-way in anything but
good weather.

The Thames and its estuary rejoice in a great variety of boats, of which
the old _Peter_ boat (so called after the legend of the foundation of
the abbey on Thorney Island) preserved a very ancient type of build,
shorter and broader than the old Thames pleasure wherry. But these and
the old _hatch_ boat have now almost disappeared. Possibly survivors may
still be seen on the upper part of the tidal river. Round the English
coast from the mouth of the Thames southwards the conditions of landing
and of hauling up boats above high-water mark affect the type, demanding
strong clinker-build and stout timbers. Hence there is a strong family
resemblance in most of the short boats in use from the North Foreland
ro