The sea-mans dictionary, or, An exposition and demonstration of all the parts and things belonging to a shippe together with an explanation of all the termes and phrases used in the practique of navigation / composed by Henry Manwaring ...

Howsing-in.

When a Ship after she is pass the bredth of her bearing, is brought in narrow to her upper-works, they say that she is howsed-in: Most are of opinion, that the howseing in of a Ship, makes her the more howlsome in the sea, because the weight of the Ordnance, and her upper works, doe not over-hang the Naile, which as they sup∣pose would make her rowle the more, but I am sure it takes away a great deale of roome for a man of War, and the Tack will never come so well a-boord, as when she is laid-out a loft: I have so much expe∣rience of both sorts, that I am of opinion if two Ships be given, caeteris paribus, a ship which is laid out a-loft, not flairing but proportionably finished to her other works, shall be the howlsomer Ship; for that the counterpoise on either side (the whole weight, not so much over han∣ging the perpendicular of the Keele) shall keep her more steddy, and make her the longer in fetching over a seele: The reason is the same, and will hold proportion in a Ship to the wacking of a Tun-Ambulus, who with equall weight will goe much more sure, if his weight where∣with

with he doth steddy himselfe, be at the end of the Long-staffe, which by reason of the greatnesse of the circle, must have a long time to come over his perpendicular, then if the same were in a shorter staffe, or in a lump together in his hand, which once inclining either way, be hath nothing by which to succour and counterpoize the weight.