There are several capital paints in the market with which to coat a yacht or boat below the water-line. But admirable though they may be, they are by no means weed or barnacle proof.
In choosing a binocular marine glass, take care not to be persuaded into buying a trashy article. A good one should have a magnifying power of seven times, as well as what is known as good definition—that is, the quality of showing all the outlines of an object with complete distinctness and without any haziness. To find out if a glass has this quality, direct it at any object clearly outlined against the sky—a church steeple, for instance. If the outlines of the object are indistinct, or if they are bordered with violet, blue, orange or red light, reject the glass, as it will never be worth anything. The frame of the glass should be rigid, or the tubes will become twisted and then you will see two objects in place of one. The more powerful a glass is the less field it possesses. While high power is desirable, it is well that a glass should have a large field. A poor glass is worse than none at all.
That sterling seaman, Capt. S. T. S. Lecky, tells a capital story about a marine glass, which I commend to anybody about to purchase one. In the window of a shop he noticed a binocular with a tag on it, which asserted that the glass had rendered an "object" visible at the distance of ninety miles. This was attested by a letter to be seen within. The captain's curiosity was excited. On inquiry in the shop he found out that the "object" was none other than the peak of the Island of Tristan d'Acunha, in the Southern ocean, which is so lofty that it can be seen in clear weather by the naked eye at a distance of one hundred miles. Therefore I say let your motto be _caveat emptor_ when you go cruising about in search of either a cheap marine telescope or binocular among marine store dealers or pawnshops. Remember that clearness of definition is more to be sought than high magnifying power, as in misty weather the glass with the last-named quality in a marked degree magnifies the haze as well as the object, and, of course, makes it still more blurred and indistinct—a defect on which it is unnecessary for me to further enlarge.
