LENGTHENING, in ship carpentry, the operation of cutting a ship down across the middle, and adding a certain portion to her length. It is performed by awing her planks afunder in different places of her
length, on each side of the midship frame, to prevent Lengthen-
her from being too much weakened in one place. The
two ends are then drawn apart to a limited distance;
which must be equal to the proposed addition of
length. An intermediate piece of timber is next
added to the keel, upon which a sufficient number of
timbers are erected, to fill up the vacancy produced
by the separation. The two parts of the keelson are
afterwards united by an additional piece which is
scared down upon the floor timbers, and as many beams
as may be necessary are fixed across the ship in the new
interval. Finally, The planks of the side are prolonged
so as to unite with each other; and those of the ceiling
refitted in the same manner; by which the whole pro-
cess is completed.
LENOX or DUNBARTONSHIRE, a county of Scot-
land. See DUNBARTONSHIRE. Among the rivers of this
county is the Blane, which, though itself an inconsider-
able stream, has been rendered famous by the birth of
George Buchanan, the celebrated Latin poet and histo-
rian. The same part of the country gave birth to the
great mathematician and naturalist, Baron Napier of
Merchiston, inventor of the logarithms. The title of
Lenox, with the property of great part of the shire, was
heretofore vested in a branch of the royal family of
Stuart, with which it was reunited in the person of King
James VI. whose father, Henry Lord Darnley, was son
of the duke of Lenox. This prince conferred the title
upon his kinsman Esme Stuart, son of John Lord d'Aub-
igny in France; but his race failing at the death of
Charles duke of Lenox and Richmond, and the estate
devolving to the crown, King Charles II. conferred
both titles on his own natural son by the duchess of
Portsmouth; and they are still enjoyed by his posterity.
The people of Lenoxshire are chiefly Lowlanders, though
in some parts of it divine service is performed in the
Irish language.—The most numerous clans in this
district are the Macfarlanes, the Colquhouns, and the
Buchanans.