This vessel is designed for the European trade, and in outline is a near approximation to the favorite packet model. Her ends are not quite as sharp, but the rise of her floor, and the easy sweep of her line, give promise of good sailing qualities. On the keel is 168½ feet long, between perpendiculars on deck 174, and over all 181; extereme breadth of beam 36 feet, depth 23 feet 3 inches, including 8 feet height of between decks, and register 893 tons. Dead rise at half floor 14 inches, swell, or rounding of sides, 6 inches, and sheer 2 feet 6 inches. Her bow is well formed, rises boldly, and flares gracefully, from the moulding of the upper wale to the rail. The mouldings of the planksheer and the main rail are continued forward, form the outline of the head boards, and terminate in a point at the rear of the head, which is a carved and gilded billet, growing out of the ornamental work upon her trail boards. The sweep of the trail boards takes in the navel-hoods, and makes a very neat finish forward. Her names, in gilded letters, also ornaments each side of the head and quarters. Broadside on, such is the easy and graceful spring of her sheer, the neatness of her planking, and the curves of her lines, for they are all rounded, that she fills the eye to a charm. She has a well defined waist, which is ornamented with a tier of painted ports in a white strake. The moulding of her upper wale, and the moulding of the arch-board meet at an angle; and her stern swells between the quarter-timbers, and between the arch board and the rail; is light and beautifully formed, and ornamented with an arch of gilded carved-work, in the centre of which is a medallion bust of her namesake, painted white. Between the stern windows are carved and gilded drope, and in the centre a basket of fruit and flowers. Her name and port of hail are painted white on the arch-board; her bottom is green, and except the white strake, already noticed, the rest of her hull, outside, is painted black. Inside, she is painted buff color, relieved with white, and the waterways are blue.
The whole height of her bulwarks from the deck, including the monkey rail, is 5½ feet. She has a small topgallant forecastle, the height of the main rail, and amidships a house 37 feet, by 16 wide and 6½ high, which continue excellent accommodations for the crew, a large galley, and aft, 4 spacious state rooms with 2 berths in each. The house is clear of the foremast, leaving a good passage across the deck. She has a half poop deck 49 feet long, into which is built a trunk, divided into two cabins and an ante-room. The front of the trunk deck projects about 3 feet, and is supported on ornamntal knees, and the fore part of the cabin outside is panelled, set off with pilasters, and its windows are of beautiful stained glass. The after cabin contains two state rooms, and other apartments, is wain[s]cotted with satin wood, mahogany and rose wood, ans the pilasters and cronices are flowered with gold and carving. Between the beams there are perforated ventilators of gilded carved work. The cabin is richly carpeted, has a sofa aft, an elliptical mirror over it, and all its furniture is of highly polished black walnut.
The forward cabin is beautifully painted and grained in imitation of fancy woods, and is also ornamented with gilding. It contains six state rooms, two store rooms and pantry, and is neatly furnished. Each cabin has a skylight over it, and in every state room there is a deck and a side light. The ante-room is small, but forms a good protection to the cabin abaft it. The wings and after part of the trunk are store rooms and a sail room, and she has a neat wheelhouse aft, and a companion in the after part of the cabin which leads to it, so that the captain can leave his berth and be alongside of the helmsman in a trice.
She has also neat moveable houses over the hatchways, which, in the event of her carrying passengers, will protect the deck below. Although all her accommodations are on deck, she has ample space for working ship with ease.
She has been nearly ten months in building,and has, therefore, been well seasoned on the stocks. Her frame is of the best of New Hampshire white oak, and she is planked from the keel to the waist, and ceiled from the keelson to the stringer upon which the lower ends of the hanging knees in the hold rest with the same wood. All her hooks and all the knees and stanchions in the lowr hold are also of oak. Her deck-frames, lower deck, and waterways are of hard pine, and she is square fastened throughout.
Her keel is of rock maple, sided 16½ inches, and moulded 18, the floor timbers on the keel are sided one foot, and moulded 16 inches, and her main keelson is of oak, 17 inches square; the keelson above is of yellow pine, 16 inches square, and the rider of oak, 10 by 15 inches. Through every floor timber and the keel, there is an inch and a quarter copper bolt, and besides a copper bolt through every alternate floor timber, the keelson, and the keel. The navel timbers are bolted blunt into the keel, within inches of its base. The sister keelsons are of oak, 10 inches square, bolted diagonally and horizontally. The ceiling on the floor is four inches thick, and over the floor heads are two strakes 10 by 12 inches; and the ceiling above diminishes an inch down to six inches, and then reaches the stringer, which is 13 by 11 inches; the clamps above are six inch[e]s thick, and all the heavy work extends the whole length of the vessel, and is scarphed and square bolted. The hold beams are 23 in number, and 16 inches square; the upper deck beams, 24, and 10 by 15 inches amidships. The betwen decks waterways are 16 inches square, with two thick strakes of 10 by 12 over them, and one of the same size inside of them, let into the beams. This work is square fastened horizontally, and very closely bolted vertically. The ceiling above is five inches thick, and the upper deck waterways are 12 by 14 inches, with two thick deck strakes inside of them, let into the beams and bolted in the usual style.
Her garboards are of oak 10 inches thick, let into teh keel, and bolted through it, and upwards through the timbers. The bottom planking is 4 nches thick, the wales 5 inches by 7, and the waist 4 inches square. She is coppered butt and bilge bolted, and nearly all her treenails have been driven through and wedged in both ends. The planksheer is 6 inches thick, the main rail an inch less, but it is strengthened by a clamp between it and the rackrail, to which it is bolted.
We will now descend into her hold, and take another survey of her. Under the beams, she has root hanging knees of oak, sided from 12 to 10 inches, and moulded 18 inches in the throats, with 15 bolts and 4 spikes in each. The lodging knees meet and scarph in every berth, and are also closely fastened, and the between decks knees are nearly of the same size, but are of hacmatack. Her hold stanchions are 10 inches square, kneed above and below in the wake of the hatchways, but are clasped with iron elsewhere, and bolted through the beams. The between decks stanchions are of oak truned, secured with iron rods and screws in the usual style. She has 8 hooks forward, and 5 aft. Two of those forward and one aft, are fayed to the knees under the deck, and bolted through all. The breast-hook, in the between decks, spans the whole anlge of the bow, and has 74 bolts in it, and the ceiling above it is worked as hooks around the bow, and do not butt in the angle.
Her stem and apron are each of one piece, and her sternpost is a natural knee at the lower end, and forms part of the dead wood. Besides this, she has a long stern knee, which is worked in with the keelsons. She has 8 transoms, the main one of which is 17 inches square, with long transom knees, which bearly meet across, and extend well along the sides. Her after wood-ends were bolted up to 15 feet through and through every strake from side to side. The lower deck is of hard pine, 3½ inches thick, and the upper deck of white pine, 4 inches thick.
Her between decks are very lofty, have stern windows, patent glass air-ports, are painted white, the thick work and waterways blue, and the lower squares of the beams and the stanchions are bright and varnished.
Her chain lockers are in the between decks forward, near the foremast; otherwise, she is clear fore and aft, and is most admirably adapted for the accommodation of passengers. She is seasoned with salt, -- has brass ventilators along the planksheer, and in the bitts, and, we understand, will have Emerson's patent ventilators for her hold.
She is a full rigged ship. Her masts rake, commencing with the fore, 1, 1 1/8, and 1 3/8 of an inch to the foot, and are 73, 78 and 70 feet long; the fore and main are each 29 inches in diameter, and the mizzenmast 3 inches less. The fore and main topmasts are alike, viz: 14¼ inches in diameter and 43½ feet long; topgallant masts 24, royalmasts 16, and poles 9 feet long; mizzentopmast, &c., 34, 17, 11, and 7 feet long. The yards on the fore and mainmast are alike, viz: 67, 53½, and 31 feet square, with 17¼, 14¼, 9½, and 6½ inches diameters in the bunts. The bowsprit 28½ feet outboard, and 29½ inches in diameter, with 5 inches steve to the foot; jibboom 28 feet outside of the cap, divided at 14 feet for the inner and outer jibs; spanker boom 41, gaff 36, and main spencer gaff 15 feet long. The fore and main rigging and fore and maintopmast back stays are 9½ inch, and are of the best Russianhemp. She has all the chain and iron work aloft and about the bowsprit, new in general use; and is rigged in excellent style.
Her main stays set up to a massive pair of bitts before the foremast, and the main-topmast stays to the windlass paull-bitts. The lower rigging sets up with lanyards and deadeyes, and the topmast rigging on its ends. Her lower masts are bright, from the truss-bands to the rail, and her mast-heads and yards are painted white, and look light and airy.
She is complete in equipments -- has heavy ground atckle, a powerful patent windlass, good capstans, bilge and midship pumps, also outside pumps forward and aft, and four splendid boats. Her long-boat is stowed bottom up on the midship house, is 26½ feet long, 7 feet 4 inches wide, and 3½ deep; quarter boats 23½, 5¾, and 3 feet, and pinnace 19, 5, and 3 feet 10 inches -- and all of excellent models. Two of the boats are stowed upon a gallows frame over the quarter deck, their after ends resting on the house, and the other is outside, at the quarter davits.
These details will convey some idea of this noble ship; but we advise those who take as interest is shipping, to inspect her themselves. They will soon discover that we have barely awarded her justice. In materials, fastening and workmanship, she will compare favorably with any vessel of her size that has yet been built. She was built at Portsmouth, N.H., by Mr. Samuel Badger, who, we believe, is the oldest ship-builder of the place, and whose reputation as an accomplished naval architect, ranks high in every American seaport. In the present case he may justly feel proud of his work. Messrs. Dome & Berry were her blacksmiths; Mr. Clark her joiner, Messrs. Martin & Fernald made her spars; Mr. Charles Harret rigged her; and Messrs. Gleason & Co., of Boston, ornamented her.
She is owned by S.C. Thwing, Esq., of this city, R.D. Shepherd, Esq., of Virginia, and Capt. John Davis, who commands her, and who also superintended her construction and equipment. She now lies at the south side of Central Wharf, loading for New Orleans. Go and see her. May she be as successful as she is good and beautiful.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
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