Of the many spendid vessels now in port, few have attracted as much notice as this noble ship. Since her arrival from Portsmouth, where she was built, she has been inspected by many of our first salt water men, and so far as we have heard, they have spoken of her in high terms, both for the beauty of her model and the excellence of workmanship. She is 205 feet long on the keel, 220 on deck, and 235 feet over all, from the clock over the bowsprit to the taffrail; has 43 feet extreme breadth of beam, and 27 feet depth, with three decks, and registers 1713 tons. The height between each of her decks is 7 feet 4 inches. Her dead rise at half-floor is 20 inches, swell or rounding of sides 6 inches, and sheer 3½ feet. The sternpost is at right angles to the keel, and her stem, as may be seen by the dimensions of her length, has 30 feet rake, and the bow is carried up in its angular form to the rail, which is above the bowsprit.
Her bow is very long and sharp, and her lines forward and aft are gracefully rounded. The full figure of an archer.
"With bended bow, and quiver full of arrows,placed to correspond with her fore-rake, ornaments the bow. Her run, like her bow, is long and clean, and her stern is light and neatly finished. It is nearly oval in outline and swells outward, like the stern of a pilot boat. An arch of gilded carved work spans it, and in the arch is the goddess of day, represented in a chariot of light, drawn by fleet courses. Her name and port of hail are also on the stern, the ground-work of which is black. The ship is planked flush to the covering board, and painted black. Broadside on, she appears finely. Her graceful sheer and lively ends fill the eye to a charm.
On deck she has a large topgallant forecastle, the height of the main rail, with a powerful capstan on it; and abaft the foremast is a house for the accommodation of the crew, the galley, and several storerooms. There is also a moveable house to fit over the main hatchway. She has a half poop deck, with a cabin house built into it, and both the top of the house, and the outline of the poop, are protected by rails on turned stanchions. Her bulwarks in the wake of the rails, are built solid, having clamps on both sides, and inside she is painted white. The arrangements of her decks are well designed for working ship, and look finely.
She has two spacious cabins, the after one fitted in beautiful style, with all the fancy woods, mouldings and gildings now in general use, and the forward one is tastefully painted and grained, and the state rooms of both are admirably designed for the accommodation of passengers.
The ship herself is one of the best built vessels of her size ever constructed at Portsmouth. Her frame, all her hooks and pointers, and nearly all her knees are of New Hampshire with oak; her deck frames and scantlings are of yellow pine, and she is sqyare fastened throughout. Her keel is 16 inches square, in two depths, bolted together with copper, and all the floor timbers are also copper bolted. She has three depths of midship keelsons, two sister keelsons; and the thick work on her entire floor and bilge, commencing near the sister keelsons, is 12 inches thick, graduated, without projection, to 9 inches. The waterways and thick work between each of her decks are very stout, and extra fastened; her ends are strongly spanned by massive hooks and pointers, and her outside planking is also very stout, square fastened, and beautifully finished. Ina word, she is as strong as any ship of her size need to be. She is seasoned with salt, has three of Emerson's ventilators forward and two aft, which communicate with all the decks and the hold, and she has also ventilators along her planksheer and in the bitts. She has two iron water tanks, each of 2500 gallons capacity, Crane's chain stoppers, a patent steering apparatus, a powerful force pump, and all the other improvements of the day.
She has a noble set of spars, and looks like a first class frigate, afloat. Her fore and main masts are built, and hooped over; the mizzen mast is of a single spar. The lower masts, commencing with the fore, are 36, 38, and 28 inches in diameter, and are 86, 90, and 80 feet long, and the main yard is 22 inches in diameter in the slings, and is 85 feet square, and the other spars in like proportions. She has the best of rigging, and was rigged in the best of style by Messrs. Francis Lowe & Co. Aloft, as well as below, she is every inch a ship.
When we consider the power consequent upon her size and strength, the advantages of having three decks for the proper stowage of her cargo, the great buoyancy of her floor, and the substantial style in which she is fitted aloft -- when we consider these alone, even aside from the general excellence of her model, it is but reasonable to assume, that she will sail swiftly, work well, and bear her burden nobly in the worst of weather. Her builders, Messrs. Tobey & Littlefields, have reason to feel proud of their work. We understand that Mr. Tobey has had much experience in his vocation, having been many years the foreman of one of New Hampshire's greatest mechanics, Mr. George Raynes; and Mr. Littlefield is not astern of his partner in professional ability. If this, their first ship, ranks so highly, a few more such vessels to build will extend their reputation and make their merits known abroad.
The ship was ornamented by Mr. J.W. Mason, our greatest marine artist, and her blocks were made by Mr. Thos. J. Shelton, both of this city. She is owned by Messrs. Glidden & Williams, and others, is designed for the California trade, and is commanded by Capt. Knight, formerly of the Queen of the Seas. She is now fitting out with despatch, and in a few days will be at Lewis wharf, there to load in Glidden & Williams' line of San Francisco clippers.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
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