INTRODUCTION. XXVii 
who still persisted, that she would never cross the Atlantic ; 
but her first essay from the Nore to the Downs fully jus- 
tified Captain 'Tuckey’s expectations. “ [am much gra- 
tified,” he says, “in being able to inform you, that the 
Congo justifies, as far as she has been tried, my obstinacy, 
in wishing to keep her in preference to any other. In run- 
ning, yesterday, from the Nore to the North Foreland, 
with a fair wind, she kept way with the transport (Dorothy) ; 
and what is more ‘extraordinary, in working from the 
Foreland into the Downs, the wind at west, blowing so 
fresh that the transport could scarcely carry double reefed 
topsails, the Congo beat her completely, and indeed every 
other vessel working down at the same time; in short, she 
has completely falsified the sinister predictions of her nu- 
merous traducers, as far as sailing is concerned ; moreover, 
she scarcely feels her sails, and is as dry as possible.” It 
may here be added, that during the voyage, she answered 
every good purpose, was a dry commodious vessel, per- 
fectly safe at sea, and is now employed on the surveying 
service in the German Ocean, or North Sea, for which she 
is admirably adapted. It is the more necessary that this 
should be stated, as her form, which pretty nearly resembles 
that of a horse trough, militates strongly against the ge- 
nerally received opinions of naval men, as to the most 
cligible forms of bodies calculated for moving best through 
fluids by meeting with the least resistance. It is also 
worthy of notice, that the principle on which the Congo 
was built is very similar to that for which the late Lord 
Stanhope so strongly contended, as being the most proper 
for ships of war, by uniting in one body, strength, stability, 
stowage, accommodations for the people, and a light 
