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. " I am much gra- 

 tified," he says, " in being able to inform you, that the 

 Congo justifies, as far as she has been tried, ray 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 stronolv aoainst the ffe- 

 nerally received opinions of naval men, as to the most 

 eligible forms of bodies calculated for mcving best throu2;li 

 fluids by meeting with the least resistance. It is also 

 worthy of notice, that the principle on which the Congo 

 was built is ver^'^ 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, stabihty, 

 stowage, accommodations for the people, and a light 



