SECTION OF naval ARCHITECTURE. 105 



Among the desiderata, which it occurs to me as the most Deeded at 



the present time. 1 would mention the following rigged models: (1) A 

 snow of the seventeenth century; (2) the Mavllower; (3) a topsail sloop 

 (a craft much used in fishing and whaling in the early history of the 



country); (4) Fulton's steamer, the Clermont; (5) old style topsail and 



top gallant sail schooner; (6) Hermaphrodite brig; (7) Origan tine; (8) 



square-rigged brig; (!>) bark; (10) ship, medium clipper; (11) a Con- 

 necticut sloop smack: (12) two-masted coasting schooner, Atlantic 

 coast; (13) three-masted schooner of the Atlantic coast; (14) four- 

 masted schooner of the lakes; (15) a Rock port, Mass., stone sloop; 



L6 American pilot boat; (17) sloop yacht; (is) schooner yacht; (19) 

 cutter yacht; (20) Louisiana fishing lugger; (21) Cedar Key net-boat: 

 (22 New Jersey surf-boat; (23) transatlantic steamship; (24) Missis- 

 sippi River steamer; (25) Hudson River steamer; (26) stern- wheel 

 steamer, style usvd on Western rivers; (27) auxiliary Steam whaler; 



l:^ -learn yacht; (29) the model of the Viking ship exhumed in Nor- 

 way: (30) an English North Sea beam-trawler; (31) a Brixham fishing 

 cutter; (32) Scotch herring lugger; (33) an English Mount's Bay lug- 

 ger; (34) an English well-smack; (35) a French fishing lugger of Bou- 

 e; (30) a British steam-trawler. 

 The historical models might be supplemented by pictures of (1) 

 polacca rigged vessel; (2) barkentine; (3) steamer Savannah, which 

 was the first to cross the Atlantic; and (4) a series of illustrations of 

 the earliest attempts to construct steamboats. 



HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION. 



Previous to the establishment of the National Museum by an act of 

 Congress in 184G, the earliest accessions which now constitute this col- 

 lection had been gathered by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition, 1838-'42. 

 These consisted chiefly of a few models of the canoes aud other water 

 craft used by the natives of the Pacific islands.* From 1842 to 1876 a 

 lew models of canoes, &c, were obtained from various sources, but none 

 of them were of especial importance as compared with the more exten- 

 sive accessions in recent years, aud it may be safely asserted that before 

 the Centennial Exhibition the amount of material gathered appertain- 

 ing to this department was relatively small in amount. The fine collec- 

 tions that were brought together at Philadelphia on the occasion of the 

 Centennial Exhibition in 1S7G were almost without exception presented 

 to the Museum. By these generous gifts of foreign Governments and 

 individuals the Museum became the possessor of a rich collection both 

 of domestic and foreign water craft. Among other things derived from 



# It is to be regretted that most, in fact nearly all, of these models, owing to luck 

 of care and perhaps to the fact that they w»re moved abont considerably before 

 becoming the property of the National Museum, are very much out of repair, and in 

 some installers have been injured to snob an extent as to practically render them 

 worthless. 



