128 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEBGEN. 
care the whole of a voyage, where there are no places 
to replenish. Consequently, the necessary beam for 
sailing purposes should be retained with a moderate 
sharp bow, but the stowage of cargo in the hold has to 
give way ; the flat floor is changed to a sharp, wedge- 
shaped bottom, which answers all the purposes of 
clean entry and fine run, the room for stowage of cargo 
being given up. Were some of our men-of-war, of 
what is called the composite-class, built after the 
fashion of whaling-ships, we might have the two 
qualities combined. Whereas, the long bows, rising 
three feet above the level of the afterpart, with thin, 
narrow ways in wake of the foremast, give them no 
hold in the water, and when on a wind they are 
useless; nor can they beat off a lee shore, even in a 
light breeze with little sea. To be able to run up in 
the wind s eye and go about without loss of way is an 
essential quality in weathering a long tongue of ice. 
The engines require to be made on the compound prin¬ 
ciple, and no expense should be spared to ensure their 
perfect structure. It often happens that, when under 
sail, the two square sails on fore and mizen mast have 
often to be hove back, to save the vessel’s bows from 
striking the large pieces of ice when navigating the 
narrow channels. 
These steamships are specially built for the Arctic 
seas. They are fast, and easily handled, consume a 
