Main-topsail contains 1,531 yards.
The number of yards of canvass for one suit of sails is 18,341, and for
bags, hammocks, boat-sails, awnings, etcetera, 14,624; total 32,965
yards.
The Americans considered that in the Pennsylvania they possessed the
largest vessel in the world, but this is a great mistake; one of the
Sultan's three-deckers is larger. Below are the dimensions of the
Queen, lately launched at Portsmouth
+===================================+====+======+
Y YfeetYinchesY
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YLength on the gun-deck Y 204Y 0Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. of keel for tonnage Y 166Y 5.25Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YBreadth extreme Y 60Y 0Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. for tonnage Y 59Y 2Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDepth in hold Y 23Y 8Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YBurden in tons (No. 3,099) Y Y Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YExtreme length aloft Y 247Y 6Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YExtreme height forward Y 56Y 4Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. midships Y 50Y 8Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. abaft Y 62Y 6Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YLaunching draught of water, forwardY 14Y 1Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. abaft Y 19Y 0Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YHeight from deck to deck, gun-deck Y 7Y 3Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. middle-deck Y 7Y 0Y
+-----------------------------------+----+------+
YDo. main-deck Y 7Y 0Y
+===================================+====+======+
Note. There are seven navy yards belonging to, and occupied for the use
of the United States, viz.--The navy yard at Portsmouth, NH, is situated
on an island, contains fifty-eight acres, cost 5,500 dollars.
The navy yard at Charlestown, near Boston, is situated on the north side
of Charles river, contains thirty-four acres, and cost 32,214 dollars.
The navy yard at New York is situated on Long Island, opposite New York,
contains forty acres, and cost 40,000 dollars.
The navy yard at Philadelphia is situated on the Delaware river, in the
district of Southwark, contains eleven acres to low water mark, and cost
27,000 dollars.
It is remarkable that along the whole of the eastern coast of America,
from Halifax in Nova Scotia down to Pensacola in the Gulf of Mexico,
there is not one good open harbour. The majority of the American
harbours are barred at the entrance, so as to preclude a fleet running
out and in to manoeuvre at pleasure; indeed, if the tide does not serve,
there are few of them in which a line-of-battle ship, hard pressed,
could take refuge. A good spacious harbour, easy of access, like that
of Halifax in Nova Scotia, is one of the few advantages, perhaps the
only natural advantage, wanting in the United States.