pered by want of room. They declared that no wooden vessel of war of such great length and small proportionate depth, however well put together, could endure rough seas without evincing a palpable want of longitudinal rigidity. They complained also of the slowness in turning. The engines and coal represented 84 per cent, of all the weight the hull could accommodate below the water line, and thus but 16 per cent, was left for masts, sails, cables, ordnance, and provisions. They said 'that the "Wampanoag" had undoubtedly proved very fast. For twenty-four consecutive hours her average speed was 16·95 knots, while her maximum speed was 17¾ knots; but at this extreme rate her consumption of coal was 175 tons a day; and she could only carry fuel enough to steam 950 miles. The quality of high velocity was thus about all that had been really established as to her merits as an efficient vessel of war. The weight of her battery was insignificant. Her accommodation for provisions was insufficient. Her accommodation for chain cables was also inadequate, as those on board were altogether too short for a vessel of her length to be moored with convenience. Her accommodation for her crew was strikingly confined, and in warm climates, with steam up, she would have been almost uninhabitable. Looking upon her as a whole, and especially in the light of a naval vessel for general naval purposes, it seemed impossible to resist the conclusion that she was a sad and signal failure, and utterly unfit to be retained in the service, and that she would therefore prove a happy
