The James Baines

The James Baines was launched on July 25, 1854 from the East Boston shipyard of Donald McKay. She was much like her sister ships, the Lightning and the Champion of the Seas, with a more raking stem with her forward lines a little sharper and longer above the waterline.

It was said that she was not as sharp and hollow-lined as the Lightning or as full as the Champion of the Seas or the Donald McKay. There were many in the Liverpool shipping fraternity who considered the James Baines to be the greatest of the four McKay clippers of the Black Ball Quartette and the finest most perfect clipper ship to have ever docked on the Mersey.

Whatever small faults that had been detected By Donald McKay in the Lightning and the Champion of the Seas were eradicated with the building of the James Baines.

Her figurehead was a bust likeness of James Baines that was carved in Liverpool by William Dodd, with Baines often going to Allen and Clotworthy's yard on Kitchen Street to sit for it on many occasions.

Dodd's recollection of the occasions was written up in the Liverpool Evening Express in the "Sea Breezes" column in the early 1920s.

He was dressed as an old English gentleman-frock coat, stock collar and bow tie. He was bare-headed. His height was no more than 5 ft 3 ins, or 4ins. He was rather short, but still very typical of the old English style.

Upon completion of the figurehead, Baines had it securely packed away in a sturdy case and shipped it off to Boston.

Captain Charles McDonnell, the captain of the Marco Polo, left that command to go to East Boston to supervise her fitting out and take command of the James Baines and sail her back to Liverpool.

The following Duncan McLean account of the James Baines appeared in the September 2, 1854, issue of the Boston Atlas:

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This magnificent ship, like the Lightning and the Champion of the Seas, is designed for James Baines & Co.'s line of Liverpool and Australian packets, and is larger, and said to be more beautiful than either of them. She is 266 feet between perpendiculars on deck, has 44 3/4 feet extreme breadth of beam, 29 feet depth of hold, with three decks, a poop, two houses and a topgallant forecastle, and registers 2525 80/95ths tons. She has a long, rakish, sharp bow, with slightly concave lines below, but convex above, and it is ornamented with a bust of her namesake, which was carved in Liverpool, and which is said by those who know the original, to be an excellent likeness. It is blended with the cutwater, is relieved with gilded carved work, and forms a neat and appropriate ornament to the bow. She is planked flush to the covering-board, has a bold and buoyant sheer, graduated her whole length, and it rises gracefully at the ends, particularly forward; and every moulding is fair and harmonizes finely with the planking and her general outline. Her stern is rounded, and although she has a full poop deck, her after body surpasses, in neatness, that of any vessel her talented builder has yet produced. Our most eminent mechanics consider her stern perfect. It is rounded below the line of the planksheer, is fashioned above in an easy curve, and only shows a few inches of rise above the outline of the monkey rail; and as this rise is painted white, and the rest of the hull black, when viewed broadside on, her sheer appears a continuous line along her entire length. The stern is ornamented with carved representations of "the great globe itself," between the arms of Britain and the United States, surrounded with fancy scroll work, has carved and gilded drops between the cabin windows, and her name above all-the whole gilded and painted.

Her bulwarks are built solid, and are surmounted by a monkey rail, which is paneled inside, and their whole height above he deck is about six feet, varying, of course, towards the ends. She has a full topgallant forecastle, which extends to the foremast, and is fitted for the accommodation of her crew, and abaft the foremast, a large house, which contains spacious galleys, several state-rooms, store-rooms, an ice room, and shelters a staircase, which leads to the decks below. She has a full poop deck, between 7 and 8 feet high, under which is the ladies' cabin, and before it a large house, which contains the dining saloon and other apartments. The outline of the poop and the house is protected by rails on turned stanchions, and the enclosure forms a spacious and beautiful promenade deck. She also has a small house aft, which shelters the helmsman in a recess, protects the entrance to the captain's cabin, is also a smoking room for the passengers, and answers a variety of other purposes.

The ladies' cabin is aft, and is 30 feet long by 13 wide and 6 1/2 high. It is pure white, with gilded carved work on the panels, and has papier maché cornices, and ventilators between the beams. Aft is a beautiful sofa, fitted to correspond with the curve of the stern, and over it is a neat bookcase, containing among other works, a full and uniform edition of the British Poets. The forward partition is ornamented with a large plate-glass mirror, which gives a reflected view of the cabin abaft it. The Captain's cabin and sleeping room are on the starboard side, and communicate with the wheel house on deck, so that it will not be necessary for him to enter the ladies' cabin. Besides these the cabin contains 11 spacious state-rooms, a bath-room and other useful apartments.

The dining saloon is 35 feet long by 15 wide, is wainscoted with mahogany, has enameled white panels and pilasters, ornamented with flowers and gilding, and its cornices, which are of papier maché, are edged with gilded flower work and other ornaments. The ceiling is plain white, except the corners of the beams, which are also edged with papier maché mouldings. Two of the after panels, on each side, are mirrors, and a large square mirror ornaments the forward partition also. The alternate panels along the sides, are stained glass windows; and the casings around the mizzenmast and rudder-trunk, are beautifully variegated with national emblems and other ornaments. Permanent settees are fitted along both sides of the saloon, and on each side there are walnut tables extending fore and aft. The furniture of saloon, as well as the after cabin and state-rooms, is of the most costly kind, finished in the highest style of art. It was made by Messrs. Jas. H. Beal & Brother, who have furnished nearly all the splendid ships which have been built by Mr. McKay.

The entrance from the deck to the saloon is 2 1/2 feet wide, and extends across the house with a door on each side; and opposite to the midship door of the saloon is the pantry, which is spacious and fitted up in superior style. In front of the saloon-house are the state-rooms of the first and second officers, and the windows of these rooms are of stained glass, and have the ship's name in them.

We will return to the saloon. A staircase in its after part leads to the main deck, where are the gentlemen's sleeping apartments. These consist of 24 staterooms, with two berths in each room, and extend along the sides, leaving a spacious cabin outside. This cabin is painted pure white, relieved with gilded carved work, and receives light and air through the deck below, and both extend to the skylights on the poop, and have glass in their sides. Every stateroom, too, along the sides has a square port to it, and he rooms adjoining have ventilated blinds, which admit light as well as air.

The deck before the gentlemen's sleeping cabin has three large cargo ports opposite the hatchways, one on each h side, and square ports suitable for staterooms along the sides. This deck, when she arrives at Liverpool, will be fitted up for the accommodation of second class passengers, and the deck below for others. These decks are ventilated amidships with trunk-skylights, which pass along the house forward as well as the cabin and the saloon aft. Along the sides of the houses there are also ventilators and skylights, like those on board the Champion of the Seas. The height between each of her decks is 7 1/2 feet, and over the main and after hatchways are large ventilated skylights, with double companions, which lead to the decks below. On the poop deck there are two oblong square skylights, the after one extending from the wheelhouse to the mizzenmast, and the forward one is over the pantry. The ascent from the quarter deck to the poop consists of two staircases, one on each side, built into the front of the poop.

Before the mainmast there are three gallows frames, upon which her spare boats are stowed, bottom up, and over the sides she carries quarter-boats, suspended to iron davits, which can be swung inboard when required. She has copper-chambered pumps, six capstans, a crab winch on the forecastle, a patent windlass, Cranes self-acting chain stoppers, a patent steering apparatus, and a large variety of other modern improvements.

Notwithstanding the vast space occupied by her forecastle, houses and poop, she still has spacious deck-room for working ship and looks splendidly. Her bulwarks and houses are painted white, and her waterways blue, and in his style she s also painted below.

Of her materials and the style of her construction, it is not necessary to say much, for she is nearly the same, in the particulars, as the Champion of the Seas, a full and accurate description of which was published in the Atlas of May 20. Like her, the frame is of white oak, the ceiling, planking, deck-frames and keelsons, of hard pine, and she is diagonally braced with iron, and square-fastened, and all her keelsons and waterways are scarphed and keyed. Her ceiling is also scarphed and keyed, and bolted edgeways every three feet. The style in which her hull is finished, both inside and outside, has not been surpassed, if equaled, by any ship which Mr. McKay has built; and this is saying much when we call to mind the number of beautiful vessels he has "turned out of hand."

She is very heavily sparred, and will spread about 13,000 yards of canvas in a single suit of sails. Her mast-heads and yards are black; the lower masts, from the truss bands to the fife-rails, are bright and varnished, their hoops white, and the tops and down to the truss bands, are also white. She has iron caps, and is rigged in nearly the same style as the Champion of the Seas, so we learn from Messrs. Porter, Mayhew & Co. made her sails. The length of her lower masts, in the following table, are above the dock. Owing to he vast spread of her yards, the lower masts look short; but they will certainly stand better and receive more support from the rigging, than if they were longer. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards:

MASTS.

Diameter. Length. Mast-heads.

Inches. Feet. Feet.

Fore.................40 63 3/4 17

Top...................20 47 10

Topgallant.........15 29 0

Royal..............13 17 pole. . 9

Main...............42 71 17

Top.................21 50 10

Topgallant...16 29 0

Royal.............14 17 0

Skysail..........10 11 pole. . 9

Mizzen..........36 61 14

Top.................16 42 8 1/2

Topgallant...12 26 0

Royal..............10 15 pole. . 8

YARDS.

Fore...............24 1/2 90 Yard arms. .5

Top................19 69 5 1/2

Topgallant..13 1/4 49 4

Royal..............9 36 3

Main.............26c 100 5

Top................21 75 5 1/2

Topgallant..14 54 4

Royal............11 40 3

Skysail......... 8 30 1 1/2

Crossjack....21 74 4 1/2

Mizzentop..16 57 1/2 5

Topgallant..10 42 3 1/2

Royal...............8 30 2

The bowsprit is 20 feet long outboard; jibboom divided at 15 and 14 feet outside of the cap for the two jibs, with six feet end; spanker boom 58, gaff 44, main spanker gaff 24 feet 9 inches, and the other spars in proportion. She is more heavily rigged and spreads more canvas than the Great Republic will when she is refitted. Capt. N. B. Palmer, who now owns this ship, is having the fourth deck taken off her, and intends that her mainmast shall be only 66 feet above deck, and the mainyard 90 feet square, and that she shall be rigged in this proportion fore and aft. Capt. L. McKay, however, who is both a scientific shipbuilder and a sailor, contends that these alterations will spoil the Great Republic's sailing qualities, and he is also of the opinion that the James Baines is fully able to bear her canvas nobly, and that she is rigged in just proportion to her hull.

She is commanded by Capt. Chas. McDonnell, formerly of the famous ship Marco Polo, in which he made one of the shortest voyages on record, between Liverpool and Australia, and who, for his uniform kindness to his passengers, received from them a valuable service of plate. The fact that he is entrusted with the command of such a magnificent ship shows the high estimation in which he is held by those who know him best. We wish him and his beautiful ship the best of luck. In a few days she will sail to Liverpool, and there take her place in the "Black Ball Line" of Liverpool and Australian clippers. For the same Line there is now on the stocks at East Boston, a clipper of larger stowage capacity than the Great Republic, and which will be named the Donald McKay, as a compliment to her builder.

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The James Baines

On September 12, 1854, the James Baines sailed from Boston on her record-breaking run to Liverpool in 12 days, 6 hours, remarkably fast time considering the light breezes encountered over many of those days as the log will attest. Captain McDonnell thought the clipper could have made the run in eight days with stronger winds.

The log account certainly bears this out:

Sept. 12-At noon parted with steam boat and pilot. Wind, S.W., light.

Sept. 12-Lat. 42° 10' N., Long. 66° 33' W. Distance 225 miles. Light airs and calms, increasing in the evening to brisk winds and clear weather.

Sept. 14-Lat. 40° 18' N., Long. 62° 45' W. Distance 238 miles. Light breezes and clear.

Sept. 15-Lat. 42° 26' N., Long. 59° 53' W. Distance 218 miles. Strong breezes at S.S.W.

Sept. 16-Lat 43° 15' N., Long. 53° 9' W. Distance 305 miles. Strong gales from S.S.W. to N.W.

Sept. 17-Lat. 44° 54' N., Long. 48° 48' W. Distance 280 miles. Strong breezes from N.W. 4 a.m., passed several vessels fishing.

Sept. 18-Lat. 45° 42' N., Long. 44° 16' W. Distance 198 miles. Light breezes and hazy weather. 10 a.m., breezes and cloudy, wind west.

Sept. 19-Lat. 47° 22' N., Long. 36° 42' W. Distance 342 miles. Strong breezes and squally.

Sept. 20-Lat. 48° 39' N., Long. 33° 12' W. Distance 200 miles. Light breezes and clear. Wind, S.W.

Sept. 21-Lat. 49° 34' N., Long. 28° 38' W. Distance 230 miles. Light breezes and hazy. Variable.

Sept. 22-Lat. 50° 12' N., Long. 21° 00' W. Distance 291 miles. Strong breezes and cloudy weather. Wind, S.W.

Sept. 23-Lat. 50° 37' N., Long. 13° 39' W. Distance 337 miles. Strong breezes and cloudy weather. Wind, S.W.

Sept. 24-Strong breezes and gloomy weather. At 6 a.m. made the land and at 8 a.m. passed Cork. Distance 296 miles. Passed Tuskar at 3 p.m., and Holyhead at 9 p.m.

Time 12 days 6 hours from Boston Light to Rock Light.

The James Baines on the Mersey

Upon her triumphant arrival on the Mersey, Baines had the James Baines fitted out and furnished in "almost lavish splendor" with pilasters and mirrors everywhere below deck, all under the supervision of Messrs. James H. Beal and brother.

The James Baines was such a powerful ship that while moored at Liverpool Baines had her main-skysail masts lengthened and her moonsail-yards crossed just as was done to the Lightning.

The city sang her praises and claimed the James Baines to be "the most perfect sailing ship that had ever entered the Mersey."

A Liverpool newspaper ran the following article:

Before the mainmast there are three gallows frames, upon which her spare boats are stowed, bottom up, and over the sides she carries quarter boats, suspended in iron divits. She has copper-chambered pumps, six capstans, a crab-winch on the foc's'le, a patent windlass, Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, a patent steering apparatus and a large variety of other improvements of the most modern kind.

There was, or course, a déjeneur held aboard the James Baines and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the noted author and American consul in Liverpool at the time, was among the 500 or so guests in attendance and noted in his diary that the James Baines was "a splendid vessel surely and magnificently fitted up, though not with consumate taste."

It seems that James Baines & Co. had overdone it a bit with the gilding and all. Hawthorne always felt ill-at-ease at such formal occasions and the free flowing champagne undoubtedly helped him get through it with an eloquent delivery of his toast to the assembled guests as noted in his diary.

1400 tons of cargo were loaded aboard the James Baines by the 8th of December, along with 350 sacks of mail for Melbourne. All the British mail steamers were called into service transporting troops and supplies to the Crimea and the mail contracts were taken over by the Black Ball Line and her White Star Line rivals. They agreed to forfeit money back to the Government for every day over 65 that it took to make the passage to Melbourne.

A large number of sheep, pigs, fowl, and ducks, along with a bullock, would join 700 emigrants for the passage to Melbourne.

A pilot and tug accompanied the James Baines down the Mersey on December 9, 1854, with Captain McDonnell in anticipation of making the passage within the allotted time. The light winds that they encountered slowed her early progress and by the seventh day out the James Baines was just off St. Ives Head.

At last the winds came on, fair and strong, and sent the James Baines romping down to St. Vincent, where ten days out she had to tack.

Adverse winds blew off Cape St. Roque and it took the James Baines 18 hours to beat around that treacherous place. 19 days out they were spoken in 3° N. 28' W.

The main-skysail and stunsails flew the whole time and although it was a light weather passage, when the James Baines reached the "roaring forties," she was making amazing 24-hour runs. Her best day run was 423 miles on February 6th.

54 days out, the winds died off the Otway, within a day's sail of Hobson's Bay, and the clipper was delayed from reaching port for a week. The James Baines reached Port Phillip Heads on February 12th, with a passage of 63 days, 18 hours, and 15 minutes. In his log McDonnell wrote "Had I only had the ordinary run of winds I would have made the voyage in 55 days."

The James Baines had beaten the steamer Pacific that had sailed from Plymouth fifteen days before the James Baines had departed Liverpool. The steamer Argo had steamed the entire distance in 62 days. The crack clipper Indian Queen had arrived 12 days earlier after a passage of 79 days.

George Francis Train was making a fortune in Melbourne around that time as an agent for the White Star Line and a packer to the diggings. He was rather pleased with the James Baines'' sudden arrival and captured the moment with this account from his American Merchant:

MELBOURNE, Feb. 15, 1855.

The town was fairly thrown on its beam ends by the startling announcement that the James Baines had arrived from Liverpool with the December mails, after the astonishing and unprecedented run of sixty-five days! Can anyone now doubt Donald McKay's supremacy upon the ocean? I fancy not, for the log records of the Flying Cloud, the Lightning hence to Liverpool in 63 days, and now the Baines out here in 65, { * The actual number of days was 63 days, 18 hours and 15 minutes (Ed)} will very quickly settle the question. The passages are truly wonderful, and I maintain that Donald McKay has done more to advance the science of shipbuilding than any other man. He stands the victor, and is always first in the clipper ship race ground. Clipper ships may depreciate, and overtrading in such property may prove disastrous; but the genius of the mechanic and the boldness of the man who has launched such a leviathan as the Great Republic will live so long as great deeds continue to be recorded.

With this account George Francis Train got the number of days wrong but the rest of the passage certainly rings true.

The James Baines spent 27 days in port and departed Melbourne on March 12, 1855, with 360 passengers and 40,000 ounces of gold. Captain McDonnell carried sail in a most daring fashion and many exciting tales have been told by those aboard about the voyage.

The most lurid of the tales is told of the time that the James Baines was under a heavy press of sail and beating to windward off the lee shore of the Irish coast where on three occasions they were tacking so close to the rocks, only a stone's throw away, that it panicked passengers aboard who feared that if the clipper missed stays all would be lost.

Many passengers angrily questioned these daring feats of navigation to which McDonnell calmly replied, "We have to make a good passage."

The James Baines made the homeward voyage in 69 1/2 days and had sailed around the world in 133 days, a new record and one that would never be surpassed by this clipper. Her best day's run on the homeward passage was 420 miles.

On her second voyage the James Baines sailed from Liverpool on August 5, 1856, for a 79-day passage to Melbourne, arriving there on October 23, 1856. On her return passage, the James Baines experienced light and variable winds and took 85 days to reach Liverpool.

On her third outward passage to Australia, the James Baines sailed from Liverpool on April 6, 1856, for a 79-day passage to Melbourne and arrived on June 26, 1856. It took all of 29 days to clear Cape San Roque on this run, but over the next 48 days the James Baines made a phenomenally fast run where over a one week period the James Baines had a spectacular run of 2276 miles with a best day's run on May 28th of 404 miles.

The James Baines flew on past the Libertas, a heavily-sparred ship, on June 15th and three days later was flying along at 21 knots. On June 22nd, she ran into a freak hurricane squall of a short duration that lasted all of three minutes, but enough time to blow down her headsails, fore, top, and topgallantsails, as well as two of her main square sails and a number of her staysails, but managed to reach Melbourne four days later.

The James Baines took on a large cargo of gold and on August 7, 1856, sailed from Melbourne to begin her run for Cape Horn and Liverpool. Aside from a couple of good sailing days where she logged over 300 miles, the winds more or less deserted her and when at last she arrived off Cape Horn she ran into heavy gales and did not cross the line in the Atlantic until her 65th day out.

On October 30, 1856, the James Baines was beating against a head wind in lat. 29° 03' N., long. 33° 14' W., between St. Vincent and the Azores, when the Lightning, which sailed on August 28th, three weeks after her rival, came up on her after having chased after her all the way from Melbourne passing Cape Horn 22 days out and crossing the Atlantic line 44 days out.

For the next six days against light head winds the two rivals battled it out on the high seas on the homeward stretch to England, with the Lightning finally getting the best of it arriving in the Mersey 24 hours ahead of her rival. It took the James Baines all of 105 days to complete the homeward passage.

The following exciting log account appeared in the Lightning Gazette:

Thursday, 30th October.-Lat. 29° 03' N., Long. 33° 14' Distance 131 miles. Wind more easterly; 7 a.m. tacked ship to N.N.W. A large ship in sight went about at same time, ahead of us. During forenoon Captain Enright expressed himself confident that she was the James Baines. Great excitement and numerous conjectures, bets, etc. One thing certain, that she sailed almost as fast as ourselves, and her rigging and sails were similar to those of the Baines. By sunset we had both weathered and gained on our companion.

Friday, 31st October.-Lat. 30° 31' N., Long. 35° 15' W. Distance 137 miles. All night light airs, and early dawn showed us our friend much nearer. At 8 a.m., she at last responded to our signals by hoisting the "Black Ball" at the mizen, and a burgee at the gaff, with her name--James Baines! Great excitement spread throughout the ship, and the conversation was divided between sympathy for all on board our unfortunate predecessor and conjectures as to the cause of her detainment. All day we were watching her every movement; now she gains, now we near her; now she "comes up" and now "falls off." About 2 p.m., we were evidently nearer than in the morning. A conversation a la Marryat. The Baines informed us that her passengers were all well, asked for our longitude, if any news, etc. Captain Enright invited Captain McDonnell to dine, but he did not respond. At 5 a.m., still light airs, James Baines distant 1 1/2 miles.

Saturday, 1st November.-Lat. 31° 12' N., Long. 36° W. Distance 56 miles. During Friday evening, about 8 o'clock, the wind being still very light, we passed to windward of the unfortunate James Baines; so closely that we could hear the people on board cheering, and most vociferously did some of our passengers reply, with the addition of a profuse supply of chaff: such as amiable offers to take them in tow, a most commendable solicitude as to their stock of "lime juice," very considerate promises to "say they were coming" on arrival at Liverpool, etc. All night the wind was light and baffling. At 2 p.m. it suddenly chopped around to the N.W., and the ship was put on the port tack. At 4, she was put about again. At 6.30, tacked ship to eastward, light airs and variable. The James Baines about 6 miles to leeward, a little brig on lee bow-which had been in company all Friday, and a barque on lee quarter. At 9, the brig, having put about, stood up towards us, and passing close to leeward, showed the Hambro ensign with private number 350. We once more tacked ship and stood to the northward and westward, the others followed our example, and the breeze freshening, we all started on a race. The barque hoisted her ensign and number and proved to be the Cid, which we passed on the 29th ultimo. The brig soon after bore away to his 'chum' to leeward, and they had a quiet little race to themselves, in which the barque appeared to be the victor.

The clipper sisters were now once more pitted against each other: the far famed Lightning, with concave lines and the breadth of bilge, in our opinion the worthy Donald's brightest idea, and the champion-the ship of 21 knots' notoriety-the James Baines.

In light winds or airs we had crept by him, now, as the breeze freshens, as the white crest appears on the short toppling sea, as we lift and dive to the heavy northerly roll and all favours the long powerful ship. What do we behold? The little brig and barque going astern, of course. Aye, but what else do we see? Oh, ye Liverpool owners! et tu, Donald, who thought to improve on the Lightning; tell it not "on Change," publish it not in the streets of Liverpool. What do we see? Hull down, courses and topsails below the horizon at 2 p.m., five hours from the start, the James Baines just discernible from the deck: at the very lowest computation we have beaten her at the rate of 1 1/2 knots per hour. At sundown she is barely visible from the mizen topgallant crosstrees. It was generally supposed on board that her copper must have been much worn and rough or we never could have beaten so rapidly a ship of such noble appearance and well-known sailing qualities.

Sunday, 2nd November.-Lat. 32° 57' N., Long. 37° 37' W. Distance 134 miles. Another day of light winds, heading us off to N.N.W. still. Evening, a little more wind, ship going about 7 knots.

Monday, 3rd November.-Lat. 34° 41' N.,, Long. 38° 28' W. Distance 113 miles. In the middle watch wind backed to the N.E. and fell light again. At 8, improvement again and by noon we lay N.E. by N., the best we have done for some days, but only going from 4 1/2 to 5 knots. A ship coming up astern, supposed to be the James Baines, bringing up a fair wind.

Tuesday, 4th November.-Lat. 35° 47' N., Long. 38° 28' W. Distance 66 miles. Commences with very light airs from the north, our ship on the port tack. Our friend James Baines again in sight astern.

Both ships arrived off the Mersey Bar on November 20, 1856, within 24 hours of each other. The Lightning had arrived first and had won the 13,000 mile race from Melbourne with a passage of 84 days and the James Baines with a passage of 105 days. Much to the relief of James Baines & Co. and their insurers, Lloyds of London, for there was a lot of gold aboard both clippers.

Over the course of the voyages, both clippers were subject to the winds of fate. Both clippers sailed from Liverpool at different times and each experienced different conditions over the course of their voyages. Each clipper had their best week's run from Liverpool to Melbourne and they are presented here:

BEST WEEK'S RUN by James Baines, LIVERPOOL TO MELBOURNE, MAY, 1856.

25th May.-Lat. 37° 40' S., Long. 3° 28' E. Distance 328 miles Winds, S.S.W., S.W. This day begins with heavy gale and heavy squalls. I have never before experienced such a heavy gale with so high a barometer. At 4 p.m. double-reefed main topsail and crossjack. Midnight, similar wind and weather, heavy sea, ship labouring very heavily and shipping great quantities of water. Noon, very heavy sea; sun obscured.

26th May.-Lat. 38° 38' S., Long. 10° 0' E. Distance 320 miles. Winds, S.W., W.S.W. P.M., begins with strong gale and heavy sea, squalls and showers of rain, dark, gloomy weather. Midnight, gale decreasing, reefs out of courses, and set staysails. At 4 a.m., still moderating, out all reefs, set royals and skysail; 8 a.m., set all starboard studding sails. Noon, gentle breeze, fine clear weather; wind westering all the time and sea going down.

27th May.-Lat. 40° 2' S., Long. 17° 41' E. Distance 384 miles. Winds, W.S.W., S.W. Fine gentle breeze and fine clear weather, all sails set. Midnight, same wind and weather. A.M., breeze freshening and heavy black clouds driving up from S.W. Noon, same wind and weather.

29th May.-Lat. 44° 15' S., Long. 30° 56' E. Distance 240 miles Winds west. First part strong gales and fine clear weather, heavy sea, ship rolling. Midnight, less wind, sea going down, set all small sails. At 4 a.m., set all starboard studding sails. Noon, light breeze, dark gloomy weather.

30th May.-Lat.46° 52' S.,, Long. 36° 56' E. Distance 300 miles. Winds, W.N.W., W.S.W., S.S.W. First part light breezes and dark gloomy weather. 8 p.m., sky clearing and breeze increasing, barometer falling. Midnight, fresh gales, took in royal and skysail studding sails; 8 a.m., heavy snow squall; took in topgallant studding sails. Noon, fresh gales and clear weather with snow showers and squalls.

31st May.-Lat. 46° 52' S., Long. 43° 54' E. Distance 300 miles. Winds, W.N.W., W.S.W., S..S.W. First part fresh breeze and squalls. 10 p.m., ran through between Petit and Grande, Prince Edward Islands. Midnight, dark with snow squalls. Noon, as at midnight.

BEST WEEK'S RUN by Lightning, LIVERPOOL TO MELBOURNE. JUNE-JULY, 1856.

28th June.-Lat. 44° 25' S., Long. 42° 58' E. Distance 232 miles. Winds westerly. P.M., snow squalls, wind increasing. Preparations were made for shortening sail by taking in the lighter canvas. This was not accomplished before the mizen royal and mizen topmast skysail were torn to pieces. Between 5 and 6 p.m. the conflict raged most furiously. Reefs were taken in the topsails and these with the exception of the foresail were all canvas set.

29th June.-Lat. 43° 36' S., Long. 50° 07' E. Distance 312 miles. Winds westerly. The gale of yesterday abated the intensity of its fury about midnight; we have set more sail though the wind blows stiff.

30th June.-Lat. 44° 02' S., Long. 56° 35' E. Distance 281 miles. Winds westerly. The weather has bee excessively cold, dark and cloudy. The heavy sea running caused the ship to roll heavily.

1st July.-Lat. 44° 39' S., Long. 63° 27' E. Distance 298 miles. Wind westerly. Fine at first, then cloudy with showers of snow.

2nd July.-Lat. 45° 07' S., Long. 70° 55' E. Distance 319 miles. Wind westerly. Wind still fresh and fair.

3rd July.-Lat. 45° 07' S., Long. 79° 55' E. Distance 382 miles. Wind westerly. her run to-day has been only once surpassed since she floated. She indeed seemed to fly through the water like a seabird on the wing, causing one of our passengers, who knows something of navigation, to remark that it was skating, not sailing.

4th July.-Lat. 45° 07' S., Long. 88° 30' E. Distance 364 miles. Wind westerly. Still favoured with the propitious breeze. Our week's run is the best we have done yet and the best the Lightning has ever accomplished.

The above log extracts reveal that the James Baines' best week's run was 2,276 miles and the Lightning's best week's run was 2,188 miles with the James Baines winning the contest by 88 miles.

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