The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-09 00:00:00

THE COLUMBUS.

This an much talked of vessel has at length arrived in the
River. She was towed up yesterdar morning from Graves-
end by the James Watt, Tourist, and Soho, steam-boats, and
at two o'clock in the afternoon was moored alongside the East
India hulk off lllackwall. Like many other wonders of which
so much has been said while at a distance, the Columbus lost*
much of her marvellous character on a nearer approach.—
Those who visit her in the expectation of seeing a stupen-
doss structure, "to which one of our seventy-tours would
appear as a cock-boat," will find themselvei seriously dis-
appointed. They who expect to see the largest ship in the
world, will naturally picture to themselves a vessel, ter
which the bulk of one of our first-rates would be comm...
ratively small, but in this also they will be deceived. The ao-
lumbus is unquestionably the longest ship ever seen in England,
but her appearance In every other respect In far inferior to that of
one of our large indiamen : her construction is quite new for a•
very large vessel ; she is flat-bottomed, and her bottom two fest
wider than her deck ; her planks and timbers throughout are on
a scale of thickness proportioned to her great length, anti fas-
tened together with a strength approaching nearly to that of a
solid mass. It is not true, as was stated in some accounts of
her, that her cargo (red and white pine) was fastened into her
timbers in the building. It is stowed away in the same man-
ner as on hoard other ships timber-laden. Neither is it a
fact that she is to he broken up as soon as her cargo is dis-
charged; at least that is not the present intention of her
proprietors. In her masts, spars, and rigging, the Co/umbra
presents an appearance not at all proportioned to her rate of
tonnage; they are not larger than those used in a small frigate.
On inquiry we learned that she sailed much better than was ex::
pected—tacked and wore extremely well,( which is very rare with
liatbottomed vessels), and made but very little lee-way. In the
course of her passage to Europe, she encountered very rough
weather, and shipped seas so frequently, that the crew on deck
could seldom keep themselves dry. The greatest danger to
which she was exposed was from this circumstance ; and,
in anticipation of it, and of the clr.nce of her becoming water.
logged, her round-house (under which were stowed her
water and provisions) was made water-tight. About a month
before her arrival on this coast, she sprang a leak, and made a
foot of water per hour, and it required the constant exer.
tions of the whole crew to keep her free. Nevertheless, on
her arrival in the Downs she hail eleven feet of writer in her
hold. The crowds of persons who went to see her yesterday
were very great. Some contented themselves with a view of
her from the shore: those who chose to pay the high price of
the boatmen got a nearer view, anti they who were contest
to pay two shillings additional were allowed to go nn bawd.
(This last demand, it is but justice to the officers on board,
was, we believe, without their knowledge; or if they were aWau
of it, it must have been demanded with the view of preventing
the vessel from becoming inconveniently crowded, which it
would he i fall who sought admission were allowed on on hoard.;
The account which already appeared in this paper of the ties
and tonnage of the Columbus was correct.—She is 300 feet ha
length, b 0 feet 6 inches wide, and 30 feet deep in the hold 4 re-
gisters 3,900 tons, and has on board 6,300 tons of timber.--
Another vessel, belonging to the same proprietors, who, as well
as the builder, are Englishmen, is now on the stocks at Quebst„
which will be of the same length, but ten feet wider, and five
feet deeper in the hold.--.( Timer)

The owners of this stupendous Vessel have kindly supplie'
the Proprietors of the Public Journals and their friends with
orders for admission to view its vast dimensions. It will be
stationed at Black wall, and it is probable that the number of
visitors will be highly beneficial to all the public-houses in tint
vicinity.