The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-13 00:00:00

THE GREAT WESTERN STEAM SHIP.

BRISTOL, J UNE 8, Half-past Five, p.m.
The Great Western steam-ship, Captain Hoskin, R.N.,
commander, cast anchor this afternoon in Kingsroad, at
about half-past two o'clock, having performed the homeward
passage in the wonderfully short space of twelve and a half
days. The outward-bound voyage was by this splendid ves-
sel accomplished ,in 141 days, having sailed from Bristol,
June 2, and reached New York June 17, at four A.M., which
place she left for Bristol, June 25, at five P.M. Thus she has
performed the whole voyage from Bristol to New York, and
back again, in the unparalleled short space of 36 days, eight
of which were spent at New York, which leaves her five
weeks for the actual voyage, and which generally averages
as many months by sailing vessels. The Great Western has
brought over 92 passengers, all of whom express themselves
in terms of the greatest delight and satisfaction with the
splendour and comfort of her accommodations, and seem
quite enraptured in making mention of the 'very slight mo-
tion felt on board the vessel throughout the passage, even
when blowing hard, and during the latter part of the voyage
they encouptered heavy weather, which gave them every
opportunity of judging of the great advantages possessed by
the vessel in this respect. A passenger, with whom I had
an opportunity of conversing, told me that he had several
times crossed the Atlantic in sailing packets, and in very
similar weather to that experienced on his voyage home in
the Great Western, and that he should not have believed it
possible for such a difference to exist, had he not felt and
tested it himself. Even in the roughest weather, it seems
that passengers may sit down to dinner without any of the
fears or dangers of accident on board sailing vessels. You
feel assured that you will not be laid sprawling on the cabin
floor, by your chair lurching to leeward, or that you will be
thought desir'ons of appropriating to yourself more than your
share of eatables, by getting the contents of half a dozen or
mole dishes poured wholesale into your lap. None of these
or others somewhat similar, but even more disagreeable acci-
dedts, so frequent but unavoidable on ship-board, are here
felt ; in fact, you may sit down and enjoy yourself almost in
as much ease as in a drawing-room on shore. This compa-
rative tranquillity and slightness of motion is mainly to be
attributed to her great length, which enables her to cut
through several waves, into the troughs of which shorter ves-
sels must of necessity roll, and become, as it were, "swal-
lowed up." Vessels of great length must, therefore, of
course, by reason of their powers, not)only be much easier,
but must also save very considerably id the timeand distance
occupied] by vessels of ordinary length in rising and falling
from the troughs of. these seas. The Sirius reached New
York on the 18th of June, at four o'clock P.M. ; the Great
Western having arrived the day previous, at four A.M. The
Great Western passed Sandy Hook at seven P.AI. of the
With of June, and from this time, to the time of seeing
Trevose Head in Cornwall, was exactly 12 clays.
The average distance run on the outward voyage was about
nine miles per hour, and on the homeward' voyage rather
.more than ten miles per hour.—London Standard.