The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-11-30 00:00:00

BUILDING OF A BRAZILIAN FRIGATE IN

LIVERPOOL.

There is now in course of completion, at the yard of
Mr. Thomas Royden, Baffin-street, a fine steam frigate,
for the Emperor of the Brazils, to be fitted up in every
point as a vessel of war, and intended for his Majesty's
especial use in coasting along the shores and running on
the rivers of that magnificent country,—her draught of
water being, for these purposes, unusually small com-
pared with her great tonnage. An intelligent Brazilian
admiral has been located amongst us for a considerable
time, superintending her construction and equipments ;
and she has, from her peculiarities and adaptation, al-
ready become an object of interest amongst nautical men
who have seen her.

The dimensions of the ship are----length of keel, 178 ft. ;
length on deck, about 200 ft. ; beam or breadth of hull,
31 ft. 10 in.: and denth of hold. 19 ft. Her burthen is
not large compared to the size of the vessel, being of only
300 horse power ; but she is adapted to carry a heavy
press of canvas, and is to be rigged as a two-masted
schooner, with foretopsail and other addenda. As she is
intended to be available in shallow water, she will not, it
is calculated, draw above 12 ft. when her engines, fuel,
water, munitions of war, &c., are all on board ; so that a
long flat floor, and great beam and bearings for a steamer,
were indispensable. Her form and lines are nevertheless
fine and well amalgamated, presenting a pleasing rotun-
dity throughout of hull, with sufficient sharpness of the
extremities,—the principle adopted (and successfully in
former instances by the same builder) being the passing
of the main body of the water under the bottom, in place
of, as in most deeper and sharper vessels, clipping forcibly
round the sides.

The frigate has three decks, and nas no erections on the
upper or gun deck, excepting the paddle-boxes, and a few
rooms attached to them at each end—the whole, which is
flush, and with little perceptible sheer, being left free for
action. Here will be mounted two huge 68-pound guns,
one forward and the other aft, on patent slides, each
working within circles of 23 feet in diameter. Four
32-pounders will also be ranged along the sides. The
top-gallant bulwarks, at the bow and stern (which last is
round), are contrived to hinge down in pieces outwardly,
so that the " long Toms" may be aimed over the lower
bulwarks without obstruction. The second deck (below)
comprises a large mess-room forward for the crew, petty
officers' and engineers' berths, engine-room, cabins abaft
for the emperor and his retinue, principal officers' berths,
gun-room, armoury, surgery, dispensary, &c. The lower,
or orlop deck, contains sail rooms, chain lockers, sleeping
berths, &c. There are three strong water-tight bulk-
heads dividing the vessel into compartments—one close
forward, and one in front of, and:one abaft the engines and
boilers. The principal cabins are fitted up and finished in
splendid French polished mahogany.
The vessel is built of the very choicest materials, with
English oak framing ; solid bottom all dowelled ; Ameri-
can elm planking below, and teak-wood above, of shich
last material are also the ceiling, stringers, and upper
deck. The lower decks are of Dantzig timber She is
copper bolted outwardly throughout, with no treenails ; and
herknees and other strengthenings are of the most approved
principles in wood and metal. She will carry two large
boats on the tops of the paddle-boxes, similar to those in
some of our British wer steamers. She is provided with
Dalton's patent pumps. Her sides are strengthened by
interior iron and wooden trusses, the one fixed diagonally
across the other at an angle of 45°. She bears a figure
head of a cherub, in a graceful attitude, and the stern
will be ornamented in an appropriate and corresponding
manner. Her name has not yet been decided upon.
She will be launched on the 23d of next month. We
can now but add that no expense has been spared by the
royal owner, or pains by the builder and those under him,
to render her complete, and that she is a remarkably
strong and altogether an extraordinary ship.