The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-10


We again commend the proja of Mr Niles to the
attention of our readers, and Of our progressive
members Of Congress. Let young America riss to
her high destiny. Lot her rise!
| SHIPS NAMES THE POETRY OF COMMERCE..
Notwithstanding the rivalry of steam our merchant
navy has made prodgous strides to wards perfection
during the last few years The clipper ships of the
present day bear resemblance to the heavy Dutch
like craft Of our ancestors. They sail against
steamer, and carry cargo which would stagger an
old fashioned skipper. On the waters, they combine
grace with majesty; the "swan," the clark" tho
'white wings fyiDg,' are but feeble images of the
noble clipper, as
Upon the gale she stoops her side
And bounds full or the swelling tide,
| As che were dancing home;
The merry seamsn laugh to see
their gallant ship Justify
Furrow the green sea foam.
| The author Of the Corsair, who never dreamt
of the Oriental or the Flying Cloud, must
have drawn largely on his imagination when he
said the pirate vessel walked the waters like
thing Of life," unless indeed, We suppose that in
imaginary in real life. there are many and wide
degrees Of beauty. The "gallant BARK Of the days
Of Byron lives only in song-hull, masts, cordage.
cabin, hold, keel, even the names have been chang
ed Occasionally, indeed, will the dull line Of the
horizon at sea be broken by heavy looking craft,
whose ungraceful build, lubberly masts, and diugy
sails, bstray the collier, and notify you to give the
marine coal HEAVIER q wide berth. Spain, too, and
Holland and one or two other foreign countries,
seem loath to make Bethels or frewood Of their
old fashioned Santa Trinidads, and Vrow Margare-
thas, but the great commercial nations Of the world
have discarded them long since.
| n aulnei1a fha ;unpro 80 -; h.r
made in modern vessels, both with view to speed,
and to capacity for carrying cargoes, would be
quite superuous to few who take sufficient interest
in the subject to read such article are the facts
unfamiliar. But no one, that we know, has drawa
attention to the improved taste which is manifested
by ship builders and owners in the selection of
names. In days of yore, We used to have an Ajax.
Castor, ard Pollux, matter of course, all of
them, if the fairy tales Of an,ient poets we're
to be believed, men of might, who could throw
stones which several tried in vain to move and
box a whole army of barbarians, but bearing. We
imagine, as little analogy to snip as to q tea ket
tie. Though ship, according to LindleJ Murray,
be Of the feminine gender, these classical sponsors
drew fine distinctions Of sex between their vessels
A bluff seven or eight hundred ton East Indiaman
was baptized Hebe, and slim, tidy little revenue
craft, was duly chrstened Jupiter or Hercules. We
muses., with square stems, and fabulous breadth of
beam, we're constantly returning to port water
logged; and many Diana, crammed to OVERT swing
with hides and tallow, rolled clum,ly on her course
frat lifting side then the other, out Of water rs
though legion Of Acseons might look on if they
wished. Another class Of sponsors were less fee
and easy with antiquity, and affected to despise
classical illusions. Their crack vessels were yslep
Boxer, and Striker, and Grower, and Snarler-ths
images represented by these various names being
naturally calculated to endear the ship to all who
knew them, in an age when, we must presume, box
ing, and snarlrg and striking, and growing, we're
undeniable prssfs of an amiable disposition.
higher grade Of the same class tempered with ale
CORY; nothing pleased them but the Victory, or tho
Independence, or the Invincible, or the Csnqueror
This was harmless enough; the pompous titles
sounded admirably in the mouth, and if the Victory
was horribly beaten at her first BATTLE if the Irwin
chile was towed prisoner into foreign ports, and
tho Independence became tender for an enemy's
frgate, why, it was never imagined that mere
name could be talisman. Again, a third and
more modern order of godfathers, fred with noble
ambition to imnortalize themselves and elevate
their ships to the dignity Of human beings bestowed
their own names their navy. First, fond papa
christened stupid looking schooner, sadly in want
Of fresh suit Of sails and paint, Lucy, in honor Of
his daughter, timid, gentle blonde, who had just
come out then an uxorious husband deter
that his ship and his wife, being the two things
dearest to his heart, should be namesakes; and so
op, till fleets Of james, and Polys, and Mariannes
and Eizabeths, roamed the ocean in a forlorn
state of celibacy. So long as the custom WAS a
mere compliment to the fair sex, no one,
perhaps would have been i'll nsturad enough to con
denim it, although, if you happened to have wife
Of the name, it was certainly unpleasant to hear q
bluff bostswain shout:-"Avsst there, Jack! plug
that ere leak in Nancys keeln'-I'm blest, if old
Marianne amt again in s.ays''-"What o stunning
waist the Louisa has-my eyep' SC , Sc. But
when galiautry was forgotten, and shipbuders
only locked to personal fame, the abuse became
monstrous. We had 10 chronicle the safe arrival Of
the Zebediah S Snggins, direct from London; Of
the Napoleon Q. Shocks, from Barbados; of the
John Smith, from Liverpool; and Of the Peter s.
Higgins, from Jamaica. We are not aware how
this 81 stem Of nomenclature was found to answer
at sea, and whether it was extremely convenient to
shout through speaking trumpet, "Jehoshaphat
p sc,oggins, ahoyr' Captains were perhaps, al
lowed to sbbrevate, and the builder or owner got
the benefit Of the advertisement
At the present day, two styles Of names appear in
fashion-names Of places, countries, seas, cities
such as the Baltic, the Arabia, the Empire City,
the Illinois which mean nothiug, and only serve to
distinguish one vessel from ano.her-and names
borrow ed fro a nature, which bear come Egura:ive
analogy to the vessel. These We admire above all
others. What can be prettier, more appropriate,
than the Wings Of the Morning, or the White
Squall, or the Whirlwind, or the Sea Serpent, or
the Shooting STAR You would be sorry to hear,
We are sure, that the Witch Of the Wave had been
buried beneath its crest; that the Messenger Bird
had never reached its home; that the Flying Cloud
had vanished-quite independently Of the feelings
which bid you sympathise with any vessel laden
with human beings Truly, indeed, has that glori
GUS bark, with bending mast and shining sail, been
christened the Gem of the Ocean-never pearl was