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On the fifth day, October 13, 1893, there was a great change; the weather became overcast and the wind S.E., blowing moderately when they started from Sandy Hook. "Valkyrie " passed the line at 12 hours 27 minutes, off Long Island she was on "Vigilant's" weather, going well and standing well up to her canvas, both yachts starting with jibheaders, Valkyrie " leading at the mark, after rounding, "down spinnaker booms" for the run home, "Valkyrie" setting her very biggest balloon jib topsail, to which "Vigilant " responded with that excellent and favourite sail in America, a balloon bowsprit spinnaker. The run home was most exciting, and on board the "Vigilant some fine canvas handling was shown; for instance, they began by shaking out the reef in the mainsail, which was splendidly done. Finding she would stand being sailed a little harder, they sent up their jack-yarder over the jib-headed gaff-topsail as shewn in the sketch-in America they generally have double topsail halyards. This extra canvas enabled them to run through "Valkyrie's" lee and to win a race splendidly sailed by both yachts.

We mentioned that "Valkyrie" was unfortunate: when the "Vigilant's" jack-yarder went up the " Valkyrie's" spinnaker burst. It was very smartly handled, and another set, but only to share the same fate, and to be replaced by a large jib topsail, which was not enough. In another eight minutes the race was over, the wind increasing at the finish.

"Vigilant" gaining before the wind and "Valkyrie " on the wind-the latter considered the higher quality of the two.

Commodore Stevens with his little 51-footer schooner “Gimcrack,” was the founder of the New York Yacht Club in July, 1844, and on a motion "it was resolved that the club do make a cruise to Newport, Rhode Island, under the command of the Commodore."

The American general rig has been schooners for yachts-and fine craft they were; but the evolution of yachting has displaced them for the facility of locomotion afforded by steam. The same has occurred in this country, where the noble schooners like "Xarifa" and "Kestrel " have been replaced by steam yachts of larger tonnage, some of the later of them, such as "Eros" and " 5 Giralda, being almost like mail-steamers-de-luxe, whilst the steam yachts on the other side run to much larger tonnage, Mr. Howard Gould's steam yacht “Niagara” being 1,900 tons, and Mr. Vanderbilt's steam yacht "Valiant " 2,300 tons.

Although the English cutters have been taken up in America for racing, still the schooner rig for large yachts, and cat boats for small ones have been their natural features.

COASTING SCHOONERS.·

BEFORE describing the very interesting and curious river barge, we must say a few words about the American Mercantile Marine, which was so ably represented by a large class, generally known as Baltimore clippers, with flaring bows and any amount of extra sticks and twigs in the form of "sliding gunters." They had a great day until the evil time when they had to succumb to steam.

Down south for coasting purposes schooners were used of all dimensions. The general idea of a schooner is that of a vessel with two masts, carrying square sails on the fore, and a gaff topsail and mainsail on the main. In America, fore and afters are the usually adopted rig; owners do not, however, confine themselves to two-masted schooners, or even as we do. They tried and adopted four-masters, and some five-masters, the "Governor Ames" for instance. The reason for this is the great saving in the number of hands required to work the vessel, because all sheets work on horses across the deck; and when the schooner goes about, over they go, without any helping hand from the crew. A very bold, fine four-masted schooner was built in 1896 at Port Glasgow, to go out to Honolulu in the Sandwich Islands, intended for the timber trade. In a vessel of this kind the economy of labour is surprising with the sheets of the fore and aft canvas. Two or three men tend the sheets; these, with a man at the wheel, suffice to carry out all the duties of a watch, whilst the heavy work, such as at the start, getting the anchor, and setting the canvas, is done by the auxiliary power of a steam winch.

Some of the small schooners down to Bahamas and Nassau are very pretty craft indeed, and when the fleet of sponge schooners start off to their happy hunting grounds at Eleuthera it is a delightful sight. At Nassau, the English Bishop went round his diocese in a hundred-ton schooner, which looked a most inviting conveyance. He described to me some of his flock at Bemini, who were considered wreckers, as quite delightful to go amongst.