In one respect these old tea clippers were curiously medieval, though the practice continued also in the ships of the Royal Navy till well on into the nineteenth century. This was in the matter of loose ballast. These tea clippers carried about 300 tons of shingle ballast laid evenly along the bottom of the ship, and upon this shingle were laid the chests of tea, and considerable dunnage was put in as well. These ships had a registered tonnage of about 700 tons, and could carry about 1000 tons of tea. They were worked by a crew of about thirty; they were captained by skippers of the utmost ability and prudence, who, unlike the East Indiaman captains, did not worry about snugging down at nightfall, but first and foremost were bent on getting the cargo to the London river in the least possible time. They “cracked on” and undertook risks in gales of wind which would have terrified many another commander. But it was to their interests to make smart passages. Some of them were part-owners, and there was a premium of ten shillings a ton to the skipper who landed the first cargo of a season’s tea. Thus, in addition to his other emoluments, there was a chance of making an extra £500 after a quick voyage. Many of the crews had served their time in sailing ships of the Royal Navy, so a captain could rely on getting the best out of his fine ship. Some of these skippers retired with large fortunes; but the premium system led to a great deal of jealousy and unpleasantness. For it might happen--it did, in fact, occur--that one ship might make the fastest sailing passage to Dungeness and yet get her package of tea ashore some time after the second vessel, simply because the latter had been fortunate in picking up a more powerful tug to tow her from Dungeness to London. So, eventually, this premium method had to be abandoned. When we remember that such vessels as the _Taeping_ and other clippers have been known to maintain for long periods an average of 13 knots an hour, we may well regret that the coming of the steamship was not delayed a century later, to give these ships a complete epoch of their own. Perhaps in the course of events time will wreak its revenge, and give us back once more a period of true seamanship and a recurrence of the most interesting ways of a ship. [Illustration: MODEL OF FULL-RIGGED SHIP “CARMARTHENSHIRE.” Built of wood, with iron beams, in the year 1865. The double topsail yards and stuns’l booms are discernible. She was of 812 tons register; length, 174·6 ft.; beam, 32·7 ft.; depth, 20·5 ft.] GLOSSARY BITTACLE (Binnacle). See pp. 214 and 253. BITTS. Posts on a deck to which cables, etc., could be fastened. BOLT-ROPES. Ropes round the edge of a sail to prevent tearing. BONNETS. See p. 158. BOXHAULING. See p. 252.