The _President_ was launched on December 7, 1839, on the Thames by the same builders, Messrs. Curling and Young. She was almost a sister ship to the _British Queen_, as far as appearance and general equipment went, but the engines of the second vessel were slightly more powerful. [Illustration: THE “BRITISH QUEEN.” FROM AN ORIGINAL PAINTING IN THE POSSESSION OF THE AUTHOR.] The following comparative table, showing the dimensions of these vessels, was published in 1840: +-----------------------------------+---------+--------+------------+ | | _Great |_British| | | DIMENSIONS. |Western._|Queen._ |_President._| +-----------------------------------+---------+--------+------------+ |Extreme length (feet) | 236 | 275 | 265 | |Extreme length under deck (feet) | 212 | 245 | 238 | |Extreme length keel (feet) | 205 | 225 | 220 | |Breadth within the paddle-boxes | | | | |(feet) | 35·4 in.| 40 | 41 | |Breadth, including paddle-boxes | | | | |(feet) | 59·8 in.| 64 | 64 | |Depth of hold at midships (feet) | 23·2 in.|27·6 in.| 23·6 in. | |Tons of space | 679¹⁄₂ | 1053 | -- | |Tonnage of engine-room (feet) | 641¹⁄₂ | 963 | -- | |Total tonnage (tons) | 1321 | 2016 | 1840 | |Power of engines (horses) | 450 | 500 | 540 | |Diameter of cylinders (inches) | 73 | 77¹⁄₂ | 80 | |Length of stroke (feet) | 7 | 7 | 7¹⁄₂ | |Diameter of paddle-wheels (feet) | 28·9 in.|30·6 in.| 31 | |Total weight of engines, boilers, | | | | |and water (tons) | 480 | 500 | 500 | |Total weight of coals, twenty days’| | | | |consumption (tons) | 600 | 750 | 750 | |Total weight of cargo (tons) | 250 | 500 | 750 | |Draught of water with the above | | | | |weight of stores (feet) | 16·8 in.|16·7 in.| 17 | +-----------------------------------+---------+--------+------------+