The Royal Netherlands Steamship Company, being in want of a fast steamer for the conveyance of the mails between Queenborough and Flushing, bought the _Snaefell_ and afterwards chartered the second _Snaefell_ built in 1876, of rather larger dimensions, and with a gross tonnage of 849, and engines of 540 nominal horse-power and 1700 indicated, capable of driving her at an average speed of 15 knots. In 1871 the second _King Orry_ was built. She was 290 feet in length by 29 feet beam, with a depth of 14 feet 7 inches, and of 1104 gross tonnage, and was much the largest steamer the company had possessed up to this time. Her engines were of 622 nominal horse-power, and 4000 indicated, and her speed was 17 knots. Her original length was 260 feet, and another 30 feet were added in 1888. The second _Ben-my-Chree_ was built to the order of the company in 1875, and was 310 feet in length, 1192 gross tonnage, and with a speed of 14 knots. She was the only passenger vessel for some time in the British Isles to be fitted with four funnels, two of which were carried before and two abaft the paddle-boxes. From this peculiarity of her construction she was known to her patrons and to the west of England shipping people as the floating coach-and-four. What advantage was gained by the four funnels is not known, for they held a lot of wind. The second _Mona_, a much smaller vessel, followed in 1878 and was the first of the company’s fleet to be fitted with a screw. Three years later the _Fenella_, which in its general dimensions was almost a sister ship to the second _Mona_, was built and was the first to be fitted with twin screws. She was so successful that the conversion of the _Mona’s Isle_ into a twin-screw boat followed. The company returned to paddle-wheels for their next vessel, the third _Mona’s Isle_, which was the first to be built of steel, of which material all the company’s subsequent boats have been constructed. The _Mona’s Isle_ was 330 feet 7 inches between perpendiculars, 38 feet 1 inch beam, 15 feet 1 inch depth of hold, and of 1564 gross tonnage. Her engines were of 1983 nominal horse-power, and 4500 indicated, and her speed was 17¹⁄₂ knots. Two years later the little _Peveril_ was launched, also bearing a name of historical association in the island. She was the company’s first steel twin-screw boat, and was lost in September 1899, not far from where the _Ellan Vannin_ went down. The second _Mona’s Queen_, only slightly smaller than the second _Mona’s Isle_, followed in 1885, and in 1888 the sister vessels _Prince of Wales_ and _Queen Victoria_ were added to the fleet. [Illustration: THE “MONA’S ISLE” (II.). BUILT 1860 AS A PADDLE STEAMER.]