And so we come to that famous monstrosity and wonder of her decade the _Great Eastern_, some idea of whose appearance will be obtainable from a model of her, illustrated herewith. Here again will be found a repetition of a curious rig with the half-dozen masts, of which the second and third carried yards and square-sails, and the others the usual fore-and-aft sails set on the gaffs here seen. Although she carried one triangular headsail, yet this was a staysail, and it is significant that in this notable ship we find the disappearance of the bowsprit, a change that is so characteristic of the modern liner. Much more than either the _Great Western_ or the _Great Britain_ this epoch-making monster stands for something altogether distinctive in the evolution of the steamship. Frankly, in spite of her virtues, she was a creature born out of due time. Historically, she exhibits in no uncertain manner the extraordinary and almost incredible speed at which the development of the steamship had progressed in fifty years, during which period designers, ship-builders, and engineers had to feel their way in the most cautious manner. No ship was built with such a length as hers until the White Star _Oceanic_ in 1899; no vessel ever had such a beam until the coming of the _Mauretania_ and _Lusitania_, and even they only exceed the _Great Eastern’s_ extreme width by a mere five feet. But it is half a century since the latter was built, when all the experience that we possess now was not yet obtained. [Illustration: THE “GREAT EASTERN” (1858). _From the Model in the Victoria and Albert Museum._]