From these satisfactory results made by the six-tonner _Francis Smith_, sufficient interest was aroused to form a syndicate to test the proposition commercially, and to purchase Smith’s patents. The result was that the _Archimedes_, of 240 tons, was launched from Limehouse in November, 1838, and fitted with Smith’s screw. It must be recollected that the same old obstinacy was still very much alive that had hindered other inventions connected with the ship, and it was not until the _Archimedes_ had toured round Great Britain, and steamed across the Bay of Biscay and back without mishap, that people began to believe in this new method of propulsion. To-day everyone knows how entirely dominated by the screw the steamship now is, and that the paddle-wheel belongs almost exclusively to the excursion passenger steamer. Of course, Smith’s propeller was very different in expression from the shape in use to-day, but the last word as to the ideal shape and size of the screw has even yet to be said. It would be interesting to detail all the attempts which have been made by different inventors to deal with the screw, but their name is legion, and our space will not permit. An idea, however, can be obtained of the various forms of screw propellers patented in England before 1850 from the plate facing page 118, to which we have already called attention. The lower illustration facing page 120, which is taken from a contemporary aquatint, shows the _Archimedes_ on her voyage from London to Portsmouth in the year 1839, when she attained a speed of eight knots against both wind and tide. Facing page 122 is reproduced a model of her stern framing before being planked up. As a further test of this screw idea Wimshurst, who had built the _Archimedes_, launched the _Novelty_ in 1839, a much larger vessel than her predecessor. The _Novelty_ will be seen in the next illustration, and in her we see the “screw” vanishing and becoming more assimilated to the modern propeller. Originally the corkscrew shape entitled it to be called a screw; but the evolution of time and experience has now considerably altered this. It will be noticed that in the _Archimedes_ the screw is a little distance away from the stern-post, but as seen in the _Novelty_ the propeller is put right close up against it. This _Novelty_ was the first cargo steamer fitted with a screw, and made her inaugural trading voyage from London to Constantinople and back with entire success. She is interesting also as having been the first ship to be fitted with an iron mast. This material was employed for the mizen, the other masts were of wood; her rig was that of a barque. For some years after the introduction of the screw, and so long as sails were still retained as auxiliaries, there had to be some means of overcoming the resistance of the screw when not in use and the ship was proceeding under sail power. This was done either by fixing the blades