The second to arrive was the _Surprise_. A merchant of San Francisco wagered heavily on her beating the passage of the _Sea Witch_--97 days--of the year before, and as the time limit grew near he began to feel rather nervous. On the morning of her ninety-sixth day out, March 19th, he thought if the _Surprise_ was going to win his money for him it was about time for her to do it, so he mounted his horse and rode over to the North Beach to get a glimpse of her if she was in sight. He found the weather thick outside and so returned, but he had not reached his counting-room before the _Surprise_ had passed the Golden Gate. And by noon, Captain Dumaresq was with his friends on shore, 96 days from New York. The _Surprise_ had sailed 16,308 miles since leaving Sandy Hook, and had reefed topsails but twice. It should not, however, be supposed that she had not had plenty of wind, for it was usually blowing hard when Captain Dumaresq began to think of taking in his topgallantsails, to say nothing of reefing topsails. A list of her cargo on this voyage filled a manifest twenty-five feet long, and her freight amounted to the sum of $78,000. The _Sea Serpent_ arrived on May 17th, after putting into Valparaiso for repairs, as she had lost spars and sails off Cape Horn. She had made the passage in 115 days, deducting her delay at Valparaiso. This was the first of a series of disasters which befell the clippers that year, and which proved pretty clearly that their power of carrying canvas had been underestimated. It became quite evident that these ships could stand stouter spars and rigging, and indeed required them. The _Eclipse_, Captain Hamilton, also went into Valparaiso with the loss of some of her spars and sails, and allowing for her loss of time in port, made the passage from New York to San Francisco in 112 days, arriving May 20th, with the remarkable run of 63 days from New York to Valparaiso to her credit. Captain Hamilton was not only an accomplished mariner, but a most delightful companion, and he had many friends in San Francisco, some of whom gave a dinner at the Niantic Hotel in honor of his arrival on this occasion. When the proper moment came, one of the party proposed the health of Captain Hamilton, and this is the way he did it: “Gentlemen! I give you the shipper-clips--the clippy--sh--the, gentlemen, I give you the--the slipper.” Here he paused, steadied himself by the table edge, bowed with great dignity, and began again very slowly: “Gentlemen!--I--give--you--the--ship--_E_--_clipse_, and her gallant cap’n Hamilton,” and then with an at-peace-with-all-the-world grin, this disciple of Silenus subsided.