NEW YORK, 1910. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. AMERICAN SHIPPING TO THE CLOSE OF THE WAR OF 1812 1 II. BRITISH SHIPPING AFTER 1815--THE EAST INDIA COMPANY 19 III. THE NORTH ATLANTIC PACKET SHIPS, 1815-1850 38 IV. OPIUM CLIPPERS AND EARLY CLIPPER SHIPS, 1838-1848 57 V. TWO EARLY CLIPPER SHIP COMMANDERS 73 VI. THE REPEAL OF THE BRITISH NAVIGATION LAWS--THE “ORIENTAL” 88 VII. THE RUSH FOR CALIFORNIA--A SAILING DAY 100 VIII. THE CLIPPER SHIP CREWS 119 IX. CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1850 AND THEIR COMMANDERS--MAURY’S WIND AND CURRENT CHARTS 134 X. CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1851 AND THEIR COMMANDERS--A DAY ON BOARD THE “WITCH OF THE WAVE” 151 XI. CALIFORNIA CLIPPER PASSAGES IN 1851 173 XII. AMERICAN COMPETITION WITH GREAT BRITAIN IN THE CHINA TRADE 195 XIII. CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1852--THE “SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS” 211 XIV. CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1853 224 XV. THE “GREAT REPUBLIC” AND THE “DREADNOUGHT” 235 XVI. AMERICAN CLIPPERS OF 1854 AND 1855 248 XVII. AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES, 1851-1854 260 XVIII. AUSTRALIAN CLIPPERS, 1854-1856 273 XIX. LAST YEARS OF THE AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIP ERA--SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA PASSAGES 289 XX. THE GREATNESS AND THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE 308 XXI. THE LATER BRITISH TEA CLIPPERS 318 XXII. THE FATE OF THE OLD CLIPPER SHIPS 340 APPENDICES 349 INDEX 377 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE THE “FLYING CLOUD” _Frontispiece_ EAST INDIAMEN, 1720 24 AN EAST INDIAMAN, 1788 30 THE “MARLBOROUGH” AND “BLENHEIM” 36 THE “ENGLAND” 40 THE “MONTEZUMA” 44 THE “YORKSHIRE” 48 JACOB A. WESTERVELT 104 JACOB BELL 104 WILLIAM H. WEBB 106