The first of the Aberdeen White Star fleet to make a reputation for speed was the celebrated _Phoenician_, under the command of one of the best known passage makers of the day, Captain Sproat. Her dimensions were:— Length of cut keel 122 feet. Rake of stem 25 „ Rake of sternpost 7 „ Extreme breadth 27 feet 5 inches. Depth of hold 19 „ 1 „ Registered tonnage (old) 526 tons. „ „ (new) 478 „ Deadweight capacity 780 „ Her first three voyages were considered extraordinarily good for those days. 1849-50 London to Sydney 90 days—Sydney to London 88 days. 1850-51 London to Sydney 96 days—Sydney to London 103 days. 1851-52 London to Sydney 90 days—Sydney to London 83 days. The _John Bunyan_ in 1850 made the run home from Shanghai in 99 days, which, even though she had a favourable monsoon, was a very fine performance. The _Walter Hood_ on her maiden voyage under the command of Captain Sproat made the passage out to Australia in 80 days, and the account given in the papers remarks:—“Her sailing qualities may be judged from the fact of her having run during four several days 320 miles each 24 hours.” The _Maid of Judah_ had the honour of taking out the Royal Mint to Sydney in 1853. Her dimensions are interesting to compare with those of the _Phoenician_, so I give them:— Length of keel 160 feet. Length over all 190 „ Beam 31 „ Depth of hold 19 „ The _Queen of Nations_, under Captain Donald, went from Plymouth to Melbourne in 87 and 84 days; but the fastest of these earlier clippers was the well-known _Star of Peace_, which made four consecutive passages to Sydney of 77, 77, 79, and 79 days under the redoubtable Captain Sproat. I remember seeing a picture of this fine clipper, representing her off the Eddystone when homeward bound. She was a very rakish looking craft with long overhangs and carried a heavy press of sail, which included double topsails, skysails, main and mizen sky staysails and also three-cornered moonsails stretching to the truck of each mast. The _Ethiopian_, on her first voyage to Melbourne, went out in 68 days under Captain William Edward. She sailed her last voyage under the British flag in 1886. She was then rigged as a barque, and on her passage home from Sydney had a remarkable race with the iron _Orontes_, belonging to the same owners. The two vessels cast off their tugs together outside Sydney Heads, sighted each other off the Horn, were becalmed together in the doldrums, spoke the same ship off the Western Isles; and when the chops of the Channel were reached, the _Ethiopian_ was hove to taking soundings in a fog, when the _Orontes_ came up under her stern within hailing distance. Finally the _Ethiopian_ got into the East India Docks one tide ahead of the _Orontes_, thus winning the race and a considerable sum in wagers.