while the sea was at times very regular, long, and undulating; just the sort to test the rolling propensities of a ship, but scarcely long enough to be most effective in doing so, either in the case of the _Devastation_ or _Agincourt_. The largest waves ranged from 400 to 650 feet long, and from 20 to 26 feet high. The ships were tried in almost every position with regard to the direction of the sea, and at various speeds, the result in point of comparison being extremely interesting, and, so far as the _Devastation_ was concerned, very satisfactory. With the sea dead ahead, and proceeding at about seven knots, the _Devastation_ pitched rather more than the _Agincourt_, although the great length of the latter compared with that of the former caused her bow to rise and fall through a much greater height, giving her the appearance of pitching through a greater angle. The usual angles pitched through by the _Devastation_, measuring the whole arc from out to out, were from 5 degrees to 8 degrees; the maximum angle pitched through was, however, 11¾ degrees. The scene from the fore end of the frying deck when the vessel was thus going head to sea was very imposing. There was repeatedly a rush of water over the forecastle, the various fittings, riding-bitts, capstan, anchors, etc., churning it up into a beautiful cataract of foam; while occasionally a wall of water would appear to rise up in front of the vessel and, dashing on board in the most threatening style, as though it would carry all before it, rushed aft against the fore turret with great violence, and, after throwing a cloud of heavy spray off the turret into the air, dividing into two, pass overboard on either side. All the hatchways leading below from the upper deck were closed; it was not, however, thought necessary to close the doors in the sides of the trunks leading from the main hatchways to the flying deck, most of the men on deck preferring to remain here under the overhang of the flying deck. It was quite the exception for the water coming over the bow to get much abaft the fore turret; but this, however, occurred occasionally. The foremost turret makes a most perfect breakwater; it receives with impunity the force of the water, which, after spending itself against it, glances off overboard, leaving two-thirds of the deck seldom wetted. There was one sea which came on board, while thus proceeding head to sea, which was much heavier than any other; it rose in front of the vessel some 10 or 12 feet above the forecastle, and broke on the deck with great force, for the moment completely swamping the fore end of the vessel. A mass of broken water swept up over the top of the fore turret, and heavy volumes of spray extended the whole length of the flying deck, some small portion of it even finding its way down the funnel-hatchway--which had been left uncovered--into the fore stokehole. It should be borne in mind that the angles pitched