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August, 1909 a verandah at the after end, the lat- ter serving as a semi-enclosed smoking room, cool and comfortable in every way. Both these apartments have large opening teakwood windows, both port: and starboard, and wickerwork furniture. In the lounge a piano and bookcase are provided, and on this deck, as also the boat deck above, the first saloon passengers have splendid promenading spaces. The second saloon accommodation on the main deck, with the dining saloon at the after end, is also of a superior character, and the promenading space for this class, as also for the deck passengers, will likewise be found am- ple. The Berbice has electric light through- out, and is also provided with refriger- ating plant and insulated chambers. The advent of this vessel into the service emphasizes the wide extent and 'TAE Marine REvIEw importance of the ramifications of this long-established and historic company. As is well known, the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. is the oldest trans- Atlantic steamship company in exist- ence, having been established by royal charter in 1839. Throughout the 70 years of its career it has maintained and extended its imperial connection. Established for the conveyance of mails from England to the West In- dies, and later on to South America, it has been represented on these im- portant trade routes by the most mag- nificent steamers of their day, and the vessels put on the route during the last few years are truly floating pal- aces. The company's passenger routes now include not only the West Indies and South America, and other Amer- ican ports, but the Mediterranean, Egypt, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the globe. How Britain Encourages Her Mail Shipping HE Orient Steam Navigation Co. is" just now adding to their fleet five new vessels con- structed to comply with the conditions of the new mail contract between the commonwealth of Aus- tralia and the Orient company, which is to come into force on Feb. 1 next. It is interesting to note in this con- nection that the Orient company became mail carriers to the far-off British col- onies over a quarter of a century ago, and for the earlier contract received $425,000. This sum was increased in a later contract to $600,000, and the amount which the imperial government is to pay for the contract which be- gins next year is $850,000 per annum, but this latter contract has necessitated the building of five new steamers, each with a gross tonnage of 12,036, or an aggregate of over 60,000 tons, each ship being a great advance on the older mail carriers, notably in_ size, speed, auxiliary aids and appliances. Of the five new vessels, the order for which was placed in April, 1908, three are practically alike, except in details and in the design of the engines. The first to be completed is the Orsova, which was built by Messrs. John Brown & Co. Ltd. of Sheffield and Clydebank, completed her trials in May, and sailed on her first voyage on June 25. The Second, the Otway, has been built by the Fairfield Ship Building & Engineer- ing Co., of Glasgow, and will leave on her first voyage on July 9. The Os- terley is being completed by the London a & Glasgow Engineering and Ship Build- ing Co. The other two ships, the Ot- ranto and Orvieto, which differ vcon- siderably, not only in deck arrange- ments but also in their machinery, are being constructed by Messrs. Work- man Clark Co., of "Belfast. These ves- sels will likewise be completed well in advance of the date for the com- mencement of the new service, namely Feb: 1. next. Our illustrations are of the Orsova, the first of the five to complete her trials, and her leading particulars are: Length over all, 553 ft.; length be- tween perpendiculars, 535 ft.; extreme breadth, 63 ft. 3 in.; depth from shelter deck, 46 ft.; depth from. top of chart house, 80 ft. 9 in.; gross tonnage, 12,- 036 tons; main service displacement, 15,100 tons; main service draught, 24 ft. 3 in.; power on trial on service draught, 11,900 indicated horsepower; speed on trial on service draught, 18.1 knots; num- ber of passenger decks, 5; number of first-class passengers, 268; number of second-class passengers, 120; number of third-class passengers, 388; number of officers, engineers and crew, 292; total cargo capacity, 254,000 cu. ft.; estimated d. w. capacity, 5,000 tons. There are ten watertight bulkheads with cellular double bottoms from the fore peak to the after peak. The space between the double bottom is divided to provide for 1,000 tons of ballast, 500 tons of fresh water for ship's use, and 300 tons of fresh water for boiler-feed reserve. The scantlings 247 conform with Lloyds highest class. The plating is for the most part treble rivet- ed, and the stem is straight, while the stern framing is of the spectacle type. The bilge-keels extend for about 230 ft. of the vessel's length, which ought to make the ship easy in a seaway. One of the main difficulties in the eastern trade is the great range of temperature through which the ships have to pass on practically every voy- age, often from freezing point to - 100 deg. Fahr. The ventilation problem is consequently of the first importance, and the Orient company, after long experience, have preferred the plenum system, as the atmospheric air, without treatment for heating or cooling af- fords the most suitable percentage of moisture for the different climates, The alleyways are all fitted with grille doors, while in calm seas the heavy sidedoors on the openings on the ship's side forming the entrance to the com- panionway on the different levels carr be opened, leaving only the grille doors to pass a current of air. There is thus, 'when the ship is going ahead, a free circulation throughout the alleyways and cabins. The upper panelling of the cabins has been fitted with open grat- ings at the top to further assist ventil- ation, and the cargo and other hatches are utilized to the same end, glazed doors being provided where these pierce the passenger quarters. The feature of the cargo accommodation, however, is the insulated holds, and the arrange- ment for keeping them at the freezing temperature, the large insulated holds having a combined capacity of about 90,000 cu. ft., two of Haslam's com- pound dry-air refrigerating machines being provided, each entirely self-con- tained. The aim in the small holds as well as the large is to minimize the range of temperature, and it has been found that the introduction of the ex- haust fan enables the range to be -confined within narrow limits. " The propelling machinery was de- signed to give a speed of 17% knots with a mean service displacement of 15,100 tons, and to run for 24 hours at not less than 1634 knots with a coal consumption not exceeding 1.4 Ib. per indicated horsepower per hour, These guarantees have been more than fulfilled. With less than % in. of air pressure of forced draught--which is on the Howden system--a speed of 18.1 knots was attained in the concluding runs of the series of progressive speed trials on the measured mile, the horse- power being 11,900, and this speed was maintained according to contract for ten hours on the following day. On the coal consumption trials which were