s spent 'mid the soothing
varieties of mineral trumpets and bells, and animal hoofs and tongues,
till from sheer exhaustion, about five A.M., I dropped off into a
snooze, which an early start rendered it necessary to cut short soon
after seven.

Mem.--What a nice thing it is to put up at an hotel quite handy to a
railway station.

Reader, you are doubtless aware that Rochester is on Lake Ontario, and a
considerable distance from New York; but I must nevertheless beg you to
transport yourself to the latter place, without going through the
humdrum travelling routine of--stopped here, stopped there, ate here,
ate there, which constituted the main features of my hasty journey
thither, undertaken for the purpose of seeing my brother off, on his
return to Europe, which duty bringing me within the yachting waters of
New York, I think this a legitimate place for a chapter on the "Black
Maria."

CHAPTER VII.

_Construction and Destruction_.

The "Black Maria" is a vessel so unique in every respect, that the most
detailed description of her cannot but be most interesting to all
yachting men; and, so far from apologizing for the length of my
observations, I would rather crave indulgence for the scanty information
which this chapter will afford; but as it must prove pre-eminently dull
to those who are ignorant of such matters, I would entreat them to pass
it over, lest, getting through the first page, their ideas become
bewildered, and, voting me a bore, they throw down the book, subjoining
a malediction upon my poor innocent head.

The following notes were furnished me by Commodore Stevens and his
brother, who were the designers and builders of this extraordinary
yacht, and I therefore can vouch for their accuracy.

In case the term "centre-board" should be unknown to my reader, it may
be as well to explain that it means a board passing longitudinally
through the keel, above which a strong water-tight case is fixed for its
reception; it is raised and lowered by hand or by machinery, according
to its weight. The advantages proposed by the centre-board are--the
stability it gives to the vessel on a wind when let down; the resistance
it removes if, when running before the wind, it be raised; the small
draught of water which the vessel requires, thereby enabling her to keep
close in-shore out of the influence of strong tides, &c.; and, lastly,
the facility for getting afloat again, by merely raising the
centre-board,