'The Ravenna, which is bringing the next English mail,' was Inunched on 12th March, from' the shipbuilding-yard of Messrs. William Denny and Brothers at Dumbarton. The ceremony of naming the
Jamieson, daughter of Captain Jamieson, versal Raronna, was performed by Miss Superintendent of steamer building for the Peninsular and Oriental Company. The principal dimensions and particulars of this vessel are as follows:—Length between perpendiculars, 380 feet; breadth moulded, 40 fect; depth moulded to upper deck, 28 feet; full poop, bridge, and topgallant forecastle, straight stem, and_ elliptical stern; gross tonnage about 3,300. The Ravenna is classed 100 Al under special Po* survey, and is entirely built of steel manufactured by the Steel Company of before used. In many' respects Scotland, and submitted to Lloyd's tests
she is much in excess of the requirements to the highest grade at Lloyd's. She is constructed on the continuous. cellular double-bottom system, 3 feet 6 inches deep, and capable of containing 485 tons of water ballast. First-class accommodation is provided for 81 passengers; on the upper deck aft, are state-rooms ranged along each side of the vessel for a length of 120 feet, the dining tables being run from end to end in the centre, allowing all the passengers to dine at once. The state-rooms are unusually large, and all the berths are 28 inches 'The long poop deck affords an excellent promenade of 260 feet in length, the whole width of the vessel. On the main deck, the magazine, lazaretto, ice-house, cooling, bullion, baggage, and' mail rooms isposed in convenient positions; and accommodation is provided for 30 second-class passengers, as also servants', pursers', stores, and wine rooms, sail-room and boatewain's stores, &e. The Ravenna is rigged as a three-masted schooner, all the masts are of iron, and the shrouds so arranged that the yards can be swung round square. The standing rigging is of charcoal wire, set up on dead-eyes. All running gear is of Manila hemp. Lightning conductors are fitted to all the masts. The machinery was supplied by Messrs. Denny and Ca., and is constructed on the compound? inverted surface-condensing type, of 3,500 horse power; high pressure cylinder, 54 inches diameter; low pressure, ditto, 94 inches diameter; length of stroke, 60 inches; working pressure, 75 lbs. The starting gear used is Brown's patent. Steam is generated in six iron oval boilers, with 18 furnaces; donkey boiler for supplying steam to winches, &c., and donkey e1 for pumping water-ballast tanks.—China Mail.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.