The Omi Maru, Captain Swain, which is now here on' her first visit to this port, is one of the best fitted-out which have ever come to Shanghai, Built some two and a half years a; by Sir W. Armstrong, Mitchell she cons tains all the very latest provements that have boon effected in thy fictingoutofabipsin respect (both the comfu: tot passengorsand the safety and ready navigation of the vessel. The Omi Maru is an ire of 1,512 tons net and 2,460 8 is SUL ft, in length, 27it, Lin. depth of hold, and 37ft, Sin, beam, She was built specially for use in time of neod as an armed isser, being Gtted for this purpose with two pi Those guns are at present Kept on shore in Japan; but they can be shipped immediately in case of niecensity, and the removal of the partitions of a few cabins will enable them to be trained to the gun ports i de of the vessel She lis magazines for powder and shells every requisite for an armed orniser, Hee are compe face condemns 5 cylinders being 42 and 73 inches r with a stroke of 54 inches. These engines are 350 horse-power, and she is capable of steaming 15 knots an hour, Perhaps one of the most noticeable features of the ship la the attention which has hes paid to the matter of safety in case of cull sion, She has five bulkheads, extending up to the level of the upper deck. The dours in these bulkheads wre closed with a simple pivco of mechanism which them perfectly watertight by the of a handle, In addition to thesy bulk. heads she has a double bottom, there being " space of 4 {t. Gin between the false and the true bottom. Before the Omi loft Bugland, we understand, these Dulkheads were thoroughly tested, but they have since widersone a more prac trial in an accident which betel ip in the Inland Sea. During one of ips she struck a ruck there, tearing hole in the forward part of the ship right through the double bottom and came up through the ture hatch on th main deck but the door in the forward bulkhead was at once closed, and thy ship got safely into port.
The Omi is Gtted with John Hw patent steam steering gor, Chadburs telegraph, Macgregor'a anti-vibration burred stearingcompass, Sit William Arimding apparatus, alo electric ma: side lights, and all the latest improvements in the way of machinery. In her ballast tanks wh carry 450 tons of water Her fin Her cabins, and even the forecastle, with the electric light; and is fitted with an electric' bell, the bunks are removeable iron bedsteads of very comfortable pattern, and the fittings of the cubit are in every respect all that could be desired. loon is warmed by steam pipes wy under th and a afoam bouter at the after intern of warming ed all through the ship, include snilote' quarters. The woodwork Mahogany. On the upper deck there is a spacious promenade for passengers, and an exceedingly pretty and comfortable smoking room, This upper deck, or spar-deck, is almost entirely of tron, planked over, while the two lower are completely of iron.
She has very large rolling chocks about, hundred feet long, giving her such steadiness that it isan extremely rare occurrence the "fiddles" on her sal table, has seven boats, Altogether she i well worthy of a visit, though she has had a rather severe clean in the shape of repeated sultrial' to undergo of late in respect to phar fumigations after leaving chulerainf ered posts in Japan. Tt isto be hoped Yokohama line. lat she will be retained on the Shanglai-
The Omi Maru was built for the Union Line, before the amalyemation Miteu Bishi Li
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.