il_, _Silence_, and many others, the names of which might be
mentioned if they could be recalled. The _Susie S._ and _Brown_ are now
known as the _Albertina_ and _Lady Emma_.

Quite a different-looking craft is that shown in the second picture on
the same page. It is a catamaran--a style of boat that has only been
known in New York waters during the past four years, and which is still
so rare as to excite much curiosity. A catamaran consists of two long,
narrow, canoe-like hulls, connected by strong wooden cross pieces, which
are fastened at the ends with ball-and-socket joints, so that each hull
moves up and down with the motion of the waves, independent of the
other. These hulls are air-tight as well as water-tight, and so buoyant
that they draw but a few inches of water. Upon the cross pieces
connecting them is built a light platform, surrounded by a wash-board.
This is deck and below-decks all in one, as it affords the only
accommodation for the crew that a catamaran can furnish: so you see that
it is not a very comfortable cruising boat either, though, to be sure, a
small tent might be carried, and raised over the deck when the boat came
to anchor for the night.

The speed attained by catamarans, with the wind free, is marvellous, and
with a good breeze many of them can beat the fastest steamers. A
catamaran has such a breadth of beam, on account of the distance between
the hulls, that it is almost impossible for it to capsize as ordinary
boats do, but it sometimes--though very rarely--turns a somersault, or
"pitch poles"; that is, buries its bows in the water, and upsets
head-foremost. This happened once to the first catamaran that was sailed
in New York Bay. She was sailing at a tremendous pace right before the
wind, when suddenly she buried her nose deep in the water, and turned
over so completely that her mast stuck deep in the mud at the bottom of
the bay, which was there very shallow. Her astonished crew, who had
never heard of such a performance, were thrown into the water far beyond
her.

The catamaran of New York Bay is merely a modified form of the famous
flying proa of the South-sea Islanders, who build the fastest sailing
craft in the world. The hull of the flying proa looks like half a
sail-boat that has been split in two, and had one side rebuilt straight
up and down. This straight side is always kept to leeward. From the
other side project stout bamboo poles, to the outer ends of which is
fastened