The Clipper Ship Lightning.

In another column we publish an abstract of the ship's log from Boston to Liverpool. A gentleman who was on board her, writes to us as follows:-- "We passed Boston Light at 3 P.M., 18th ult. (or 19th, sea coount), and passed the Bell Buoy on the 4th inst. (5th, sea acount), at 3½ P.M., which deducting difference of time, say 4½ hours, makes our passage 13 days, 19½ hours. From anchor to anchor we were good 14 days. As Capt. Forbes was rather in a hurry in making his abstract, I send you this true account, agreeably to your request, to prevent cavilling. Without calling names, you may rely upon it, that it is the shortest passage ever made from the United States under canvas. The ship is daily crowded with visitors, and is thought very much of; but nobody seems to comprehend the outline or design of her model, they are so different from anything ever seen here.

The Clipper Ship Lightning.-- The following, which we copy from the Liverpool Albion, will be interesting to our readers. We have taken the liberty to correct the figures in the introduction to correspond with the facts:

The magnificent new American clipper ship Lightning, Captain James Nicol Forbes, arrived in the river on Saturday evening from Boston, whence she sailed on the 18th ultimo, making the run in 14 days, the shortest passage ever made across the Atlantic by a sailing ship. Her run from Boston Light to Eagle Island (coast of Ireland) occupied only 10 days, and to the Calf of Man only 11 days, a rate of sailing altogether unprecedented.

The following is an abstract of the log of the Lightning. We have ourselves measured the distances run on the track chart, and find them to be correct:

Feb. 19.-- Wind W.S.W., moderate, all plain set. Distance run, 200 miles.
20.-- Wind N.N.E. and N.E., strong breezes and snow storm; lat. 43 5, lon. 59 25. Distance run, 328 miles.
21.-- Wind E.S.E., with snow storms; lat. 41 30, lon. 57. Distance run, 145 miles.
22.-- Wind E.S.E., a gale, with high cross sea and rain; lat. 42 5, lon. 54 45. Distance run, 114 miles.
23.-- Wind. N., strong gales, and E.S.E., moderate; lat. 42 45, lon. 52 44. Distance run, 110 miles.
24.-- Wind S.E., moderate; lat. 46 30, lon. 47 45. Distance run, 312 miles.
25.-- Wind E.S.E. and S.E., fresh breezes and thick weather; lat. 49 15, lon. 43 20. Distance run, 285 miles.
26.-- Wind W.S.W., moderate; lat. 52 5, lon. 37 19. Distance run, 295 miles.
27.-- Wind W.N.W., moderate; lat. 52 3, lon. 30 48. Distance run, 260 miles.
28.-- Wind W. and W.N.W., steady breezes; lat. 52 38, lon. 22 45. Distance run, 306 miles.
March 1.-- Wind S., strong gales; bore away for the North Channel, carried away the foretopsail and lost jib; hove the log several times, and found the ship going through the water at the rate of 18 to 18½ knots per hour, lee rail under water, and the rigging slack; saw the Irish land at 9.30 P.M. Distance run in twenty-four hours, 436 miles.
2.-- Wind S., first part moderate, latter part light and calm. At noon abreast of Tory Island.
3.-- Light winds and calms; at 7 A.M., abreast of Innistrahull; and at noon off the Point of Ayr.
4.-- Light S.E. winds and calms; at 7, A.M., off the Great Ormshead; and at 12 noon, took the pilot, off N.W. Ligtship.
Boston Semi-Weekly Atlas, 1854, Saturday, March 25.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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