| Description | Written from 37 Great George Street, London. The letter details the progress on the paddle wheel engines and boilers for the Eastern Steam Navigation company's ship and the progress on building the ship's hull. The letter also describes the changes that have been made to Russell's shipyard, including the extension of railways and the sinking of new piles to support the length of the ship's keel. The report also details the weights of various parts of the ship. The original letter accompanied some photographs of the ship under construction. Following the letter are copies of two enclosures included with the original letter. The first enclosure (Folios 282 to 284) is a "List of Engines and Machinery, in progress for the Eastern Steam Navigation Company's Ship to October 20th 1854" and includes sections listing the drawings, the patterns, the casting, malleable iron work, turning and boring and boilers along with a note of their state of completion (either completed or in progress). The second enclosure (Folio 284) is a list of the weights of iron in the ship's hull. The photographs referred to in the letter may have been those commissioned by the Eastern Steam Navigation Company from the firm of Cundall and Howlett tas a record of the progress in the construction of the Eastern Steam Navigation Company's ship. |