The new imperial steam-yacht, Taliah, built for the Sultan, 1864

The new imperial steam-yacht, Taliah, built for the Sultan, 1864. The yacht, constructed '...by Messrs. Samuda, made her trial-trip recently, with the Turkish Ambassador, M. Musurus, on board. She proceeded at an extraordinary rate from Tilbury Fort to the Nore, where her speed was tried at the measured mile, when the result attained was - against tide, 16.216 knots; with tide, 19.251 knots, giving an average of 17.75 knots, or twenty miles and a half an hour. The Sultan may thus congratulate himself on possessing one of the swiftest vessels afloat. Her burden is over 1100 tons. The engines, which are by Penn, are marvels of their kind, with a double set of boilers; the nominal horse power is 350, but that indicated on the trial-trip was 2700. The main object of the vessel is speed. Space is sacrificed to machinery, and she is built on the finest possible lines...Her speed is that of an average railway-train, and, according to one account, she rushes through the air at such a pace that it is not easy for a person on deck to keep his hat on, even in a calm...Messrs. Samuda and Penn may justly feel proud of having constructed this yacht'. From "Illustrated London News", 1864. Creator: Smyth. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)