Steam launches were becoming increasingly popular in some of the colonies in Australia, and there were already many dozens of them in Port Jackson, the harbour of Sydney, N.S.W., most of these being of colonial make, as the imported ones did not stand the rough usage and hard work. At Sydney, Mort's Dock and Engineering Company (Limited) had turned their attention to this branch of business, and had turned out some boats with compound high-pressure engines. One of these was fitted to the launch tender Bell Bird (length, 50 ft.; beam 9 ft.; speed 10 knots). The engine designed by Mr. Norman Selfe had two cylinders cast together 8 in. and 16 in. in diameter with a stroke of 12 in. The crankshaft, eccentrics, pump pin, and coupling were all forged in a piece and the cranks projected behind for carrying the balance weights; the piston rods were of steel, and the connecting rods Lowmoor iron. The engines ran (silently) at 200 revolutions per minute on steam supplied at a pressure of 70 pounds per square inch.