“The author of the paragraph alluded to is challenged to produce a single instance of the Swift having ever accomplished her passage from Belfast in so short a period as the George Canning.
“The public will be surprised to learn, after reading the Swift’s advertisement, particularly ‘strangers coming from a distance,’ that the Swift and the Canning have never yet sailed together either from Belfast or Glasgow; therefore, the author of the Swift’s advertisement is left to state when and where the Swift ran the vessel alluded to out of sight.”
The rivalry between these two steamers terminated the following year, when the Swift was sold to the London, Leith and Edinburgh Shipping Company, and sailed for Leith, via Oban, Fort William and Inverness, on the 27th June, 1826. The George Canning was offered for sale by auction in June, 1831, but was evidently withdrawn. She appears to have been sold subsequently by private treaty, and sailed, after repairs, for St. Malo, Brittany, in June, 1833.
The well-known firm, G. & J. Burns, of Glasgow, commenced business as steamship owners in 1825. The style of the firm at that time was James and George Burns, and their offices were at 45, Miller Street, but in February, 1842, they changed the style of the firm to G. & J. Burns.
The first steamer employed by this firm was the new steampacket Ayr, of 76 tons, built by John Wood & Co., of Port Glasgow, and having two engines of 30 h.p. each, by John Nelson, Glasgow. The Ayr was employed in the Glasgow and Ayrshire and Galloway trade. On the 20th March following (1826) Messrs. Burns despatched their first steamer from Glasgow to Belfast. She was a new steamboat named Fingal. Her length was 116 feet, her beam 21 feet 6 inches, and her depth 12 feet 4 inches. She had two engines of 50 h.p. each. She could accommodate thirty passengers with sleeping berths, had several horse boxes on deck, and carried 180 tons of cargo. The rates for passage were, in the cabin, 20s., and on deck, 3s.; and the days of sailing from Glasgow, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Three years later (March, 1829) Messrs. Burns began their Liverpool and Glasgow service. The pioneer steamer of this service was the Glasgow, a small steamer, 120 tons deadweight, and fitted with two engines of 30 h.p. each. The Messrs. Burns have ceased for many years to have any connection with the Glasgow, Ayr and Galloway trade, but on the other two stations, Belfast and Liverpool, they have maintained continuous services for nearly eighty years. They were also largely interested in the Glasgow and West Highland Passenger Services, but sold their interests in 1851 to Messrs. David Hutcheson & Co. These services are now conducted by the fleet of splendid steamships owned by the Messrs. MacBrayne of Glasgow.[12]
On Saturday, the 30th June, 1825, a steam-packet sailed from the Thames for Hamburg, the first that had ever made that voyage.
The following month (16th August) the first steamer sailed from England (Falmouth) to Calcutta, via the Cape. This was the wooden paddle-steamer Enterprize, 470 tons burthen, 120 h.p. Further particulars of this vessel are given in Chapter IX. (Steamship Routes to India and the East).
Some idea of the marvellously rapid growth of steam navigation may be gathered from the fact that in the year 1825, just ten years after the arrival of the first steamers on the Thames and Mersey, there were 44 steam vessels on the stocks at Liverpool of from 250 to 500 tons each; while in London no less than 45 companies had been formed to establish steam-packets in every quarter of the globe. Owners of sailing ships became alarmed for their future, and at a meeting held in Swansea, on the 14th December, 1826, a resolution was passed to send a petition to the House of Commons, praying for the intervention of Parliament to protect sailing vessels against the further increase of steamers.
Amongst those steamers referred to as building at Liverpool was the Erin, the largest steamer (up to date of launching) ever built in Liverpool. Her principal dimensions were, length 161 feet, breadth 44 feet. Her tonnage was 500 tons gross, and she was propelled by engines of 180 h.p., by Fawcett and Co. She was launched from Mr. Rathbone’s yard in February, 1826, and was intended to trade regularly between London and Belfast, calling at Southampton, Plymouth and Falmouth. Her owners were the Belfast Steam Navigation Co., and she cost £20,000.