I take this opportunity of thanking the Directors, Managers, Agents, and other officials of the various Steamship Companies referred to, by all of whom, and at all times, I have been treated with the utmost courtesy. I desire also to express my appreciation of the uniform kindness and assistance received from the Librarians of the Bootle, Glasgow, and Liverpool Libraries in placing at my disposal publications, some of which were printed nearly a hundred years ago.

JOHN KENNEDY.

Liverpool, 20th November, 1903.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

PAGE
CHAPTER I.—Inventors and Alleged Inventors prior to 1807.—De Garay (1543)—Papin (1690)—Savory, Newcomen (1705)—Hulls (1736)—Abbé Arnal and the Marquis de Jouffroy (1781)—Fitch (1783)—Miller and Taylor (1788)—Symington (1801)—The Charlotte Dundas (1803)—Bell (1803)[1]
CHAPTER II.—Fulton (1807)—The Clermont (1807), the first passenger steamboat in the world—Narrative of her first voyage—Steam Navigation in Canadian waters—First steamers on the St. Lawrence—The Accommodation (1809)—Swiftsure, Car of Commerce (1813)—Quebec (1817)[7]
CHAPTER III.—1812 to 1815—Steamboats on the Clyde—The Comet, Industry and Argyle—First Irish Steamer, City of Cork (1815)—Ireland’s honourable position in the annals of steam navigation—First London Steampackets, Marjory, Defiance and Thames[11]
CHAPTER IV.—The year 1815—Arrival of the first steampacket on the Mersey—Narrative of the voyage of the Thames from Glasgow to London[15]
CHAPTER V.—1816 to 1818—London packets, the Defiance, Majestic, Regent—Loss of the Regent (1817)—Liverpool and Eastham Packet, Princess Charlotte (1816)—Liverpool and Tranmere Packets Regulator, Etna (1817)—Parkgate and Bagillt Packet, Ancient Briton (1817)—Loss of the Regulator (1818)—First Spanish Steamer, Royal Ferdinand (1817)—Siberian Steamboats (1817)—David Napier—The Rob Roy, Hibernia (1816)[23]
CHAPTER VI.—Early Clyde Steampackets—The first steamer to cross the English Channel, Caledonia—First steamer on the Rhine (1816)—Season contract tickets issued (1816)—Stranding of the Rothesay Castle (1816)—Steamship passengers’ fares on the Clyde in 1818—Dumbarton Castle steams round North of Scotland (1819)[27]
CHAPTER VII.—1819 to 1821—The first steamer to cross the Atlantic, the Savannah—Arrival at Liverpool of the first cross-channel steamer, Waterloo—The Robert Bruce—Curious accident to the Morning Star—The Triton —Conde de Patmella—Snake—Cattle ventilators suggested—The Tourist—London and Leith steamers [32]
CHAPTER VIII.—The St. George Steampacket Co.—Steam Yacht Hero—Liverpool steampackets highly commended in Parliamentary Report—Aaron Manby, first iron steamer—First steamer Hull to Continent—City of Dublin Steampacket Co.—Dublin and Liverpool Steam Navigation Co.—H.M.S. Lightning—General Steam Navigation Co.—Belfast Steampacket Co.—Keen competition on the Glasgow and Belfast station—Advertising extraordinary—Messrs. G. & J. Burns commence business 1825—Messrs. MacBrayne’s Highland Service—Competition in the Liverpool and Dublin trade—First steamer London to Hamburg—First steamer England to India; rapid increase of steampackets—Hostile meeting at Swansea—The Erin—Admiralty Mail Steampacket Service between Liverpool and Kingstown established—City of Dublin Steampacket Co. establish a service between the United Kingdom and Bordeaux[37]
CHAPTER IX.—Routes to India and the East—The Enterprize —Lieut. Johnston, R.N.—Lieut. Waghorn, E.I.N.—East India Co.’s Bombay and Suez Service—The Peninsular Steam Navigation Co. (1834) altered to Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (1837)—Sketch of the Company’s career—Suez Canal opened (1869)—Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Co. (1855)—Title changed to British India Steam Navigation Co., Limited (1862)—Bibby Line[45]
CHAPTER X.—Steam on the Pacific—The Telica (1825)—Mr. Wheelwright—The Pacific Steam Navigation Co. incorporated (1840)—Pioneer steamers Chili and Peru—Sketch of the Company’s history[58]
CHAPTER XI.—French expedition to Algiers (1830)—Civil war in Portugal—Loss of the Rival (1832)—Mutiny on board the Lord Blaney (1831)—Loss of the Lord Blaney (1833)—Arrival of the Birmingham with news of the total defeat of Don Miguel (1833)—The Margaret, first screw steamer trading from Hull; lost 1845[63]
CHAPTER XII.—Pioneers of Transatlantic Steam Navigation—Valentia Transatlantic Steam Navigation Co., incorporated 1828—Scheme revived 1835—Dr. Lardner’s famous speech—His disclaimer, 1851—The Royal William (of Canada), 1833—Dr. Julius Smith—British Queen Steam Navigation Co., 1836—British Queen (1838)—Sirius (1838)—Royal William (City of Dublin Co., 1838)—Liverpool (1838)—British and American Steam Navigation Co.’s steamer President, launched 1839—Lost 1841[66]
CHAPTER XIII.—British Government and the Atlantic Mail Service—Mr. Samuel Cunard—Formation of the Cunard Line—The Great Britain, launched 1843—Leaves Bristol for London—Inspected by H.M. Queen Victoria—Leaves London for Liverpool—First voyage to New York (1845)—Stranded Dundrum Bay (1846)—Re-floated (1847)—Sails to New York (1832)[78]
CHAPTER XIV.—Steam communication with the West Indies—The Royal Mail Steampacket Co. (1841), commences with a fleet of fourteen steamers—Generous concessions from Government—Rapid increase of trade—The “Trent affair”—First screw steamers for Company—The Imperial Direct West India Mail Service, Limited, established 1901[84]
CHAPTER XV.—Early American Transatlantic Steamships— Massachusetts (1845)—Washington (1847)—The Collins Line—General description of steamers—Arrival at Liverpool of pioneer steamer Atlantic—Description of—Accident to Atlantic—Loss of steamers Arctic and Pacific and collapse of the company[91]
CHAPTER XVI.—The loss of the Collins Liner Arctic[101]
CHAPTER XVII.—Steamship companies of the past (defunct or absorbed)—The Inman Line, 1850—Galway Line, 1859—National Line, 1863—Guion Line, 1866—Royal Atlantic Steam Navigation Co.[106]
CHAPTER XVIII.—Liverpool and Glasgow Steamers—The Orion wrecked off Portpatrick, 1850—The steamer Neptune—A second Grace Darling[115]
CHAPTER XIX.—The Eastern Steam Navigation Co.—Proposal to build a line of Leviathan steamers—Great Eastern—Contracted for—Attempts to launch—Finally successful—Description of—Enormous loss to shareholders—Sails for New York—Carries troops to Canada—Lays Atlantic Cable—Is ultimately bought by “Lewis” for exhibition purposes, and finally broken up[1][119]
CHAPTER XX.—Steam to Australia—Sophia Jane —Great Britain—Golden Age—Royal Charter lost, 1859[129]
CHAPTER XXI.—Steamships in Chinese waters—Scotland (1860)—Robert Lowe[2] (1863)—Alfred Holt Line, 1865[134]
CHAPTER XXII.—Remarkable History of the Glasgow Steamer Ferret[137]
CHAPTER XXIII.—Anglo-Canadian Steamship Companies—McKean, McLarty and Lamont—Allan Bros. & Co.—Canadian Pacific Railway Co.—Dominion Line[147]
CHAPTER XXIV.—Railway Companies as steamship owners—South Eastern and Chatham Railway—London Brighton and South Coast Railway—London and South Western Railway—Great Western Railway—London and North Western Railway—Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway—Stranraer and Larne Service—Caledonian Railway—Glasgow and South Western Railway—North British Railway—Great Central Railway—Great Eastern Railway[152]
CHAPTER XXV.—Turbine Steamers—Turbinia—King Edward—Queen Alexandra—Queen—Emerald—Allan Liners[157]

PART II.

PAGE
CHAPTERI.—Elder, Dempster & Co.[161]
”II.—African Steamship Co., Limited[166]
”III.—British and African Steam Navigation Co., Limited[171]
”IV.—Imperial Direct West India Service, Limited[174]
”V.—City of Dublin Steampacket Co., Limited[178]
”VI.—British and Irish Steampacket Co., Limited[195]
”VII.—Bibby Line[203]
”VIII.—Cork Steamship Co., Limited[207]
”IX.—Cunard Steamship Co., Limited[221]
”X.—Houston, R. P., & Co.[237]
”XI.—Houlder Bros. & Co.[244]
”XII.—Laird, Alex. A., & Co.[251]
”XIII.—Langlands, M., & Sons[261]
”XIV.—Little, Jas., & Co.[268]
”XV.—MacBrayne, David[274]
”XVI.—MacIver, David, & Co.[282]
”XVII.—MacIver’s Liverpool and Glasgow Steamers[287]
”XVIII.—Sligo Steam Navigation Co., Limited[290]
”XIX.—Waterford Steamship Co., Limited[293]
”XX.—White Star Line[300]
”XXI.—Adelaide Steamship Company, Limited—John Bacon, Limited—R. Burton & Sons, Limited—Fletcher, Woodhill & Co.—T. & J. Harrison—W. S. Kennaugh & Co.—Lamport & Holt—H. & W. Nelson—R. & J. H. Rea—John S. Sellers—Henry Tyrer & Co.[315]