In the year 1856, the schooner Dean Richmond, of 379 tons, was built by Quayle & Martin in Cleveland, for C. J. Kershaw, of Chicago. This vessel was loaded with wheat and under the command of Capt. D. C. Pierce, sailed from Chicago to Liverpool. She arrived in good time, having made a quick passage, and astonished the English people by her rig, and from the fact of her having come from the inland lakes of America to Europe. The schooner was sold in Liverpool, and her new owners changed her name to the Belina, and placed her in the trade between Liverpool and Brazil, on which route she made quick and successful trips. In 1857, the same builders turned out the barque c.J. Kershaw, of 380 tons burthen, having built her for Capt. D. G. Pierce, who was the pioneer captain in the trade. The Kershaw was loaded with staves, cedar posts and black walnut lumber. In the Fall, she started on her return with a load of crockery and iron, but was twice driven back by terrific gales and had to go into dock for repairs. This brought her into St. Lawrence river so late, that she was frozen in the Lachine Canal. Early in 1858, she arrived in Cleveland with her cargo in excellent order and to the perfect satisfaction of the consignees. About the time that the Kershaw was launched, a small British schooner, the Madeira Pet of 123 tons, came from Liverpool through the rivers and lakes to Chicago, with a cargo of hardware, cutlery, glass, &c., on speculation. The enterprise was not successful, and no more attempts were made to establish a direct trade between Chicago and European ports. During the Spring and Summer of 1858, several of the leading business men of Cleveland entered with vigor into the trade, and a respectable fleet of vessels was dispatched to European ports. A new barque, the D. C. Pierce, was built for Messrs. Pierce & Barney and sent to Liverpool with a cargo of staves and black walnut lumber. The same parties sent the C. J. Kershaw to London with a similar cargo, and the Chieftain and Black Hawk, with the same kind of freight. Mr. T. P. Handy sent the R. H. Harmon with staves and black walnut lumber to Liverpool, the D. B. Sexton with a similar cargo to London, and the J. F. Warner with a cargo of the same kind to Glasgow. Mr. H. E. Howe sent the new barque H. E. Howe to London with a cargo of staves and lumber. Col. N. M. Standart sent the Correspondent to Liverpool with a load of wheat, and Mr. C. Reis freighted the Harvest to Hamburgh with a cargo of lumber, staves and fancy woods. This made a fleet of ten vessels, owned and freighted by Cleveland merchants, with a total tonnage of about 3,600 tons. Two vessels were sent out from Detroit with similar cargoes, but the enterprise was pre-eminently a Cleveland one.