We retained the management of the West Indian and Pacific Co. for nine years. The company had prospered under our care, the shares were at a premium, and the directors were willing to renew our agreement; but they wanted my brother Arthur to promise to devote less of his time to politics; this he was unwilling to do, and so our connection ceased. It was an unfortunate thing for the firm, but luckily we sold out our shares at a substantial premium, and formed a new company, the Atlas Company, to run steamers between New York and the West Indies, my brother still devoting his time to the Atlas Company's interests, and I attending to the general business. At this I worked very hard, from early morning to late in the evening, taking only a fortnight's holiday each year. The business of the firm prospered greatly. At first our principal business was receiving consignments of cotton, but these led to such large reclamations, which were seldom paid by the consignors, that we were on the alert to find some other way of working our cotton trade, and a visit I made to Mobile to collect reclamations revealed to me a secret which for years gave us large profits. I stayed in Mobile with a Mr. Maury, and found that he was the holder of a very large stock of cotton, against which he sold cotton for future delivery, which always commanded a substantial premium in New York. When the time for delivery came round, he tendered the cotton he had bought; in this way he made a certain and a handsome profit over and above the holding expenses. What was possible in New Orleans was, I thought, possible in Liverpool, and on my return home we commenced this cotton banking business. It was very profitable, and for some time we had it all to ourselves. When we started the Atlas Line in New York, we opened a house under the title of Pim, Forwood and Co., Mr. Pim leaving Bombay for New York, my brother George at the same time opening a house for us in New Orleans. George Pim died in 1878, and my brother George moved from New Orleans to New York. Here he remained until 1885, when he entered the Liverpool firm, and my brother Brittain took his place in New York; Brittain retired in 1885.