"Titled men and women watched the progress of construction. King William and 160,000 of his loyal subjects witnessed the launch. A Duchess broke the traditional bottle of champagne over the bow and bestowed the name she has ever since proudly worn. The engines and boilers, built by Bolton and Watt (Watt was a son of the great Watt) were placed in their proper positions on board, but it was not considered safe to work them on the passage; so she was rigged as a brig and came out under sail. A bark accompanied her as convoy to assist in case of accident; but the _Beaver_ set all canvas, ran out of sight of her 'protector,' and reached the Columbia twenty-two days ahead. Captain Home was the name of the first commander of the _Beaver_; he brought her out, and we can well imagine the feeling of pride with which he bestrode the deck of his brave little ship, which carried six guns--nine-pounders. The _Beaver_, soon after reaching Astoria, got up steam, and after having 'astonished the natives' with her performances, sailed up to Nisqually, then the Hudson's Bay Company's chief station on the Pacific. Here Captain McNeil (now commander of the _Enterprise_), took command of the _Beaver_, and Captain Home, retiring to one of the Company's forts on Columbia River, perished in 1837 in Death's Rapids by the upsetting of a boat. From that period until the steamer passed into the hands of the Imperial hydrographers, the history of the _Beaver_ was that of most of the Company's trading vessels. She ran north and south, east and west, collecting furs and carrying goods to and from the stations for many years. Amongst the best known of her officers during that period were Capt. Dodds, Capt. Brotchie, Capts. Scarborough, Sangster, Mouat and others, all of whom passed away long since, but have left their names behind them. We believe we are correct in saying that not a single person who came out in the _Beaver_ in 1835 is now alive; and nearly all the Company's officers, with a few exceptions, who received her on her arrival at Columbia River, are gone, too. [Portrait: Captain "Willie" Mitchell.]