“The steam-engines for the _Swiftsure_ (1813), the _Malsham_ (1814), the _Car of Commerce_ (1816), and the _Lady Sherbrooke_ (1817), were all made by Bolton & Watt, of Soho, England, who would not allow more than _four pounds_ pressure of steam; and a hand-pipe was used to feed the boilers by gravitation. The first steam-engine built in Canada was in 1819, for the _Montreal_, a small ferry-boat, of about fourteen horse-power, built by John D. Ward, at the Eagle Foundry. In 1823 the merchants of Montreal formed a stock company for the purpose of building tow-boats. I was employed by that company to build their boats. The first (the _Hercules_) we built in Munn’s shipyard, about where H. & A. Allan’s office now stands. The _Hercules_ was fitted with an engine of one hundred horse-power, built by J. D. Ward & Co., at the Eagle Foundry, on the Bolton & Watt low-pressure principle. Under my command the _Hercules_ commenced towing vessels in May, 1824, when she towed up the ship _Margaret_ of Liverpool from Quebec to Montreal and up the current of St. Mary’s—the first ship so towed up. Our company also built the steamers _British America_, _St. George_ and _Canada_, of about 150 horse-power each.” [Illustration: STEAMER “QUEBEC” AND CITADEL.] “In 1838-39 the Imperial Government built a steam frigate here, called the _Sydenham_. It was engined by Ward, Brush & Co., with a pair of side-lever engines, and proved to be one of the fastest vessels in the Royal navy of that time.” Connected with Mr. Brush there is a good fish story, which is better authenticated than some of that class that have passed current. A pike-headed whale—the only one that is known to have visited these waters—followed some vessel up from sea into the harbour of Montreal, in September, 1823. Captain Brush rigged a boat and captured him with a harpoon. He was a beautiful specimen, measuring 39½ feet in length, and 23 feet in circumference. His jaw-bones were for many years to be seen overarching the entrance to Gilbault’s Gardens, and there are those still living who remember having seen the carcase as it lay, far too long for sensitive nostrils, on the river bank.