Eight years followed without any further attempts in the direction of ocean steam navigation. There seemed to be nothing in these costly experiments that would induce capitalists to invest their money in steamships. Sailing vessels had crossed the Atlantic in much less than thirty days, and had made the voyage to India in less time than the _Enterprise_ took to do it. It would not pay! and had not scientific men and practical engineers pronounced the idea of transatlantic steamships as Utopian and utterly impracticable? “No vessel could be constructed,” they said, “that could carry enough coal to take her across the Atlantic by steam power alone.” Some of these unbelievers lived to see the day when large ocean steamers not only carry enough coal to take them from Liverpool to New York, but actually enough for the return voyage also. THE “ROYAL WILLIAM.” The _Savannah_ and _Enterprise_ were admittedly nothing more than sailing ships with auxiliary steam power. In the archives of the National Museum at Washington there is to be found the full history and log of the _Savannah_, which proves conclusively that she was not entitled to be called the pioneer of transatlantic steam navigation. That the honour belongs to the _Royal William_, built at Quebec and engined at Montreal, has been clearly proven. The evidence in support of this claim is embodied in a report of the Secretary of State of Canada for the year ended December 31st, 1894. From this it appears that the _Royal William_ was designed by Mr. James Goudie, Marine Architect of Quebec, and that she was launched from the shipyard of Messrs. Campbell and Black at Cape Cove, Quebec, April 29th, 1831, in presence of Lord Aylmer, the Governor-General, and a vast concourse of people, Lady Aylmer naming the vessel with the usual ceremonies after the reigning monarch, William IV. She was towed to Montreal, where her engines of 200 horse-power were fitted by Messrs. Bennett and Henderson. She steamed back to Quebec in the beginning of August. She was built for the Quebec and Halifax Steam Navigation Company, incorporated by Act of Parliament, March 31st, 1831. This company comprised 235 persons whose names appear in the Act, among them being the three brothers, Samuel, Henry and Joseph Cunard. Samuel, the founder of the Cunard Line, was a frequent visitor at the Quebec shipyard, and carefully noted down all the information he could get from the builders. [Illustration: MODEL OF STEAMSHIP “ROYAL WILLIAM.” THIS INTERESTING RELIC HAS AN HONOURED RESTING-PLACE IN THE LIBRARY OF THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF QUEBEC. IT WAS SENT, AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE ROYAL NAVAL EXHIBITION, TO THAT EXHIBITION, HELD IN LONDON IN 1891, AND NUMBERED 4,736, WHERE IT ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION, AND THE SOCIETY RECEIVED FROM THE COMMITTEE A HANDSOME DIPLOMA BY WAY OF A SOUVENIR.