This famous Line took its name from William Inman, a partner in the firm of Richardson Bros., Liverpool, in connection with whom he founded this steamship service in 1850, under the title of the Liverpool, New York and Philadelphia Steamship Company. The line began with only two steamers—the _City of Glasgow_ and _City of Manchester_—both screw steamships, built by Messrs. Tod and McGregor, of Glasgow. These boats having proved successful and profitable, and especially popular with emigrants, their shipping port was changed from Philadelphia to New York in 1857. In the meantime a number of high-class steamers had been added to the fleet, each improving upon its predecessor, until the line became famous for speed and comfort. The _City of Brussels_, launched in 1869, was the first on the Atlantic to reduce the voyage to less than eight days. This fine ship came to grief through collision with another vessel off the mouth of the Mersey during a dense fog, January 7th, 1883. The Inman Line met with a number of other heavy losses. The _City of Glasgow_, with 480 persons on board, and the _City of Boston_ both disappeared mysteriously in mid-ocean; the _City of Montreal_ was burned at sea, but all hands were saved; the _City of Washington_ and _City of Philadelphia_ were wrecked on the coast of Nova Scotia; the first _City of New York_ and the _City of Chicago_ became total wrecks on the Irish coast, the one on Daunt’s Rock near Queenstown, the other on the Old Head of Kinsale in the same neighbourhood.