“This Act of 1845 is all-significant as the beginning of American steam-ship service in the foreign trade. Not until national protection was offered in the form of generous subsidies could our enterprising merchants and sailors see their way clear to enter into the rivalry with the State-aided steam fleets of Europe. The mail subsidy legislation of 1845 was a wise step and indispensable, but it was too long delayed. Congress should have acted five years before, when the first Cunarder, floated and maintained by a liberal subsidy from Parliament, came across the ocean, beating the time of our celebrated packet ships. Individual resource could never compete with the great treasury of the British Empire.”[64] [64] “The American Mercantile Marine,” by W. L. Marvin. In 1847 the Americans made a determined effort to establish a fortnightly service between New York and Bremen, calling at Southampton or Cowes. This venture was known as the Ocean Steam Navigation Company, and though it had a contract for carrying the American mails in return for a subvention of 200,000 dollars, it ceased operations in little more than a year. It had two wooden paddle-steamers, the _Washington_ and _Hermann_, built by Westervelt and Mackay for Mr. Edward Mills. Both were barque-rigged and carried a great spread of canvas. The _Washington_ was 236 feet in length, by 39 feet beam, 31 feet depth, and of about 2000 tons gross. The _Hermann_ was slightly larger. The _Washington_, on her first voyage eastward in June of that year, was pitted against the _Britannia_, which the Americans expected to beat easily, but though the American boat had twice the engine-power, and the Cunarder was seven years old, the latter arrived two days ahead. The New York and Havre Steam Navigation Company, another American enterprise, was founded in 1848 to carry the mails between those ports for a subsidy of 150,000 dollars per annum and to touch at Southampton. Its first vessel was the wooden paddle-steamer _Franklin_, 263 feet in length, of about 2184 tons, and 1250 indicated horse-power. She sailed on her first voyage in 1850, and was joined in the service by the _Humboldt_, a slightly larger vessel, in the following year. In December 1853 the _Humboldt_ was wrecked near Halifax, and the _Franklin_ went to pieces on Long Island in 1854. The company ordered two other vessels, the _Arago_ and _Fulton_, which were launched in June 1855 and February 1856 respectively. They were rather larger than the _Humboldt_, but instead of lever engines had oscillating cylinder engines, the cylinders being 65 inches diameter with a 10-foot stroke. Until they were ready the company maintained the service, after the loss of its earlier boats, with chartered vessels. The New England Ocean Steamship Company, formed by Messrs. Harnden and Co. of Boston, placed the iron screw-steamer _Lewis_ of 1105 tons on the service between that port and Liverpool in October 1851, but withdrew her the next year.