Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Bold text displayed as: =bold= THE HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. [Illustration: LIVERPOOL IN 1837.] THE HISTORY OF STEAM NAVIGATION. BY JOHN KENNEDY. _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ _PUBLISHED BY_ CHARLES BIRCHALL, LIMITED, 7 & 9, VICTORIA STREET, LIVERPOOL. 1903. C. TINLING AND CO., PRINTERS, VICTORIA STREET, LIVERPOOL. PREFACE. [Illustration: Decoration] The historical information contained in this volume has been in a large measure collected from the Press of the period, and chiefly from the _Times_, _Liverpool Mercury_, _Glasgow Herald_, and _Chambers’ Journal_. Lindsay’s “_Merchant Shipping_,” a most admirable work, has also been consulted, as well as other works of a similar nature. The name of the authority quoted has been given in most cases, but, where I have been unable to do so, I trust this general acknowledgment will suffice. Some of the chapters in Part II. were contributed in 1901 to the _Journal of Commerce_, as part of a series of articles on “Historical Steamship Companies.” Chapter XXII. in Part I. was published in the May number (1903) of the _Wide World Magazine_, under the title of “The Strange Case of the FERRET.” I take this opportunity of thanking the Directors, Managers, Agents, and other officials of the various Steamship Companies referred to, by all of whom, and at all times, I have been treated with the utmost courtesy. I desire also to express my appreciation of the uniform kindness and assistance received from the Librarians of the Bootle, Glasgow, and Liverpool Libraries in placing at my disposal publications, some of which were printed nearly a hundred years ago. JOHN KENNEDY. LIVERPOOL, _20th November, 1903_. CONTENTS. PART I. PAGE CHAPTER I.—Inventors and Alleged Inventors prior to 1807.—De Garay (1543)—Papin (1690)—Savory, Newcomen (1705)—Hulls (1736)—Abbé Arnal and the Marquis de Jouffroy (1781)—Fitch (1783)—Miller and Taylor (1788)—Symington (1801)—The CHARLOTTE DUNDAS (1803)—Bell (1803) 1 CHAPTER II.—Fulton (1807)—The CLERMONT (1807), the first passenger steamboat in the world—Narrative of her first voyage—Steam Navigation in Canadian waters—First steamers on the St. Lawrence—The ACCOMMODATION (1809)—SWIFTSURE, CAR OF COMMERCE (1813)—QUEBEC (1817) 7 CHAPTER III.—1812 to 1815—Steamboats on the Clyde—THE COMET, INDUSTRY and ARGYLE—First Irish Steamer, CITY OF CORK (1815)—Ireland’s honourable position in the annals of steam navigation—First London Steampackets, MARJORY, DEFIANCE and THAMES 11