About this time the directors of the company had under consideration the establishing of steam communication between Liverpool and New York. A meeting was held in the company’s office in Water Street, there being present, amongst others, Sir John Tobin. Sir John had on the stocks a large steamer, and it was decided that the Transatlantic service should be established, the pioneer vessel to be the ROYAL WILLIAM, to be followed by the LIVERPOOL (Sir John Tobin’s new steamer) as soon as she was ready for the service. In accordance with these arrangements, the ROYAL WILLIAM sailed from the George’s Pierhead on July 5th, 1838, for New York, and the LIVERPOOL followed her on September 20th. These steamers have the honour of being the first passenger liners between Liverpool and New York. The ROYAL WILLIAM proved to be too small for the Transatlantic trade, and in 1839 she resumed her sailings on the Liverpool and Kingstown station. [Illustration: ROYAL WILLIAM P. S. (1836) City of Dublin Steampacket Co.] On and from the 20th June, 1839, the Government determined that a mail steamer should be despatched every morning and evening from Liverpool to Dublin, _via_ Kingstown, on the arrival of the respective mail trains from London. The Government steam packets were appointed to sail with the morning mails, and the City of Dublin steam packets with the evening mails. The directors of the City of Dublin Company were determined that their steamers should surpass the Government boats, and in December, 1840, they contracted for two new steamers for the mail service to be superior to any seagoing steamers afloat, and to do the passage from Liverpool to Kingstown in nine hours. Three years later (15th April, 1843) the company commenced their Liverpool and North Wales service with the new iron steamer ERIN-GO-BRAGH. The steamer AYRSHIRE LASSIE was placed on the station the next season (May, 1844), followed in 1845 by the PRINCE OF WALES, and later by the PRINCE ARTHUR, which two steamers maintained a daily service throughout the summer season for many years, and until the station was transferred to the present North Wales Steampacket Company. In conjunction with the North Lancashire Railways, the City of Dublin Company instituted, in 1844, a steamship service between Dublin and Fleetwood, the first steamer employed being the HIBERNIA. The Company’s trade between England and Ireland had increased so rapidly that in 1845 the directors placed orders to build eight vessels, viz., five paddle steamers and three auxiliary screw schooners. [Illustration: Holyhead and Kingstown Royal Mail Steamships—ULSTER, MUNSTER, LEINSTER, and CONNAUGHT.]