Royal Steampacket Company run a regular service of steamers between Aberdeen, Newcastle, Hull, and other east coast ports, and Bristol, Cardiff, and Swansea, calling also at Southampton and Plymouth. During the summer months this service embraces a fortnightly trip round the United Kingdom with one of the larger passenger steamers, and this has now become a favourite cruise for summer holiday seekers, occupying as it does about twelve days. When the Manchester Ship Canal was opened in 1894, the Royal Company began at once to despatch their steamers from Manchester to Glasgow, as well as to the west, north, and east coasts of Scotland. In addition to having the management of the various services mentioned, Messrs. Langlands have, for a great many years, been the agents of Messrs. Alex. A. Laird and Co. as regards the steamers trading between Liverpool, Larne, and Westport. The agency of the company’s steamers at Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Leith, Dundee and Hull, is in the hands of Messrs. M. Langlands and Sons, who have been closely identified with the development of the company’s business, and are largely interested in its success. [Illustration: Decoration] CHAPTER XIV. Messrs. James Little & Co. Towards the end of July, 1819, Messrs. James Little & Co., who had commenced business seven years previously, despatched from Greenock, on her maiden voyage to Liverpool, the first passenger steamer that ever sailed from the Clyde to the Mersey. Her name was the ROBERT BRUCE, and she was described in her advertisements as being “an elegant new Steam Packet, having most excellent accommodation for passengers.” As a matter of fact, she was a small wooden paddle steamer, 98 feet long, or about twelve feet longer than the Cluthas that ply up and down Glasgow Harbour, but with twice their beam. She called at Portpatrick and Douglas (I. of M.) on her voyages to and from the Clyde, and occupied about thirty hours on the run from Greenock to Liverpool. The following letter from the Captain (Patterson) to Messrs. Little, written on the 1st September, 1819, indicates how different are the conditions under which passengers travel by steamers at the present date and those which existed in the early stages of steam navigation. Captain Patterson dated his letter from Troon, and stated:—