After an interval of five years, the ALBANY was contracted for, also with the Messrs. Laird, of Birkenhead. Mr. David MacIver’s connection with Birkenhead is one of very long standing, and he has always laboured to promote its welfare and prosperity. In recognition of his services, he was the elected representative of the Borough from 1874 to 1885. The ALBANY was considerably larger than any of her predecessors, her principal dimensions being—Length 300 feet 7 inches, breadth 39 feet 2 inches, and depth 26 feet 4 inches; with a deadweight capacity of about 3,500 tons. She was purchased by Messrs. T. W. Lunn & Co., of Newcastle-on-Tyne, by whom she was re-named the WILLOWDENE. A reference to the list of steamers built for Messrs. David MacIver & Co. will show the distinguishing characteristic of the names to be the terminal letter Y. An amusing incident occurred in this connection during the building of the steamer ALBANY. A firm of north country shipowners, whose steamers were named after British dukes (omitting the prefix “Duke of”), had selected “ALBANY” for a vessel then under construction, and they made the cool request to Messrs. David MacIver & Co. to change the name of their steamer. It is needless to say they were unable to comply with this request. For the first few years, the steamers named were not employed in any regular trade, though originally designed for the Mediterranean—hence the names TUSCANY, SICILY, BARBARY, THESSALY, &c.—but traded, as inducement offered, to the Mediterranean, the Danube, the Black Sea, and elsewhere. They have formed part of the Anchor Line to Bombay, and of the Hall Line to the same port; and they have operated in the North Atlantic in the service of Messrs. Richardson, Spence and Co., between Liverpool and Philadelphia. In 1883 Messrs. David MacIver & Co. despatched their first steamer to the River Plate, and two years later they established a regular service between Liverpool and Buenos Ayres, Montevideo and Rosario. In 1893, Mr. Charles Livingston, who had been associated with Mr. MacIver for two years previously, became a partner in the firm. Mr. Livingston takes a very active part in the management of the steamers, and he has devoted himself with great energy and success to the development of the River Plate trade with Great Britain. The five steamers named having become too small for the requirements of the service in which they were engaged, were disposed of, as stated, to various buyers and replaced by modern steamers of greater capacity and higher speed. These later steamers have all been designed specially for the River Plate trade, and although large carriers, are of remarkably light draught, thus enabling them to ascend to Rosario, without putting consignees and shippers to the risk and expense of transhipping cargo.