Amongst those steamers referred to as building at Liverpool was the ERIN, the largest steamer (up to date of launching) ever built in Liverpool. Her principal dimensions were, length 161 feet, breadth 44 feet. Her tonnage was 500 tons gross, and she was propelled by engines of 180 h.p., by Fawcett and Co. She was launched from Mr. Rathbone’s yard in February, 1826, and was intended to trade regularly between London and Belfast, calling at Southampton, Plymouth and Falmouth. Her owners were the Belfast Steam Navigation Co., and she cost £20,000. Her (late) Majesty’s Steam-Packets, for the conveyance of mails and passengers between Liverpool and Kingstown, commenced sailing on the 29th August, 1826. Captain John Emerson, R.N. (late Commander of the ST. GEORGE steam-packet), was appointed Captain of one of these Royal Mail Steamers, of which there were four, all built at Liverpool, and each of 300 tons burthen. The City of Dublin Steam-Packet Company commenced a regular steamship passenger service between England, Ireland and France in June, 1827. The route was from Belfast to Dublin, thence to Bordeaux. Passengers from the North of England were carried by the Company’s steamers between Liverpool and Dublin, connecting at the latter port with the steamer to France. The pioneer steamer of the service was the LEEDS, which sailed on her first voyage from Belfast on Sunday, 17th June, and from Dublin on the following Wednesday, continuing to sail at fortnightly intervals during the season. The venture was so successful that the Directors of the Company, the following April, added the steamers SHEFFIELD and NOTTINGHAM to the service, and increased the sailings to the 1st, 10th and 20th of each month. FOOTNOTES: [12] For a special account of this Firm, see Part II. of this Volume. Chapter IX. Steamship Routes to India and the East.—Lieut. Johnston.—ENTERPRIZE purchased by Indian Government.—Renders important service during Burmese War.—Thomas Waghorn.—Regular steamship service established between Bombay and Suez.—Peninsular Steam Navigation Co. (1834).—Altered to Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co. (1837).—First P. and O. steamer to India, 1842.—Services extended to Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, and Hong Kong, 1844.—And to Australia, 1852.—P. and O. steamships engaged as troopships during Crimean War.—S.S. MOOLTAN (1861) and other later steamers fitted with compound engines.—Suez Canal opened, 1869.—Mails transferred to Canal route, 1888.—Calcutta and Burmah S. N. Co. (1855).—Steamers engaged as transports during Indian Mutiny.—Title changed to British India Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. (1862).—Bibby Line.