Soon after steam navigation began to attract attention in Great Britain, a public meeting was held in London (1822), for the purpose of forming a steamship company to trade between England and India. It was the intention of the promoters of the meeting that the packets should proceed to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope, the route by which the bulk of the trade of Europe with the East had been carried since the time of Vasco da Gama. At this meeting it was decided that Lieut. (afterwards Captain) Johnston should proceed to Calcutta, with a view to interesting the East India merchants in the proposed undertaking. Lieut. Johnston proceeded to India _via_ Egypt, and although he was commissioned to advocate the Cape route, he was convinced on this journey of the greater advantages of the route by Suez, and afterwards became one of its most ardent supporters. Several meetings were held in Calcutta after his arrival there, at one of which, held on the 17th December, 1823, it was announced that the Governor, Lord Amherst, cordially approved of the proposal to establish steamship communication between England and India, and that he was prepared to recommend his Council to grant as a premium[13] “a gift of 20,000 rupees to whoever, whether individuals or a company, being British subjects, should permanently, before the end of 1826, establish a steam communication between England and India, either by the Cape of Good Hope or the Red Sea, and make two voyages out and two voyages home, occupying not more than seventy days on each passage.” [Illustration: COLOMBO carrying Xmas gifts to the troops in the Crimea.] An additional 80,000 rupees were raised in India for this object, of which amount the Rajah of Oude subscribed 12,000. On receipt of this gratifying news in London, another meeting of those interested was held, at which sufficient capital was underwritten to justify the promoters in ordering, as an experiment, the ENTERPRIZE, the first steamer destined to double the Cape of Good Hope. Johnston, having accomplished his assigned task, embarked on board the Indiaman ELIZA for England. On his arrival in London he found the ENTERPRIZE two-thirds completed, and on completion he was appointed captain. [Illustration: P. & O. Liner. Date about 1850 A.D.] [Illustration: P. & O. Liner. Date 1900 A.D.]