In July, 1872, the capital of the company was raised to £4,000,000, and the steamers VALPARAISO and BRITANNIA were added to its fleet, and in the following year the IBERIA and LIGURIA. [Illustration: ORELLANA. Pacific Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.] In addition to the above steamers, which were all built for the Liverpool to West Coast service, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company built during the years 1869 to 1873 inclusive, eighteen steamers for its Pacific Coast service. The IBERIA and LIGURIA were the last of the barque-rigged, clipper-bow type of steamer built for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company. The succeeding vessels of the fleet have as a rule four pole masts and a straight stem. Although the trade between Liverpool and the West Coast of South America had increased with marvellous rapidity, the increase in the company’s tonnage had more than kept pace with it. It was found that the combined passenger and cargo trade would not support a sailing each week, and the sailings were reduced to two each month. As a consequence of the reduced number of sailings, as many as nine of the company’s steamers were at one time laid up for want of employment. In 1878 the Directors were fortunately able to charter four of their vessels, the CHIMBORAZO, LUSITANIA, CUZCO and GARONNE, to Messrs. Anderson, Anderson & Co., who in that year founded the Orient Line of steamers from London to Australia. In 1882, when the latter company decided to double its sailings, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company made arrangements to employ several additional steamers in the Australian service. Although the Pacific Company was the first to establish steamship communication between Great Britain and the West Coast of South America, it has had to share the traffic in later years with the Gulf Line of steamers belonging to the Greenock Shipping Company, and with the steamers belonging to Messrs. Lamport & Holt. [Illustration: Ships in harbor] CHAPTER XI. French-Algerian Expedition, 1830.—Civil War in Portugal.—Loss of the steamer RIVAL.—Mutiny on a Transport.—Loss of the LORD BLANEY.—The MARGARET, first screw passenger steamer trading from Hull. Early in the year 1830, the French Government, fitted out an expedition against the Dey of Algiers, and an agent of the former was instructed to contract with the City of Dublin and the St. George Steam-Packet Companies for the employment of some of their first-class boats as transports in the expedition. The vessels chartered were ordered to proceed immediately to Toulon to embark French troops for service in North Africa. This was the first instance of steam vessels being extensively engaged in warlike expeditions. At this date, Portugal was engaged in a prolonged and sanguinary civil war, in the course of which vessels belonging to both of the famous Liverpool steamship companies were again employed.