So ended the career of the most celebrated ship of the 19th century. [Illustration: Steamship and sailboats] FOOTNOTES: [22] “Illustrated London News.” [23] The above figures are obtained from “Donaldson’s Engineers’ Annual,” 1900, by permission. CHAPTER XX. Steam to Australia.—SOPHIA JANE, first steamer from Great Britain to Australia, 1831.—The steamship GREAT BRITAIN sails for Melbourne, 1852.—Sketch of her after career.—The GOLDEN AGE.—The auxiliary screw steamer ROYAL CHARTER.—Sails on her maiden voyage, 1856.—Totally lost, 1859. The first voyage by a steamer ever made between Great Britain and Australia was in 1831 by the SOPHIA JANE, a small vessel of 256 tons burthen and 50 h.p. (see reference to this vessel in the History of the Cork Steamship Co., Limited). Twenty-one years later the owners of the GREAT BRITAIN, the Liverpool and Australian Steam Navigation Co. (Messrs. Gibbs, Bright & Co., Managers), induced by the great rush of emigrants to the newly discovered Australian goldfields, decided to supplement their “Eagle” Line of Packets by the addition of screw steamers and issued an advertisement as follows:— “Steam from Liverpool to Australia, forming part of the ‘Eagle’ Line of Packets. The GREAT BRITAIN, S.S., 3,500 tons and 500 h.p., B. R. Matthews, E.N., Commander, will be despatched for Melbourne and Sydney, N.S.W., calling at the Cape of Good Hope for coals, water and fresh provisions, on Saturday, 21st August, 1852, at 1 p.m. This magnificent ship, fitted up with every possible convenience, has just performed her trial voyage to New York in the most satisfactory manner. “Fares:—After Saloon, to Melbourne, 70 guineas and upwards. Five guineas extra to Sydney, N.S.W. “To Cape of Good Hope, 50 guineas. “Loading Berth, Wellington Dock. “Apply to Gibbs, Bright & Co., Liverpool.” The result must have been exceedingly gratifying to the owners, as the GREAT BRITAIN sailed on this her first voyage to the Antipodes with upwards of 600 passengers. Ten days later the ship ALBATROSS arrived with the first importation into Liverpool of gold from Australia, being 20,000 ozs. consigned to Messrs. Gibbs, Bright & Co. On the 23rd November following, her sister ship, the EAGLE, arrived in the Thames with 150,000 ounces of gold valued at £600,000. The ship DIDO was expected to arrive in a few days, having on board ten and a half tons of the precious metal, of the enormous value of £1,120,000. The GREAT BRITAIN arrived at Melbourne on the 10th November, 1852, after a splendid run from the Cape of Good Hope of 24 days, her average speed having been 284 miles per day. Her engines behaved splendidly, and there was no occasion to stop them during the whole of the time. One death occurred on board, that of a Chinaman who embarked at St. Helena.