the Great Canal and Newhaven, near Leith. The distance by water is 27 miles, which she performs in ordinary weather in three and a-half hours, and the same down."

The "United Kingdom," 335 tons, built in 1826, with two engines of ninety-five horse power each, and furnished with copper boilers, was the largest steamer at the time in existence in Europe, and it was generally thought there was no line of trade where she could be profitably employed, considering the great expense of outfitshe was however subsequently sent to London and sold.

The "Marjory,"* of 70 tons, built in 1814, with one engine of fourteen horse power, was the first steam vessel on the Thames. She was taken south along the east coast of Scotland; and, when she reached the Thames, passed close to the English fleet, there at anchor, and her appearance created great commotion amongst the officers and men, as none of them had ever seen a steamer before, and by some was taken for a fire-ship.

The "Aurora," of 286 tons, "Camilla," 324 tons, and "Thetis," 199 tons, were the first steamers which plied between Glasgow and Belfast sailing at a fixed hour daily, without reference to the tide, and commenced doing so the 16th July, 1849, carrying the mails free of charge to the Government.

The "Britannia," "Acadia," "Caledonia," and the "Columbia," each about 1135 tons burthen, were all built in 1840, and each of them furnished with two engines of 222 horse power each, were the first steamers that plied between Liverpool, Halifax, and Boston, carrying the mails. The "Canada," "America," "Europa," and “Niagara,” were built for the same line in 1847 and 1848, each about 2690 tons burthen, and fitted with two engines of 700 horse power and four boilers, the engines and boilers of each weighing about 600 tons. But these remarkably fine ships are all outstripped by the splendid iron steamer "Persia," built and engined in 1856, for the same line, the tonnage being 3,076, and having two engines of the combined power of 900 horses.

The first steamer built of iron was the "Aglaia," of 30 tons, in 1827, and plied on Loch Eck, en route to Inverary, was clencher built, and of a most unusual model.

The first iron steamer which plied on the Clyde was the "Fairy Queen," of 39 tons, built in 1831. This vessel was conveyed by land from the building yard at Old Basin (Hamilton Hill) to the

* Left Glasgow for London in November, 1814, and the "Argyle" followed in May, 1815.

Broomielaw, a distance of a mile and a-half, and launched into the Clyde. The iron plates were not plated as iron vessels now are, but rivetted in the same manner as those of a boiler.

The first steamer in the kingdom wrought with a screw was the "Archimedes," of 237 tons, built in the Thames in 1839, having two engines of the collective power of ninety horses. The screw was of one convolution, which was set in the dead-weight. This vessel cost £10,500, was some days in Glasgow in June, 1840, and made the passage therefrom to Greenock, including stoppages at Renfrew, Erskine, Dunglass, and Port-Glasgow, in two hours and twenty minutes.

The first iron steamer wrought with a screw propeller built and fitted up at Glasgow was the "Fire Queen," in 1845, of 135 tons, wrought with two engines, of the collective power of eighty horses.

The first steamer which plied between Glasgow and New York was the "City of Glasgow," of 1609 tons, built of iron, in 1850, wrought with a screw propeller. After making some voyages to New York she was sold, and subsequently plied between Liverpool and Philadelphia. She sailed on the second trip from Liverpool, with many passengers, but was never heard of, other than that a portion of the bow of a vessel having "City of Glasgow" thereon, in large gilded characters, was found washed ashore at Ballochgair, near Campbelton, the 25th October, 1854.

The "Princess Royal,"* of 446 tons, 380 horse power, built in 1841, and propelled with paddle-wheels, was the first steamer built of iron that plied between Glasgow and Liverpool.

The "Alliance," built of iron, in 1857, is a twin steamer, of an unusual construction, and having the cabins on deck. This vessel may be described as an entire vessel cut into two from stem to stern, and strongly bolted together, with a space of twelve feet between, wherein the paddle-wheel is placed for propelling the vessel. There is an engine and boiler in each of the halves-the vessel is still on the river.

There was a steamer formed about thirty years ago, having the appearance of a square wooden house, which rested upon two long iron tubes, some feet distant from each other, each of the tubes resembling a cigar, hence was called the "Cigar." Many experiments

I find I was in error in stating the "Princess Royal;" it should have been the "Royal Sovereign," of 447 tons, built in 1839. I was supported in the error by the paragraph published in the newspapers, immediately after the death of Mr. John M'Gregor, partner of the firm of Tod & M'Gregor (who built both of the vessels), in September, 1858.

were made, and much money expended, but it became a complete failure.

The first sailing vessel in Scotland built of iron was the "Vulcan," built at Tophill, on the Forth and Clyde Canal, and plied on the canal.

The first sea-going sailing vessel built of iron in the Clyde was the "Iron Duke,"* of 393 tons, ship rigged, built in 1840-she sailed from Glasgow to India.

The "Glasgow," also an iron sailing vessel, of 100 tons, schooner rigged, built in 1842, was the first iron vessel which plied between Glasgow and Rotterdam, via the Forth and Clyde Canal. Several eminent scientific gentlemen took much interest in ascertaining, by personal observation, at Port-Dundas, the effects of the iron hull upon the ship's compass; and much valuable information was obtained, which has since proved very useful to shipping.

ADDENDA: 15TH FEBRUARY, 1859.

I have just discovered, in Cleland's Statistics, Ed. 1832, earlier mention of the Glasgow Custom-house than that mentioned by me at the meeting, namely, that in 1639 the Custom-house was at the south-west corner of Stockwell Street-only taken down a few years ago to make room for the present elegant erection-that on the 30th June of that year, the Town Council directed a dyke to be built at the head of Stockwell Street, and a port put therein; and a dyke to be built from the Lit-house to the Custom-house, at the bottom of Stockwell Street, with a port therein; likewise, one between the bridge and the deceased John Holm's house, in a comely and decent form, with all convenient diligence. I observe, however, in the publication Glasgow Past and Present, that Senex thinks this was not the Government Custom-house, but merely the place where the burgh dues, or "the common good of the city," namely, an egg out of each basket, and a bawbee for every barrel of sour milk, &c., were collected. Now, as these dues were leviable alike at every port and gate of the city-eight in number in 1736, according to M'Ure-it was extremely improbable that such an office would be placed at the utmost extremity of one of the corners of the city; while, with the then extent of the population, namely, 7,644 in 1610, and

James M'Nair, Esq., addressed a letter to the Editor of the Glasgow Herald, dated Auchineck, Drymen, 5th March, 1859, stating, with reference to the "Iron Duke," that his yacht, the "Cyclops," of about 30 tons, well known to the members of the Royal Northern Yacht Club, launched in 1836, was built up to the water lines of iron, and that he sailed her for many years in the open sea.

14,678 in 1660, the amount must have been exceedingly trifling: while the Crown Customs revenue, in 1656, according to Tucker's report, was £554; in the collection of which there were employed a collecter, a cheque, and four wayters; and probably even more in 1639-as he also alludes to the shallowness of the river, every day more and more increasing and filling up. Glasgow was then the port of the Clyde, having attached thereto Renfrew, Arskin, Kirpatrick, and Dunbarton, and the five ports following were also within the district, viz. :-1st, Newarke (Port-Glasgow); 2nd, Greenock; 3rd, Fairley, Calburgh (Kelburne), and Saltcoates; 4th, Island of Bute; 5th, Irvyn;-one wayter being constantly stationed at Newarke, another at Greenock, and a wayter extraordinary had care of Fairley, Calburgh, and Saltcoates, who advertised the head port when any thing came thither. The official Customs records further state that, when the Custom-house was in the large chamber in Mrs. Shields' coffee-house, in 1724, that establishment consisted of a collector, a comptroller, two surveyors of land carriage waiters, and ten land carriage waiters. I therefore, on the whole, have no doubt of it being the Crown's Custom-house.

TONNAGE OF Ships Cleared Outwards for FOREIGN PARTS, INCLUDING IRELAND, UP TILL 1814, FROM GREAT BRITAIN, DISTINGUISHING, WHERE ASCERTAINED, THE TONNAGE OF THE SHIPS CLEARED FROM SCOTLAND FROM THOSE FROM ENGLAND.