240 Original Articles. [ April, 
the various steamers which now made their appearance in every part 
of this country, 
The first regular steamer which plied on the Thames was the 
‘Margery,’ of 70 tons and 14 horse-power. She made the trip from 
London to Gravesend in one day, returning the next; but another 
steamer, called the ‘ Thames,’ soon eclipsed her performance, making 
the trip there and back in the same day. 
In 1822, a company was formed, with the bold idea of establishing 
a steam communication with India by what is so well known as the 
Overland Route. It became necessary that steamers should be placed 
in the Red Sea to meet those coming from England, and accordingly a 
vessel called the ‘Enterprise’ was built and launched by Messrs. 
Gordon of Deptford, in February, 1825; she was rigged as a three- 
masted lugger, and was fitted with engines of 120 horse-power, by 
Messrs. Maudslay. The boiler was of copper, and in one piece, 
weighing 32 tons; her consumption of fuel was about 12 tons per 24 
hours. She sailed from Falmouth deeply laden with coal for the 
voyage, on the 16th August, 1825, and arrived in Diamond Harbour, 
Bengal, 7th December, the distance being 13,700 miles; which was 
therefore accomplished in 118 days, whereof 63 were under steam and 
40 under sail, the remaining ten days having been occupied in cleaning 
her boiler at St. Thomas and in coaling at the Cape. The result of 
this experiment was very disappointing, both to the public and the 
shareholders, as they had anticipated that less than 80 days would 
have sufliced for the voyage. Government, however, bought the ship 
for 40,0001, so that the enterprising speculator lost but little ; she 
was used in the Burmese war with great success. Although, however, 
the ‘Enterprise’ had not realized the expectation of the projectors, 
we cannot but regard her as a success, for she was in a great measure 
the pioneer in long steam sea-voyages. 
In 1827, Government established a line of steamers between Fal- 
mouth and the Mediterranean ; these vessels averaged throughout the 
year 73 knots per hour. At Bombay, in 1830, a steamer was built of 
400 tons burthen and 160 horse-power, named the ‘ Hugh Lindsay,’ 
with the object of establishing steam communication between Bombay 
and Suez; and on the 20th March she started from Bombay, and 
reached Aden (where a coaling station had been provided) on the 7th 
April, and thence to Suez, where she arrived on the 29th May. This 
voyage fulfilled its object in showing the practicability of a rapid 
steam communication with Europe, and eventually led to the establish- 
ment of the Peninsular and Oriental Company. 
In 1836, a company was incorporated at Bristol with the magnifi- 
cent project of Transatlantic steam navigation. Hitherto, no steamers 
of any great magnitude had been constructed, and those which had 
made long voyages had depended on their sails as much as on their 
steam power; but this company, which was called the Great Western 
Steam Navigation Company, felt convinced that to convey passengers 
and mails with regularity, they must depend on their steam power 
only. To accomplish this, hovvever, the ship would be compelled to 
