Report of the House of Comtnons on Steam-Boats. 1 1 5 



the Forth and Clyde, and several on the rivers Tay, Thames, 

 Mersey and Humber, and between Southampton and the Isle 

 of Wight; but it was not till the year 1818 that a steam-boat 

 was made use of to perform regular voyages at sea. In this 

 year the Rob Roy, of ninety tons, built by Mr. Denny of 

 Dumbarton, and with an engine of thirty-horse power made 

 by ]\Ir. Napier of Glasgow, plied regularly between Greenock 

 and Belfast, and proved the practicability of extending the 

 u.se of the steam-engine to sea navigation. In the year 1819, 

 the Talbot, of 150 tons, built by Messrs. Wood, with two 

 thirty-horse engines made by Mr. Napier, plied daily between 

 Holyhead and Dublin, throughout ti)e whole summer and 

 autmini, and successfully encountered many severe gales. In 

 the year 1820, the Ivanlioe, of 170 tons, built by Mr. J. Scott, 

 with two thirty-horse engines made by Mr. Napier, was esta- 

 blished on the same station; and in 1821, the Postmasters 

 General introduced steam-boats at Holyhead and Dover for 

 the conveyance of the mails. During these three last years, 

 the Belfast, Robert Bruce, Waterloo, Eclipse, Superb, Ma- 

 jestic, and Cambria were constructed, of large tonnage, and 

 with engines of great power, for conveying passengers between 

 Greenock and Belfast and Liverpool ; between Liverpool and 

 Dublin ; and between Liverpool and Bagilt in Flintshire. All 

 these vessels, except the Cambria and Belfast, were constructed 

 in the Clyde. In the year 1821, the City of Edinburgh and 

 Mountaineer were established to go between London and 

 Leith ; and, in the present year, there have already been fitted 

 for sea the St. Patrick and St. George, at Liverpool ; the James 

 Watt, for the Leitli and London station ; the Swift, to go be- 

 tween Brighton and Dieppe ; the Sovereign and Union, be- 

 tween Dover and Calais; and the Lord Slelville, to go re- 

 gularly between London Bridge and Calais *; twelve more are 

 in hand, and will be completed this summer. Ferry-boats 

 propelled by steam, sufficiently commodious to carry carriages, 

 horses and cattle, have been established with great public utihty 

 on the Tay between Dundee and Fifeshire; at the Queen's 

 Ferry, in Scotland; on the Severn, the Mersey and the Hum- 

 ber, and at other ferries. 



In the Appendix there is a list which has been made by 

 Mr. Field, ol'all the steam-boats which have been built in the 

 United Kingdom, showing their tonnagef and the power of their 



* Sec App. p. 19S for the tonnage and power of all these vessels, and for 

 the names of tlie iiiiiUlcrs and enfjine-iiiakers. 



f The tonnau'c of stcan)-vcssels in this Report and in the table in the Ap- 

 pendix, No. 1 , is stated according' to the customary nictliod of caleulating it 

 in oth.T ve-isels. — 'i'iit- way of call niatiiif.' the tonnage of stcam-lioats is spe- 

 cially reu'uhtfed by .'tit (iro. III. c. .">. 



1' 2 engines; 



