The Packets : 235 



the convenience of her operators. "Transient" vessels were not neces- 

 sarily inferior ships, but they vi^ere irregular in operation and on one 

 voyage might sail from New York to Liverpool but on the next one 

 from New York to Havana. In fact, they might cover the three 

 points in a triangular voyage. 



The other class of vessel was so-called "regular traders." These con- 

 fined their activities to a particular route, such as the passage from 

 New York to Liverpool or from New York to London. The term 

 "regular" applied to the destination of the vessel, but not necessarily 

 to the time of her departure or of her arrival. 



The term "packet" was also applied to vessels. It was apparently 

 intended to suggest that a vessel was not only a regular trader but 

 also prompt in her departure and fast at sea; but in practice, the term 

 was so often misapplied that it lost its meaning. The honored mean- 

 ing was won back for a distinct class of ships that earned the desig- 

 nation the hard way. 



The New York Evening Post of October 27, 1817, carried an ad- 

 vertisement that differed from any other shipping notice that had 

 ever appeared up to that time. It announced that a line of Ameri- 

 can packets would operate between New York and Liverpool. Four 

 ships were mentioned: the ship Amity, John Stanton, master; the 

 Courier, William Bowne, master; the Pacific, John Williams, master; 

 and the James Monroe, whose master was not listed. The announce- 

 ment further said that the Monroe was to sail from New York on 

 the 5th of January, 1818, while the Courier was to sail from Liverpool 

 on the first, and that similar sailings were to take place on the first 

 and fifth of each succeeding month. The backers of this enterprise 

 were: Issac Wright & Son, Francis Thompson, Benjamin Marshal 

 and Jeremiah Thompson. On the morning of the 5th of January a 

 snowstorm was raging over New York; but promptly at 10:00 

 o'clock, Captain James Watkinson, who had assumed command of 

 the Monroe, gave orders that the vessel's lines were to be cast off the 

 dock, and when the sails were trimmed she slipped into the river. 

 At that time she had on board a rather limited cargo but a scheduled 

 one. She had on board eight male passengers who had paid forty 

 guineas (about $200) apiece for passage which included bedding, 

 food and wines, and she also carried mail. Thus, the Monroe began 

 the first scheduled transatlantic sailing from New York of a vessel 

 performing a combination of services which included the carrying of 

 passengers, of mails and of freight. 



New Year's Day in Liverpool did not witness the scheduled de- 



