Captain Hall’s Account of the Dundee Ferry. 147 
In 1817, the counties of Fife and Forfar appointed a Joint 
Committee to consider the state of the ferry, and to concert 
measures for its improvement : and it being apparent, upon a 
slight examination, that, in spite of all its drawbacks, the ferry 
produced a revenue adequate, with proper care, to the mainte- 
nance of a far better system, the number of boats was reduced 
from twenty-five to eight ; and at the same time rendered efficient 
by stronger crews, better equipment, and, as far as was possible, 
by punctuality of sailing at stated periods. The landing-places 
were also greatly improved. 
In 1819, an Act of Parliament was procured for erecting piers, 
and otherwise improving and regulating the ferry across the Tay. 
During the discussions on this bill, the idea of employing steam- 
boats first suggested itself to the Trustees; and after careful 
inquiries, they decided upon trying the experiment, with a 
double or twin steam-vessel, such as they learned had been in 
use for some years on the American rivers, and also at Ham- 
burgh, and on the Mersey, near Liverpool It was not, how- 
ever, till towards the end of the year 1821, that the steam-boat 
began to ply. Previous to that period, but after the improve- 
ments had been made in the sailing-boat establishment, the 
number of foot-passengers was about 70,000 annually, and the 
receipts L. 2510. There was still, however, no convenient or 
certain means of transporting cattle or carriages across, except at 
certain times of the tide, and in fine weather. Until the twin-boat 
was established, and indeed even for some little time after she 
began to ply, no very great increase in the revenue took place. 
There was still a defect in the arrangements, owing to a circurn- 
stance which had not been foreseen in time to have it duly 
guarded against in the act of Parliament, and which, in conse- 
quence of this inadvertency, cost the Trustees a long course of 
the most unpleasant altercation, and, finally, the loss of a consi- 
derable sum of money. It was this : While the only convenient 
landing-place on the north side was Dundee, on the Fife coast 
or right bank of the Tay, there happened to be two, Newport 
k 2 
* The Twin-boat was the invention of the late celebrated Mr Miller of Dalswin- 
ton, who was also the discoverer of Steam Navigation — Vid. the excellent narra- 
tive of Mr Miller, Article viii. of the present Number of this Journal. — Edit. 
