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entirely apart from those relating to the mechanical means 
of converting rectilinear into circular motion. It seems 
strange that such able engineers as Dr. Rankine and Mr. 
Woodcroft should have given this prominence to the said 
double crank action. Whatever may have been the degree 
of success in the case of the “ Charlotte Dundas” in 1801, and 
whatever may be said about the bar to further progress of 
Symington’s inventions by the Duke’s death, the fact remains 
clear that his schemes died out with the Duke, as no more 
was heard of them after the “ Charlotte Dundas,” and from 
some cause, she was discontinued ; and it was in fact fifteen 
years after her advent before the “ Margery” came out from 
the same waters to enter the Thames, in 1816. What shall 
be said of the “ enlightened” of Glasgow, if “Symington’s 
practical steam boat” was suffered to rot and be forgotten, 
leaving no successor, and the inventor himself to remain unre- 
warded and unnoticed for fifteen long years ? 
Through the limited space allowed for the abstract of my 
paper. Dr. Rankine was misled respecting the other event , 
also cited by him from Mr. Woodcroft’s book, namely, — 
that I had “ passed over the first introduction of steam 
navigation into Europe, by Henry Bell, in 1812 for in my 
paper due notice is taken of this well known experiment of 
Mr. Bell. Although his trial boat proved a failure, on account 
of its being a very small one, and of his want of pecuniary 
means for continuing or extending the experiment, and the 
lack of any aid or encouragement afforded him by others, yet 
his trial boat served as the model for constructing the 
“ Margery,” three years after, which, as I have before said, 
was a success, and the first stemn boat on English waters. 
I therefore think that due honour should be paid to the name 
of Henry Bell, for his spirit and enterprise, and a due stigma 
cast upon the capitalists who allowed him to sink under 
pecuniary pressure, from which lie ought to have been relieved 
by them in so important an enterprise. 
