MECHANIC S. 
poflibly could be efi’efted by land. And it is certainly 
worthy of remark, that, in the expedition of admiral fir 
John Borlafe Warren, up the Potomac-river, chafing the 
enemy, they, keeping their (hips at a prudent diftance 
from ours, fent one of their fteam-boats, diredfly againft 
the wind, fo as to be juft without gunfhot, and reconnoitred 
our fleet. This faft is mentioned, becaufe it is prefumed 
that it is the firft inftance where they have been applied 
to fuch purpofes. 
Some of thefe fteam-boats, or packets, are fo conftrudf ed, 
that they can carry fail, and perform all the manoeuvres 
of other vefl'els at fea, when the wind is in their favour; 
and, when againft them, by furling all their fails, pafs right 
in the wind’s eye with velocity ; thus continuing their 
paffage in a ftraight line, while other vefl'els are obliged to 
tack to and fro, and make but little progrefs to their de- 
fired point; and thefe poflefs the beft accommodations for 
pafl'engers, and are always certain to beat other vefl'els un¬ 
der canvas only, becaufe they can ufe both their fails and 
machinery at one time, giving them additional velocity 
through the water; which, to a reflefting mind, muft 
evince their great utility; becaufe, except in Itorms or 
gales of wind, they can always purfue their paflages ftraight 
forward, rendering them ihorter and more certain than 
the prefent fyftem, which is of the firft importance to 
commercial countries. 
The above remarks are by Mr. Dodd, the celebrated 
engineer; who adds the following ftriking exemplifica¬ 
tion. “ I cannot help ftating what once occurred to me, 
in my return from the continent of America, in a fwift- 
failing packet; we made the entrance of the Britifh chan¬ 
nel in twenty-one days; but, detained by light contrary 
winds, we were nearly as long in gaining a port. Here a 
few hours fcientific application of fteam would have given 
the much-defired port of fafety, and have faved the ex- 
penfe of near three weeks wear and tear to the labouring 
veflel.” 
There is alfo a fpecies of ferry fteain-boat, or rather 
floating-bridge,lately conftruffed at New York, and which 
runs between that city and the Jerfey fnore, which might 
be of much practical ufe in this country, in fuch fituations, 
for inftance, as between Tilbury Fort and Gravefend, or 
wherever a common floating-bridge would interfere with 
the navigation. This veflel is reprefented at fig. 127. It 
confifts of a large platform laid on two boats, attached fide 
by fide, yet fo as to admit the Angle wheel, which moves 
the whole, to work between them; and the machinery is 
completely inclofed in a wooden building in the centre of 
this platform, fo that the pafl'engers, cattle, carriages, &c. 
are accommodated on the railed gallery round it. A troop 
of mounted cavalry, or 500 foot-paflenger-s, at one time, 
has crofled this bridge; and it is confidered fo fafe, that 
people feldom get out of their carriages. On each Ade 
the river there is a wharf, fo conftru&ed as to receive and 
break the concuflion of this immenfe body; and, to pre¬ 
vent the neceflity of its turning, it is furnifhed with a 
moveable rudder at each end. ^The uncommon advantages 
refulting from this contrivance were fo evident and fo ge¬ 
nerally acknowledged, that it was in contemplation, in 
June 1802, to conftruft Amilar conveyances between New 
York and Long Ifland, acrofs what is called Eaft River; 
and this no doubt has been long Ance carried into efFeft. 
The flrft fleam-boat that vve meet with an account of 
in Great Britain is in the year 1813, when one called the 
Clyde began to navigate the river of that name, for the 
conveyance of pafl'engers and goods between Glafgow and 
Greenock. This velfel is reprefented at ftg. 128. Its ex¬ 
treme length is feventy-ftve feet, its breadth fourteen, the 
height of the cabins Ax feet Ax. She is built very flat, 
and draws from two feet nine to three feet water. The 
beft or after cabin is twenty feet long, and is entered from 
the ftern : between the after cabin and the engine there 
is a fpace allotted for goods ftfteen feet long. The engine 
is a twelve-horfe power, and occupies ftfteen feet; the fore 
cabin is Axteen feet long, and is entered from the Ade. 
787 
The paddles, Axteen in number, form two wheels of nine 
feet diameter, and four feet broad, made of hammered 
iron : they dip into the water from one foot three inches 
to one foot Ax inches. Along the outer edge of thefe 
wheels a platform and rail are formed quite round the 
veflel, projediting over the (ides, and fupported by timbers 
reaching down to the veflel’s Ade. The Clyde runs at the 
rate of four or four miles and a half per hour in calm wea¬ 
ther; but againft a conliderable brezee only three miles. 
The fleam-boat can take in 250 pafl'engers, and is worked 
by flve men. The engine confumes twelve cwt. of coals 
per day ; and, if well conftruffed, will require very little 
repair for fome years. The daily expenfe, while working, 
is neatly 40s. the carpenter’s work coft 500I. the joiner’s 
work 150I. and the engine, with its apparatus, about 700I. 
The funnel of the boiler is twenty-five feet high; and 
carries a fquare fail twenty .two feet broad. Thefe boats 
are fttted up with the greateft neatnefs, and with every 
accommodation, fo as to render them attractive to travel¬ 
lers. They have already had a remarkable influence in 
reducing the prodigious number of poft-chaifes on that 
line of road; fo much fo, that the tolls have let for 1400!. 
per annum lefs than formerly; and four out of eight (tage- 
coaches are laid afide, in confequence of which, Axty horfes 
lefs are employed on that road. The diftance, by water, 
is twenty-two miles, and the boats generally make the 
voyage in four or flve hours. They go and come every 
day, and fometimes, in fummer, when tlie weather is fa¬ 
vourable, they have made three voyages a-day. The fare 
is flve (hillings in the after cabin, and in the fore cabin 
half-a-crown. The expenfe by the mail and ftnge coaches 
is ten or twelve (hillings. The noife and vibration of the 
machinery is, however, unpleafant; and, to many people, 
the fin ell of the fteam is difagreeable. But improvements 
are daily making; and thefe inconveniences are already 
obviated in part. Some very judicious remarks on the 
conllruftion of the Clyde in particular, with hints for im¬ 
proving it, appeared in the Monthly Magazine for June 
1814. We forbear to tranfcribe them, both on account 
of their length, and becaufe we have no doubt that fome 
of them have already been adopted and a&ed upon. But 
we muft not omit to (late, that for the whole hiftory of 
fteam-boats we are indebted to that publication (the 
Monthly Magazine), vols. xxxi. xxxvi. xxxvii. 
Thefe ufeful machines are now well known on mod of 
our principal rivers. We need hardly mention thofe work¬ 
ing on the river Braydon, between Yarmouth and Nor¬ 
wich ; on the Tyne, between Newcaltle and Shields; on 
the Severn, between Briftol and Bath; and on the Thames, 
between London and Margate. We are informed that 
fome gentlemen of DubliiT are bringing a bill into parlia¬ 
ment for their incorporation as a fleam-boat company. 
They intend to eftablifli four fteam-boats between Dublin 
and Holyhead, and calculate on running that diftance in 
nine hours. And from St. Peterftmrgh we learn, that the 
invention of fteam-boats to move againft wind and tide, 
had been tried there alfo. A Mr. Baird, the owner of 
an iron-foundery, was the flrft to make the experiment, 
which had fucceeded. 
Yet the method of propelling (hips by fieam-engines is 
of a nature which mult confine its ufe to rivers, canals, 
or fmall lakes; for the part of the machinery that ails on 
the water, refembling a water-mill wheel, would be fo 
much in the way at lea in rough weather, and would ex- 
pofe the veflel to fo much danger if the bad weather in- 
creafed to a ftorm, that none have yet been hardy enough 
to try velfels of this conftruftion on the ocean. 
And yet the fecurityand expedition, which the mecha¬ 
nical principle of impelling (hips might afford, would be 
of fo much more importance on the ocean, particularly for 
the conveyance of palfengers and letters, that its adoption 
on the waters where it is ul'ed at prefent is obvioufly of 
but little confequence in comparifon. This put Mr. John 
Whitley Bofwell upon contriving a method of navigating 
large lhi.ps by means of machinery which (hould not be 
liable 
