110 
LEWIS EVANS—ADDRESS I 
the rate of 5 miles an hour on Dalswinton Loch in Scotland in 
1788 ; this was followed by the “ Charlotte Dundas,” which plied 
in the Forth and Clyde Canal in 1802, Fulton’s boat “ Clermont ” 
used on the Hudson river in 1807, the “Comet” on the Clyde in 
1812, and the “ Savannah ” which crossed the Atlantic in 1819. 
Captain Ericson devised the screw propeller in 1837, and the 
Cunard line commenced running in 1840, when ocean navigation 
became firmly established. 
The development of steam navigation has been thus epitomized : 
in 1833 a transition was taking place from sails to wooden paddles ; 
in 1843 from wooden to iron hulls; in 1850 from paddles to 
screws; in 1879 from iron to steel hulls; and in 1889 from single 
to twin screws. The principal changes in the engine have been 
a great increase in the speed of the piston, the use of surface- 
condensers, greatly increased steam-pressures, and the device of 
triple and quadruple expansion. The speed of Ocean Steamers 
has now reached 23 knots or 26 \ miles per hour, whilst on torpedo- 
boat destroyers engined with Parsons’ steam turbine a speed of 
over 35 knots or more than 40 miles an hour has been successfully 
accomplished. 
It will not do at this date to neglect all mention of aerial 
locomotion, for great progress has been made with ballooning since 
1783, when Vincent Lunardi made the first ascent in Britain, 
starting from Finsbury and landing safely at Ware in this county. 
The successful navigation of the cigar-shaped balloon of Mr. Santos 
Dumont round the Eiffel Tower last year marks a great advance 
in aeronautics, and will no doubt give a great impetus to the 
inventors both of steerable balloons and of flying machines. 
With improved methods of locomotion there naturally came 
great changes in the methods of communication. A penny post 
for London had been established as early as 1681, but a retrograde 
step was taken in 1801, when the rate for this London local post 
was put up to 2d .; the rate to other parts of the country varied 
with the distance, and in 1837 some of the London postal rates 
were as follows :—to Brighton 8^., Edinburgh Is. 1 \d., Belfast 
Is. 4^., the distance rates being as follows :—Under 15 miles, 4 d .; 
15 to 20, 5d. ; 20 to 30, 6d. ; 30 to 50, 7 d. ; 50 to 80, 8 d. ; 80 to 
120, 9 d. ; 120 to 170, 10 d .; 170 to 230, 1 Id .; 230 to 300, Is.; 
and so on, with an extra \d. in Scotland. Newspapers, on each of 
which a tax was levied (a tax which in 1815 was as high as 4 d. 
a copy, though it was much reduced in 1836), were carried free. 
In consequence of agitation, and especially owing to a pamphlet 
on Post Office Beform published by Howland Hill in 1837, a great 
