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1
6
'•' '^wii.jin
THE
( (
ROYAL WILLIAM,"
The Pioneer of Ocean Steam Navigation.
~4>-*«-'<
A Paper bead before the Liteeart and Historical
Society of Quebec, on the 81st day of
March, 1891,
BY
ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL,
One of the Vice-Presidents of that Institution. .
QUEBEC:
PRINTED AX THE " MORNING mRONIOLB " OFFICE.
1891
Literary and Historical Society of IJueliec.
Founded in 1824.
Incorporated hy Noynl Charter, 1881,
PATRON:
His ExcELLENcv, TiiK Rkjiit Hun., TiiK Lord Stanley of Pkeston,
GoVKUNOK-CiiKNEKAL OF CANADA.
HONORARY M KMBKRS.
Tlu' Mai'C|uifl of DiiflTcnn and Avii.
Till' Mfiniuis of liOitu-.
Tlitf Miir()iiis of Liuisdowiic, fJ.C.M.rj.
iSiimlford Fleming, (J.M.(J., L1>.D.,
Sir I)aniel''Wilson, LL 0., F.U.S.C,
I'lesidont, Toronto Univcisitv.
T. Stoirv Hunt, LL.D., F.R.S., F'.R.S.C,
Now-Vork.
Clms. Lanni!ui,Ivs((., Wasliiiijrton, D.C
Joliii Milker Grant, Escj., liondon.
Jolin Laiigtoii, M. A., Toronto.
K. A .Merc'diili, LL.D., Toronto.
E. T. FletclKM-. Esq.. I5riti^^h 0(dumbia.
Frauds Parknnm, LL.D., F.K.S.C,
Boston.
Rev. Cliarles Rogers, LL.D., F.S.A.,
Scotland.
Hon. Wni. C, no\VfIl.-J, nliio.
Sydney rvolijohiis. K.-<(|.. F. |{. Hist.
Society, Scotland.
JaineH Doujrlas, E.sti., .M.A., Spuytcn
Dnxvil. N. V.
Wni.'Kirby, F.RS.C. author of " Lo
Cliien d Or," Niagara.
Jolin Rcade, F.R.S.(V !iutiior of " The
J'-opln'cy of .Mtrlin," .Montreal.
James Aslrlniry, Hs(|., England.
I'rnfessor dolilwin Smith, D. (J. L., LL.D.,
F.il.S.t,'.. Toronto.
Tletiry J'hilijis, .Jr., I'hiladclphia.
Jo.sefih W. Lawrence, Esq., St. Jolm,
N. W.
Ju^!tin AVindor, LL.D.. Harvard Univer-
Bity, Cambridge, Mass.
COR RES l'ONDIN( J ME.M BER8.
Akins, Dr. Thos. B., Halifax, N.S.
Albemarle, Rt. Jlon. the Earl. London. \
Bartholomew, J. (1., F.R.G.S.,
F.R.S.E., London.
Bonnie, Wm. ('land, New York.
Brackenbury, (.'ol. H., R. A., England.
Boneher de Boucherville, Hon., M.L.t,'.,
Boucherville.
Brock, R. A., Richmond, Virginia.
Bailey, Dr. L. \V. Fredericton. N.B.
Canovas del Castillo, JT E. Don, I're.^i-
dent of the Royal Academy of His-
/ tory, Madrid.
Cherriman, J. B., M.A., F.R.S.C,
(>ttawa.
Chapleau, Hon. J. A., Q.C., LL.D.,
P. C, M.P., Montreal.
Campbell, Prof. John, Montreal.
D'Abbadle, Antoine, Membre de I'lns-
titut de France, Paris.
j DeSeehelles, Desmazicres, St. Malo,
Kr.ince.
j D'Urban, W. S. M , Enghmd.
I De Peyster, Gen. J. Watts, New York.
I Danserean, Arthur, Montreal.
' Filippi, le Comte Waldeniar, I'ari^.
' (Janong, \V.F., .d.A.. Cambridge, Mass.
I Graham. Lt.-Col. U.S.A., Chicago.
Germ, E., Trois-Rivieres.
j (!ra/,illier. L'Abbe, Saintes, Franco. ^
»Hanney, James, St. .John, N.B.
Henderson, ^Y., Franiplon.
! Jack. [. Allen, D.C.L , St. .John. N.B.
I Jeph.^on, Alfred, (Captain R.N.
\ Kingston, Professor G. T., University
' College Toronto.
! Huguet-Latowr, Major, Montreal.
I Lee, G. Herbert, M. A., St. .lolin, N.B.
: Lcfebvie de Bellefeuille, E., Montreal.
I I
fORRKSl'ONDINi; MKMJ{EriS.-(.W/;/(»/»/.
Le flarilciir (If Tilly, Ir ('miiU' llyppu-
litc, <'liiinti('iiii-l)irs-Siiinle8, France.
Mailrii/.o, Dun IN-dio di-, Sci rot.irv-diMi-
cnil of llio Ifoyiil Aciiilciiiy ol' history,
iMiiidmiHi.Hon. I\ (}., F.U.S.C.,M.r.l'.,
St. .Johii's, Qiicbfi'.
Morgan, Mi'iirv J. .Ottawa.
/..I.lo, Colonel VV. H., II. A., F.R.S.,
F.ll.A S., Kngland.
I'lovenciior, Coloiml .V., .Montreal.
i'owJH, Uevil. 11. D., l.,ondon, England.
Uohcrtd. I'roi't'HHor, Clin.'^. G. I)., M.A,,
F.II..S.C.. Windsor, \.S.
H.-(.tt, C. IVrcy. M .\.. Windnor, N.H.
Sininionds, I'l-ti-r Lund, I.iindun, Kng.
Strange, T. Itland, Major-CJeneral, Cal-
gary, N.W.T.
Si riding, I'rofessor Paul C, Copen-
liageii.
Snlte, Jk'njamin, F.U.S.C., Ottuwa.
Tiliey, Sirs. L , K.C.M.C.., O.K., Lt.-
(Jovernor of New IJrnnswicii.
Wynne, Tlionia."* II., Richnmnd, Va.
Wildon, Gen. James Grunt, NfW-Vork,
COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1891.
GKORflESTKWAKT, D.C.L., I.L.D., D. Litt., F.R.O.S., F.R.S C. Prmdent.
W!LI,l.\M IIoS.SAfK
Vkky Rk.vi). Dk.v.n NoiiM.v.v, D.D., D.C.L , ,,. „
Cvllll.MC rtHSIKU
AKCHlBAIil) Cami'ukll
Edwi.v Poi'B Treasurer.
F. C. WuuTELK Librarian.
T. Ai.NSLiK Yor.N'O Recordiny Secretary.
W. A. Ashe, F.R.A.S Correfpondini/- Secretary,
W. C. II. Wood Council Secretary.
W. Cmnt Curator of Museum.
C. B. Lanhlois Curator of Apparatus.
I'ktku Johnston ]
J. M. LkMoink, F.R.S.C \ Additional Members
P. B. Cascmiain [ of Council
Dr. J. M. Habi'kk, F.E.I.S .J
W. S. Bknnett Auditor.
J. W. Sthachan V. Custodian of the Library.
t
8
[)., M.A„
)!•, N.a.
lull, Knu.
eral, Cal-
, Cojicii-
ttiiwa.
C.U.,Lt.-
id, V.v.
s'fW-York,
Presidents of the Literary and Historical Society.
ent.
"ctanj.
• Secretary.
ary.
seiim.
paralus,
mbera
he Library.
1824 81f N. F. r>iirlitii, Ll.-(Ji)veriior.
1S2S »r Hon. Mr. \Uu\, Cliii-.f . I upline.
IS25) Lieut. I'ltikiiik l'.iuliltlcy, K.N.
1S."W Hull. Jniuilliaii Sow I'll, (.'liiif .)ii«tico.
18.31 " •• ** " •'
1882 Hon. An.lrcw Stuart, Q.C.
18.33 Hon. Will. Shtipjianl.
]S'M Hon. Will. Slu'iipiu-tl.
18;J.5 liKsiph Sk.y, M.D.
18.S0 Kiiv. Diuiicl Wilkii", T.L.I).
1837 Hon. .\n<lrow Stuart, Q.C).
1838 "
1839 Win. K.;lly, M.D., K.N.
1840 " '' " " . ,
1841 Hon. Will. Slifpjmrd.
1842 Hon. A. W. CVjchrnuo.
1843 Hon. Win. Slicpparil.
1844 O. 15. Fiiiil)iuilt, Ksq.
1845 Hon. A. W . C'ocluano.
184G 'lohn C. Fisher, K»<]. , LL. D.
1847 Hon. Wni. Shop])anl.
1848 Hon. A. W. Cochrane.
1849 (r . B. Faribault, Ka(|.
1850 " .' '*
1851 "
1852 "
1853 "
1S54 "
1855 . - E. A. Meredith, Esq., M.A.
185fl W. Andrew, Esq.
1857 " "
1858 O. B. ti.-ibault, Esq.
1859 '♦
I860 E. A. Meredith, Esq., M.A.
1881 "
1862 John Langtou, Esq., M.A.
1863 "
1864 " ' •' " "
IflflK •! ti l« «»
lOWU . .,!•■«.. fif,*tff'ff »,»
L I ST OK 1 ' U ESI DKNTS. —CotUin ufU
1866 Com. K. U. Ashe, Lieut. R.N.
1867 " " " ••
1868 Hon. P. J. (). Cliauveiiu, LL. D.
1809. Prof. iJanieH I Douglas.
1870 Dr. W. J. Anderson.
1871 J. M. LeMoiiio, Kh(|.
1872 3 Dr. W. J. An.lorBon.
1873 Com. K. D. A*he, Lieut. U.N., F.U.S.
1874 Prof. JaiiicH Douglas.
1875 ••
1876 Jatiios Stevenson, Ksq.
1S77 "
1878 •• " ••
1879 1. M. LeMoino, E^i., P.Il.S.C.
1880 " " " "
1881 " •• " "
13(^2 «' •« «« (•
1883 .Hon. D. A. Rosa, (^C.
1884 " "
1885 G. Stewart, B.C. L., F.R.S.C.,F.R.(;.S.
1886 " " " " "
1887 " ", " " "
1888 " " " " W
1889 " " " " *»
.'890 " " " " **
1891 " " '• • "
A880CIATK MEMBERS 1801.
Aflnm, J.
AhtTii, M..J., M.D.
An<lcr»oii, K-lnnmd H.
Andrcw-t, JiiMtice
Arnold. J. IV
Asl..., W. A., F.U.A.S.
A II KIT, J.
IJahy, M. W.
liitilliiii^*''. I,. O.
UiiMwiii, \V. II.
Itunlci, MisM.
I\'<;kett, ThoB.
Ufliii^jo, A.
Bt'llcmi, J. F.
lifniM'tt, \V. H. •
Hilliiijrsl.y, F.
Hishi)|i, K. A.
ni.aiiil, Uovd. S.,I{.A.
Bo^iufll, St. Geori^c, AI.I.CE.
IJoswi'll, A .
Hotteiell, J. II.
Boycc, S.
Hoin-lictte, Tl. Krroi. .
Hrodif, Will.
Hiinoiitrli.t, Louis F.
Biirstall, .luliii.
Crthill, ,J. U.
Caiii))b(!ll, Arcliiliiild.
Campboll. W. N.
Cnilirav, Fflix.
Cait.T.'W. H.
Ciisj^rain, 1*. 15.
rhiiiiiitioii, ('. P.
Cliuiiiimnl, JI. J. J. \i.
(^laiph.im J. G.
Clint, W.,
Cream, 1).
Dawson, J. T.
Dean, W . R.
DubcU, U R,
Diiggun, W. E.
Dunn, Logic II.
Dunn, Sti'Wiirt II.
Dunscomlu', J. W.
iMiviil, E. M.
livaiis, {..orenzo.
Fail-child, G. M.
FooU', J. J.
Forsytli, Jos. Ijcll, Lt.-CoL
F laser, A.
Fra,ser, K. G.
Fry, E. C.
Fry, .John S.
Fitzi)alrick, Cli8.
Geggie, I). H.
C.eggie, .lanies.
Goodday, H. G.
Grant, Robt.
Gregory, J. U,
Orifflth. W. A.
Orcfmingli, \V. P.
Habv K. J.
Ilaiiiilton, Robert.
Iliiiiiilton. .lohii.
MariK-r, .f., IMi. P., F.E.I.S,
IIt>nnning, lifiirv.
Holt, .I(.lin II. '
Holt, Stauli'v II. •
II(»rMn, .1.
Ilo.'j.sack , \\ .
Niiiidiinsoii, Rov. \V. U.
Hunt, A. F.
Hunter, Jolin.
Ilnun, Hon. .1.. M.L.C.
Ilcncliey, ,1. II., .M.D.
Ik'ndi'i.son, W. II.
Henry,.!. W.
Huissoii. df St. Laurent, Le Baron.
Irvidi', lion. G.
Irviii.-; .M. lk'li,C.M.G., Com. Genl.
Jewell, I). ^
.Iohii.*<uii, I*.
.I((ly do Lotblnii're, Hon. II. G.
.lofy do Lofliiniere, K. G.
Jone,s, K. Allen.
Joseph, .Moiitoliore.
JoHoi.h \. C.
King, .fas.
Lat'rance, G. A.
Lamp.son, F.
Langlois, C. R.
Languedoe, W. C
Ledroit, Tlieopliile.
Lemieux, T.
LeMoiue, .1. .M., F.R.S.C.
LeMoine, Gasp.
Lesage, Simeon,
Litidsay Crawford.
Laurie,' F. C.
Lee, W.
Martin, Miss., B.
Maciira, .luliu.
Maehin, 11. T.
Maekay, J.
.MacKeuzio, Cii3.
Machueu, W. II.
MacLeod, D. R.
MacNidur, .fas.
Maei'hersoii, W. M.
McQuaiiie, A D.
McWilliam, W.
McMicbael, II. M. J.
Masson, Hon. L. R.
Messervev, A. J.
.Miller, j'.
Miller, Mrs M.
Moir, Gavin,
Jlontizambertjf., M.D
ASSOCIATE MKMBEItH.-Cow/uu/f./.
MortfiU), Jiiiiu-ri.
M.Cji,., I).
.Mi-|.iiiii>iit, l{.
Mii\lMnn, V. J.
.\lcitii''nn, J. K.
MtiiiisDii. M. .1.
N.nTn.iii, The Vpiv I!.'\. U. W., D.U.,
niiv.i. TIko. II , HA.
(CMiMii. I». II.
(Inimit, lltiii. (li-tU'i.ii, Q.C., M-.l>.
Pure, Kiliiiiiud.
I'lUliiii, Will.
I'fl.TS, S.
I'elrv, W. a.
r.tiv, |{fv II. J.
i'lipi', Kilwiii.
I'lipt', y\\<i K.
I'ricc, lloti. r.NMii .) , .M.S.U.
Pii.'.", U. M.
I'n.wt-r, J. Klltm, iJ.-Col.
<,>Miiin, Frs. A.
Kile, Will.
Hiui'v. Knitsf.
Ui'iilriw. (i. I!.
Ilcvtord, IJi'v. K. J. '
itlio.U'.««. (.'(.1.. II. 111. W.
ilolll'lt.SOII, .\.
llo.>*S, 11(111. I). .\.
l{.)s.->, .1. T.
I{iMitliirr,.lii3tii'('.
Uic'li:inl,<oii, Jiiiiiod,
Kii'liuiil.-iiii |j.
Ilov, J. Kiliiioiid
ItuWil, llcniy, M.I).
Sclnvart/, K.
.Sroll, r. A.
Sen ton, AVni.
Sr\\cll, K. I).
S-.vcU, C, M.D.
Sliiiw, Will.
SillKllls. J.
Siiiitiii"), Will.
Hmilli, II. StaiiKy.
Hiiiiili, l(. II.
.Mliililry, W III.
SifWHit. (} . I>.«VL
iMi.(j.s.. r i{ S.l'
."^IllUt, (llH. <'.
Stiiiul. Sii' AmliTW.
.Stiivi'li'V, II
Sll'VLll.Sni', .fl\-l.
StfVfll.-i WilltlT.
.Siiiilli, I' V.
; ^1. C.vr, ;> N. r.lt.H.U.
Tl'FHilT, ('viillf
■I'voMvr. .Iiilvs. .\I.IM'.
I TliilKiii.lniii, ('.
1 Tiiim. I'laiik I).
I Tiini.M. U.
I Tunil.nll, l,l.-('n!. .1. !•'.
T.ii.i., Miijm W. II.
I TI1..111.1S, 1-. T.
I T.iit. 15. A.,UfVil. I).
I Vflild-i. .1. .1.
I Villi. .Misr*.
i W iiiiink, .Iiiiiu'd.
I WllIICI,-), .\lllllll. »
W.'l.l), K. K.
I Wcl.sti'i- (J. .M.
Wi-lih. .luliii V.
I Wclrh, .1. I, moil.
I Wcl. h, W Wil.lr.
' WhiK . .1. U. II.
I W ilk ins. Vm.
j Williiim.'', lit. Itt'v.l
ISi.slioji iif (^)ii('bii
Wil!iiiiii.s, IJevil. A.
Winlii'M. Jii!».
W...).l, W. ('. H.
WliiU'. (ii'o. Kolt.
I W nrl.'ic, Fir. I. C.
A\ iiit.'l..'. W. (i. _
Voiinjf, T. .ViiKsllu.
Youiii,', Julm 11.
M-.D., D.Mlt.,
.1. W., D.n., Lord
T.
ritlVlLEGED MKMUEKS.
LiFK MK.MUEU8 OF THE LATR QUEDKC LlRRAllY As.SOCIATION, VIZ
George Colley. Robert Mitchell.
I. lit.,
, lionl
f
DlMtNMyN.S
K
UNCTH nc DECK
(«off
lenCTHOF KtCL
(b9f'
[jcTAtME eKswrm
t7F'
ctmdirHfli-D
/9f*
«i\KEnF Port
iPP
RW^e iiF STEM
(5^
DR|\OC,HTOPWATW
~ IVf
/3UKDEN
The " ROYAL WILLIAM."
THE
( (
ROYAL WILLIAM,"
The Pioneer of Ocean Steam Navigation.
A I'APEIi HEAD 15EF0RE THE LlTERAKY AND IItSTOUICAL
{Society ok Quehec, on the 'Hst day of
March, 1801,
BY
A R C 1 1 1 B A L 1 ) C A M P P. }■: L L,
One of the Vice Presidents of that Institution.
Mr. Piesiderit, Ladies and Genlltnien,
The subject of my paper is ih(^ stonmship " Tvoyal Wil-
liam," as I pretend, the Herald of Confederation, the pioneer
of the Cunaid fleet and of Ocean steam navigation. She was
the fir.st Ocean steamship to cross the Atlantic solely
propelled by the motive power of steam. She was built
expressly as an Ocean steamship, to contend with the storms
of the Atlantic ; built too in the Port of Quebec, by the
iinited etibrls of Quebec, Halifiix and Montreal enterprise ;
designed, draughted and i^erfected by Quebec ship archi-
tects, builders, carpenters and In'oad axemen. Her engines
were made in Montreal and there adjusted to her. So,
you will .see, that Canada, this Canada of ours, took a vast
onward step in teaching mankind how to girdle the world
by steam power and bring the ends thereof to every man's
door and enable him, should famine threaten at home, to
obtain corn rapidly, easily and economically in any distant
Egypt, where it would likely be found, even on the other
side of the Globe, and that too with greater facility than
10
the Sons ol' Jacob ever did vvh«'ii th(^v sought it in tlie laucl
of the Phiiraohs, though neighboring to their own.
If I make out my pretensions, the world must admit that
Canada established a new epoch, and in so doing encircled
her own brow with a halo of renown. In my early-
boyhood the " lioyal William " was a daily to[)io, of con-
versation, , and the impression was given me then, which
nothing since has induced me to change, that this steam-
ship was the first one to dare the dangers of crossing the
Ocean and contend then-on solely with the motive power
of steam against the frightful storms that so fre(]uently
agitate its surface. This idea being so fully impressed upon
my mind, and considering that we of this favored land
might well boast of this illustrious achievement of her
sons, I need scarcely say, how delighted 1 felt when I
read in the papers in the early part of the year that a Royal
Naval Exhibition, in aid of the funds to relieve the poorer
members of that service, would take place in May next, in
London, and that the Naval Committee had arranged to
have a very complete and historical collection of obi<»ct3
connected with navigation ; here theii was a cliance to
claim from the world a recognition of our right of being
regarded as the greatest benefactor in modern times to the
human race, as having inaugurated Ocean steam naviga-
tion. So at the annual general meeting of this Society, in
January last, I moved, seconded by Mr. W. C. N. Wood,,
that we should lend to the said Royal Exhibition the model
of the " Royal William," which had been presented to the
Society by the late Mr Henry Dinning ; that motion was
agreed to. What then was my utter astonishment when
the Honorary Secretary, Captain Jephson, though courteously
thanking the Society for its kindness, good wishes, &c., said
" not to send the model unless it could be well authenti-
cated that the " Royal William " was really the first steam-
ship to cross the Atlantic, as the Naval Committee are very
particular about proper authentication."
11
the
This took me all aback as the sailors say. What ! a Naval
Committee, not know that our " Royal William" was the
iirst steamship ever to plough the Ocean without the aid of
wind, aye and against it ; that Ocean upon which Ih'itannia
boasts to be mistress.... ! ! What next, surely there they
must know little ol' the anteci'dents of our glorious country
to doubt our righteous claim ; aye and of other noble claims
we have on the gratilude of mankind and of Britain in ])arti-
cular. For if Britain is aided by the eminent abilities of the Jew
in the (V)uncils of the nati(»n, it was (*nnada that shewed
the noble example ol eufranchising that down trodden
race ; Canada ever in the vanguard of progress and enlight-
enment, if T mny coin a word, un-Kussianised the Jew, and
Ih'itain following in her wake did so too, and the olFspring
of the Jew are now amongst the representatives in Her
House of Commons, even Peers of the Kralm, and on high
occasions preside right Royalty at Guildhall. No longer
abject as was Isaac of York, but able, sans peur el snns re-
pro67je, confident of the rights of freemen, to regard their
fellow mortals with uplifted brow. Britain's mighty lleets
of Ocean stt^amships now display her meteor Hag on <^very
sea, as far as the waters of the Ocean extend, " from Green-
land's icy mountains to India's Coral Strands," and yet do
the Naval Committee question the right of the " Koyal
William," and are they not aware that this viking ship, this
modern Argo, was built and provided with powers of con-
tending with adverse winds by Canadians ?
Well then, I determined to satisfy them that our right was
beyond contention. I knew that an old and eminent Pre-
sident of this Society had written npon the subject ; but his
works are now so voluminous, that without an index to their
contents, it would take so«ie time to lind out ^j^ which of
them contained the information. So to make matters short
I looked up their author, Mr. J. M. LeMoine, F.R.S.C, &:c.,
for many years, as you all know. President of our Literary
and Historical Society ; and he very kindly and most will-
'Wf
IS. .
ingly g-}ivt> m<' sileh inrorniation upon the .su})j<*ct as to
li^^hloii the work I had uiidtM-lakrn, in order to satisfy tlio
Naval C()iiimitte(» that our claim was good.
Mr. Douiinick O'Moara, acting Collector of Customs of
this I'ort, courteously gave me eertiiicates ol' birth, if 1 may
so call them, of the '* Royal William, " known to nautical
men as registers of the ship. These were sent to the Naval
Committee, as was also " LeMoine's Quebec Past and Pre-
sent," which latter work at pages 2(j0, 277, 278 and 27i>,
besides extracts iVom "Christie's History of Canada,' eon-
tains much original matter bearing iTpon the subject, Mr.
F. A. McCord, of Ottawa, also liberally sent me tor the said
Committee his own admirable work on historical events,
wherein he too maintained the righi. otthe " Royal William "
to l)e regarded as the Jirst Ocean steamship to cross the
Atlantic under steam. All these were sent to the Committee
with the transactions of this Soi-icty ot the years 1877-8 and
0, containing a letter written to a Mr. King by (\\ptain
McDougall giving an account of the " Royal William's "
voyage to England, and which letter Mr. King pre.sented
to Mr. LeMoine, and he to the Society Most ol'these extracts
and letters I shall later on make you more particularly ac-
quainted with. They had however th" desired etlect w ith
the Committee, and a few weeks ago our Secretary received
an intimation from them that they had accepted the loan
of the model, and that at the Exhibition it would be well
placed ; the Honorary Secretary adding that he was so glad
to have someting from old Quebec at their Naval Exhibition.
The model was then immediately forwarded by express,
and no doubt is bv this time received.
Mr. Frank Johnson, Secretary of the Quebec Exchange,
kindly furnished me -with extracts from the register of that
institution during the years 1831-2 and 3, wherein entries
respecting the " Royal William " were made.
Mr. Joseph Wilson Henry, a fine hearty old citizen, who
though passed the three score years and ten ordinarily
l:{
ullotled to hnuiiui lilt', wears them so lijililly Hint ho mijiht
be takoii as ot iniddlo ago, gave me a solemn doclaration,
raado before the prothouotary, of what he knew respecting
the steamship in question, and which I shall now read to
you.
" Ij.loseph Wilson Henry, of the City of Quebec, founder,
" aged 70 years, do solemnly declare that in the year 1881,
" I was present at the launch of the steamship ' lioyal
" William ' in the cove generally known as Cape Cove,
" owned at the time by Mr. John Saxton Campbell, mer-
" chant, w^ho, with Mr. George Black, built the said steam-
" ship for a company, to trade between Quebec and da-
" lifax. The launching was a great event in Quebec and
" attracted an enormous eonconrse of people; the regiments
" stationed in the city provided the bands ; the shipping in
" port lent their bunting, and Lady Aylmer, the wife of the
" Grovernor General, honored the scene with her presence
" and christened the vessel after the reigning sovereign,
" William the Fourth.
" I knew perfectly well Mr. James Goudie ; he was the
" son of that Mr. Goudie, ship architect, who constructed
" the navy, on the Upper Canada Lakes in the war of 1812,
" and was born in Quebec, but about the age of 15 years,
" left to study his profession of shipbuilder at Greenock,
" Scotland. On his return to Quebec, I think it was previous
" to the laying of the keel of the ' Royal William,' in the
" fall of 1830, he was employed in the shipbuilding yard
" of Messrs. Campbell and Black, and from all I heard and
" saw^, he draughted the lines of the said steamship. After
" her launch, she was towed to Montreal, where engines
" were put into her. The following year she traded between
" Quebec and Halifax, but it being the dreadful year of
" the first cholera, busijiess was nearly at a stand still,
" consequently the ' Royal William ' did not prove a pay-
" ing con'^-ern to the stockholders. During that year I made
" several castings for the said steamship's engines. The
" followinc!' year sho loft this port niulor stoam for the
" port of London, and roirnrding hor as the first steanishi])
•' that attempted the dangers of the Ocean voyai^e, like all
" Qaebeckers, I took a great interest in everything con*
•' nected with it, and greedily pei'nsed the aecounts of her
" voyage across th(^ Ocean, M'hich appeared in the papers
*' several months alter her departnrc In these accounts it
•' was stated that the voyage from Quebec to London was
" made the whole way under steam ; that as the Pictou coal
" was considered unequalled for steamboats, she put into
" the port of ifirtou to obtain lier supply for the voyage,
" and after luwing secured v^hat she required, proceeded
" to the port of London, where I understood she arrived
*' safely.
" And 1 make this solemn declaration conscientiously,
" believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the Act
" passed in the 37th year of Her Majesty's Reign, intituled :
'* ' An Act for the Suppression of Voluntary and Extra Ju-
" dicial Oaths.'
(Sigiied,)
The said solemn declaration'!
"svas taken before the under-
■ signed by the said Joseph Wil-
son Henrj'', at the City of Que-
bec, this 26th day of February,
'1891.
■4
FiSET, Burroughs & Campbell,
Prothonotary of the Superior Court,
for the district of Quebec.
Thus was launched this young aurora of the seas, pre-
pared to drive darknes.s, distance and the winds before
her, and constrain the elements themselves to be submis-
sive.
You must have noted 9,11 the pomp and circumstance of
pivil and military splendour accompanying the launch. The
J. W. Henry."
L. S.
u
liopivsenttitivo of Royalty wis thoro, in llu» person of the
Governor General, followed by a brilliant Staff; the
Martial IJancl of the Imperial Thirty-seoon'l ]u»<^iment
of Foot discoursed joyons music in conijratulvtovy strains.
The wife of the; Governor acted as sponsor as the
ship quivered and swayed proudly from her bili»e ways
into that ol(>ment whereon she initiated a new era;
all this was unusual on such an occasion, but there
was a reason of state for all this display, the act represent-
ed Britain's deep an<l well considered policy towards her
provinces in ]J. N. A., her determination to blend them into
one undivided whole, to weld them into a nation, it was
the signet mark by this country of its endorsation of that
policy approved of by our Parliament and heartily sup-
ported by the people; it was the precursor of thi^ Federal
Union. The completit)n of the " lioyal William " in that
day was what the building of a short line to Halifax is in
our time ; no more crossing from shore to shore of the St.
Lawrence ; no more tacking now required. All would be
on a straight course ; the laying down of that keel was to
the prophetic eye of vision, the turning of the first sod of
Intercolonial and the construction of the Canadian Pacific
Railway ; the same policy dictated both, acts, to rivet the
Union of the Provinces into our superb Dominion, and form
the strongest link in the chain of Britain's Empire, and give
to us a name and position that must ultimately lead to Can-
ada acquiring a commanding influence, and may be (if we
can only live at peace with one another) to perpetuate the
existence of this country among the ruling nations of the
world. A rayof this policy of Britain's glimmered upon the
country when in 1825 she urged the building of the " Royal
William." Yes, 1 say the suggestion came from Britain go
early as tjiat time, and the first fruit of this conception was
the " Royal WiBiam. "
Now 1 must tell you how I delved all this out, through
what shaft I extracted such a wealth of hidden information
le
iiii
n*
I stated above that I ohtaiiiod ivgistovs oi" tho ship, for
there were two ; in the lirst, the owikts are rej)resented to
be Tke Quebec and Ila/ifa.r. Nuri^afioH Com/iani/ , this gave
mo a clue, an incorporated company must have its act of
incorporation in our statutes, so I liuntcd them up in our
Literary and Historical Library and found them. Hero
was a veritublc historical eldoratlo, (lisclo^in^»• the policy that
culminated in the construction of this jnoneer of sea freedom,
as releasing mankind from the thraldom of the winds on the
Ocean wave.
By the 5th Geo. IV, (.'ap. XX, it will be seen that the
Ciovernment of that day oifered induceuK^nts to the "first
person or Com\)any that shtiU cause a steam vessel of not
less than 600 tons burden to be built and rei^ularly navicfat-
ed ])etween the Ports of Quebec and Halifax ;" but
the su])sidy therein olf'ered was not of a suiliciently
attractive nature to induce anv to nibble at the bait.
AVhat do you think it amounted to ? lO.OOO ! ' ! Five years
elapsed. The act remained a dead letter, when a j^-reater
inducement was otl'ered by the 10 and 11 Geo. IV c. 32 ; in
fact the subsidy was therein doubled.
Judgin<»- by the munilicence of the subsidies offered in
the present day, those not aware of the secret spiings that
guided them, would consider the then Commons of Lower
Canada in Parliament as.sembled very parsimonious. Let me
remove that stigma. It was a high- sense of duty that
dictated their conduct. By passing the Act they evinced
their desire in unison with the Government to create a
bond of union between this Inland Province and the Mari-
time Provinces ; but as at that time the country was»not
blessed with a Responsible Government, the ministry were
then but the minions of the Crown, their appointment had
not to be endorsed by the voice of the people, and the people
were, through their representatives in Parliament assem-
bled, struggling for their rights, and the only hold they
had upon the Government to coerce them to yield them,
; (
IT
was by kt't'piiijj ft ti<j;ht hold on the purse strini^s and pre-
venting the ministry t>r the day o))tuiniiig money, the nmni-
piUation of whitli wonhl he ji^iven lo thfir own i'ricnds.
We all know the diineully lead to the struggle of 18'}7, when
the enlightened mind of Britain, seeing thi' justice of Ca-
nada s demands, acceded to them and granted us the free
const itul ion w<3 enjoy to-day. •
Well then, this extra liberality of the Commons had the
desired ellect, a eompany \vas formed and imiorporated as 1
have already staled for the purposes mentioned in these acts
cited. ]\y tliis time, six years after the passing of the Jirst act,
great intt'rest was taken not only hy Canada, but also by the
Maritime Provinces in the pioject ; tiie coiin«( ting — the
federation of the Colonies together — had become a national
scheme, all the interprising, energetic and j)atriolic men in
the two Colonies gave the same th«!ir support, as establish-
ed by the names I shall read to you from our Statute Book,
William lY, cap. ,o3, the act of incorporation of the said
company.
If the laying of the keel of the "Koyal William' foreshadow-
ed what was then hidden in the womb of the future, the
turning of the first sod of the C. IMi. ; her first voyage to Hali-
fax proclaimed her the forerunncM' if not the first of the Cu-
nard line of steamers. In the note at foot of page 26t> of
LeMoine's Quebec Past and Present, published in 187G, we
read : " Whilst in Halifax the ' Royal AVilliam ' was repeat-
" edly visited by Sir Samuel Cuiiard, who lost no opportun-
" ity to enquire every particular regarding her s))eed, sea
" qualities, consumption of fuel ; carefully noting down all
" the information obtained, which says Mr. J. C. Dantner,
" 2nd Engineer on board, doubtless enabled him to establish
'* the magnificent fleet of Ocean Steamships that si ill bear
" his name." Mr. Dantner did not then know what you
will all now learn, that Sir Samuel Cunard and his brothers
were partowners of the " Royal William," for they were
u.
corporators ii» thc^said associiilion, as wcro ihf fornnoBt mer-
(•hantM olour city.
Horc are a fi'w of tin- names inoiuione:! in tlio act of in-
cori)oriitioji of" Ww Qurht'c and llalil'ax: Navii^ution Co."
Mattlu'vv Ui'il, proprietor of tin? Tliro<' Ivivcrs Iron Minos
and fSt. Maurice Forges. L»;rand-ratlier ))y the way to the
Judge of the Vice-Atluiiralty Court liero, the Honorable
George Irvine.
Jeremiah LeayerafI, pioneer (in that day, our merchants
were men of (.'uergy and hacked out new paths for com-
luerce) of the AW'st India trade.
Henry LeMesuricr, an old reniiiKular vt-teran, who fought
ami l)led undt r Wellington and left his right arm al ^ala-
menrea.
AVillia»n I'rice, the liing of the >'aguenay.
George 'J'aylor. designer and owner of the Patent Slip at
Levis.
Duncan McCallnm, the great brewer, a sterling soul.as
ever lived.
The three brothers, William, George and Harry Pem])er-
ton ; George, the falherofour popular lawyer Ned Pember-
toii. Mr. G. Peml)erton rem<Mnbered to (his day as a wonder-
ful pedestrian, having walked, during the winter season, to
Montreal in less than three days, half that time in the lace
of a houliiig sjiow storm.
William Lam[)sou, father of George and Frederick Lamp-
son, well known advocates of our city. The father opened
up a great South American trade.
Hypolite Dubord, who sat for several Parliaments as re-
presentative of our city.
James McKenzie, of Levis, the fortunate owner of the
first steam tow-boats. Had he, on leaving the army in
Upper Oajiada, gone down the Hudson to New York, in-
stead of coming down the St. Lawrence to Quebec, with his
well known energy and steamboat proclivities, the fortune
he left his family, thougii great as it was, might have been
19
very inucli greater, uid no doubt h" would have rivalled
llie vvealtiiy Vuuderbill in the 8ani<^ line of business.
.lamt's C'learihue, the great Hour inerchaiit.
Th»' thn't^ Cuiinrd }»iotl»ers, Samuel, Joseph and lloiuy,
now ()!'Iiui)i'rial reputalion.
William Sheppard, well known, in the annals of this in-
stitution as a leotuH'r on most erudite subjeets, and whose
papers ])iibliflied in our transactions command attention
even to the present day.
Archibald Campbell, Her Majesty's notary, a wonderful
musician and the founder of the Music Hall, falhcr-in-law
of the hit.' lamented General Bra<kenbury and ol' Captain
Noble, the eminent s "ientist and asso iate ot Sir William
Armstroni^'.
Jolin Saxton Campbell, one of the pioneers of the Ottawa,
and fortunate for my father that ho was so, as upon the
latter's ri'giment, 11. M. JM^th Kej.^iment of Foot and other
regiments being disbanded in this country, he and many
of his brother olRcers, amongst whom was a grand uncle
of Major Crawford Lindsay, of the (Quebec Artillery, sought
for service in the disputes and wars then being carried on
between Spain and iier South American Colonies, and
were embarking on board of a iship just about sailing
for South America, Mhen iiis ])rother John persuaded
h u to take charge of his (-lianlifrs on the Ottawa and
try the exciting life of a coiireur de bois. The present (ity
of Ottawa was not then even dreamt of. Col. l^ye had not
passed that way ; the whole country was a wilderne the
home of the bear, wolf and other wild animals. A. 1). 1819,
I think it was. And the lot on which Ottawa now stands
was olFered him for jCGO, but he declined it and lived fifty
years after as one of the Crown's hard bargains, as he called
half-pay oilicers ; while poor Lindsay and his gallant com-
panions, to a number exceeding ten, ^ides a band of
discharged soldiers who eml)arked on board the same ship,
r I
I'!
ii
were never allerwards heard of; the vessel must have
fouiidored at stni.
But why continue readiuL"' the names of the^e enterprising
shareholders, amoiif^st whom are to be found women, wor-
thy mothers I trust they became of noted C/anadiuns. The
act is upon tlie shelves of our Library, and reference can
always be had to it and the names there seen. Yet there is
one other, Win. Stiiirs, whom I cannot help referring to,
though I know nothing of him personally, save that he
must liave been of sterling stuff, as ne was the grand-
father of a hero, the gallant Lieut. Stairs, of world-wide
reputation, the companion of the indomitable Stanley in
Africa. Need I tell you that Stairs is a Canadian.
You perceive, irom the entries in the register of the Que-
bec Exchange and from the statements of the second engi-
neer which T have just read, that the "Royal William" had
made trips to Halifax, and one would imagine that the inter-
est of Legislature would noAv cease in the concern ; but no
such thing, its paternal care still hovered over its banthng,
for another act, the fourth one, was pas.sed during the session
of 1831-82, the 2 AVil. IV, cap. 2. Thus the policy which sug-
gested the building of the " TJoyal AVilliam" occupied the at-
tention of tlii^ Legislature for a period of seven or eight years,
and this last ac' relieved the vessel from facing the storms of
the Atlantic, and authorised the Finance Minister to pay the
subsidy, though the voyage extended no further than Pictoii
in Nova Scotia. Now, thougli we have not been able to get
hold ot the log book, what is the inference we must draw
from this act, but that in the autumn of 1881, on one of her
trips to Halifax, the '" Royal William " had encountered
severe weather on the Ocean, that perhaps her bulwarks
had been stoven in, her wheels broken, boats carried away
and divers other injuries sustained. On her return to port,
it is evident a meeting of the shareholders took place, and a
stormy one, I opine it was ; some timid one must have repre-
sented the fickleness of the Ocean " uncertain, coy and hard
21
to please" like-liko. I ^vns u'oiiig to add something,
but my good angel interposes, noticing so fair an audience,
and sn2:ixesls that under certain circumstances silence 'vas
golden. So as to fickleness I shall say no more, save that
even man at times is fickle ; for whi;t says the poet :
Woak and irroholutu is lu.in
Tlio purpose of day,
Woven with pains into his plan
To-moi'1'ow ronds away.
However at that meeting it must have been decided to
jxert the influence ot the Company with the Legislature,
and have the law amended, as was doiu^ by the last men-
tioned act.
After this, we hear little or notliing of trips to Halifax.
The year 1882, as we all know, the hand of the Almighty, for
some wise and inscrutable purpose, alUicted the children of
Adam ; th(^ dreadful cholera broke out, the streets of cities
were deserted, the merchants' counting ho\ises closed and
the wharves abandojied ; trade was at a stand still, and as a
consequence the " Royal AVilliam " did not prove a linan-
cial success, and the Sherill's hammer transferred her to
other owners, as appears by the second register, wherein
John McDougall, already mentioned, is stated to be
master, and James Bell Forsyth, Jeremiah Leaycraft, Henrv
LeMesurier, Matthew Bell, Noah Freer and Henry John
Caldwell, owners. Most of these gentlemen were original
shareholders, and are household iiames in our civic com-
mercial history ; and they, of bolder spirit than the majority
of the old associatioji, sent the '• Koyal William" on an
Ocean voyage to Boston, " to plume h(M- feathers and let grow
her wings," prior to attempting a higher flight, and then, sa-
tislied of the capabilities of the craft " on the dark blue
sea
>»
" Their thoughts as boundless, their hopes as -free," de-
cided to risk her on a voyage to England, and so she left
our shores and steamed across the Atlantic the tvhole ivay,
as is conclusively established by two letters of Captain Mc-
Doug-all, the iiist written to Mr. "William King, as before
stated, the other to the Historian Christie, dated Ste. Foye,
1 0th August, 18*);», and i)ub]ished in hf^ History of Ca-
nada, vol. V, p. 3(J2. I shall now read them :•
' " London, November 10, 1.853.
'* My dear Willie, — You will, I am certain, think me
** very neglectful in not giving you an earlier account of our
" proceedings with the ' lloyal William '. AVe left Pictou on
" the 18th of August, after having waited several days for
" some passengers who were expected from Prince Edward
' Island, and for whom we laid in a stock. W^e were very
' deeply laden witli coal, deeper in lact, than I would ever
" attempt crossing the Atlantic with her again ; however we
" got on the Grand Bank of Newfoundland, where we expe-
" rienced a gale of wind, which rather alarmed my engineer ;
" he wished very much to go into Newfoundland. We had
" previously lost the head of the foremast, and one of the
" engines had become useless from the beginning of th(^
" gale ; with the other we could do nothing, and the engi-
" neer reported the vessel to be sinking. Things looked
*' rather awkward, however we managed to get the vtssel
'' cleared of ^vater, and ran by one engine after the gale
" ten days. Afcer that, we got on very well, and put into
*' Cowes to clean the boilers, a Job which generally occupied
" them from twenty-four hours to twenty-six every fourth
' day ; however we managed to paint her outside while
' there ; the inside we had previously done, which enabled
*' us to go up to London in line style. Ten days after her
" arrival she was sold, and has been since thoroughly re-
" paired and coj^pered. Her model is co]isidered to be su-
" perior to any of their steamers here. I should not be sur-
" prised to hear that George Black had got orders to build
" some more like her. She was sold for ^£10,000, which I
" believe has all been paid. I am now employed by her
" owners at .£30 per month, and I shall sail in a few days
" for Lisbon.
*' My dear AVillie, belie vo me to be, ever sincerely yours,
(Signed), Juiix McDolgall."
" Mr. William King,
" Quebec."
From History of Lower Canada, by li(»bert Christie, vol.
V, published at Quebec in 1854, at pa,n-e 362 is found the
followini^ letter, from Captain John McDougali, claiminti^
to have been the lirst who actually crossed the Atlantic
solely by steam, and this in the " Royal William," a steam-
er built at Quebec and launched in 1832, intended to run
between this port and Halifax, an enterprise however that
failed, will be found interestinj
'S"
-^ ' " Saint Foy, 10th August, 1853.
" Robert Christie, Esq., M.P.P.
'* Dear Sir^ — 1 lately found some papers connected with
" the ' Royal William ' steamer which brought to my recol-
" lection my promise to furnish you with a brief sketch of
" her history, while I was attached to her, from the 10th
*' of April, 1833, to the 1st of January, 1838.
" 1 took charge of her at Sorel, after she was sold by She-
*' rifl's sale, from Captain Nicolas, and was employed during
" the month of May towing vessels from Grosse Isle, and af-
" terwards made a voyage to Gaspe, Pictou, Halifax, and
•' Boston, in the United States, being the first British steamer
" that entered that port. On my, return to Quebec the own-
" ers decided on sending her to London to be sold, and I left
" for London, vid Fictow, on the 5th of August, and wasde-
" tained at Pictou until the 18th, repairing the engines and
" boilers and receiving coals, I then started for London and
" was about twenty days on the passage, having run six or
»''/
24
'• seven days with the larboard ongiiie. in consequence of
*' the starboard engine b 'ing disabled, and was detained at
" difl'.'rent times, about a week, laying to repairing theboil-
" erS which had become very leaky.
*' About the latter endoC JSepteniber the ' ]{oyal William '
" was sold by Messrs. Geo. Wildes Sc Co. (the ngents to
" whom she was consigned), to Mr. Jos. ISimes, the ship-
" owner of Radclilf, through Messrs. Wilcox ik Anderson,
" for c£10,000 sterling, and chartered to the Portuguese
" Government to take out troops for Don Pednys s«n'viee,
" and on my arrival in Lisbon olfered to them for sale as a
" vessel of war, but rejected by their admiral, Count Cape
" St. Vincent, the present admiral Sir Charles Napier.
" I then returned to London with invalids and disband-
*' ed soldiers from Don Pedro's service and laid iier up off
" Deptibrd victualling oiliee. In July I received orders to
" fit her out to run between Oporto and Lisbon, and made
•' one trip between these ports and a trip to C^adiz for specie
" for the Portuguese Government, and on my return to
*' Lisbon I received orders to dispose of her to the Spanish
" Government, through the Spanish ambassador, at Lis])on,
" Don Evanston Castor da Perez, which was completed on
'• the 10th of September, LS84, and her name was changed to
" 'Ysabel Seguuda,' being the first war steamer the Span-
*' iards ever possessed, and commodore IltMiry hoisted his
" broad p(^nnant on board as commodore of the first class and
" commander in chief of the British Auxiliary Steam Squa-
" (iron, to be employed on the North Coast of Spain against
" Don Ckrlos. I joined the Spanish service under him with
" the rank and pay of a commander, but with a special
" agreement by which I w as guaranteed jCBOO sterling per
" annum, and under a contract to supply the squadron with
" provisions from Lisbon. We proceeded to the North
" Coast of Spain, antl about the latter part of 1834 returned
" to Gravesend for the purpose of delivering her up to the
*' British Government to be converted into a war steamer
25
at ihoir dock yard, and tin; crew and ollicors wore transfer-
red to the ' Royal Tar,' chartered and armed as a war steam-
er, with G hmg- o'2 pounders and named ' the lleyna Go-
vernadoza,' the name, intended for City of Edinbarj,di
steamer, \vhich was chartered and then iltting' up as a
war steamer, to form part of the squadron ; when com-
pleted she reh'eved the 'Koyal Tar' and took her name.
"The 'Ysabel Segunda,' when completed at ^heorness
dock yard, took out General Alava, th«' Spanish ambas-
sador, and General Evans and the mcst of his stall' ollicers
to Saint Andero and afterwards to Saint Sebastian, hav-
ing hoisted the commodore's 'broad pennant' again at
Saint Andero, and was afterwards employed in cruizing
between that port and Fuenti Arabia, and acting in con-
cert with the ' Legion ' against Don C'arlos, until the time
of their service, expired in 1837. She was then sent to
Portsmouth, with a jiart of those discharged from the ser-
vice, and from thencio she was taken to London and de-
tained in tlie City Canal ]>y commodore Henry, until the
claims of the officers and crew on the Spanish Govern-
ment were settled, which was ultimately accomplished by
bills, and the officers and crew discharged from the Spa-
nish service, about the latter end of 1837, and the ' Ysabel
Segunda' delivered up to the Spanish ambassador, and
after having her engines repaired returned to Spain, and
was soon, afterwards sent to l>ordeaux, in P'rance, to have
the hull repaired. But on being surveyed it was found
that the timbers were so much decayed, that it was de-
cided to build a new vessel to receive the engines, which
was built there and called by the same name, and now
forms one of the Royal steam navy of Spain, while her
predecessor was converted into a hulk at Bordeaux.
"She is justly entitled to be considered Wie Jirst steamer
that crossed ike Atlantic hjj steam, having, steamed the whole
way across, while the Savannah American steamship
2G
" which crossed iii 1822 to Liverpool and Pi iorsburg, sailed
" the most part oi' tho way goinii* and returning.
" J roninin, dear Sir,
•' Yonr most olxnlient,
" John McDou(4all."
Captain McDougall died the year after having" penned
the above letter, as Mr. J. Macpherson LeMoine and myself
verilied by a visit to Mount Hermon Cemetery last week,
when Mr. Treggett, the o])liging overseer thereof, shewed us
the registers, from which I took the following entry :
Grave 531.
John McDougall, raasttn* mariner, born in Oban, Scotland.
Died 0th Deceml>er, 1854, aged 57 years
13uried 8th " "
*• Presbyterian. Dr. Cook.
One more episode in the career of the " Royal "William,"
I would wish to narrate. In 187G, the question respecting
the right to the honor of being the first steamship to cross
the Atlantic seems to have been agitated and brought out a
very interesting letter to the Globe of date 15th May, 1876,
from a Mr. Alexander Sommerville, then of Toronto, and it
would almost seem as if this inanimate ship was imbued
with the instincts of that noble animal the dog, " the first to
welcome, foremost to defend," and shared with him the su-
blime spirit of gratitude. You have all noticed that Mc-
Dougall, a Scot, commanded her; Creo. Black, John Saxton
Campbell, James Goudie and Joseph William Henry, all of
Scottish extraction, whose sires spring from the
Land of brown houtli and shaygy wtxid
Land of the Mountain and the flood —
participated in giving and maintaining the ship's existence
and one of the first acts of this now historic vessel, when
provided with weapons of offence and defence, was to pro-
fir
, sailed
ILL.
penned
my self
week,
wed us
jotland.
illiam,"
peeling
o cross
it out a
and it
mbued
first to
the su-
at Uc-
S ax ton
f, all of
istence
when
to pro-
tect those clothed in the garb of the Gael. I shall read from
Mr. Sommerville's letter : —
** This vessel earned one other distinction than that of
" steaming across the Atlantic prior to any other steamship.
" The ' Isabella Secunda ' (the new name of the ' Uoyal
" William '), was the earliest steamer of war in the history
" of nations to deliver a hostile shot. It was on thi5 5th of
" May, l8v3G, in the \hy of San Sebastian, during thetiction
" on land then in progress between the British lA^iiion
" under General Sir de Lacy Evans and the C'arlists en-
" trenched behind a series of lield works, theiirst shot from
" the shi[) dislodged some? Carlist sharp shooters who were
" picking of rank and iile and ollicers of the J^^ighth Scottish
" Highlanders in the Grenadier Company ot which I was
" a color sergeant, " &c., &c.
This letter of ^Nlr. Sommerville I had from ]\Ir. J. ]\I. Le-
Moine, and I must here again say how much in this matter
I have been indebted to him, and further add my iirm be-
lief that if he had not, some twenty years ago and frequent-
ly since, interested himself on tlie subject and written
thereon, all traces of the " lioyal William," save what Mr.
Christie had unearthed, would have been completely buried
in the tomb of the past.
I have little more to add respecting this steamship, ex-
cept that I received from Mr. James Goudie, shipbuilder, a
most interesting letter in answer to one I had written to
him in February last, asking for information upon the sub-
ject, and which letter I shall, with all other papers and do-
cuments I obtained thereon, hand over to be preserved of
record amongst the transactions of this society ; so that in
future times, should other Christies, Garneaus, Parkmans,
LeMoines or Stewarts, arise and wish to ferret out something
in the history of this country respecting this first Ocean
steamship voyage, they may here have ready reference to
it and the career of this noted craft.
f '/
I I
«8
Mr. ("lomlic, in his letter, ao'reos with Captain McPougall
that t\n\ " Koyul William" is justly eiilitlotl to be considered
the lirst steamer thai crossed the Atlanli<; by steam, as does
also >'r. Kivas Tiilly, of Toronto, V.K, who delivered a
most valuable lecture in Toronto thereon, before the Cana-
dian Institute, in 1877 ; a printed synopsis of which he
most obligini'-ly sent me on my writing* to hiui last month ;
the conclusions of which print(,'d synopsis 1 shall read : —
" The facts are fully borne out by ])ublished letters from
Mr. McDonald, Lonsacre, London ; Mr. Stevenson, president
of the Literary and Historical Society, Quebec; Mr. Ser-
pell, lUirfovd ; Mr. Dunscombe, collector of customs, Que-
bec ; Mr. Johnston, superintendent of Quebec Exchanjj;e ;
Mr. French, Ottawa; Mr. D. McPherson, Mnnitoba; Mr.
F. H. Heward, lioynl Insurance (Company, Toronto, who
was in Quebec when the " Koyal William "' sailed ; IMr. J.
Gr. Dantner, Welland, who was second engineer on board,
under Capt. McDougall, and Mr. J. W. Laurence, of Oswego,
who has taken much trouble to elicit several of the facts in
order to satisfy himself as to the correctness of the state-
ments ; and in a letter dated Oswego, 17th April, 1870, he
iu conclusion states : ' Most unquestionably the old Lower
Province can claim the credit of having both built, equip-
ped and successfully put to sea the lirst working steamer
to cross the W^estern Ocean and open up this great trade.
The only vessel which can dispute the priority as pioneer
steamship for transatlantic navigation is the 'Savannah,'
and this vessel has for vears been considered the first steam-
ship to cross the Atlantic. As I have full statements with
regard to this vessel, the claim can easily be investigated,
and the result will proVv^ that the ' Savannah ' was not a
steamboat in the strict sense, such as the ' Koyal William,'
but a sailing vessel fitted with moveable paddle wheels
driven by steam."
Now, in investigating this subject, the sole desire was to
attain the truth and to conceal nothing that might tend to
20
shew ti at tho palm \'^as duo lo the "??avannah." So onr
v/orthy li))rariaii, Mr. FretL'i'ick Wiirtolo, to whom 1 am
very much iu(lel)tocl lor his active co-operation in this mat-
ter, wrote to the Secretary of the Georgia llisLorieal Society
a k'tter of which the following is a copy :
'• LiTEiuHY AND Historical Socikty of Quubec.
"QUKHKC, 21st February, 1891.
•' seciietarv of the georgia
"Historical Society, Savaxnau.
'• Dear Sir, — If not a.skin<? too much would you kindly
" send me the following information : It seems that on the
" 2(3th May, 1819, a kind of steamship left Savannah for
' England. She was named the ' Savannah.' I would like
" a description of her, thair is, build, rig-, engines, horse-
'' power, tonnage and size, in full all information you could
»' give me. Also, extract from the custom house records,
" and from any newspaper extract of that date. I will be
" most happy to reciprocate at any time you may require,
" historical information from Quebec.
*' I remain, yours truly,
" (Sighed), F. C. Wurtele,
' " Librarian."
The following is a copy of the answer to above letter : —
" Georgia Historical Library.
" Savannah, Ga.; lOth March, 1891.
" F. WURTELE, Esq.
" Dear Sir, — In response to your request I have written
" on the back of your letter a short description of the steam-
" ship ' Savannah.' It is the best I can do for you. There
*' was in a number of Harpers Magazine several years ago
" a lengthy article about this steamship, but I cannot re-
" member which number it was. If you can find it, it will
*' give you all the information you desire.
" Very truly yours,
" (Signed) Wm. Harden,
" Librarian Ga. Hist. Society."
■7 '^-
30
What was wrilleii on the hack of the U>tter in ah follows :
"800 tons burthen; clipper huilt ; full ship rigged, pro-
pelled by one inclined, similar to tliose now in use ; tho
si/e of lior cylinder was 40 inches m diameter, with G feet
stroke and carried 20H»s. of yteam. The puddles were of
w^rought iron with only one flange, and were entirely un-
covered : they were so attached to the shaft, but their re-
moval and 8hi])nn;nt on deck could be accomplished in lif-
teen or twenty minutes. There were two line ca))ins for
passengers, the two being separate and handsomely fur-
nished. All the berths, thirty-two in number, were state-
rooms and w^ere provided with cA'ery comfort then demand-
ed. Left iSavannah 20th May, 1811), with no passengers,
in ballast, and Just one month later came to anchor in the
harbor of Liverpool. As she had to economize fuel, she used
steam only eighteen days ; pitch pine was used for fuel,
coal not then having come into use on steamers."
Now search was made in our library and we found in
the February number of 1877 of Ilarperf, Nein Monlhly
Mai\nzuie the article referred to in Mr. Hardens letter, and
there we have the American view of the voyage of the
" Savannah," strong contrast from that which I have from
uncontestable authority shewn to have been that of the
•' Royal William." Here we find that really the " Savan-
nah" was not in the proper sense a steamship; she was
I only a hobledehoy, at one moment a sailing sliip tacking
against the wind with her wheels on deck, and w^hen the
wind fell the wheels were lowered and steam got up. In
fact she was a hybrid craft. Take for instan<^e this entry
from her log : " At 8 a.m., tacked ship to the w^estward ; at
*' 11 a.m., took in the mizen and fore top gallant sails ; at
" 11 a.m., got the steam up, and it came on to blow^ fresh,
*• we took wheels in on dedv in thirty minutes."
On the Saturday following the departure, we find this
entry : " '^' .ese twenty-four hours begins calm and pleasant.
<♦ Used wheels middle of the day."
J .
31
On 2nd June. "Stopped \vht>el8 to clean theclinktTS out
" of the iiirnace ; a lieavy houd sea. At (I ]).in., stiirted
•* wheels again ; at 2 a.m , took in the wheels."
This is 11 lair sample, a« the artirjo states, of the daily
records. Now it is then* asserted that the " Savannah " <'0iild
only carry seventy-five tons of coal and twenty-live cords of
wood. Wo all know that such a supply could not a.ssist a
steamship any g-reat distance at sea. Mr. Harden states
steam was only used eighteen days. If steam was UNed
eighteen days, this clipper ship must have been a dull sail-
er, for with steam during tht' whole oi that time the ship
ought to have arrived in England ; but no doubt, as the log
had it, when it commenced to blow the wheels were taken
on deck, and if wind was adverse, why she tacked. Now
Captain McDougall tells us that the «' Koyal William "
steamtnl the whole way across the Atlantic. From a solemn
declaration taken at Pictou the. 25th day of March instant,
by D. McDonald, Esq., collector of customs, at the recjuest
of Mr. F. Wiirtt'le, he gives date of clearance of 'Royal
William," bouud to London, the 17th August, 1S38, and that
she had 254 chaldrons of coals on board, a sullii lent supply
for steaming across.
As I saw remarked in some newspaj^er, the voyage of the
" Savannah" rather retarded Ocean steamship navigation,
so ill considered wa.s the application of steam to do it, and
attended with such poor results that it raised the warning
cry 0^ miive qui peut to all who were making preparations
to dabble in similar undertakings, and nothing in conse-
quence was done to test the practicability again of Ocean
steamship navigation for thirteen or fourteen years, until
the successful venture of the " Roval William," which
stimulated it ; for we lind recorded five years later, in May
of the year 1838, the apparition of the " Sirius " in the
'•Royal William" constellation, followed by the "G-reat
Wv^stern," both British steamships, and a few years subse-
quently was completed the bridging of the Atlantic by the
I
82
Canadian Canard Oooan hloann^hip.s, (he Allan, Dominion
• and oUkt maii;nilici'nl lin»'M ol' sU'iunors.
Thimkiiii^ you lor llif kind altcntiou you have j^'i von nit\
and trust in<j^ you will forn-iv*' ihc prolixity wilh which 1
» hav»i spun out my «oa yarn, and attrilintc it to its truo cause,
• prido in narrating tho dieds of our pn'd«»c«'K,sorH, citizens of
Quehoc, and an earnest dfsire to obtain lor our city in the
annals of the world recognition lor oniiiifuce in enterprise
and courage, which I trust may n»'V<'r !»<• lacking in her
Bons. I shall conclude in the words I have already address-
ed to tho public.
The a))ove, I think, should convince the most sc«»ptical
that our Canada has the honor ol' having inaugurated Ocean
steam navigation, and that the august predc'cessor of our
gracious (^ueenon tln^thront^ of Britain will be ever immor-
talised in the name " Royal William," so well taken from
him, the sailor sovereign, a name so suitable and now irre-
trievably linked to th(5 lirst steamship, that under steam
the whole way, crossed the Ocean, on which Britain's steam
fleets now predominate, thanks lo the prescience of her
Merchant Princes, in having so early and energetically
adopted and improved U]>on the ])rilliant ideas which eman-
ated from the master minds of Canada, thus extending the
designs of Fulton's genius to the Almighty and man's ser-
"ce on the trackless deep.
This lirst voyage by steam on -that fickle element by a
Canadiaa Ocean craft, if it should be the sole memento of
the skill, enterprise and daring of Canada's children, must
give to our magniliceni Dominion, to use the words of
Alison, " the imperishable inheritance of historic glory.'*
Dated Slst March, 1891.
Dominion
j^'ivon nu\
I which I
LrUt! CllUKO,
LMtiztMl.s {>['
:ity in the
fntrrpriso
iig- in htM*
y address-
: sccplicjil
il«'d( )coun
sor of our
•«'r immor-
iikon iVoni
'. now irro-
ider steam
lin's steam
ice of hev
srg-e tic ally
lich eman-
'nding- the
man's ser-
nent by a
einento of
Iron, must
words of
glory.''
fl3
ArrKNDIX A.
KEOISTKl? or " UOYAL WILLIAM."
No. I'J. Tort of Quebec, dated 22nd August, 1831. .
Name, '« Koyal William." -Ihirlhen, 803;i'| Ions— John
Jones, master, lluilt at this port this present year, IH.'U,
which appeared by a certilicate of Geo. Black, the builder,
diil(»d I'jth .Inly last.
Name and employment of surveying olhccr. (SMgned), C.
(>. Stewiul.
One deck, three masts ; h'ugth, KIO feet; breadth taken
above the mam v al«'S, 4 4 feet; depth in hold, 11 feet 9,
inehes. Schooner rigged, with a standing ])ovvs])rit, square ,
sterned ; carvel })udt; (juarter badges; scroll head; ad-
measured agroujid ; propelled by steam, with wheels or
flyers at each side : breadth between the pa(Mle boxes, 28 .
feet.
Subscribing Owners. Shares.
William Finlay, AVilliam AValker and Jere- )
miah Leaycnift, of Quebec, mendiants, [ <;.. , ^
^rruslees of (he incori)orated " Quebec and [ ^^I'^^y-'^"^.
Halifax Steam Navigation Comnany." J
Other owners.
Custom House, 14th June, 1832. '' ^ . '
A true copy. '■' " !
Custom House, Quebec, 2nd March, 1801. ' '
(Signed), D. D. O'Meaiia,
Acting Registrar of Shipping.
I I
'I 'I
^
I i
34 .
AITENDIXB.
REGISTER OF " ROYAL WILLIAM."
No. 13. rort of Quebec, dated 18th May, 1883.
Numo, " Royal ■\Villiam."— Burthen, 368" '• tons.— Johu
McDougall, master. Built at this port in the year 1831,
which appeared by a Ibrmer certificate of registry, No. 42,
granted here the 22nd August, 1831, now delivered up and
cancelled upon transfer of property.
Name and employment of surveying officer. (Signed), C.
Secretan, acting.
One deck and round house ; 3 masts ; length, 160 feet
— inches.; breadth taken above the main wales, 44 feet —
inches ; height between decks — feet — inches, or depth in
hold, 17 leet 9 inches. Schooner rigged with a standing
bowsprit ; square sterned ; carvel built ; quarter badges ;
scroll head ; admeasurement afloat,; propelled by steam,
with wheels or flyers at each side.
Subscribing Owners. . Shares.
James Bell Forsyth, ) (Ten.
Jeremiah Leaycraft, > of Quebec, merchants.. - Ten.
Henry LeMesurier, ) (Ten.
Other owners. ' Shares.
Matthew Bell, ^ - , (Fourteen.
Noah Freer, / of Quebec, merchants < Ten.
Henry John Caldwell, ) (Ten.
De Novo, London, 22nd Nov., 1833.
A true copy.
Custom House, Quebec, 2nd March, 1891.
(Signed), D. D. O'Meara,
Acting Registrar of Shipping
PORT OF QUEBEC
Customs.
V. ^^R.
Canada,
Quebec, .
sr>
1883.
;. — John
(ar 1831,
, No. 42,
I up and
•ned), C.
160 feet
4 feet—
lepth in
^tandillg
badg'es ;
' steam,
lares.
ti.
11.
II.
hares.
mrteen.
sn.
;n.
liipping
Attached to Appendix B is the following and received
with registers :
1844. "The Steamship 'Royal AVilliam,' McDongall,
master ; cleared on Saturday, ord August, for London, 1833,
And sailed for London at 5 o'clock am., Monday, 5th''
Auirust, 1833.
The " Koyal William " arrived at Gravesend, 25 days pas- ^'
sage from rictou, N. S.
(Signed). W. Ddnscomb.
V 5th February, 1872.
N. B. — On last mentioned date Mr. Dunscomb was Col-
lector of Customs for port of Quebec.
A. C.
APPENDLYD.
CANADA, y
PiioviNCE OF Quebec, >
District of Quebec. \
I, William Henry Baldwin, of the city of Quebec, ship-
builder, aged sixty-live years, do solemnly declare that in
the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six I took
from Mr. George Black possession of Mr. George Black's
fshipbuilding establisliment at Cape Cove, situate imme-
diately under where Wolfe's monument stands, on the
Plains of Abraham. In the moulding loft there were num-
bers of models, and amongst the rest that of the steamer
" Royal William , " the name was on the model, and Mr.
George Black, who was then alive, proudly shewed it to
me as being the model of the first steamship that crossed
the Ocean, propelled by the motive power of steam. Sub-
sequently Mr. Henry Dinning became my partner in the
business of shipbuilding and he presented the model of the
said- ship, '• Royal William," to the Literary and Historical
Society of Quebec, where it now is. I had it in my pos-
session for a short time within the last six weeks and gave
it back to the society.
Mr. James Goudie, after the transfer of the said ship yard
to me, w^as my draughtsman and ship architect. I know
his handwriting and believe that the letter now shewn to
me, addressed to Archibald Campbell, es(^uire, from Noyth
I >
I
8^.
Evanstovvii, Illinois, and oC date February 17, 1891, as
written in the said letter, is written by him, and the sio-n-
ature, James Goudie, sen., at the loot thereof, is in his hand-
writing. From :iU I know and heard Mr. George Black
mention on the subjeet, I believe Mr Goudie's statement
contained in the said letter to ))e correct and every way
worthy of belief, and I do solemly declare and make this
solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to
be true and by virtue of the " Act respecting extra judicial
oaths."
(Signed), Wm. H. Baldwin,
Shipbuilder,
The said solemn declaration ^^as taken
before the undersigned by the said
"William Henry Baldwin, at the Court
House, in the City of Quebec, this
twenty-sixth day of February, 1891.
Quebec.
I-
(Signed),
[L. S.]
FisET, Burroughs & Campbell,
Prothonotary of the Superior Court
for the District of Quebec.
AFPENDIX E.
. CANADA., •}
Province OF Nova ScoTLv. \
I, Daniel McDonald, of Pictou, in the said Province of
Nova Scotia, aged lifty-six years, do solemnly declare that
I am the collector of customs for the port of Pictou, N. S.
In the book of records of exports of the said port, wherein
I find the following particulars which I now give Literalivi
et verbatim : —
Date of clearance, 17th August, 1833.
" 'Royal William,' 363 tons ; 36 men ; John McDougall,
" master ; bound to London, B (British) ; cargo, 254 chal-
" drons of coals : a box of stutl'ed bir.ds and six spars,
" produce of this province (N. S.) ; one box and one trunk,
" household furniture and a harp, all British, and seven
*' passengers."
37
1801, as
the sign-
bis hancl-
rre Black
taiement
ery way
lako this
same to
a judicial
N,
)uilder,
Quebec.
LPBELL,
ior Court
ebec.
ovince of
tare that
a, N. iS.
, wherein
literatim
cDougall,
254 chal-
iix spars,
me trunk,
nd seven
And 1 inak*^ this solemn declaration, conscientiously be-
lieving the same to be true and by virtue oi" (lie actre^pect■
ing extrajudicial oath's.
(Signed), Daniel McDonaj.d.
The said solemn declaration was taken
beibre the undersigned by the said
Daniel McDonald, at IMctou, this
tvventy-lii'th day of March, 1891. J
(Signed), Axaus McDonald,
J. P.
APPENDIX O.
T, Archibald Campbell, of Tliornhill, in the parish of St.
Colomb de Sillery, one of the Joint Prolhonolaries of the
Superior Court of the Province of Quebec, ibr the district
of Quebec, do solemnly declare that on or about the four-
teenth day of February last ]xist, 1 wrote a letter to James
(jroudie, shii^builder, asking for information respecting the
steamship " Koyal William," and on or about the twenty-
third day of the same month and year I received an answer
thereto, the let ter hereto attached and at the foot thereof
for identification. 1 have written the following in red ink :
" This is the letter I refer to in the annexed solemn declar-
ation taken by me this twenty-first day of March, 1891."
AllCHIEALD CaMI'BELL.
And I do further solemnly declare that I shewed the said
letter to William Henry Baldwin, of Quebec, shipbuilder, on
the twenty-sixth day of February last past, and that the
same is the one referred to in his solemn declaration taken
at Quebec, before Fiset, Burroughs & Campbell, P. S. C, on
the day and year last mentioned.
And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously be-
lieving the same to be true and by virtue of the " Act
respecting extra judicial oaths."
Akchd. Campbell.
The said solemn declaration was taken |
betore the undersigned by the said !
Archibald Campbell, at Quebec, this f
twenty-first day of March, 1891. J
(Signed), A. B. Uouthier,
J. s. a
,
n:
\[
' 88
Tho Ibllowini^ is copy oT letter rei'erred to in Mr. Archi-
bald Caiaphcirs soleum declaration, and jijso in that of Mr,
W. H. ]5aldvvin.
North Evaxston,
Cook C'uunty, III,,
February 17th, 1801.
ARriiiBALD Campbell, Esq.: —
Dear Sik, — It is with great pleasure I take my pen on
hand, thoui^-h in iriy S2nd year ot'ai!,e, to acknowledge the
receipt ol'your kind letter, under date 14th insst., and con-
tents noted,
I shall give you the facts, as they occur to me, as briefly
as J. can, of which I am in possession as the superintendent
duly appointed Ijy the stockholders to superintend, in all its
details, the building of a stiamship, aUervvards named the
" Koyal William".
In the fall. of 1830 I was duly engaged, and the keel of the
" lioyal William " was laid in the yard of Mr. George Black,
shii)builder, in connection with Mr. John Saxton Campbell
as partner. Mr. C^ampbeil was a merchant and ship owner
of high standing and capitalist at Quebec, and brother to
the late Archibald Campbell, in his life notary public.
As I had the drawings and the form of the ship, at that
time a novelty in construction, it devolved upon me to lay
off and ex[)and the draft to its full dimensions on the floor
of the lof*:, where I made several alterations in the lines as
improvements. Mr, Black, though the builder and con-
tractor, v.as in dnty bound to follow my instructions, as I
undertsood it. The steamship being duly commenced the
work progressed rapidly and in May following was duly
launched, and before a large concourse of people w^as christ-
ened the " Royal William,'' in honor ot the reigning king,
k^he was then taken to Montreal to have her engines, where
I continued to superintend the finishing of the cabins and
deck woik. AVhen completed she had her trial trip, which
proved quite satisfactory. Being late in the season before
being completed she only made a few trips to Halifax.
The next year was 1832, the cholera made its appearance,
and she Avas destined to lose money ; 1833, in August, it was
decided to send her to London for sale, where she arrived
after a passage of 25 days, under command of Captain John
McDougall, who gave a very Hattering account of her good
qualities. tShe was put up for sale and sold to the tSpanish
39
Archi-
ofMr.
891.
>eii on
ge the
cl con-
brioflv
eiuleiit
1 all its
ed the
1 of the
Black,
mpb(^U
owner
ther to
c.
at that
to lay
le floor
ines as
d con-
s, as I
ed the
IS duly
christ-
n- king.
, where
lis and
which
before
arance,
, it was
irrived
11 John
r good
Spanish
Government, retaiuiugCaptin McDougall as commander, re-
maining in charge for several years, coming back to Quebec
with high honors from the Spanish Government. She was
actually the lirst steamship to lire a gun in action, which is
something of an honor for Quebec.
Now as to her being the first steamship to cross the At-
lantic, there can be no doubt, as she was built expressly for
a *' sea-going steamship." I had not the slightest idea of her
failure to reach London as a sea-going steamer. Right here
let me tell you, though I was only 21 years old ; I was
fuU master of my business, as Mr. Simmons said when he
spoke to me about going out. I asked him the ([uestion :
" Do yon think me capable^ I am so young. " " James, if I
did not think you capable I would not recommend you."
That was enough for an ambitious youth as I was; I had
been at the actual building, as assistant foreman to Mr. Wm.
Simmons, of Greennock, Scotland, with whom 1 served my
apprenticeship, of four such vessels as the " Royal William"
to cross the Irish channel, where no rougher sea can be»
having made the trip to Belfast in one of them myself. I
was also foreman apprentice, in my last year, in building a
steam yacht of the same style as the " Royal William, '' of
400 tons, but much sharper, for Don Pedro. I merely men-
tion these facts to show 1 was duly qualified. It was dur-
ing that time I was spoken to by Mr. Simmons to engage
to go to Quebec to suoerintend the building of the " Royal
William. "
I shall now explain why I think the " Royal William " is
entitled to the credit of having been the iirst steamship to
cross the Atlantic, is because the "Savannah" ship (Ameri-.
can) was a full rigged packet ship, built for a sailing ship, but
by some ambitious desire of the owner, he conceived the
idea in 1819, fourteen years prior to the " Royal William,"
to fit up a small steam engine on the deck of that ship, and
had it so constructed that small wheels were put on the
shaft, which in stormy weather could be easily unshipped
and hoisted on deck to be used only in line weather ; thus he
was only experimenting on the adaptation of steam for pro-
pelling on the Ocean. He seems to have got sick of the ex-
periment, for on the return of the ship the engine was taken
olf and laid aside to let the " lioyal William," fourteen years
afterwards, and the Canadian public, show to your Yankee
cousins how steam could be adapted to Ocean navigation.
T
ir
p'^
40
Mr. ( -ami^bcll, tnistiiio- this skolcli of mine nhowi tho
" Ttoytil Wililnm"' and " Savannah '' may he siilficiontly au-
thontii', I shall conclmlc, Irut^tinii' you may bf>, as I am, in
perfect good health, and that you may live I'or many years
to como to on joy the world as best wo can. Gon. Sherman,
said bel'oro dying, it was natural to die as it was to be born.
I remain very respectfully yours,
(Signed), James Goudie, Senr.
r. S.— I oflon thiidv as I see ihe beautiful steamers on
Lake Michigan, as yonder they come, driven by Ihe power
of the ascending vapor, wliieh man has caught and chained
to his service, hom how they breast the rolling wave, dashing
the waters aside and ploughing their way in the face of
wind and current, bearing the wealth of nations in their
capacious holds, and yet these rivers of water are but the
veins and arteries of man's commerce with man, and the
wide Ocean has become but the i)athway of her noble
steamships since the " lioyal William " crossed the Ocean.
(Signed),
J. G.,
Shipbuilder.
},
APPENDIX H.
< !.!
, I
i ' ■*
If
CANADA, )
Province of Quebec, 5 .
District of Quebec. )
I, Frank Johnston, of the City of Quebec, Secretary of the
Quel)ec Exchange, and as such, custodian of the registers
thereof, do solemnly declare that I copied the following
extracts regarding the steamship "Royal William," from
the records in the possession of the Quebec Exchange and
of which I am custodian :
" The steamship ' Koyal William,' constructed by Mr.
" George Black, of this city, was launched on Friday after-
" noon, the twenty-ninth April, 1831, in the presence of
" Lady Aylmer, His Excellency Lord Aylmer and his staff.
" Her ladyship performed the usual ceremonies of naming
" the vessel when she went off the stocks, from an awning
" decorated with Hags, several thousand persons crowding
41
" the atljactml wliarves and heights. Tho Tow Boat Com-
" paiiv plated tho steamer ' Iviclirlicu' at the service of the
" l)u])li<', lUid Colonel Maitland, wilh liis usual kindness,
»* permitted the excellent band ol' the i32nd regiment to at-
" tend on ))oard.
" ILcr ])roportions are ns follows : Builder's measurement,
" 1370 tons ; steamboat measurement as per ait of Parlia-
" mcut, 830 tons.
" Freight, about 300 tons of goods, which witli fuel,
" water, ])rovision8, «S:c., and* the space occupied for the ac-
" commodation of t!0 passeiigers, reduced her freight stor-
" age to the tonnage above mentioned.
" Length of keel, 141) feet.
" Length of deck, from head to tallruil, 170 feet.
" Breadth of beam inside the ]>addle boxes, i!l)-4 ; outside,
" 43-10 inches; depth of hold, H-i'.
" Iler light draught of water is about 7 feet inches, and
•' with engiiu> and a full cargi) on board, it is estimated will
" be under 13 feet.
" She proceeds this evening to Montreal where her en-
" gint^ will be put on board and the cabin littiiigs oom-
" pleted."
" Montreal, 3rd May, 1831.
*' Steamer ' Royal William ' arrived at the foot of the eur-
" rent last night, in tow of ' British America,' and now
" lies opposite the foundry of ]\[essrs. Bennett &; Henderson.
•' where she will receive her engines."
"Quebec, 24th August, J 831.
"The steamship 'Royal William' sailed for Halifax this
•' afternoon on her first trip, slopping at Miramiehi and
" Prince Edward Island. J.Jones, II. N., Commander."
" Quebec, 4th August, 1833.
•' The steamship ' Royal William,' Captain McDougall, left
•' for London at hve o'clock this morning under steam."
•' She made the passage in twenty-five days. On the ar-
" rival of the 'Royal AVilliam' at London, she w^as sold to
*' the Spanish Clovernment and did a good deal of service
" as a frigate." - //
And. I make this solemn declaration conscientiously be-
lieving the said extracts and the same to be true and in
42 •
virtue of the act passed in llio 37tli year of Her Majesty's
reii'-ii intitultMl ; " An Act for the suppression of voluntary
and extrajudicial oaths."
(Signed), Fhank Johnston,
Secretary Quebec Exchange.
The above soh'.mn declaration v^as taken |
bolpre the uiulcrsigned by the said |
Frank Johnston, at llie city of Quebec, }■
this twenty-eighth day of F('])ruary, j
18i)l. ' I
(Signed). Fi.set, Burroughs & Cam "»bell,
P. S. C.
[L. S.] ' , '
True co})y of original in my possession.
Akc HI). Campbell.
]S[. B.— The " Jvoyal William " crossed the Atlantic in the
Autumn of 183:3. The "Sirius" and "Great Western " only
in the Spring of 1838.
J,*
Majosly's
voluntary
I,
;chango.
mtic ill the
tern " only