speed of which they can boast, not only now, when
speed is common, but in far back days. (The steamers were so famous for this quality that many were bought to use as blockade- runners in the American Civil War.) The first of them was the `Comet,' which was launched in 1812. At that time, indeed, the speed was not remarkable; five knots was the earliest achieve- ment. The ` Comet' was wrecked in 1820. Eight years later there were between thirty and forty steamers plying on the Clyde, the furthest point being Islay. In 1831 the first iron steamer was built. In the "forties" the railways came into being, and a keen competition was set up. The steamers sought to rival the trains, and, of course, they raced each other. Captain Williamson tells the story of these early days, and of later changes, in great, possibly in too great, detail.
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