1837.

92 STEAM NAVIGATION,

the Lords of the British Admiralty, failed to attract any favourablenotice from that august body. Perceiving its peculiar and admi-rable fitness for ships of war, Ericsson was confident that their Lord-ships would at once order the construction of a war steamer on thenew principle. He invited them, therefore, to take an excursion intow of his experimental boat. Accordingly the gorgeous and giltAdmiralty barge was ordered up to Somerset House, and the littlesteamer was lashed alongside.

“ The barge contained Sir Charles Adam, senior Lord of the Ad-miralty; Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of the British Navy; SirEdward Parry, the celebrated Commander of the second North Poleexpedition; Captain Beaufort, Hydrographer, and others of scientificand naval distinction.

“In the anticipation of a severe scrutiny from so distinguished apersonage as the chief constructor of the British Navy, the inventorhad carefully prepared plans of his new mode of propulsion, whichwere spread on the damask cloth of the magnificent barge."To hisutter astonishment, as we may well imagine, this scientific gentle-man did not appear to take the slightest interest in his explanations.On the contrary, with those expressive shrugs of the shoulder, andshakes of the head, which convey so much to the bystander withoutabsolutely committing the actor,—with an occasional sly, mysteriousundertone remark to his colleagues,—he indicated very plainly thatthough his humanity would not permit him to give a worthy mancause for so much unhappiness, yet that‘ he could, an if he would’?demonstrate by a single word the utter futility of the whole in-vention.

“ Meanwhile the little steamer, with her precious charge, pro-ceeded at a steady progress of 10 miles an hour, through the archesof the lofty Southwark and London bridges, towards Limehouse, andthe steam engine manufactory of the Messrs. Seaward. Their Lord-ships having landed and inspected the huge piles of ill-shaped cast- -iron, mis-denominated marine engines, intended for some of his Ma-