of no mean ability. There is something typically aristocratic, in the republican and Philadelphian sense of the term, about this lovely person. She is at once cold and cordial, dignified and gracefully familiar, winning and repellent. She looks out at you from under the shadow of her ostrich plumes, with a subtle sweetness on her mouth and a

latent haughtiness in her eyes. The suggestiveness of the "eternal feminine" envelops her fragile body, and haunts the spectator's memory as he turns away in enforced silence from the bewitching presence.

Fortunate, indeed, is the city which preserves such memorials of the grace and beauty of by-gone years!

IT is remarkable that after so much has been written and published in regard to early steam-navigation (especially ocean navigation, which is of comparatively recent date), it remains to be shown that the first regularly built ocean steamer was constructed on this side of the Atlantic. Waiving all that has been claimed for the voyage of the "Savannah," we now find that an American ship-builder constructed the first sea-going steamer that ever crossed the ocean, propelled wholly by steam. This was called the "Royal William," in honor

JAMES GOUDIE.

of the "sailor king" who then reigned in England, and the Historical Society of Chicago has her original drawings on file in its archives.

A letter published in The Quebec Morning Chronicle, and dated London, September 14, 1833, says:

days since from Pictou in nineteen days, out of which The steamer "Royal William" arrived here some she had two days detention to make some alterations in her machinery. The whole distance of the voyage (about 2,500 miles) was performed by steam with the most perfect success.

lines for this vessel, was called upon to Mr. James Goudie, having drawn the superintend her construction, and in the fall of 1830, laid her keel in the yard of She was a ship of 1,645 tons burden, Campbell & Black in the city of Quebec. somewhat in the style of those running between Scotland and Ireland, but of great strength, in order to encounter the ice of the St. Lawrence; being intended as a packet between Quebec and Halifax, so long as the navigation could be kept open, and to run from Halifax to the West Indies the rest of the year.

Mr. Goudie is still living, and in excellent health and spirits, although he has just entered upon his seventy-ninth year. In a letter now before me he says:

I proceeded to Quebec in May, 1830, and was engaged to carry out the plans and construction of vessel. She was laid down in the fall of 1830, and completed in 1831. The lateness of the season at which the ship was got ready, precluded her from doing much that season. The next year opened up with very poor prospects. Cholera had made its appearance at Que bec, and business was almost entirely suspended. So she was run at a great loss, ultimately being laid up. The following year she was run a few trips at a loss, and it was decided in the month of August, 1833, to send her to London, England, for sale. She arrived out after a prosperous trip of twenty-five days. She was put up for sale, and was finally sold to the Spanish government for £10,000 sterling, having cost in building £19,000, Halifax currency.

I am particular to give this quotation in order to account for the obscurity

which has hitherto hung around this enterprise. Men, as a general thing, are not prone to talk much about their unfortunate ventures. If they "pick the

and if so, there may be four or six of them, or even more, and the speed of the ship be correspondingly increased. I am aware that the little steamer

flint and try again," it is generally in some new direction. Although the building of this vessel, and her performances as a sea-going craft, constituted a professional triumph for Mr. Goudie she did not "pay," and it was not until steam had driven nearly all other propulsion from the ocean, that her original promoters seemed anxious to claim any participation in the enterprise-much less to contest with others the credit of being first to send a veritable ocean steamer across the Atlantic.

I have the original plan, of which this copy is faithfully taken by photography.

The following is a table of her dimensions:

169 ft.

Rake of post...

2 ft.

13 ft.

Length of deck. Length of keel 159 ft. Rake of stern Extreme breadth. 47 ft. Draught of water 14 ft. Depth of hold. 19 ft. Burden... 1,645 tons. It will be seen by the curved lines abaft her paddle-boxes that she was provided with cavities or depressions upon each side, for the protection of her wheels. This was a bold innovation, and there may be those who would regard it as unnecessary; but it has recently been patented, and is now likely to become an important factor in naval architecture, especially for canal navigation, or where ice is to be encountered. It is claimed that by putting two small propellers near the bow of a vessel, instead of a single large one at the stern, she may be handled and directed with marvelous facility. But the propellers must be placed in these recesses,

It was not until five years and three months afterward that the "Sirius," a little vessel of seven hundred tons and two hundred and fifty horse-power, and her consort, the "Great Western," of thirteen hundred and forty tons and four hundred and fifty horse-power, arrived in New York harbor on the same day (April 23d, 1838); the “Sirius," which sailed from Cork, April 4th, arriving in the morning, and the "Great Western," which sailed from Bristol, April 8th, arriving in the afternoon. But Goudie's steamer not only antedated these by several years, but was more than three hundred tons greater burden than the larger of them. These were all side-wheel steamers, as was also Ericsson's "Great Eastern." But Ericsson was at the same time experimenting with the screw-propeller, as Colonel Stevens had before him, so long ago as 1804; and since that period, comparatively few ocean steamers have employed the paddle-wheel.

When the "Royal William" was transferred to the Spanish navy, she was re-christened the "Ysabel Segunda." Being rebuilt as an iron-clad, she was the first steamship ever employed as a man-of-war, and the first in any service to be under fire. Her heavy timbers of oak and red pine, and strong construction in other respects, made her entirely worthy of her new vocation.

Goudie's peculiar hull has, however, a new interest at this time. For, without any reference to the means of propulsion to be employed, the cavities or depressions at the side are capable of adaptations for which the advancing demands of commerce may find great utility. Isthmian and other canals are requiring some new methods of obtaining steerage-way, and he who can put sufficient propulsion at the bow of a steamer will do for navigation very much what Howe did for the sewingmachine when he put an eye in the point of his needle. This has been attempted in combination with "the caviities or recesses on both sides of the vessel" which are shown in Goudie's model. Perhaps, with the improved means of propulsion now available, war

largest class can be navigated through canals, or manoeuvred in the presence of an enemy, far better than when the "Ysabel Segunda" entered the Spanish navy.

James Goudie, the naval architect who drew the plans, laid the keel, and superintended the construction of the "Royal William," is an American citizen, and has been for many years a resident of Cook County, Illinois. His father, John Goudie, if not a Scotchman born, was of Scotch descent, and was a resident of Quebec on the 19th of December, 1809, when his son was born. John Goudie and Henry Eckford, (the famous naval architect of the war of 1812,) were fellow-apprentices in Quebec, in the ship-yard of John Black, who was Eckford's maternal uncle. They were nearly of the same age, both having been born in the year 1775. During their apprenticeship a strong friendship grew up between them, which was ever afterward preserved. When they came to be of age, Eckford established himself in New York, but Goudie remained in Quebec, and was employed by the British government during the war of 1812-16, in constructing war-vessels at Kingston, Isle aux Noix, and other places, while Eckford was similarly engaged by the United States government at Sackett's Harbor and other points upon the lakes. They were professional rivals and well-pitted against each other, but were always great personal friends.

Eckford had frequently written to his friend Goudie to send one of his boys to him and he would "make a Yankee of him." So finding himself an orphan at the age of fifteen, and hearing that Eckford was about to proceed to Turkey, to build a fleet of war vessels for that government. Goudie set out to join the expedition, but did not reach New York in time. Returning to Quebec, he was sent to Europe to complete his education, by the trustees of his father's estate; and proceeding from London to Yarmouth and thence to Greenock, he apprenticed himself to an eminent shipwright, and after a brief term was made an assistant foreman to superintend the building of a steam yacht of four hundred tons, for Dom Pedro, on the same principle that he

subsequently adopted for the "Royal William." This resulted so much to the satisfaction of his employers, that when in the fall of 1830, they were solicited by the merchants of Quebec for some one to superintend the building of the proposed steamer, they unhesitatingly recommended young Goudie for the position. He accordingly returned to America, and made the plans; which being promptly approved, he was immediately engaged upon the work, with the result which we have already seen, although at the time scarcely twenty-one years of age. Fifty-seven years have elapsed since then, and in a letter he says:-"I am

getting pretty old now, but I try to keep active. I am just ten days older than Mr. Gladstone, 'the wood-chopper,' and I think his ideas are good, and I have followed them. When he dies I shall look out."

It seems to me exceedingly opportune that THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE should be the medium of rescuing this interesting piece of American history from oblivion, and vindicating this venerable native shipwright's claim of having designed and built the first veritable steamship that ever crossed the Atlantic.

F. L. Hagadorn.

A FRIEND told me that he had been favored with a good pointer on the market, from an old astrologer who had recently hung out his shingle on Penn street.

There are few, if any, speculators who are not superstitious, and we in Pittsburgh at the time of this sketch might well be excused for clutching at any chance for a glimpse into the future. The way in which oil was bounding up and plunging down was enough to make one's head whirl. The idea of “a sure thing," one way or the other, for even an hour ahead, was indescribably fascinating, and the astrologer was " doing a land-office business." I had about $4,000 in the market, and it was my entire capital; but if it had been a million my anxiety about it could not have been much greater. So $2 did n't seem much for a good pointer, and the star-sharp caught me for that amount.

I was not satisfied with him. He told me I would soon take a long journey, under annoying circumstances; but I did n't care about that, for I knew better: I was going to stay just where I was and watch the market. He also said that in six weeks Mars, Uranus and Venus would together get me into great trouble with, through, or about a woman. Neither did that have any influence upon me, for I never bothered myself much with women, not caring a wild-cat share about any

one of the sex except pretty Mattie Summers, a little girl in Indiana to whom I was engaged to be married as soon as my speculations gave me a good start. But regarding what I was most interested in

how the market would go the next day or the next week-old Horoscopes gave me no satisfaction; and when he went on to tell me that at about the age of fortyseven my leg would be broken by the kick of a horse, unless I was careful, I rose up and said:

"That settles it. You are, in my opinion, a fraud; even a bigger one than I am a fool for coming here and listening to your balderdash."

Then I left him and went on my way. Days and weeks passed, and all things considered, I was doing pretty well. I was prudent, a pretty good guesser, and although I was nipped rather sharply two or three times, my interest in the market steadily grew until it represented some $7,000, all of which I was playing for a certain promised rise.

One day, after business hours, I received a telegram from Mattie saying: I must see you without an hour's unnecessary delay.

I could n't imagine why she wanted to see me. I knew she was mixed up somehow in a suit about an estate of which she was joint heiress, but she could not wish to consult me about that, as she

had her lawyer, and I could be of no service. It might be her scapegrace brother Tom had gotten into some new trouble, but she would hardly send for me on that account. Perhaps she was sick, or had met with some terrible accident, and a friend or relative had telegraphed in her name to bring me quickly to her side! That thought was enough to make me hasten to catch the evening train. I did think of wiring for information, but refrained because the idea suggested itself that good reasons perhaps existed why more particulars had not been sent in the message.

The ride in the train all that night and well on into the following forenoon was an anxious one. After the little station of Delafield was reached, I had a drive of fifteen miles before reaching Mattie's home.

She met me at the gate, fresh, rosy, smiling, glad, without a sign of any trouble that might have called forth an alarming message such as I had received.

“Oh, I'm so glad you've come, Will!" she exclaimed; "and yet I can't help feeling a little penitent for bringing you all that long way, just to satisfy a girl's whim."

"To satisfy a girl's whim?" I ejaculated.

"Yes. You won't be angry with me, will you, dear? You see, my cousin Jenny is engaged to be married to a Mr. Crothers, who is a traveling man, and they often telegraph to each other, instead of writing. Well, she and I were talking about you and Mr. Crothers yesterday, and she said he would come to her at once from anywhere, if she telegraphed, and I said I was sure you would too, for I knew you loved me better than he did her—and you do, don't you?"

"Oh! yes; much more, my dear," I hastened to assure her, but with my mind wandering a little back to the feverish and unsettled market in Pittsburgh.

"Well, at last," she went on, "we agreed to telegraph two identical messages, one to Mr. Crothers and one to you, and we bet a pair of gloves on which of you would arrive first."

"Ah! you did?" I exclaimed. "What pretty ideas you girls sometimes have, but it's all right, I hope."

"Oh! yes; it's all right. I've won the gloves. She came over here this morning-with tears in her eyes, she was so mad-to tell me, that Mr. Crothers just telegraphed back one word, 'Walker.' Was n't he real mean? And why did he telegraph some man's name, Will? Jennie does n't know any Mr. Walker."

"Oh! no. It is n't a man's name, my dear," I answered, with perhaps a little bitterness in my heart, for I could not help thinking of what might be going on in Pittsburgh just then. "It is a peculiar oriental expression, intended to convey the idea that the person employing it-particularly as Mr. Crothers did— is distinguished by eminently good sense, almost superhuman intelligence, in fact.”

"Ah! is that so? Well, I'm glad you did n't send me a mean message like that. And you would n't, would you, dear?"

"I did n't, my darling," I replied evasively. But in my soul I wished I had, for dear as Mattie was to me and glad as I naturally was to see her, a presentiment was growing upon me that something abominable would happen in the market while I was away.

I sat up late that night with Mattie, who was just as charming as she could be. The next morning I started early for the railroad station. I went a mile or so out of my way, to call at the nearest telegraph office, in Hausertown, and get news from Pittsburgh, only to learn that "the wire was down." It is really surprising, how frequently the wires in that western country are down just when one most wishes them up.

Three or four miles from Mattie's home, as my horse was walking slowly up a steep hill, at a turn of the road I came abruptly face to face with a man sitting upon a stump by the wayside, with a rifle raised to his right cheek and pointed in my direction.

"Hi, there! Look out what you're about!" I shouted to him, as I halted my horse.

He deliberately lowered the gun, shaded his eyes with his left hand and replied drawlingly, after eying me for a moment: "I'm a-lookin'. You ain't my meat. Go 'long."

"But why in thunder are you perched up there, with your battery trained on the road?" I asked.