led
to gaze on the _Thames_; and the number of vessels that crowded around
us was so great, that it became necessary to request the admiral to give
us a guard to preserve some degree of order.

"We entered the harbour in the most brilliant style, steaming in, with
the assistance of wind and tide, at the rate of from twelve to fourteen
miles an hour. A court-martial was at the time sitting on board the
_Gladiator_ frigate; but the novelty of our steamboat presented an
irresistible attraction, and the whole court came off to us, excepting
the president, who was obliged by etiquette to retain his seat until the
court was regularly adjourned. On Saturday, June 10th, the port-admiral
sent his band and a guard of marines at an early hour on board; and soon
afterwards he followed, accompanied by three admirals, eighteen
post-captains, and a large number of ladies. The morning was spent in
steaming amongst the fleet, and running over to the Isle of Wight. From
Portsmouth we proceeded to Margate, which we reached on Sunday morning.
Here we remained until the following day, when we embarked for our final
trip, at half-past eight in the morning; and about six in the evening
arrived at Limehouse, where we moored."

We have entered thus at considerable length into this voyage, because,
besides being the first steam sea-voyage, it serves to exhibit very
distinctly how great and how rapid has been the progress of
steam-navigation within the last fifty years. In reading such an
account as this, in these days of "ocean mail-steamers" and "Great
Easterns," we can scarcely believe that in it reference is made, not to
the middle ages, but to the year 1813.

OCEAN-STEAMERS.

After that momentous era when steam was first successfully applied to
useful purposes, human progress and improvement in all departments of
science and art seemed to have been hooked on to it, and to have
thenceforth rushed roaring at its tail, with truly "railroad speed,"
towards perfection!

Scarce had the first model steamboat splashed with its ungainly "blades"
the waters of a pond, than river traffic by means of steamboats began.
And no sooner had this been proved to be a decided success, than daring
schemes were laid to rush over the ocean itself on wheels. Men were not
long about it, after the first start was made. Their intellectual steam
was up, and the whirl of inventive effort racked the brains of engineers
as the wheels of their steamboats tortu