t crowd of people assembled to witness the
launching of "so large a ship"--far more than now assemble to see a
3000-tonner of the White Star Line leave the slips and enter the water!

The shipbuilding trade has been one of the most rapidly developed,
especially of late years. In 1805 the number of vessels frequenting
the port was 840; whereas in 1883 the number had been increased to
7508, with about a million and a-half of tonnage; while the gross value
of the exports from Belfast exceeded twenty millions sterling annually.
In 1819 the first steamboat of 100 tons was used to tug the vessels up
the windings of the Lough, which it did at the rate of three miles an
hour, to the astonishment of everybody. Seven years later, the
steamboat Rob Roy was put on between Glasgow and Belfast. But these
vessels had been built in Scotland. It was not until 1826 that the
first steamboat, the chieftain, was built in Belfast, by the same
William Ritchie. Then, in 1838, the first iron boat was built in the
Lagan foundry, by Messrs. Coates and Young, though it was but a mere
cockle-shell compared with the mighty ocean steamers which are now
regularly launched from Queen's Island. In the year 1883 the largest
shipbuilding firm in the town launched thirteen vessels, of over 30,000
tons gross, while two other firms launched twelve ships, of about
10,000 tons gross.

I do not propose to enter into details respecting the progress of the
trades of Belfast. The most important is the spinning of fine linen
yarn, which is for the most part concentrated in that town, over
25,000,000 of pounds weight being exported annually. Towards the end of
the seventeenth century the linen manufacture had made but little
progress. In 1680 all Ireland did not export more than 6000L. worth
annually. Drogheda was then of greater importance than Belfast. But
with the settlement of the persecuted Hugnenots in Ulster, and
especially through the energetic labours of Crommelin, Goyer, and
others, the growth of flax was sedulously cultivated, and its
manufacture into linen of all sorts became an important branch of Irish
industry. In the course of about fifty years the exports of linen
fabrics increased to the value of over 600,000L. per annum.

It was still, however, a handicraft manufacture, and done for the most
part at home. Flax was spun and yarn was woven by hand. Eventually
machinery was employed, and the turn-out became proportionately large
and val