clared his complete acquiescence,
although, he added, their cost, if built on the scale proposed by Mr.
Napier, would be too much for him as a private individual to defray.
Upon this Mr. Napier and Sir Samuel took counsel as to the likelihood
and advisability of forming a company, the latter declaring that if he
got a few others to join in the venture, he would go in for the larger
size of vessels. The two Liverpool Companies that were carried on by the
Messrs. Burns, and the City of Glasgow Company, had at this time formed
a sort of coalition, and Mr. Napier took advantage of the circumstance
of their amity to invite both to join in the new Transatlantic
undertaking. At last about twenty gentlemen, most of whom subscribed
L5000 each, entered into the scheme, and of that number we believe that
Mr. Napier, Mr. George Burns, Mr. M'Iver of Liverpool, and Sir James
Campbell are the only survivors. Four vessels of about 1200 tons each
were ordered of Mr. Napier--the Britannia, Acadia, Caledonia, and
Columbia, built respectively by Messrs. Robert Duncan, John Wood,
Charles Wood, and Steele, and all supplied with engines of 400
horse-power by Mr. Napier. Thereafter he furnished the machinery for
other vessels belonging to this company, including the Hibernia,
Cambria, America, Niagara, Europa, Canada, and Arabia. All of these
vessels have now been withdrawn from active service, being superseded by
Mr. Napier's more recent and well-known vessels, Persia, 3000 tons and
850 horse-power; Scotia, 4000 tons, and 1000 horse-power; and China,
2540 tons and 550 horse power. Among more recent specimens of Mr.
Napier's mercantile ships, we may mention the Pereire and Ville de
Paris, 3300 tons and 800 horse-power, belonging to the French Compagnie
Generale Transatlantique. He has likewise constructed the Malabar, 4174
tons and 700 horse-power (one of the finest Government troopships),
which, we believe, has given much satisfaction.

Mr. Napier, we may add, has been very successful in the construction of
machines and war vessels for the British, French, and Turkish-Russian,
and Danish and Dutch navies; and when it was decided to reconstruct the
British navy with armour-clad vessels, Mr. Napier's firm had the honour
of furnishing one of the two armour-clad vessels first built, viz., the
Black Prince, 6040 tons and 800 horse-power; the Audacious and
Invincible, armour-clad frigates, also for the British Government, each
3775 tons and 800 hor