GehejmelegationsraadBilleSteenAndersen

til en flere Aars tidligere A fb eny ttelse, end ellers vilde

have fundet Sted, af dette herlige Middel til Samfærdslens

Lettelse i et Land af Øer som vort, og det kom tillige

højsalig K ong Frederik VI. vel tilpas under hans lands

faderlige Ønske, saa ofte som muligt at besøge sit R iges

fjernt fra hinanden beliggende Dele.«

D et var Dampbaaden »Caledonia«, som min Fader

kjøbte af James W att junior, Søn af den berømte Op

finder. D e t kan maaske interessere at høre, hvorledes

den omtales i det britiske Dampskibs-Kompagnies Beret

ning om »

The progress o f the British Steam Navigation

« .-

The

Caledonia

«,

fo u rth on the list o f steamers built

in Great Britain, had a rather interesting career. A fter

runn ing on the Clyde for some years she was purchased

in Ap ril

1 8 1

by James Watt junior, son o f the great

inventor, fo r the purpose o f going in her on a pleasure

excursion from Scotland across the German Ocean and

up the Rhine. Having been fu rn ish ed in a luxurious

manner, refitted and painted, the

Caledonia«, left the

Clyde in October and, safely crossing the sea, arrived

in Rotterdam in about go hours, being the fir s t steamer

that ever went from British shores to the Continent o f

Europe. A fter stopping f o r a■time in Holland, Air.

Watt set out upon the somewhat dangerous undertaking

o f steaming up the Rhine. The shoals and sand-banks

o f the, in many places, shallow river, with its endless

branches and deceitful currents, not being known to the

crew o f the

Caledonia

«,

the Owner had to trust to the.

watermen o f the Rhine, who like those o f the Clyde re

garded steamers with a hostile eye, beholding m them

a possible means o f destroying their trade. However,

Air. Watt succeeded in overcoming all difficulties. He

brought his vessel without accident as f a r up the river

as Coblenz at the junction o f the Aloselle, watched all