In the summer of 1811, Mr Henry Bell, an ingenious en gineer of this city, constructed and plied between Glasgow and Greenock the steam boat Comet, performing a voyage of 22 miles in three hours and a half, by means of an en gine of three horse power. This vessel was the first which was impelled by steam on a navigable river in Britain. Since the above period, the following vessels have been built by various persons, and are now plying on the river, viz. the Glasgow, the Clyde, the Dumbarton Castle, the Britannia, the Caledonia, the Argyle, the Greenock, the Duke of Wellington, the Prince of Orange, the Princess of \Vales, the Trusty. and Industry, the two last mentioned being constructed chiefly for trade, carry each 70 tons of merchandise ; the Prince of Orange, and the Princess of Wales, boats, have accommodation for 120, and the others for 220 passengers. These vessels are worked by cngines of from 10 to 32 horse power; the average time of per forming a passage ut 22 miles is redueed to three hours; when the wind and tide are both favourable, the voyage can be completed in little more than two hours ; but when ad verse, it is prolonged to three and a half, or even lour hours : the present fare for the cabin is 4s. and for the fore castle 2s. 6d. Exclusive of the vessels which are at pre sent plying on the Clyde, the Duke of Argyle and Marge ry steam boats, carrying each 220 passengers, are now on the Thames; they were carried round by the Forth and Clyde navigation, a distance of more than 500 miles ; one of these boats encountered and weathered a very heavy sea. Steam boats front the Clyde are also plying on tho Mersey and Forth.
Some years ago an extensive range of hot and cold baths were erected in Bath Street, a short distance from George's Square. A model has been approved of for floating baths, intended to be erected on the Clyde during the ensuing summer.
The situation of Glasgow is singularly favourable for carrying on manufactures and commerce. Placed on the border of one of the richest coal and mineral fields in the island, with which it communicates by the Monkland Ca nal, while for carrying off its commodities, and receiving returns, the Atlantic is open to it on the one hand, through the river Clyde, and the German and North sea on the other, through the Forth and Clyde canal and river Forth.
Before the year 1707, there had been different branches of manufacture begun at Glasgow, particularly the manu facture of coarse linens ; and a considerable trade had been carried on with Holland. The union of the kingdoms at this period having opened the colonies to the Scotch, the merchants of Glasgow availed themselves of the circum stance, and entering extensively into a trade with Virginia, soon made their city the great mart for tobacco, and Glas gow became the chief medium through which the Farmers General of France received their supplies of that article.
To so great a height was this branch of commerce carried, that for several years before the war, which ended in Ame rican independence, the annual imports of tobacco into the Clyde were from 35,000 to 45,000 hogsheads ; and in the year immediately preceding that event, 57,143 hogsheads were imported. Only from 1200 to 1300 hogsheads of these were sold for home consumption.
The trade, while it continued, engrossed almost the whole capital and commercial enterprize of Glasgow ; very little other foreign trade was attempted, and any manufac tures that were carried on, were chiefly of articles adapted to the demands of the Virginia market. Supplying that state with European goods, and taking of the produce of its soil in return, became, in a great degree, a monopoly in the hands of the Glasgow merchants..
There had, as early as the year 1732, been a beginning made in a trade with the West India Islands, but up to the year 1775, the business was confined to a few houses, and had not been very beneficial. The imports of West India produce into the Clyde in the year 1775, were as follows : Sugar, 4621 hogsheads and 691 tierces ; ruin, 1154 pun cheons and 193 hogsheads ; cotton, 503 bags.
The interruption of the intercourse with America, now forced the traders of Glasgow to turn to other objects, the enterprize and capital w ',jell the commerce with that coun try had nearly wholly engrossed They began more gene rally to direct their attention to manufactures ; and the dis covery then just made by Mr Arkwright, of the improved process of spinning cotton wool, a few years after this pe riod. led to attempts in the different manufacturing towns to bring the manufacture of rnuslins into this country. The cambric and lawn manufacturers of Glasgow embarked in the undertaking, and, aided by the facility which a similari ty of the fabrics affol ded, were successful hyyond weir most sanguine expectation. The progress of the cotton manufacture at Glasgow after this was rapid, a number of spinning works were established, and ,not; of the different fabrics of cotton cloth were executed. Dyeing and print ing of linen and cotton cloth's, a branch of manufacture which had been going on for some time on a limited scale, was now greatly extended, and furnished employment to a large amount of capital. A number of other manufactures of linen, woollen, iron, and pottery, and of the other articles subsidiary to more important branches, were prosecuted on a smaller or greater scale, and continued to extend as the general commerce of the city advanced. The manufactur ers of Glasgow, who, till this period, had principally looked for a vent for their goods to the demands of their own ex port merchants, now began to open a more extensive sale to London and other parts of England, and going over to the continent, formed connections with almost every country of Europe.