rally entertained by his countrymen that his "new form" would prove a failure. Some predicted that this vessel would plunge under water, others thought that in rough weather no one could live on deck; all of which prophecies, it must be admitted, are certainly contradicted by fact. For encountering less resistance from the narrow bows, the vessel sailed faster, and experienced no corresponding strain, and suffered no more in rough weather than in the summer breeze. The advantages of his system may be thus summed up: First, greater speed with the same tonnage and canvas. Second, greater stability in the vessel; that is, an increased hold upon the water. Third, greater evenness and equality of motion, resulting from an equalized leverage; since the masts, as levers, work more uniformly upon the fulcrum of the ship. Fourth, greater endurance, because there is less strain in rapid sailing, or in rough weather. Fifth, steadiness of motion, which enables her in sailing to keep close to the wind, and lose but little lee way.

Returning to the early incidents of his life, and to the history of his triumphs we uarrate the most prominent from the first development of genius down to his chef d'œuvres, the Niagara and the Adriatic, as we find them recorded by his own countrymen.

At ten years of age, for his own amusement, he built a 'scow, eight feet long, which his elder brother broke to pieces, lest George" should get drowned. After some little experience in boat building, at the age of sixteen years, he built a sail boat 17 feet long, named Martin Van Buren, which beat the Gladiator three miles in a race of twenty-four; and which at the time, created immense astonishment.

At eighteen years of age, he built the row boat, John C. Stevens, 30 feet long, 3 feet 10 inch beam, 13 inch deep, and with a full crew on board, drew only 4 inches of water! and weighed but 140lbs. She beat the Unexpected, the Sylph, the Brooklyn, J. W. Willis, Johnny on the Green, and many other well known boats on the American waters. Upon examination it was shown that that boat was the lightest, as she was then believed to be the fastest in the world.

At nineteen, he built the Manhattan, sail boat of 27 tons, 44 feet in length, 14 feet 8 inch beam, 6 feet in depth.

At twenty-one he built the pilot-boat Wm. G. Hagstaff for the Jersey pilots, her speed was so great that she passed with ease any of the boats belonging to the New York pilots, creating a great deal of animosity among the New Yorkers against her builder. This boat was afterwards sold and carried to California, and was finally wrecked at the mouth of the Columbia River, and every remnant left by the storm was burnt up by the Indians.

The Syren and Sybil each of 85 tons were next built for the New York Yacht Club, and are still in existence, very fast and very popular boats.

In 1842, he built the schooner, St. Mary the First, of 250 tons, she could beat any schooner which went outside Sandy Hook. This vessel was finally sold to the American Government in the Mexican war to carry two great guns to Vera Cruz, to be used in the bombardment of that city. She is now running regularly between Baltimore and Rio Janeiro.

In six weeks' notice, he built one small steamer for Seneca Lake, entire satisfaction to the owners.

which gave

In the year 1844 he built two steamers for Lake Ontario.

The Genessee Chief of 450 tons, was built in sixty days, she is still running, and is considered the best boat ever on the Lake.

The yacht Una, 60 tons, built for Mr. J. M. Waterbury, was never beaten in a race until George Steers built a boat that accomplished it. The Cornelia, 90 tons, another schooner built by him for the New York Yacht Club, was very fast, and gave universal satisfaction.

The Queen of the West, built at Buffalo, is the fastest and smoothest going boat in the world. Six boats, of the same size, and for the same line, were built at the same town by other parties, but none of them, we are told, ever approached the Queen of the West in speed or comfort.

The world-famed America, 170 tons, was commenced in 1850, and was modelled and designed by George Steers, and built under his superintendence in the yard of Mr. W. H. Brown at New York, in whose yard the architect of this renowned yacht was a labouring man and worked on her. She left for England in the month of June following, and her doings are too well known to need us to recapitulate.

The yacht Sylvia of 100 tons was built about the same time; and although very fast did not prove so successful as her predecessor. We nevertheless opine that in her there was more than we were made acquainted with. To use the Russian word there was a good deal of "strategy" with those who had her management, and had there been any stakes depending on her races we should have known more of her qualities.

Then follows the bright array of names familiar to American waters: the M. H. Grinnell, the yachts Julia Ray, L'Esperance, Widgeon, and Cygnet. Then came the Pride of the Seas, a schooner of about 247 tons, that has beaten the time of every other sailing vessel in the world. Then follows the Viguero, a propeller for Cuba, and the ship

Sunny South of 780 tons. The latter vessel has beaten every vessel she ever came across in her trips to San Francisco, China, and back to New York. These triumphs overcame at last all opposition, and established for George Steers, a reputation that forced itself upon the nation, and secured for him a world-wide fame.

We now come to his almost last production, the Niagara, one of the six war steamers which the American Congress decided to add to its navy. The announcement of the fact was received throughout the country with pleasure, and we cannot do better than extract the following from Frank Leslie's and other papers, which were published at the time. In describing the successful launch which took place at Brooklyn they state :- - "That the construction of those six steamers became a subject of discussion throughout the States, some urging that they should be built by contract by some of our eminent shipbuilders, and others contending that they should be built in the usual way at the government Navy yards.

"Five of the vessels were handed over to old fogy contractors of the government, but the wide-spread reputation of George Steers triumphed in the construction of the sixth, so far as this, he was selected as its builder, and with the exception of the propulsory power, in the quality of the canvas, the ground tackle, in the kind of anchors, and one or two other important things, George Steers was allowed to exercise his own judgment, both in the model and manner of construction. It is hardly necessary for us then to say, that the Niagara is the only one of the six steam frigates which were authorised to be constructed by the late Congress, that has not been entrusted to a government builder; and we (N. Y. paper) think, that the country is indebted to Mr. Dobbin, Secretary of the Navy, for his enlightened liberality in bestowing so distinguished a mark of respect on Mr. Steers, the renowned builder of the America, as to allow him the privilege of exhibiting his talent in the construction of this ship. Mr. Steers appreciated the importance of his position, and resumed it with full knowledge of its immense responsibility.

"The ship, originating as we have described, now rests triumphant upon the limpid wave, soon to plume its wings and carry the triumphs of American genius and American power to the distant quarters of the globe.

"In measurement the Niagara is not only the largest of the six war steamers, (none of the others reaching 275 feet in length,) but we believe her to be superior to any of them in model, that her manner of construction displays a better distribution of materials, and also that she

is the best piece of nautical mechanism ever seen in this, or, any other country. She is not only the largest of the six screw frigates ordered by the government, but is the largest ship now afloat in the world. "The actual dimensions of this magnificent vessel are as follows:

"Her armament will consist of twelve gigantic pivot guns, weighing 27,000 lbs. each, requiring a charge of 15 lbs. of powder, and carrying shot weighing 170 lbs.

"This frigate was launched in February last, and the event was attended with perfect success, and with only the regret that so much outlay of wealth, and of thought, was for the destructive engines of war, rather than for the furtherance of the blessings of peace."

The Adriatic, has since been launched for Collins' line of steamers, and is from the same master-mind: she is 352 feet long, but her measurement of 5,500 tons makes the Niagara small by comparison.

Up to the time of his lamentable death George Steers waited anxiously for these noble vessels to make their first sea voyage before he made arrangements for building other vessels; he, however continued full of sanguine confidence as to the result of their first trials, but alas, he has not been spared to pursue the brilliant career of usefulness which was opening before him. While living his genius gained for him many friends, having already achieved a higher reputation than any other American Mechanic could boast of, but in the midst of his labors, he has been suddenly cut down, and his untimely death will be felt as a national loss.

In concluding our narrative from the notes before us, we must not omit to mention that the subject of our memoir was in partnership with his elder brother, under the firm of George and James R. Steers, of New York; and who both came to this country in the America, accompanied by two other members of his family, who formed two of the crew of the yacht.

On the sale of the yacht they returned to the United States, and shortly after their arrival home the merchants and builders of New York got up a Demonstration by way of testifying their appreciation of the talents of "George Steers," for such he has always been called; and the success which had attended his labours in the path of fame and invited him to a public dinner, at which he was presented with a handsome,

and complimentary token of their esteem, in the shape of a purse of 2,000 dollars, and a service of plate. The sudden death of such a man cannot but be considered by his countrymen and friends, on both sides, other than as a national loss.

At the early age of 33 he has been removed from us all, leaving a wife and young family to mourn their early bereavement, and a whole world to sympathise for the loss it has sustained. We have said he was a man of genius; we will add that his character for honesty, integrity and uprightness stood high with those who were acquainted with him. Conscious of his deficiencies in education he was retiring and unassuming, yet, his affability to all who approached him gained for him many friends who in life esteemed him, as in his death they regret his loss.

SUMMER SCENES ON THE COAST OF SCOTLAND.* WHO has not been at the coast, and admired the bold romantic scenery of the Clyde? With thousands it has now become a social habit to spend a few weeks or months at a sea-bathing town; and such are the facilities at present afforded for indulging this propensity, by cheap and safe travelling and comfortable lodgings, that certain classes of this country have now become as migratory as birds of passage, and at the first glance of summer weather, they take wing to the coast, where all the comforts and amenities of home may be enjoyed. Each town has its churches, chapels, schools, libraries, reading-rooms, &c., its markets, and its fresh dairy produce brought daily to the door, and each is within less than a day's journey of the great emporiums of commerce and of manufacture in the country. It is pleasing to know, as well as creditable to the attention of our superintendents of railways, and the skill and steadiness of our commanders of steamers, that so many thousands of people are daily carried to and from the various watering places during the bathing season without accident or disappointment. In looking at a fine painting by one of the great masters, the oftener one sees it the more beauties he discovers in its composition, and the more intensely does he admire it: so, with what is grand and beautiful in nature, the more frequently we behold it, the more fondly do we gaze. How often have the Clyde, and its scenes and watering-places, been visited and described, yet half its beauties have not been told. Born and reared within sight of "Scotia's northern battlement of hills," we have for thirty summers

From the Greenock Advertiser.