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just weeks before Capt. Charles McIntosh visited M on treal on behalf of the Toronto's investors looking for "Iron, Cordage, Workmen &&&".2 4 During the fall of 1824, Annesley was also consulted about the construction of a line of shallow draft steamers for the rapids of the St, Lawrence, and developed a plan for an ocean-going steamboat.25 With the exception of the later project (which did not get off the drafting table), all of Annesley's known vessels were small, inexpensive, shallow draft steamers. Annesley's patents and the contract for the hull of the W illia m A nnesley, give a clearer idea of how the Toronto was probably built. The contract called for "five courses, two fore and aft, of one inch pine each, two transverse of half inch oak - and one outside of one inch oak - with Deck in three courses of one inch pine each, extending to the guards all round. The Guards to extend fore and aft on each side of the said Boat or Vessel to be well supported with Iron braces and of such extent as to form a Deck of twenty six feet in breadth... "26 In his patent, Annesley indicated that the transverse layer, running from gunwale to gunwale, was not broken by the keel. By eliminating the joints at the keel, he argued, shocks would be distributed throughout the hull rather than straining specific joints. This "unit-body" construc tion (to use a twentieth century term) worked to the greatest advantage in steam vessels, subjected to the steady pounding of their ponderous, low pressure, walking beam engines, The framing shown in figure 6 of the illustration, consisted of one inch deal boards and was only intended to establish the curve of the hull.2 7 The lightness of the model provided the buoyancy that was needed for the shallow waters in which Annesley's steam ferries usually ran. This shallow draft design was of little advantage to the Toronto on the open waters of the York-Niagara run, But during her eight seasons on the River St. Lawrence and Bay of Quinte, she was able to slip inshore, to and from tiny bayside docks and up the Napanee river to take on cargoes others could not reach. W hen the Rideau Canal opened, it was found that she was almost ideally suited to its locks and water levels. Unusual the Toronto may have been, and at times the victim of some misfortune. But the vessel was the product of a particularly interesting experiment in hull design. By World War I, similar consideration was being given to multi-layer, wooden hulled vessels. Certainly, the Toronto would not mark the end of Annesley's career, who in the next few years was occasionally noticed as having built a bridge and small Erie Canal steamers near Albany.28 "The author would like to thank John Mills for his assistance in the preparation of this article." REFERENCES 1 Scadding, Henry, Toronto of Old: Collections and Recollections Illustrative o f the Early Settlem ent and Social Life o f the C apital o f O n tario , (Toronto: Adam, Stevenson & Co., 1873), p. 545. 2 Robertson, J. Ross, Landm arks o f Toronto: A Collection o f Historical Sketches o f the O ld Town of York from 1792 U ntil 1833, and of Toronto from 1834 to [1914], (Toronto: J. Ross Robertson, 1894-1914), 2:851. 3 M usham , H.A., "Early Great Lakes Steamboats, 1816-1830", in A m erican N eptu ne, 6 (1946), p. 202. 4 Q uoted in M o ntrea l Herald, 3 October 1825. 5 Scadding, Henry, op. cit., p. 545. 6 Musham, H.A., op. cit., p. 202. 7 Quoted in Hallowell Free Press, 14April 1834. 8 Metro Toronto Central Library, Baldwin Room (M TCL), Broadsides, Charles McIntosh, York, 11 August 1824.Archives nationales du Quebec (ANQ), Q u ese nl Papers, JS Baldwin to JQuesnel, 28 August 1824. U pper C anada G azette, 20 October 1825. 9 Upper Canada Herald, 29 November 1825,6 June 1826,26 February 1828. ANQ, Quesnel Papers, JS Baldwin to Julius Quesnel, 20 April 1826. 10 Upper Canada Herald, 20 May 1 8 , 26 May 1830,3 June 1830. Kingston Chronicle, 8 May 1830,15 May 1830, 29 May 1830. 11 Kingston Chronicle, 23 July 1831. 12 Public Archives of Canada, RG 5, Al, Upper Canada Sundries, v. 127, pp. 70248-9, John G. Parker to W. Rowan, 26 March 1833. M ontreal Gazette, 18 June 1833,8 July 1834. Mills, John, Supplem ent N o. 2 to C anadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels, 1809-1930, (Providence, R.I.: Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc., 1983), Amendments, Serial no. 2879. 13 U pper C anada G azette, 26 May 1825. 14 MTCL, William Allan Papers, S123, Account book, Collector of Customs, 1824-1825. 15 ANQ, Quesnel Papers, JS Baldwin to J Quesnel, 12 & 13 June 1825. 16 Niagara G leaner, 3 September 1825. 17 U.E. Loyalist, 7 October 1826 quoting Brockville Recorder. Upper Canada Herald, 7 August 1827. 18 Musham, H.A., op. cit., p. 199. 19 Upper C anada G azette, 28 April 1825. 20 M o ntrea l Herald, 4 March 1820. Great Britain, Patents, no, 4240,8 April 1818, no. 4549, 5 April 1821. 21 M ontreal G azette, 5 May 1824. M o ntrea l Herald, 14 July 1824. 22 Wilson, George H,, T h e A pplication of Steam to St. Lawrence Valley N avigation, 1809-1840, M.A. Thesis, (McGill University, 1961), p. 86. Note that the Annesleys only held a small fraction of the shares. 23 M o ntrea l Herald, 14 July 1824. 24 ANQ, Quesnel Papers, JS Baldwin to J Quesnel, 28 August 1824. 25 M o ntrea l G azette, 24 November 1824, quoting Q uebec M ercu ry, 19 November 1824. M o ntrea l G azette, 4 September 1824. 26 Wilson, George H,, op. cit., p. 86. 27 Great Britain Patents, no. 4240, 8 April 1818, no. 4549, 5 April 1821. 28 C anadian C ourant, 5 August 1826, 7 July 1830. 29