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on 20 July and being thereafter cursed with head winds and heavy seas. Other vessels in this service were the ETOWAH, WIRRALITE and WAVERTREE. Aeneas increased his property holdings this year, when he purchased Lots 6 & 7, of Block 11, from Messrs. Carpenter and Burton, et al, thus gaining possession of the east half of the block bounded by James, Burlington and MacNab Streets. The year 1866 was not particularly eventful from the standpoint of shipping, but there were other things which took up considerable space in the press. There was much excitement emanating from the oil fields around Oil Springs and Bothwell; the Treaty of Reciprocity with the United States expired on the 17 March; but most disturbing to everyone was the threat of trouble along the border, which was being stirred up by the Fenians. The sidewheel steamer OSPREY made her appearance in Hamilton and on the 23 July she sailed from MacKay's Wharf to Queenston with an excursion sponsored by F. G. Beckett & Co., engine builders, whose extensive plant was located on James St. North, at Simcoe St. The OSPREY departed at 7 a. m. amid the happy babble of her passengers and the blare of a brass band. This vessel was built in 1863 at Sorel by D. & J. McCarthy, who completed her in August of that year. Her dimensions were 174. 7 x 31. 9 x 11. 3; Gross tonnage 966; net 789. Her owner was Thos. Kirby, of Montreal. The one notable event in the annals of the MacKay family, was the birth, on 15 January 1866, of a son Adam Brown, who would grow up to become one of the bestknown figures in Great Lakes shipping circles. Among the advertisements heralding the opening of the 1867 shipping season was one placed by Aeneas MacKay. It was headed "Freight & Passenger Line, from Montreal to Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and St. Catharines" and it listed the following vessels; OSPREY, Capt. Smith, AMERICA, Capt. Moore, BRANTFORD, Capt. Hanna, CITY OF LONDON, Capt. Pollock, and a new vessel now under construction at Hamilton, for Capt. John Malcolmson. Of these vessels, the OSPREY was the only sidewheeler. The others were propellers, or, as we say nowadays, screw steamers. The AMERICA was built in 1863 at St. Catharines by Louis Shickluna, for James Norris, and measured 134.0 x 23.8 x 10.8; Gross 636 tons; net 418. The BRANTFORD was built in 1850 at St. Catharines by Shickluna for Holcomb & Henderson. Her dimensions were 153.5 x 23.6 x 9.7, with a gross tonnage of 341; net 226 (old measurement). The CITY OF LONDON was another Shickluna product, completed in 1866 and very similar to the AMERICA. Aeneas MacKay's principal competitor in the general cargo trade was another Scotsman by the name of John Proctor, who was doing business on the Commercial Wharf, just to the west of MacKay's Wharf. Proctor was agent for Jaques, Tracy & Co., of Montreal, who, together with the Chaffeys, of Kingston and Toronto, were operating seven steamers on the line to Montreal, as well as the larger MERRITT and HER MAJESTY, from Montreal to the Gulf Ports and Halifax. An advertisement was placed in the paper on the 17 April, by Aeneas for the CITY OF LONDON, sailing on or about the 5 May for Welland Canal ports, Port Dover, Port Ryerse, Port Burwell, Port Bruce and Pt. Stanley. Wednesday, 1 May 1867, was a gala day on the Hamilton waterfront, a day of great importance to the Mackays, the Malcolmsons, and Great Lakes shipping in general. At -9-