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Gunn, one of the pioneer wharfingers of Hamilton. It had been acquired in 1850 by the long-established firm of McPherson & Crane, who had been in the forwarding business on the St. Lawrence pretty well from the beginning of the river trade between Montreal and Kingston. Their expansion into Hamilton was prompted by an eye for business. Hamilton, by 1850 had become a boom-town owing to the construction of the Great Western Ry. and the harbour offered the only access for men and materials. The old wharf, after Gunn's occupancy, had passed into the hands of two brothers, Michael Willson Browne and Edward Browne who had been buying up much of the waterfront property. The wharf was then known as the James St. Wharf. McPherson & Crane disposed of the James St. Wharf in 1854 and the new occupants were Messrs. Holcomb & Henderson. Their success in this venture was short-lived and on the 19 January 1858 an advertisement was placed in the paper reading "James St. Wharf and premises for rent, immediate possession, if required." It was signed by Thos. Kirkpatrick of Kingston, assignee. The year 1857 marked the beginning of one of Hamilton's worst business depressions, during which about 25% of the city's population moved elsewhere in search of work. It was at this inauspicious moment that the name MacKay came to the attention of the public. On the 4 May 1858 an advertisement headed "Wharfage and Forwarding" was placed in the paper and read as follows: "The subscriber, having leased the James St. Wharf, recently in the occupation of Holcomb & Henderson is now prepared to receive or forward all description of merchandise and produce; and trusts that long experience in the business, strict attention thereto and moderate charges will insure for him liberal support. He is also Agent for Holcomb. Henderson & Co.'s Line of Montreal Freight Steamers. Aeneas D. MacKay. " The new tenant of the James St. Wharf was born on 20 November 1825, at Viewhill Cottage at Golspie in the County of Sutherland, Scotland. It was decided that he should enter the legal profession, so after his elementary schooling he was sent to Inverness where he studied law in the offices of Messrs. MacTavish & MacLennan. Having completed these studies, he emigrated to Canada, where he chose to follow a career in the mercantile world. For a short while in 1849, he worked for a merchant in Chatham, C. W., before moving east to Cobourg and obtaining employment with Ebenezer Perry, who became one of three senators who resided in that town. He stayed with Perry for one year and in 1851 began his three-year stint as a Lakesman. In 1852 he had married Elizabeth Hughes who was born in 1824 at Red Wharf, Anglesea, Wales. Aeneas set in motion the business of establishing a family, and on the 1 November Elizabeth gave birth to twins. The babies were named Robert Osborne, and Jane Berkeley. The boy survived for 60 years but the little girl died on the 14 September 1854. In 1855 a daughter, Elizabeth Maltby was born and by 1857, Aeneas had given up sailing and taken a job as clerk with Holcomb & Henderson. A second son, Aeneas Donald, was born on the 26 February 1858 but the following year, a daughter Wilhelmina Jane was born on the 22 November, but lived only 24 days. During 1859, Aeneas advertised his forwarding and warehousing business as well as his retail coal sales and in 1860 the trade had improved to such an extent that he leased the City Wharf on the east side of the James St. Slip. This wharf had been built by the Brownes on the site of an old wharf. Aeneas even signified his intention to build a grain elevator, but this did not come to pass. -4-