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During most of the 1861 season, the steamer EUROPA lay at MacKay's Wharf, awaiting a buyer. She finally steamed away on the 12 October for Montreal. On the 29 May, the little steamer HERO, built by D. P. Lavallee, was launched beside Cook's Wharf at the foot of Bay Street. She measured 65. 7 x 13.0 x 7. 0, with a gross tonnage of 35; net 21. Her owners were John Bain and Capt. Jas. Maxwell and she was placed in service from MacKay's Wharf to Oaklands and the Beach. During the summer the Wharf would become a popular place for the picnic parties and the people seeking to escape the heat of the city. Elizabeth MacKay gave birth to a daughter Maria, on the 7 July, but the baby lived but one day. They would have better luck next year. By 1862, the business had improved sufficiently and Aeneas was in a position to enter into negotiations for the purchase of the Wharf. The year ended on a happy note for the family when on the 28 November, another daughter, Eugenie Owen, was born. The forwarding and warehousing was carried on in 1863 on the City Wharf and Aeneas' lease of those facilities was terminated at the end of the year. MacKay's Wharf was the scene of great activity as the piling, dredging and filling was under way, together with the building of the new warehouse. The year 1864 was indeed a notable one for Aeneas MacKay, for, in addition to the completion of his fine new wharf premises, he became a shipowner. On the 23 April it was made public that he had purchased the schooner GARIBALDI from Messrs. Killmaster & Woodward, of Port Rowan for the sum of $9,000. This vessel had been built at Port Rowan in 1863 by Woodward and measured 123.7 x 23.7 x 9.9 with a registered tonnage of 209. Aeneas kept the schooner at least ten years but by 1877 she had passed into the hands of James Matthews, of Toronto. On the 30 January 1864, an advertisement was placed in the Hamilton Spectator by Messrs. Cunningham, Shaw & Co., of Liverpool, announcing the establishment of a line of packets between the Lakes and Liverpool. The sailing vessels listed were the ETOWAH, RAVENNA, WIRRALITE, CRESSINGTON and the THERMUTIS. Their ports of call were given as Toronto, Hamilton and Cleveland and Aeneas MacKay was appointed agent for the line at Hamilton. The subject of direct trade with Great Britain, had, for some years been a sore point with the editor of the Hamilton Spectator. Editors in those times were much concerned with boosting local pride in trade, commerce and industry and since their required reading included all the newspapers from towns and cities in the Province, they were aware of the state of business in other places. Most other towns were regarded as competitors at least and in the case of Toronto, downright enemies. So it was that, back in May of 1860, the editor in Hamilton turned green with envy as he read the paper from Chatham, whose editor was rejoicing loudly in the news that a certain barkentine, named PLYMOUTH, was loading a cargo consisting of squared black walnut and oak timber, as well as West India staves, for Great Britain. The PLYMOUTH, Capt. Thos. Fleet, rated 355 tons, was registered at the port of Hamilton and was owned by Hamilton shipowners, the Rae Brothers, who hailed originally from the Orkney Isles. At the time, the Rae Bros. were contemplating placing a second vessel in the trade. On Sunday, 4 September, the barkentine ETOWAH, Capt. Wraight, entered the harbour at 9 a. m., under a full spread of canvas. She made a reasonably good crossing -5-