A view of an auxiliary steamship, a Royal Mail Packet, leaving Boulogne, France. Aboard the vessel are passengers and a carriage. In 1828, as people were starting the switch over to commercial steamship vessels, shipbuilders found it cost effective to adapt exiting sailing ships by installing machinery onto them. The combination allowed the ship to sail when the wind was fair and steam when it was not. Frequently, the steamers carried mail, first-class passengers, and express freight. In the lithograph, the auxiliary steamship has a mast for sails, a smokestack, and a paddlewheel. The hull of the ship retains the shape and design of a traditional sailing vessel. A wharf and fishing vessels surround the steamship.
