along the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow, and despite "a strong breeze right ahead" which stopped all other canal boats it took only nine and a quarter hours, giving an average speed of about . This demonstrated the practicality of steam power for towing boats. End of the project Plans to introduce boats on the Forth and Clyde canal were thwarted, largely by fears of erosion of the banks, and a project to build tug boats for the Bridgewater Canal had ended with the Duke of Bridgewater's death a few days before the March trial. Charlotte Dundas was left in a backwater of the canal at Bainsford until it was broken up in 1861. Symington was not paid all he had invested in construction of Charlotte Dundas and was left disappointed, but the development of steamboats was continued by others including Robert Fulton in the United States and Henry Bell in Scotland. See also Steamboat Paddle steamer References •B.E.G. Clark, Symington and the Steamboat (Amazon) •B.E.G. Clark, Steamboat Evolution; A Short History (Amazon) External links William Symington William Symington, inventor of steam navigation Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia-Charlotte Dundas Paddle steamers Ships of Scotland 1803 ships Clan Dundas