A rare pair of illustrations of proposed ships for India’s rivers

A fine pair of large scenes depicting paddle steamers hauling articulated barges up the Indus. 'Peace' shows the ship laden with trade goods, with a busy quay in the foreground; 'War' shows a ship equipped with cannon firing at Indian troops on the shore and Congrieve rockets aimed at a town on the opposite bank, a reminder that the Indian Rebellion of 1857 had just ended. John Bourne (c.1813-1894?), an Irish civil engineer, was the son of Captain Richard Bourne (1772-1851), one of the founders of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (better known as P&O). He specialised in steam engines and, having worked in the British shipyards, became a surveyor for the East Indian Railway in 1846. After disagreeing with his employers about the profitability of a railway to Calcutta he resigned and, shortly after, proposed this scheme to improve India's transport system. In 1856 the 'Oriental Inland Steam Company Limited' was registered with Bourne as managing director, with 25,000 shares at £10, increased to 50,000 in 1860. Despite publishing these prints to raise the company's profile, Bourne underestimated the capabilities of the railways and the company was wound up in 1867.