Prior to the arrival of the railway, the Port of Leith was Scotland’s international arrivals and departure lounge. Anyone who entered or exited, and who didn’t fancy the hair raising trip by overland coach, used the far more luxurious Leith Smack, a beautiful little vessel designed to carry her passengers to London in comfort and as much safety as a seagoing vessels would allow!

Eric published an article on this subject in Issue 82 [1] of the Scottish Local History Forum's Journal, available to purchase.
Go to https://www.slhf.org/journal-back-issues [2]