[2] In the mid-1850s, White partnered with Adolfo Corvelo, who had offices at Plaza de Villasis, and together, they ran a Shipping Company that only had one steamship,[1] the flagship Adela, named after his late daughter, who died in infancy.
[1][2] During this period, he was recurring a client of Richard Edwards, the owner of the well-known premises Lliw Forge Manufactory situated in the Parish of Llandeilo, requesting several orders for Portilla y White, such as connecting rods, cranks, and crossheads, some of whom were said to be for gunboats for the Spanish Navy.
In the mid-1860s, his older brother Thomas decided to follow in his footsteps by moving to Spain, and therefore, his second son George Henry was born at Plaza de Armas in Seville on 3 October 1865.
[5] In 1888, Queen Isabel II visited Seville and toured the new facilities of the Portilla & White company, which had been expanded to manufacture steel cannons, and she was pleasantly surprised to find out that the word “London” did not appear on the steam engines, as they had been made with Spanish capital and resources.
[6] The oldest account of a sporting activity made by him can be found in 1878 aboard the Macareno boat, being a member of the crew along with Welton, Niño, Edward F. Johnston, who won a regattas held on the Guadalquivir, next to Tablada, in honor of the Spanish royal family, who was visiting Seville.