The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-21 00:00:00

STEAM TO AUSTRALIA.

TO THE EDITOR 07 THE EXPUESS.
SIR,—As it would now appear, by the adverfse
meats put forth, that bet. Majesty's eve rnment rollt
intend to effect the above object, which has been
long and ardently wished for, and feeling deeply
terested in the welfare of those distant posseeromr
well as anxious that the route to be ad-pted god
be the one most practicable and the emit
accomplishment, it occurs to me that any infanta
on the subject will not be inappropriate at the preset
moment; I have therefore to reluest the reward
your giving publicity to the following extracts from
a letter before me, dated Sylnty,Nov,lBl6 (early in
the year 1846) :
" A select committee of the Legislative Council of Piro
South Wales were authorised to examine the ',rise pre
posed routes for effecting steam communication buses
England and Sydney, w, ich was before :hem, sae ti
report thereon to the whole council. Alter obtaining spa
mass of most valuable evidence, the committee reputed,*
he 27,h October, 1846, as folios.:
"That the least expensive, the most expedi'ine, and tbt
most conveni, at and advantageous plan would he, t, i'
the China line at Singapore by the inner route, WO
Torres Straits, coiling at the projected se:demean ef
Silt
Australia and at Port Essington, and by the ideal roes
thence to Singapore. The eligibility of this line ts hippo*
by nearly all the witnesses examined by this consume
The advantages derivable to Australia from eonneetion ent
our Indian possessions and other ports of the east wAte
greater than any direct advantage from postal commune
tion with the mother country."
It would thus appear, after a most riJid love,*
tion by parties competent to form an opinion ma'
measure so intimately connected with their own i 1
re-t, that the route should be by Singapore.
My correspondent then proceeds with refererio
the proposition for effecting the communication
way of the Cape of Good Hope.
" That it may be sufficient to state that the VT3jral
that scheme gay, the distance between England a,*
Cape at 6 700 miles in 30 days, or at the rate 422 u:s
per day, from the Cape to Adelaide 6,100 ,odes in2l4lle
217 miles per day, thence to Sydney, 1080 miles ins hits
216 miles per day ; It must, therefore, be °brim that
independent of strong adverse winds and a hem so.
utterly impracticable, us well as phrsially isperibk: s
keep up a rate of 217 miles per day, for 2i oucteseing
there being no coaling station between the Cep
Adelaide.
, The other route to which he refers is by trill

Panama:
The &Lance from thence to Auckland (New Zeslud '
6,780 miles, without any coaling station, except at ea**
an quotas d Tithiti, to both of which places the .
mod
ci.nvel lag coals would amount to told prohibition, di
stations (which must be garrisoned) could only beat/
wined at an immense expense, besides by that Nuts deo
portant advantage of bruthing India and Olio' wore
communication with Australia would be entire/ °
sight of.
I therefore think it sufficiently clear that :boo;
route at present accomplishable is rid S:ngsPoro
though it cannot be denied that were ei.her of ,/
others practicable and in operation, they would cot
considerable advantages upon the commercial sue"
of this country.—l am, Sir, &v.,
London, Dec. 20. AUSTRALLENSrs
•

TESTIMONIAL TO A PHILANTHROPIST IN I _
lArs.—When the cholera was reging at ffeeeP.,
Plymouth, and the greatest diffizulty was found is ise!:
competent persons to peril their own lves in fri,'6gia
siry assistance to the sick and dying, there WO'S'
man who volunteered his services, and elicited the
tion of all who were witnesses of his ezertiots. ifbal!„,
pestilence had disappeared, he resolutely refund sGIs
any pecuniary reward. The late mayor, howertr,r;
that his conduct should not go unrewarded, or at
unacknowledged. The young man, whose nose ii
Solomon Anstry, end who is a labourer in the eet7;ii
has accordingly received a Bible and Book of
Prayer, elegantly Sound, and having the follostafirni
lion oa the fly-leaf: " Presented by the Mayor of 1t r 7.5
(John Beer) to Edward Solomon Anstay, se s
respect, for his assiduous, kind, and disintereitsd stt";
to several sufferers from cholera during the awful On;
of that mortality in 1840." In addition to this, Aastil t!,
received the followirg letter from the Secreta/au
Board of Health: "Dec. 11, 1849.—Sir I ent dir7sta
the Board of Health to convey to you triad remelt —0
for your kind asd unremitting attention to army of utroo
ferers from cholera during the late visitation; WI os
you this vote of thanks, as the only tribnw ey kello
their power to offer you, and trust that your th
duct will meet with its due reward."—Deronshire
ACCIDENT ON THE SHREWSBURY AND nino
HAY BAILWAT.—On Monday lest 0110 Of the jorive
working on Ibis lie at Prior's near ShiOwt.
.
sitting on one of then carriages eyingcon earth, lot
falling on the line of rail the succeeding tsrrisges
his neck, and literally severed the head from the etw
Eddotaes's Journal.