The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-23 00:00:00

COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

The Peninsular and Oriental company expect that ,
an Australian mail will be received in England with the
next overland dispatch by their steamers. It will probably
bear date about the middle of lest March, and will contain 1
about a month's, or five wets' later news than what will i
be brought by the Sarah Sands steamer. The failure of the
attempts to establish a mail steam-picket communication
with Australia is mortifying to our pride, in the enterprise
and skill of this country. For years past, both England
and the Australian colonies have demanded such a comma-
Dictation, and a committee of the House of Commons urged
upon the government to establish it by way of the Cape of ,
Good Hope • who seemed never to have doubted but what
it could be lone with the utmost ease, yet the attempt to do
it has turned out a disgraceful failure, and the colonies will
learn with regret, though hardly with surprise, that the
government have been obliged to return to tailing vessels
for the conveyance of the Australian mails. Although we
base had now intelligence of the arrival of a dozen steamers
in Australia, not one has made a good passage out, or even
equalled in speed the sailing ships. Fortunately for the
honour of steam navigation, the slowest portion of the
voyages of the steamers nave generally been performed be-
tween England and the Cape of Good Hope, and has
arisen from defective coaling arrangements. One or Mrs of
the steamers have crossed the long stretch of above 6,000
miles between the Cape and Australia very rapidly,
and what was considered the greatest difficulty in the
Australia* voyage has been performed almost satisfactorily.
The western route to Australia has yet to be tried,
and the attention of the country and our distant colonies
will be directed with intense interest shortly to this route.
The Australasian and Pacific Steam Packet Company are
getting ready their steamers to run between Panama and
Australia, and it will soon be seen in what time news will
travel to and from Australia by way of the Isthmus of
Panama and New Zealand. One advantage of this route
will be that the homeward route can be performed as easily
as the outward. The route by the Cape of Good Hope was
condemned by nautical men when it was recommended by
the House of Commons committee, because steamers cannot
make a good passage from Australia to the Cape. The
great evil in trusting to the Australian liners for carrying
mails is that when any of them make a good passage, it is'
only with one port. Now there are three Australian ports,
, at least, with which a mail communication ought to be
made, viz., Sydney, Port Philip, and Adelaide. If the
present plan of the government respecting the Australian
mails is to be a permanent one, and contracts are to be made
with sailing vessels, they ought to proceed at once to Port
Philip, and fast coasting steamers should then be employed
there in conveyieg the mails to Adelaide, Sydney, and Van
Diemen's Land. It is a singular fact that while for years
we have been enabled to effect with the utmost regularity
a steam packet communication with China, a distance of
nearly 10,000 =flee in 6! days, we cannot effect a similar
communication with Australia, a distance of about 13,000
miles, even in double the time. The latest dates from Mel-
bourne is now 108 days, and from Sydneyabove 120 days.

DROWNING IN THE RIVER CHERWELL
GALLANT ATTEMPT AT RESCUE.
OXFORD, SATURDAY.
On the afternoon of Friday last a melancholy and
distressing catastrophe happened on the Elver Cherwell,
by the upsetting of a canoe at a plass called " Diep Martin,"
adjoining .the walk round Christ Church Meadow, which
resulted In the death of Mr. Edward Compton
scholar of Corpus Christi College, in this UniestthelE;
particulars of this unfartnnate disaster were gives Were
the canner fat the University, G. N. Cox, Esq., MA., and
a jury composed partly of members of the University, and
matriculated chimps, oa Saturday afternoon, at the Boat
House Taveret, St. Aldates, where the body been re-
moved to. The intrepid conduct of Mr. Arnold, of Corpus
College, and Mr. Woodward, of Oriel College, who at.
tempted, at the risk of their own lives, to save the deceased,
was spoken of by all present as most praiseworthy.
The liev. Stephen Edward', MA., and Fellow of Merton
College, stated that about four o'clock on the afternoon of
yesterday he was walking round Christ Church Meadow
with a friend, and when he got to that particular part on
the east side, near the confluence of the streams, be maw
three canoes coming towards him. lie observed that one
of the gentlemen, Mr. Dyson, was in a canoe in the middle
of the river, when he put out his hand, apparently to lay
I hold of his neighbour's canoe, and in so doing he fell over
into the water. The gentleman in the canoe nearest to the
bank, Mr. Arnold, came to his assistance, and his canoe
went over, as he (the witness) thought, by the first gentle-
'man laying hold of ft. Witnem called out to the gentle.
man in the third canoe, Mr. Cave, to give them his paddle,
but Mr. Arnold swam towards Mr. Dyson, who caught hold
of him, and they both got to the bank, when witness con-
sidered that all danger was past. It appeared, however,
that they had, in their attempt to get up the bank, whin
was very steep, fallen back into the river, sad Mr. Cave
called out for any one who could swim to some seem or
they would both be drowned Several persons who same
up who could swim plea in and swam to the spot, bat
could not succeed in anything of the deceased, who
had sunk. Mr. Arnold succeeded in reaching the
bank, and was with considerable difficulty assisted oat of
the water by Mr. Cave. The drags men sent for, and
arrived without loos of time, sad shortly after the body was
discovered, bat quite dead. Medical assistance was on the
spot, and attempts were made to restore animation, but
without effect. Witness was et opinion that twenty minutes
had elapsed from the time of the aesident to tie discovery
of the body. Deceased eolith not swim, nor could Mr. Cave;
but Mr. Arnold could, sad used every effort, at the imnal-
sent risk of his own life, to save the deceased. The river
is about 17 feet deep at this part when the accident
incurred.
Several other gentlemen who had witnessed the amide tat
having been examined, the jury returned the following V m-
ac'
'ea" Theao I.la"L'itdhoeallabnyytrellactir
enfitateuthatuartlise
of
canoe. The jury beg to add to their verdict a stress recom-
mendation to the university authorities that new and im-
proved apparatus be provided at the different str.tieus, the
old ones having been reported to be out of coo.dition, and
that a bath, or means of obtaining a bath, at V ach stations
be provided, and that at each station a per' on should be
instructed by a medical man in the proper use of the appa-
ratus, which will be a valuable addition Vs the security of
the public."
The coroner promised to call the attention of the mai-
trinity authorities to the recommendations appended to their
verdict. The deceased, who was in his 20th year, was
sleeted a Scholar of Corpus in February, 1852; he was son
of the Rev. F. Dyson, M.A.' Prebend of Sarum, Rural
Dean, 'Rector of North and South Tidworth, Wilts, and
Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen.