The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-14 00:00:00

about our colonial interests,

Recurring, however, to the extraordinary charac-
ter of the estimate of distances put forth by the
London Times, we are glad to find that by the
most approved route it is not more than 10,348
miles, and that the passage from England tQ
Melbourne, via Panama, taking Liverpool as a
" starting point," and with all other disadvantages

and abominations taken into account, does not
exceed 12,686 miles. It is well to know that
official ingenuity and Cockney hostility cannot
make it appear that Liverpool is more than 2,338
miles further from Melbourne than Dover. But
how this difference in distance is to mako the
transit twelve days twenty-one hours longer by way
of Panama than it is proposed to be by the route
selected by the London Times, we cannot under-
stand. It is true our cotemporary allows us four
days to cross the Isthmus, whereas we want only
one twenty-third part of that time, or about four
hours, to get from Chagres to Panama. Here we
save eighty-eight hours as a set-off against the
extra distance set down against us. In this we
may add fully eighty-eight hours more for the
saving of time in the transhipment of goods, mails,
and passengers. By the Dover and Aden line,
letters, parcels, and people would be no sooner
out of the railway carriage than they would be
carried on board a steamer, to be shot out again
on another rail to catch another packet, which
they would be compelled to leave to get
across the desert of Suez in time to overtake
the Aden boat, which would again transfer them
to the mail ;steamer bound to St. George's Sound
and Melbourne ! For all this huddling and
tumbling about of the huge traffic, anticipated on
this favourite route, the London Times and its high
authorities only ask forty-four days, of which fif-
teen days, with the advantage of the rail for 799
miles, is spent in getting to Aden, which can be
but very little over 3,500 miles from Dover. The
French locomotives go a little faster than ten miles
an hour. Where, then is the time lost ? By
the steamers in the Mediterranean, crossing the
Isthmus, and navigating the Red Sea? The speed
of the packets in those waters does not average
ten knots the year through. Ocean steamers of
the first-class, bound from Liverpool to Melbourne
via Panama, would beat the mails by the Dover
and Aden Line in three out of every five runs.
The telegraphic intelligence may be of immense
advantage to the London newspapers, but the
merchant who wants the gold and " heavy part of
" the mail" must look to the Liverpool and Mel-
bourne packets. By the Dover and King George's
Sound Line there must he four separate re-ship-
ments of passengers, goods and mails. By the
Liverpool and Australian Navigation Company
there would be none, and by the Liverpool and
Panama packets only one. Persons who are
particularly acquainted with the working of heavy
mail lines well know what value to place on the
advantages the Mersey and Melbourne steamers
will offer ; and where the merchants and manu-
facturers of the North can show, so incontestably,
that the preference ought to be given to this port,
we think they are bound to enter their solemn
protest against the public's money being employed
to divert the mercantile correspondence of the
country from its natural and most expeditious
channels, simply to confer favours on the London
Press, and on sea ports unknown almost, except
to the bearded Tourist and May-fair keepers.
Liverpool steamers can perform the passage to
Melbourne, by way of Panama, in 45 days, and if
it takes 44 by Dover and Aden, with all its stop-
pages, we think passengers and letter writers will
know which to choose, once ourline is fairly estab-
lished. The Government have placed no restric-
tions on the route contractors are to take, but they
require the mail packet to make King George's
Sound the first Australian port at which they are
to land a mail. The object of this arrangement is
difficult to comprehend. King George's district
is the richest portion of Australia in pastoral
resources, but it has no trade, no population, and
therefore no claim to the importance the Home
Government give it. And we question if any one
of the Colonies, which have offered such
munificent bounties for the establishment of a
direct and expeditious line of communication,
will contribute one sixpence towards the support
of the route. If Liverpool adopts the Panama line
the Colonists will hear of no other.

AMERICAN MAILS.—The Royal Mail steamer, Canada,
will sail for Boston, &c., to-morrow, with the American
Mails. At the post-office, letters, &c. will be received in
the usual way up to 12 o'clock, and until 1 with fees. The
Landing-stage box will be open up to 2 for letters, with
additional fees.

THE AFFRAY ON BOARD THE RICHARD ROBINSON.—
Yesterday the two men, Robert Ingham and Richard
Bynd, who were remanded on a charge of stabbing Aaron
Long, the mate of the above ship, were brought up before
the magistrates, but there being no evidence whatever
tendered in support of the charge, the men were dis-
charged.
Mr. Carr, the Governor of the Workhouse has called for
an immediate inquiry to enable him to disprove the allega-
tion put forward at the West Derby Board of Guardians
at their last meeting, to the effect that a woman named
Sarah Willis was forced to leave the Workhouse a
fortnight after her confinement, without clothing for
her infant.

THE SHOOTING CASE ON BOARD THE CITY OF 1` ~RILE.
—Marquis Delfs, the cook of the above ship, was brought
up on remand before the magistrates yesterday, on the charge
of having shot a sailor, named John Scanlon, belonging to
the same vessel. The facts of the case appeared fully
reported in our paper a few days ago. The wounded
man was not able to attend, and a medical certificate
to that effect was put in, ani the prisoner was again
remanded.

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LIST OP PASSENGERS PER ATLANTIC, PROM NEW YORK.
—His Excellency G. M. Dallas and family, W. Noble and
family, Mr. and Mis; Petrie, Mr. and Mrs. Booth and child,
Messrs. John Potter, W. H. Smith, J. A. Peck, W. Sillick,
J. W. Nelson, M. Rringel, C. Digglesnann, S. W. Roop
G. W. Bear, M. Velay, Madlle. Aguilhn, Baron de Richs-
fohen and family, Mr. H. Hunt, Messrs. T. H. Emanuel, 0.
W. Josleyn, J. Goetz, J. Daunies, J. Ferguson, E.
M`Cann, Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan and family, Messrs.J.
Sneddon, H. Rumoor, R. Congrave, W. Groove, M. Brayne,
L. Eichel, A. Ebbs, J. C. Vv arden:.

A SLIGUT MisTAKE.—When all the morning charges
before Mr. Mansfield at the sittings in the police court
yesterday were disposed of, officer Southwell, 705, who has
special charge of Castle-street and the locality, put round
to the front of the dock an individual who looked like a
man, but who was attired in woman's apparel. The case
caused unusual interest, and the court was thronged by a
crowd thq had followed the prisoner into court. The colour
of the person's face was a bronzed semi-black—the hair
being sable. It (for at the time the sex was not stated) had
on a nice cap and bonnet, with a black lace veil, so
transparent that it did not at all interfere to hide the
" human face divine." There was a mantle on the figure,
and laid over the shoulders with such feminine tact as
would have done credit to any young dressmaker, in the
trying-on way. It appeared, from the statement of the
officer, that beside these articles, the prisoner wore a
woman's gown and petticoat, while the under garments
consisted of a good flannel shirt, a white linen ditto, a pair
of black trousers, boots and warm stockings. It further
appoared that the name of the individual was not Lucy,
nor Jane, nor Ophelia, nor Juliet, but John Alexander
Williams, a Frenchman, and that he was a " real sailor."
The officer found him ro-ing about the Crescent, with some
other sailors, and about 500 people about them, and, seeinc,
he was sailing under false colours, and very likely to cause
a disturbance, he took him into custody, and demanded by
what authority he assumed the aforesaid habiliments. Ile
ascertained that the prisoner had made an exchange of
vestment in this way. He had been plundered the previous
night, in a house of a certain class, of his coat and vest,
and not Ending these articles in the morning, he took the
others instead. lle was discharged with a caution (after a
scene of great merriment), but the lady's attire was taken
from him.