The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-20 00:00:00

TEE STEAMER GOLDEN AGE.

Details lately received of the passage of the American
,paddle-steamer Golden Age, from Liverpool to Australia,
furnish interesting suggeStions regarding the -ultimata
prospects of rapid communication, not only with the
gold colonies, but the Cape- of Good Hope. Thin
steamer, which was capable of carrying 1,200 persons,
and had just made .one of 'the 'best trial trips ever
known across the, Atlantio, left Liver Pool in Novem-
ber last, with a small number of. passengers, and an
unremunerative although a considerable cargo, the
Post-office authorities having refused to pay her the
slightest extra sum for taking a mail. She reached the
Cape in 26 days and a half, thus making to that point
the shortest passage upon record. Indeed the difference
from any passage previously known is alleged to have
been as much as eight days. At the Cape she was de-
tained 10 days coaling, but she nevertheless reached
King George's Sound so as to effect the entire passage
from Liverpool to Australia in 61 days, including deten-
tions, and in an actual running time of 47 days. Con-
sidering that in future trips the advantages of experience
would enable distances to be saved and greater speed to
be attained, the possibility of th 6 communication to
Australia being regularly brought within 50 days, even
by the Cape route, seems consequently to have been
demonstrated. According to the statements of the com-
mander, Captain Porter, he made the whole' distance
to the Cape with four furnaces blocked nff, and with
a consumption of only 30 tons of coal • per 'day, five
days' consumption remaining upon arrival in port.
By less economy, therefore, greater results might
have been accomplished, and it is believed, morever,
that 300 miles might be saved by stopping at Goree to
coal. Taking these things into account, Captain Porter
asserts that the Golden Age could regularly perform the
run from Liverpool to the Cape in 23 days. These points
having been determined, the question arises as to the
probability of the benefits which they show to be within
reach being speedily established. If the Post-office had
offered a fair remuneration to the Golden Age for the
the. loss by her experimental
not have been such as to deter
leer sage
conveyancenerosul.fi:lfii continuanceiiioaa'3Blnibali3'l
as it is, there is not only little prospect of its. repetition
on her part, lsit also the certainty that the want of
encouragement she experienced will long prevent any
°the companies, English or American, from venturing in-
dependently on this branch of enterpre. Hencethe pros-
pects off uturc steam commueication between the colonies
and the mother country arediseouraging. The Australian
Pacific Company and the Royal Australasian Company
have entirely ;Abandoned the field, and have either sold
their vessels or chartered them to the Government, while it
seems Alonlitful if the General Screw Company, also,
may not eventually find it more tempting to keep such
vessels as the Golden Fleece in the transport service
rather than to send them on their original destination.
The only hope of a more 'encouraging character ap-
pears to lie in the opening up of a route from Sydney to
Liverpool via Panama, or Nicaragua and- Now York.
Supposing proper Coalityg- arrangements to be made.
Captain Porter considers that the GOlden Age could
reach Panama or Nicaragua, from Sydney, in 27 days.
Thence to New York, by the existing - steamers would
occupy eight days, while from New York to Liver-
pool to average time is 11 days. The total frau
Sydney to Liverpool would thus . be 46 days, or
allowing three days for stoppages,- p- days. The
chief probability of such a route being established
consists in the fact of the link between' Sydney and
Panama being all that is required to bring it into
existence. Whether the New York Company,
to whom
the Golden Age belongs intend now to carry ?Eit their
original_plan of putting it into operation remains
to be
ascertained. During the presen't demand for:steamere
it is probable that that vpsel may immediately be
sought for other purposes, but there is strong reason to
anticipate that, sooner or later, by the natural tendon.
cies of commerce, the route in question may grow into
the most important line of traffic between the northern
and southern hemispheres.

articled
the
=mrsa.r—yYesterdayfrobaelin
Te
T (")
opening of term,
ADMISSION Or I
clerks seeking
to be admitted, and front attorneys del
sirous of
renewing
their certificates, were given in the Court of Queen's Bench. There are 119 notices to be
admitted this Easter term; 24 being added to the list
and 95 to" be admitted in Trinity
by the judge's order, _ _ .
term next. There were 23 notices to take out and renew
certificates this Easter terra—one being from Mr. W.
11. Barber, whose repeated applications to be reinstated
on the list of attorneys have hitherto been rejected by
the judges. Mr. Barber intends to make his application
this time to the Lord Chancellor.
.... .
RUSSIAN PRODUCE,--The London markets for Rua.
sian produce yesterday were rather lower, it being
thought that the regulations of the Government .with
regard to the trade both of British subjects and neutral*,
will allow some quantity to come forward-'
DAY Or HUMILIATION.—The Lord Mayor has issued
a proclamation requesting his fell Ow-citizens to close
their shops on Wednesday, the 26th, for the better odes
bration of the fast and humiliation ordained for thit
day.