The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-21 00:00:00

STEAM COMM LNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

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The head-quarters and central point of departure for
three principal and distinct lines of steam communication
with the great colonies of the south are being rapidly
perfected and established at Southampton. This port,
indeed, will in a few months possess in active operation
three separate and independent systems of communica-
tion by steam with Australia, and through this port
must, as a necessary consequence, be conducted the im-
mense postal arrangements and passenger traffic, which,
combined with mercantile communications, are necessary
to develope the apparently boundless resources of that
vast continent in the South Seas, to which the eyes of
the world have in late years been directed.
The pioneers of Australian steam communication—so
far, at least, as practical and useful results have hitherto
arisen—are the directors of the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company, who equipped and sent to
sea, from Southampton, the two first steam ships des-
tined to commence and continue a postal system. That
wealthy and successful company, already possessing a
line of steamships in regular operation from Southamp-
ton, via the Isthmus of Suez, Ceylon, and Singapore, to
China, was enabled to be the first in the field, and the
operations of their steamships, stretched out in advance
so far as Singapore, the nearest point to Australia, ren-
dered it a comparatively easy task to complete the line
by adding a link from Singapore to the various ports of
South Australia. That link has been already supplied,
and for some months past the mercantile community
have been indebted to the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany for the most speedy and only reliable method of
postal intercommunication—viz., that by the eastern
route. This route is not and never can be anything
thing more than a postal one, its great expense for pas-
senger, bullion, and merchandise traffic is practically
prohibitory, and must apparently long continue so ;
while, additionally, the frequent changes from steamer
to steamer, and the necessity for crossing the desert
through Egypt, are inconveniences not easily remedied. i
The line established by this company is, however, of
much importance to this country in a postal point of
view, while many benefits to the trade and commerce of
both India, China, and Australia, have been effected by
the regular communications maintained between those
places by means of this line.
The next, and second route to Australia, starting from
Southampton, is that by way of the Cape of Good Hope.
This has been provided by the General Screw Steam-ship-
pin.. Company, who, at an outlay of capital of nearly
5007000/. sterling, are using the greatest energy to place
upon the best possible footing this gigantic enterprise,
which involves nothing less than the circumnavigation
of the globe (for these steamers ate to come linme by way
of Cape Horn) during every voyage to be undertaken.
The Harbinger, of 1,000 tons, the first of their ships,
opened the line in February last, and for an experimen
tal voyage did exceedingly well. This vessel was foi•
lowed by the Argo, a fine screw steam-ship of 1,850
tons, and the Harbinger is about to start in October to
prosecute another voyage to the antipodes. Pendin,o
the experimental trips .3f these steamers, the General
Screw Company are preparing three iron screw steam
ships of great size, with which most efficiently to carry
out their undertaking. These are the Crmsus, the Jason,
and the Golden Fleece, each of 2,500 tons and 500-horsy
power, and a fourth of still greater tonnage is, we under-
stand, likely to be built. There is no doubt. therefore,
that ere long the Cape route to Australia will be effec-
tively and regularly performed by the ships of this com-
pany, and that great success will reward the efforts of
this enterprising association. The merits of the Cape
route, so far as passenger and merchandise traffic is con-
cerned, over the eastern route, arise from the conver
thence and moderate charges with which goods, bullion,
and passengers can be conveyed. No change of ships is
needed, and a passenger setting foot, at Southampton,
on hoard one of the noble steam-ships of this company.
may without further inconvenience be conveyed direct
to Melbourne and Sydney, at a cost comparatively
trifling when contrasted with the excellent accommoda-
tion to be afforded on board these magnificent floating
hotels, The fact, likewise, that there is no isthmus to
cross, and that no trans-shipments of any kind are neces-
sary on this line, enables merchandise of all descriptions
to be shipped at such rates as will always command a
remunerative freight for so desirable a method of con-
veyance. These ships are destined, therefore, to be the
carriers of a vast quantity of cargo, and will also bring
back, in great amounts, the precious products of the
auriferous soil of the Australian colonies.

•
But a powerful and novel comnetitor to both these
routes is about to enter the field, and the great western
track from Europe to the Pacific is to be at once placed
in operation, to compete for the postal and passenger
traffic with Australia. Only a few months will inter-
vene before a regular communication by way of Panama
will be established, Southampton being likewise, as in
the case of the eastern and Cape routes, the point of
departure. The communication thus projected is to be
supplied by the Australasian Pacific Mail Steam-packet
Company—an association incorporated by Royal charter,
which, at an expenditure of upwards of a quarter of a
million, have built and are equipping five screw steam-
ships, destined to run monthly from Australia via, New
Zealand to Panama, and, connecting with the steam-
ships of the Royal West India Mail Steam-packet Com-
pany on this side, to maintain a rapid and regular '
monthly steam service between Southampton and Aus-
tralia. The steamers prepared specially for this enter-
prise are the Kangaroo, Emu, Black Swan, Dinorius,
and Menura—each of about 1,600 tons burden, supplied
with auxiliary screw machinery of 300-horse power, and
fitted with propellers patented by Griffiths. These ves-
sels are represented as combining in every degree the
requisites of speed, either by wind or steam propulsion ;
and possess all the improvements both of form and
equipment yet introduced in the steam marine. To
these five ships will be added a sixth, the Pelican, of
1,100 tons, and 229-horse power, destined to run be-
tween Sydney and Port Philip, in correspondence with
the main line ships, and to be additionally available for
any cseuaity that may occur en the trans-Pacific service.
The Kangaroo and Emu are both launched, and are re
ceiving their machinery; the remainder are in a forward
state. But for the strikes in the north, and the feverish
state of the labour-market in the Clyde, they would have
been ready some months since. It is now, however,
anticipated that the Kangaroo will be dispatched from
Southampton in November direct for Sydney, there to
commence the regular service to Panama. The Kangaroo
will be followed by the other ships in quick succession.
The proposed route is from Sydney to Wellington, New
Zealand, through Cook's Straits, keeping along the
40th parallel of south latitude, until about the 100th
parallel of west longitude, thus taking advantage of the
strong west winds generally prevailing in the Pacific—
thence a northing to Panama will be made. The out-
ward or return course is intended to be from Panama in
nearly a direct line to the north of New Zealand, calling
at Auckland. It is not at present contemplated to touch
at Tahiti, although a coal depot is to be established
there, to be available if required. A large supply of
coals has already been sent forward to Panama and New
Zealand, and the company fully expectt, to effect the voy-
ages through from Southampton to Sydney in 55 days,
the steamers in the Pacific being calculated to perform
their work at an average speed of 9 knots an hour.
Such is an outline of the important project embarked
upon by the Australian Pacific Mail Packet Company,
whose managers embrace many gentlemen known to be
practically acquainted with steam enterprise in various
parts of the world, particularly in connexion with the
West India Mail Steam•packet Company, and the Pacific
Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool. In whatever
light the operations of the company are viewed, they are
of a highly interesting character. The vast expanse and
placid waters of the Pacific Ocean are to be at length
belted and bridged over by steam, and thus to be made
subservient to the interests of commerce and the pro-
gress of civilisation. Two or three years before any
system of steam communication with Australia was
agreed upon, this journal, in examining the various
routes pressed upon public attention, took frequent op-
portunity to exhibit the great advantages to be derived
from an adoption of the Panama route, and it was in the
firm conviction that the line would sooner or later be
established that a renewal of the contract of the West
India Mail Company was recommended, upon great na-
tional grounds, and in the expectation that that com-
pany, foreseeing the immense advantage to their traffic,
would place their transatlantic steam service upon a foot-
ing that would e give the utmost speed upon the direct
line fromm so
impotent
to Panama, which is now about
to become so a link in the chain of steam na-
vigation to
morliat, New Zealand, and the South Seas.
The peculiar
the eastern and Cape routes to
Australia have alrtehaosdayeef
beenof le glanced at. It now re-
mains to mention
western or Panama plan.
It is clear that unless tbe Panamaroute can be made
superior in point of rapidity toeither of the others, and
unless mails, passengers, and bullion can be conveyed
much quicker by its agency than is found to be thecase
over either of the other routes, it will be establishedin
vain, and the enterprise will be a failure. Geographi-
the
callymohs, te Panma rou ote t Australia is the best: It is
t direct and the shortest, and to this may be
added the acknowledged fact that the navigation of the
Pacific Ocean is the
ri most. favourable for auxiliary
ser ew
steamers of any ocean
the world. A straight
M Charty from Southampo inn intersect the to
b. drawn on ercald 1L
nc, linett's?
Sydney, which would
continent at the Isthmus of Darien, and this, without
fatiguing- the reader withesptianratme.as
roofudteisir teehes'shwoirtllebset
sufficient to show that the
means for approaching our Australian prosa
efficientlyslessi7ns.
It
is, in fact, the natural ocean highway
the South Pacific, and necessarily,mustallothersyteifros.
s
performed, take precedence of
We have no doubt that the measures in progress by
the company for establishing this service
success-
ful, and that, when in proper working
will regularly traverse the Pacific, and bring up to order, will
bt
he ei ships
Pa-
nama most valuable freights of gold, and many passen-
gers for transmission to England. So soon as the fact
has been made evident that this is the most speedy line,
~ostal arrangements will
have to be completed by the
Government, seeing that it is of the utmost importance
to take advantage of the quickest route, and bearing in
mind, also, that this company's ships will bring New
Zealand nearer to the mother country than can by any
other means be effected.
But it is not alone upon the proper performance
of the service in the Pacific by the company's own
ships that the succe.,s of the enterprise and its value
to the world will be secured. Success will in
an equal degree depend upon the maintenance
of the most rapid communication on this side of the
Isthmus, between Southampton and Central America.
At present this service is not ad
unless other arrangements are tely performed and,
es
cl)
euead i y entered upon,' it
would seem that the utility of tile Paeificrout
is
to be jeopardised by the imperfect performance f
they
transatlantic service of the West India
dia Mai e
l Company ;
leaving
passengers and mails the Isthmus, and
proceed-
ing by the circuitous route of the United States, can
now reach England same days in advance of the stemof ers
tizt :IA C a
ompany direct. While such an