The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-08 00:00:00

STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA

Sixteen steamers have left England for Australia since
steam navigation has been established with that country•
The first steamer which went out, the Chusau, took 79
days to get to Sydney. The Australian took 95 days,
the Formosa 76, the Sydney 104, the Great Britain 98,
the Sarah Sands 97, the Cleopatra 120, and the Mel-
bourne from Lisbon only 79 days. With regard to the
steamers Osmanli, Antelope, Harbinger, Adelaide, and
Argo, and the steamers which took out the Australian
mails from Southampton in March and May last, some
cannot yet have reached Australia ; with regard to others,
sufficient time has not yet elapsed to hear of their arrival
out. An idea of the delays which these steamers have
met with at the coaling depots, may be gathered from
the fact that both the Australian and Sarah Sands were
detained at the various ports of call 151 days each ; and
the Melbourne was detained 12i days between Lisbon
and Sydney. Since the establishment of steam naviga-
tion between England and Australia, the sailing ship
Beegapore has made the passage between England and
Sydney in 84 days. News also has reached Sydney via
New York, Panama, and San Francisco, in 92 days ;
and the Marco Paulo has made the voyage to Mel-
bourne quicker than any steamer. Two steamers
are going out to Australia this month, and one
of the steamers belonging to the Australasian and
Pacific Company will be ready in August. She
will, however, go out via the Cape, so that it will be
next year before the Panama route can be tried. The
chief causes of the failure of the Australian Mail Packet
Company were the engineers' strike, which caused the
company's steamers to be hurriedly constructed, and the
imperfect arrangements at the coal depots, which chiefly
arose from bad weather and the scarcity of shipping.
Still, with all these excuses, the partial and temporary
failure of steam navigation to Australia is discreditable,
and there is not much doubt that if America were as
intimately connected with Australia as England is,
she would have made more energetic and successful
efforts to establish a quick communication with such
valuable regions than has been done in this country.
For the future Australia will present two important
points, at which efforts must be made to establish a ra-
pid communication, viz., Melbourne and Sydney. The
former can be reached best by way of India, and the lat-
ter by way of Panama. In the Panama route, New
Zealand will be comprehended, which, according to last
advises, has turned out a gold region. It appears that
the Peninsular and Oriental Company have offered to
establish a communication with Australia in 57 days.
The terms on which they will do this have not trans-
pired. The advantages, however, of a monthly commu-
nication in such a short spare of time cannot be over-
rated at the present juncture. That the company could
effect, if they pleased, such a communication by way of
Marseilles and Ceylon or Singapore, there cannot be a
doubt.

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.—Haynes Bayly's farce of Per.
fection was presented here last evening, and most favour-
ably received. Miss Carlotta Le Clercq personated
Kate O'Brien with charming vivacity and expression,
and by her appearance and performance elicited universal
admiration. The capital acting of Mr. Walter Lacy
and Mr. Addison afforded extreme amusement, and Mr.
Saker contributed with credit to the copious fund of
mirth. The popularity of Marco Spada continues in
the ascendant. The house was very well attended.