The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-04 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND via SAN FRANCISCO.

(From the Anylo-Americaii Tames.)
A project, for year; advocated in these columns,
is as6nwing t.lidipe. A private meeting of influen-
tial in r3liants and otters was held last Tuesday at

the London Tavern to diseases the projected steam

communication plan with Australia and New Zealand

via Milford llaven, Portland, and San Francisco,
within 40 days ; Sir GEORGE GREY in the chair.
It was numerously attended, and, after lengthened

explanations of the details, the following resolution
was unanimously adopted :—" That this meeting

highly approves the proposed route to Australia

and New Zealand vat Milford Haven, Portland,
and San Francisco, and recommends that steps be

forthwith taken to establish a company to carry the

same into effect." When it became evident that the
line to Australia ria Panama would fail, we endea-

voured to get its Pacific terminus altered to San
Francisco, confident that assistance would be forth-

coming iu America, and that the rapid progress of

the Union Pacific Railroad would soon re-establish

the company as a prosperous coucern. But, un-
fortunately for the company, the suggestion was

ahead of the time, and the directors were too slow,
and we fear too ignorant, to appreciate at once the
chance of redemption offered. Yet it does not re-
quire a very comprehensive mind to perceive the ad-
vantages. We know nothing of the late meeting at
the Loudon Tavern or what was there said, but we
feel confident about the statements made. A map

has a tendency to mislead, and it would not be

readily credited that San Francisco is nearer to
Sydney or Wellington than is Panama. The run
from Wellington is some 6,5G4 miles to Panama, and

5,864 to San Francisco, making a difference of 700
nautical miles, or nearly three days steaming. Be-
tween San Francisco and Sydney or Wellington
are the Sandwich Islands and the Feejee group ;
and what we proposed was that the line already
established from San Francisco to the Sandwich
Islands should be extended to the Fejees, and that a
fork should there branch off, the one prong reaching
toAuckland,New Zealand; the other to Sydney. This
would, without much expenditure of capital, bring
the Northern ports of Australia and New Zealand
into the most direct as well as most speedy communi-
cation with England. The time, as estimated by the
promoters of the embryo undertaking, is 9 days
from Milford Haven to Portland, 7 days to San
Francisco, and 23 days to Australia or New Zealand,
in round numbers, say, 40 days in all. Unques-
tionably this is the direct road, and Australia and
New Zealand will have the further advantage on
the establishment of such a line of getting intelli-
gence from England in little over three weeks, and
vice versa, for San Francisco is already connected
with London by the electric wire. The route by Pa-
nama involved two grave disadvantages, one of which
killed the Panama and New Zealand Co. The steamer
landed her passengers to cress a fever-stricken isth.
inns and to pursue their coarse through a region of
yellow fevLr. The numerous deaths which resulted
frightened the Australians, and the gain in time was
unable to outweigh the danger. The other disadvan-
tage was the unbroken stretch across an ocean of
6,500 odd miles. Having to carry coal for such a run
requires a peculiar construction of vessel and an
economy in fuel fatal to speed. The route via
San Francisco, on the other hand, is broken at con..
venient distances throughout. The traveller is always
in healthful regions, crossing the line in niid-ccean.
Moreover, the journey is varied and interesting,
indeed so much so that it will frequently be taken
as a tour of pleasure. We cannot, however, under-
stand the object of establishing a line between Milford
Haven and Portland. Why mix up what is wholly

unnecessary with a link urgently requiring to be
completed. There is ample steam communica-
tion to America ; and if American companies sub-
sidised by Congress bring out others as projected,
it is not improbable that the accommodation will
be overdone. I'o compete with the great Trans-
atlantic companies will require steamers on such a
scale that hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling
would be swallowed up, whereas what these distant
colonies require is simply to have the existing line
extended beyond the Sandwich Islands to Australia.
This would be no great undertaking, and quite
within the scope of a moderate English company
working in connection with any or all the Trans-
atlantic steam lines already established and the
transcontinental railroad, by which means a family
proceeding to Sydney might receive through tickets.
There are only two routes to the Northern Austra-
lian settlements and New Zealand ; the one out
via the Cape of Good Hope and home by Cape
Horn, that is, the round of the globe ; the other via
San Francisco as proposed. The way through the
Red Sea embodies all that is objectionable, and can
never stand, as the climate cannot be altered. There
is no more stormy and disagreeable passage than that
proceeding westward along the south coast of Austra-
lia round the Leewin, and there is no more scorch-
ing heat than that experienced for eight months of
the year in the Red Sea. Coupled with those objec-
tions there is the frequent change of steamer, not a
change of travel from sea to land, but from steamer
to steamer—an unpleasant operation, involving trou-
ble, loss of, or damage to baggage, change of com-
panions, and other inconveniences, which fall
heaviest on the most helpless—women and children.
Sir GEORGE GREY is an old and distinguished travel-
ler, and is perhaps as well qualified as any man to give
an opinion on the value of the plan to the colonies
and on the prospects of such aline. We would suggest
to him if it would not be advisable, at least in the
first instance, to drop the Milford Haven and Port-
land part of the scheme, confining the attention of
the company to getting New Zealand and Austra-
lia into steam communication with San Francisco.
If a telegram were sent to Governor HAIGIIT, of
California, to direct a qualified person to draw up
a report on the best means of achieving this object,
in three weeks the company would have ample
details and full suggestions from the spot. The Go-
vernor would take hold of such a project with eager
interest, and be only too glad to co-operate, so as
to facilitate every arrangement, while San Francisco
must desire the new line to be as remunerative to
the English capitalist as possible. All Ameri-
cans are alive to the importance of making their
transcontinental railroad a World's Highway, and
such a route would have a fine effect in binding to-
gether the English-speaking people, for no travel-
ler from the extremity of England, to the end of
Australia, would hear anything spoken but the
English tongue. It is our anxiety to forward the
success of the really valuable part of this scheme
which induces us to urge on the gentlemen inte-
rested, the advisability of dropping what is super-
fluous, confining themselves to what is essential ;
and this is all the more necessary, as what is super-
fluous would be speculative and costly in the ex-
treme, while what is essential would be compara-
tively cheap and certain in its returns.

CRIMINAL COURT—(Feb. 3.)

(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)
THE WANDSWORTH ROMANCE.

William Skeplehorne and his wife, Sarah Skeple-
borne, wore indicted for having, with intent to in-
jure and aggrieve Thomas John Ironside, conspired
with Louisa Maud, his wife, to falsely represent
that Mrs. lronside was delivered of a female child,
and to pass off the child of one Fanny Wood as the
child of the prosecutor, by his wife. They were
also charged with causing the prosecutor to cherish
and maintain the said child as his own. There
was another count charging them with conspiring
with intent to deceive, injure, and defraud Blr.
Ironside ; and further counts charged conspiracy
with intent to defraud and cheat the next
of kin of Mr. Irouside, and to burden the parish of
Wandsworth with a liability to support the child.
Another count charged them with conspiring to
make a false entry relative to the parentage of the
child.
The jury found both defendants guilty, but re-
commended them to mercy, on the ground that
others were implicated in the transaction.
Mr. Justice Byles said he would consider the
legal points in the case, and give judgment next
session ' • the defendants, in the meantime,
allowed to go at large upon bail. were

Au additional drying-roo:n is about to be erected
at the washing establishment, Herbert llospital,
Shooter's-bill. The specification and plans are now
in course of preparation.

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