The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-28 00:00:00

COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTR A LIA

THE AUSTRALIAN AUXILIARY STEAM
CLIPPER COMPANY.
The directors of this company, incorporated tender the
Joint Stock Companies Act (1856), for the purpose of
facilitating communication between this country and
Australia, by means of clipper ships furnished with the
screw-propeller, to be used when necessary, invited yes-
terday a party of the shareholders and a number of gen-
tlemen connected with the colonial trade, to inspect their
splendid vessel, the Istanboul, now lying in the Victoria
Dock.
The Istanboul is a clipper ship of 1,470 tons register,
and upwards of 2,000 tons burden. She was built by
Pyle, of Sunderland, and is considered to be a master-
piece of naval architecture. The engines, constructed
on the best principles, are of 100 horse power, and her
propelling agent is the screw. She is 230 feet long by
36 feet 6 inches beam, with 23 feet depth of hold. The
Istamboul is the first ship purchased by the company,
but she is to be followed by two other vessels of 1,100
and,1,400 tons, and is under orders to sail from London
on the 10th of November, and from Plymouth on the
15th. She has cabin accommodation for a large num-
ber of passengers, and, including her ship's company,
will carry about 400 persons. It is confidently antici-
pated that she will make the outward jeurney in 60 days.
and accomplish the return voyage in about 60 or 70.
She is in al). respects a noble vessel, and the company
look forward to her realising the most sanguine expec-
tations that have been formed of her sailing capabilities.
She has already taken in nearly the whole of her
freight, and almost all her cabins are engaged by passen-
gers proceeding to the colony,
The vessel was gaily decorated yesterday, and pre-
sented a very pretty appearance. The ships in the
Victoria Docks displayed all their bunting to do honour
to the occasion, and a military band was stationed on
.the quarter deck.
Shortly before three o'clock the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor of London, accompanied by„ the Lord Mayor
Elect, the sheriffs, and a number of gentlemen connected
with some of the leading firms in the Australian trade,
wera shown over the vessel by the directors and Mr. J.
E. Cole, the commandant. His lordship expressed him-
self much pleased with the appearance of the vessel, and
the arrangements made for the safety and comfort of the
passengers.
A very elegant dejeuner was afterwards served in the
steerage, where covers were laid for 300 persons. The
saloon, if such it could be called, was ornamented with
flags, coloured lamps, and flowers, and presented a pic-
turesque and novel appearance.
The chair was taken by the Lord Mayor, who was
supported by Sir S. M. Peto, Bart., Mr. Gooch, Mr.
Sheriff Mechi, Kr. Sheriff Keats, Mr. ex-Sheriff Rose,
Mr. W. Lindsay, M.P., Sir Joseph Paxton, M.P., and
other gentlemen largely connected with the shipping in-
terest. _
After the cloth was removed,
The-Loan MAYOR, in proposing "The health of her
Majesty," observed that he felt grateful to the directors
of the company for having afforded him an opportunity
of inspecting the magnificent vessel in which they were
now assembled. She was indeed a-noble ship, in a noble
dock, and was a proud tribute to the enterprise and in-
domitable perseverance of the Anglo-Saxon race. (Ap-
plause.) In giving the health of the Queen, he might say
that so long as such vessels were seen in the merchant
service,- so long would the royal navy be the most
powerful in the world, and so long might it be said of
the Sovereign of Great Britain that she was the Sove-
reign of the Seas.
" The health of Prince Albert and the rest of the
Royal Family" having been given and responded to,
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing " The Army and Navy,"
observed that-wehad been lately engaged in an obsti-
nate and sanguinary war, and that the result was suffi-
cient to justify us in congratulating ourselves upon the
prowess of our army and navy. The mercantite navy
was the nursery from which our men-of-war's-men were
drawn, and it was, therefore, of the last importance that
the mercantile service should not degenerate. He was
glad to see such vessels as the Istanboul fitted out by
private enterprise, for he was assured that whether in
peace or in war they were most important agents in the
progress of national greatness.
Captain LANE, R.N., returned thanks on behalf of the
navy, and said that having had an opportunity of ex-
amining the ship on which they were then assembled,
he could vouch for her construction, and could affirm that
she was one of the finest vessels in which he had ever set
his foot. (Hear, hear.) He believed she would perform
•
swift and certain voyages, and give satisfaction to all who
were connected with her.
The Loup MAYOR next gave "Prosperity to the Aus-
tralian Auxiliary Steam Clipper Company," and observed
that the cecasion on which they were met was one of
more than ordinary interest. Nothing could be more
astonishing than the sudden rise of the Australian trade,
in which the Istanboul was to be engaged. Australia
was only known a few yeara ago as a place to which those
who had forfeited their liberty to the laws of their
country were transported. The persons chiefly selected
to colonise the country were men of great enterprise,
talents and energies bad been exerted in a wrong direc-
tion, but in course of time they formed the nucleus of a
great colony which was destined to exercise an extra-
ordinary influence upon the trade and commerce of the
mother country. The recent discoveries of gold in the
colony had given a wonderful impetus to trade, and bad
caused a cry for quick communication. Several com-
panies had been established to accomplish that desidera-
tum, and during his year of office he had been called
upon to preside over the most important meeting that
had ever been held in the City of London on the subject
of transatlantic communication. It was strange to
reflect that gold, which could supply so many wants,
and administer to so many of man's luxuries, had
hitherto been impotent to promote a rapid postal commu-
nication with Australia. Great steam ships were built
for the purpose, but when the war broke out the Govern-
ment claimed them all, and they were employed in the
transport of men and stores to the Crimea. The result
was that the postal service was neglected, and the
traders of London, Liverpool, and the other large towns
of the empire were suffering the utmost inconvenience
from the want of remittances from Australia. It seemed
to him that the project about to be carried out by the
Australian Auxiliary Steam Clipper Company would do
much to facilitate communication between the t eeo coun-
tries, as the vessels proposed to be employed would be
enabled to avail themselves of the two great motive
powers, wind and steam, as occasion offered, without
incurring the enormous expenditure of fuel necessary for
vessels which depended upon steam alone. In his opi-
nion the man who entered into such a speculation de-
served the thanks of the public. It might be said that
they were influenced by a desire to promote their own
ulterior objects; but the same might be said of every
noble action ; and he, for ene,.considered it was a duty
to stimulate such persons by kind words and public
countenance, and therefore it was that he was present
that day. (Hear, hear.) He was sure that it was the wish
of all present that the company should succeed in the
-great work it had undertaken • and as he believed such
men must be good subjects and good citizens, he had
great pleasure in proposing prosperity to the company.
(Applause.)
Mr. Gooca returned thanks on behalf of the company,
and observed that the great public importance of estab-
lishing quick communication between Australia and the
mother country, and the stress that had been laid upon
the subject by the press, had induced the company to in-
quire what exertions had already been made to supply
the deficiency. They then found that clipper sailing-ships
were the best mode of communication, and that some ex-
traordinary passages had been made by that description of
vessel. They were, however, subject to some difficulties
which they could not overcome—such as calms in certain
latitudes', and the prevalence of head winds in others. This
led to the use of full steam vessels, but these required
that a large portion of their apace should be devoted to
the engines and fuel. The consequence was a very small
space for profitable cargo: The expense also was so great
that the disbursements exceeded the receipts for passen-
gers and freight. The undertaking, in fact, failed, and
there were now two other projects before the public—
the monster vessel of Mr. Brunel, which had yet to be
tried, and the introduction of a small auxiliary steam
power into the original sailing clipper. (Hear.) The
company held that economy in the first cost, and subse-
quently in fuel and management, were all-important.
He had made a comparison of the cost of a full power
steamer, and he found that two clipper screw ships of
the size in which they were then assembled could be con-
structed for something less than the cost of one large
steamer on the former plan. The result of the compari-
son was immensely in favour of the two ships, as would
be seen from the following statement :—The cost of one
large ship was 65,0001.—0 f two ships (such as the Istan-
boul) 62,0001; the horse-power of the large ship was
450—0 f the two ships 160 ; the registered tonnage of
the large ship was 1,900 tons—of the two ships 2,861 ;
the cargo carried by the large ship was 450 tuns—that
by the t4O ships 2,800 • the coal carried by the large
ship .was 1,950 tons—that by the two ships 300 ; the
cost of the coal in the large ship was, at 21. per ton,
3,900/.—that of the two ships, 6001. ; the cargo of the
large ship, at 31. per ton, would produce 1,3501. ; that
of tho two ships, 8,400/. The sailing expenses, he cal-
culated, would be about the same, and also the income
derivable from passengers. The comparison, however,
would show a saving in favour of the two ships of 7,0501.
on freight, and of 3,3001. on coals, making a total in
one passage of 10,3501., or 41,4001. upon two passages.
(Hear.) These were the figures upon which the company
had formed their estimates, and they believed that they
hdd bit.upon the right principle on which to work. They
expected to make the passage from shore to shore with ex-
pedition and reasonable certainty, arid these considers-
done, they believed, would insure full cargoes and full
passengers. (Hear.) The Istanboul had only beep in
the Victoria Dock a fortnight, and she was lull to within
a few tons of her cargo. Applications were also daily
made for passages, and he had no doubt that by the 10th
of November she would be a full ship. (Hear.)
Mr. BROWN, in a highly complimentary speech, pro-
posed " The health of the Lard Mayor," and stated his
belief that the right hon. gentleman had connected him-
self with a company which had started on a right prin
ciplo, and which would, in cour e of time, prove one of
the greatest navigation companies in the empire. (Hear.)
The company was, metaphorically speaking, standing on
the ahotildere of those which had preceded them. They