The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-12 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The paddlewheel steam frigate Valorous, 16, Captain W.
C. Aldham, from Queenstown, arrived at Plymouth on Sun-
day, and on Tuesday afternoon went up to Hamoaze to take
in tow the ship Queen, 112, which is to be supplied with a
screw at an eastern port.
A court-martial, under the presidency of Vice-Admiral
Sir B. Reynolds, K.C.8., assembled on board the flagship
Impregnable, in Hamoaze, on Tuesday, for the purpose of
trying Capt. J. B. Dickson, of the Cumberland, 70, and the
Master, Mr. J. Crabbe, for grounding her on a rock near
Flores Island, in Rio de la Plata, on the 15th of March. It
was proved that the rock was not laid down in the Admi-
ralty charts, and both officers were honourably acquitted.
The Cumberland was towed up harbour yesterday to have
defects repaired.
Rear-Admiral Sir C. H. Fremantle, K.C.8., Commander-
in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, struck his flag on Tuesday
everting on board the Orion, at Spithead, and went on leave.
The Terrible, 21, paddlewheel, frigate, Capt. Glasse, left
Spithead on Tuesday evening for the eastward.
The Sphynx, 6, paddlewheel sloop, was undocked yester-
day at Portsmouth, after repair..
The Royal Sovereign, 131, new screw three-decker, will
be taken out of Portsmouth harbour by the staff of the Steam
Reserve this morning to try her speed at Stoke's Bay.
The Great Tasmania, freight-ship, embarked yesterday,
at Portsmouth, the troops before enumerated, and will sail
this day for the Mauritius.
The Urgent, 6, steam troopship, Commander M`Donald,
embarked yesterday, at Portsmouth, the troops before re-
ported, and will leave to-day for Alexandria.
The following appointments were made yesterday at the
Admiralty :—Commander B. S. Rickards to the Victor
Emmanuel. Lieutenant T. G. Nettleton to the Renown,
Lieutenant W. A. R. Lee to the Formidable, W. E. Allen,
assistant-paymaster, to the Victor Emmanuel, and John K.
Cowley, assistant-paymaster, to the Wellesley.

EASTERN AND WESTERN LINES OF MAIL
COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

The late Australian Mail Company were fined £27,000
during the first six months of their contract. From April,
1857, to last January, their ships were behind time in reach-
ing Melbourne 43 days, and once during that time one of
their ships arrived there a day before its time. During that
period also the company's ships lost in leaving Melbourne
for Suez 64 days. From April, 1857, to June, 1858, 96 days
were lost in the steamers reaching Southampton. The
colony of Victoria pays £30,000 towards the Australian
Mail subsidy. It is said that the Royal Mail Company are
about to establish a monthly mail communication between
England and Australia, via Panama ; and that the Penin-
sular and Oriental Company are also about to carry a
monthly mail to Australia, via Suez. The distance from
Sydney to Suez, via Melbourne, is 9,400 miles. This dis-
tance has been done in 42 days, including stoppages, by
the Simla and other steamers. The distance between Suez
and Southampton (not overland) has been done in 14 days.
Thus the Peninsular and Oriental Company have steamers
which could convey a mail between England and Australia
in 56 days. The Royal Mail Company will be able to run a
steamer from Southampton to Colon, the western terminus
of the Panama Railway, in 16 days, when they have built
their new ships, and by going direct from St. Thomas to
Colon, without calling at Carthagena and Santa Martha,
the mails to which places could be conveyed by a branch
steamer from Panama to Melbourne, via Tahiti, New Zea-
land, and Sydney, the distance is not above 9,000 miles.
This distance could be effected in about 40 days, in-
cluding stoppages. Both by the Panama and Suez
routes, therefore, the mails could be carried with regu-
larity by the two great mail packet companies in about
56 days. Each route has most important advantages,
the Suez sne connecting India and China with Australia,
and giving Melbourne an English mail in 54 days,
and the Panama one, drawing New Zealand closer to Eng-
land, and giving Sydney a monthly mail also from England
in 54 days. Once a month Melbourne would have an ad-
vantage over Sydney, and vice versa. This would put a
stop to the jealousy existing between New South Wales and
Victoria on this subject, which prevents a cordial co-opera-
tion between those two colonies in providing an effective
mail-packet communication with England. The double
routes would cause the ocean world to be completely bridged
over, and would increase the commerce between England
Ind the islands of the Pacific. There have been objections
made to the western route to Australia. One Is that Aus-
tralia would be overrun with Americans, and become Ame-
ricanised ; but this is very unlikely, considering the magni-
ficent run of country which the Yankees possess in their own
continent. Another objection is that the people of the
United States would have the first intelligence of the Aus-
tralian markets ; but as ocean telegraphs become general,
every monopoly in the knowledge of foreign markets will
cease. Besides, the Royal Mail Company would be subsi-
dised to carry an English, not an American mail. A third
objection is the unhealthiness of the Isthmus of Panama and
of the Island of St. Thomas, in the West Indies, the coaling
depot of the Australian steamers. The stay at the latter
place, however, would be very short, and the Panama
isthmus is rapidly becoming more healthy, owing to the
increase of population and the consequent clearing of the
land. At one time the plague always raged in Egypt, but
since Waghorn opened a passage through that ancient
country for the English mails and passengers, the plague
has ceased.—Daily News.