The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-07 00:00:00

are kept by private individuals, and which charge
eight ducats (96f.) for taking a vessel over the
bar. When the river is once entered a pilot should
be taken, and who will treat for taking the vessel
up ; but before concluding any bargain, it is ad-
visable to consult the captain of the port or the
English consul, who is also charged with French
interests. Vessels which do not arrive in the
Danube until November or December should make
arrangements to be towed up to Galatz. which is
about 90 miles from the sea, as they would other-
wise lose much valuable time. When vessels
have taken on board their cargoes, they go down
the river with the current, but the larger vessels
are compelled to take part of their lading down in
barges until they have crossed the bar. A strict
watch should, however, be kept over the barges, as
otherwise robbery of the corn will undoubtedly
take place. Very large vessels should put a part
of their cargoes on board the steamboats of the
Austrian Company, which will tow them over the
bar and there reload them. The price charged by
this company is moderate. There is another
kind of difficuty to which the captains of mer-
chant vessels are exposed in the Danube, and
against which it is well to put them on their
guard. Almost all the French vessels come here
chartered by commercial houses established in
England ; they are addressed first to Constanti-
nople, whence they are sent to other correspondents
residing at Galats or Ibrail. This change of agents
frequently exposes them to great embarrassment.
The corn trade, as it is carried on, is a complete
gambling affair, both as regards the freights and
the sale and purchase of corn. Vessels which have
been chartered for two or three months and arrive
in the ports of the Danube find, perhaps, that during
that interval the rate of freight has lowered, and
they cannot obtain their cargoes on the condi-
tions secured to them by their charter parties.
If the rate of freight should prove advantageous
for the consignees the latter come forward eagerly,
but if, on the contray, there is a risk of their losing:
by the execution of their contract, they seek by every
means in their power to evade it. One French
captain, on his arrival, found his consignee a bank-
rupt ; another could not find his at all, and both
were compelled to look out for fresh freighters.
Several have been compelled to sell their charter-
parties at a discount. Captains should require
that, if their charter-party be sold at a loss, the
difference in price should be made up to them.
Shipowners cannot be too careful in looking over
the clauses in the charter-parties which they
accept for their vessels. They are frequently
drawn up in English. and many captains do not
care to have them translated and explained to them.
One captain, on arriving in the Danube, was sur-
prised at being told that, by his charter-party, his
consignee had the right to send him for his cargo
to Giurgewo, 180 miles above Ibrail, and in order
to avoid going that distance, he was compelled to
submit to a reduction in his rate of freight, although
it was not originally fixed higher than that paid at
Galatz and Ibrail."

Another report to the Minister of Marine from the
commander of the French station in the Danube,
of the same date, states that all the vessels of war
of the station were moored to the quay of Galatz
to pass the winter, and that due precautions had
been taken to prevent accidents on the breaking up
of the ice. As, however, the river was high, and.
the current consequently rapid, it was hoped that
it would not be frozen to the same extent as last
year. The number of French merchant ships which
entered the Danube in the course of last year was
94, the largest number ever known.