The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-18 00:00:00

ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION.

With regard to steam navigation on the Atlantic
the following particulars, which are termed a
melancholy maritime story," are given of the re-
.ative proportion of British and American lines

------- •
" The Pcentro season opens with— three lines— ad-
ditional to those which plied between Europe and
America at the opening of last spring. We allude
to the Galway and rtremen connections, and
that announced as hereafter It, ..„ite Quebec with
Glasgow. These additions constitute an aggregate
of nine steam ships. Vessels have also pt.._
!idd"
to the line connecting Quebec and Portland wit:L.
Liverpool ; and the Cunard Company is obliged to
employ a subsidiary line to assist its mail steamers.
The entire fleet, thus reinforced, and now actually
enumerated as in service between the ports of Canada
and the United States and those of Europe num-
bers 45 steam ships, a majority of which are of the
first-class, and all profitably employed. And of
these 45 only five belong to American owners. The
subjoined table will furnish the precise evidence of
this disproportion :

"STEAMERS NOW ANNOUNCED AS IN SERVICE, OWNED
BY SUBJECTS OF GREAT BRITAIN.
Africa, City of Manchester, Lebanon,
Alps, City of Washington, Niagara,
America, Edinburgh, North American,
Anglo -Saxon, Etna, North Briton,
Arabia, Europa, Nova Scotian,
Asia, Glasgow, Pacific,
Bohemian, Hungarian, Persia,
Canada, Indian, Prince Albert,
Cambria, John Bell, United Kingdom,
Circassian, Jura, Vigo-32.
City of Baltimore, Kangaroo,
" STEAMERS NOW ANNOUNCED AS IN SERVICE, OWNED
BY CITIZENS OF THE HANSE TOWNS.

Bavaria, Ilammonia,
Borussia, New York,
Bremen, Saxonia,
'"-'"'PS NOW ANNOUNCED AS IN SERVICE, OWNED

Teutonia,
Weser-8.

Ara
Ariel,go,

II Y 11111r,..1,.n5ir exTTzENS
Ocean Queen,

Vanderbilt-5.

" Of the vessels enumerated under the
schedule, but two, it will be noted, were plying
during the past winter, and but three are in actual
service.
"Nor does this presentation place the dispropor-
tion in its most effective light. It is only by refer-
ence to the aggregate tonnage that we ascertain
how inconspicuous is the part played in this busi-
ness by American shipping :

Approximate Tonnage.
British steamships
German steamships
American steamships

" Thus but one-sixth of the whole Transatlantic
steam service is conducted by American steam
shipping. Our lines connecting us with Germany
and with Liverpool are no longer existing.
The only business still enjoyed by American
enterprise is that of France, through the port
of Havre, the French Government declining to
create a steam mercantile navy for itself. This
remnant, however, finds employment for but two
American bottoms all the year round; the Vander-
bilt ships sailing only upon summer seas, and this
season in all probability in sheer destitution of
better employment.
" Such is the actual condition of our merchant
steam service. But disheartening as this view of
the subject unquestionably is, the future is without
better promise. Our French relic of European trade
is to be subjected to a competition during the pre-
sent season which will in all probability seriously
diminish, if it fail utterly to destroy it. Hitherto
the two Liverpool and New York lines have com-
peted for the French business, through the ex-
tremely disadvantageous method of auxiliary steam-
ships running between Havre and Liverpool.
" The protracted voyage thus entailed in reach-
ing the Merssy has enabled the American vessels to
hold their own against emulation conducted at such
disadvantage. But we have changed all that.
Already both of the Liverpol companies have fixed
their eyes upon Queenstown, Ireland, as the better-
point of junction between their main and auxiliary
lines, an amendment which goes a great way to
destroy the advantage enjoyed by the American
company. The voyage by the connecting British
days,
and must be shortened one or two
nasys,
and the freight proportionally under thethis
last
w
arrangement. The chances are that even is .
fragment of American Transatlanht:
c service
must yield to such pressure. Vander-
bilt steamers, which always
i in the
succumb to the
first frost, will of course
thdraw
Fall ; the Fulton and the Aragwo must, we fear, be
driven to the same course; andoapprehend the entire
thus by New Year's
Day there is every reason
suspension of intercourset
Europe by vessels owned between America and
in this country."

January 11, 1858, to the Bth April,
B,ze —By a return issued yesterday
DIVORCES, •
from
mwere filed in the Divorce
new Court,
praying for dissolution of marriage-186 by the husband,
iltBsa9p,peAs
ptelitantions
and 106 by the wife. Only 37 appear as yet to have been
decreed, and 6 refused. Within the same period 108 peti-
tions were presented for judicial separation-9 by the hus-
band and 99 by the wife ; 29 were decreed and 3 refused.
From May, 1858, to March, 1859, 10 petitions were pre-
sented praying for nullity of marriage, and 15 for restitu-
tion of conjugal rights. Of the petitions for restitution 5
were by the husband and 10 by the wife. From February,
1858, to April, 1859, 43 applications for orders of protection
of the earnings and property of married women were
granted, and 12 refused,