The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-20 00:00:00

THE PANAMA:R:OUT THE
AUSTR4L":I4II--A ,

a i•

The following Iptterlitti imp addrestigictte,a eon.

temporary t— ; • • • ' 4'
" Sir,-The 'long ea-fo_r tender has o( last
appeared (conveyance of mails fd Syariby and 'tci
bourne, 'via Panama and N'eW Zealand)::" 'l' trust
you will find space,in the olumns of your valiable:
journal for these fe* lines, as they are P'entied'by
one who has not only travelled thb Panami and
Suez route, but has visited 37'1s1thOin the SOntit
Pacific and has been a resident. id,Net. Zealand foy
upwards of 20 years. nom' experience it is my
intention to suggest to the contractors of 'this line,
the names of two or three places suitable fOr their
stations, as well as a few remarki"Upon the route
generally, and my reasons for such suggestions.
The boon so long sought for and
.now about to be
conferred upon the Australian colonies; will not only
be of the greatest importance to' the Australians,
but to the company accepting the tender, providing
the contractors display a liberal feeling towards the
Australians, which feeling they may rely upon
will be responded to by the colonists. I- 'am
glad to find that the feelings of the Vidtorianslare
now in favour of this line. It is- well-known? ast

all events among ourselves, that Jour- imports and
exports are annuallrhetween' and 60• millions
sterling, consequently a fortnightly mail with the
mother country is much required; pasSengers from
the Australian colonies will not (with fait exceptions;

and on emergencies) pay- 1:1207-to be transferred
from there here, neither will they pay 7d. an ounce
freight on gold dust when a -.sailing -vessel .will
bring it home for 3d. per ouncei„,:l, find that by
the last- Royal Mail steamship _Oneida,,,from Ans-.
tralia here, her passengers were 114,, gold on freight
177,000; rates of adult passengers,•£9o,eaeh. ; In
the last of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
vessels, Emu, from Australia,. there _were only 14
passengers (excluding 6 front Adelaide). passage-
money by the Peninsular and- .Orientaf.£l2o for
adults, European servants. £69; geld on freight
about £3,000 (hardly worth, mentloning).. The last
departure of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Com-
pany's ship Teviot took out.to Australia 31 passen-
gers; the last departure of the Peninsular and
Oriental Company's ship Ceylon took out only nine
passengers to Australia ; the Great Britain. auxiliary
screw steamship,fremAnstralia to Liverp:Ool, comes
home round Cape 'Tern in 65 days, bringing. 325
passengers (first, second,a:fid third elaSs).; passage
money ranging from £l5 to £70.,a head per -adult,
and upwards of £lOO,OOO 'word of gold--the
freight on gold ',presume at a reasonable rate. I
maintain that any steam company, assisted"with a
large and handsome subsidy, can without loss to
their shareholders (but with a good profit) carry
backwards'and forwards to the colonies pasSengers
(first, second, and third class) for the same reason-
able sum as auxiliary steam or sailing vessel com-
panies who have no subsidy. This is not only a
consideration for the directors of the fortunate con-
tractors of the present line, but a very serious con-
sideration for their shareholders,' ' If the 'present
contractors for the Panama line will consider their
own interests combined with the interests of the
colonists, they will do well, -and tli,e. colonies will
prosper under their contract, it not, they will
shortly find a most determined and successful oppo-
sition with the auxiliary and sailing 'ship companies
especially from Liverpool, into which port the major
rity of the passengers and bulk of cargo and gold
has for years been imported from the said colonies;
where one passenger comes home overland from the
colonies, 50 come "by sailing vessels, and for every
ounce of gold imported here overland' 5;000 come by
sailing vessels. Freight on gold on--£12,000,000
at 7d. comes to £350,000; but at 3d. the Same comes
to £150,000, making a difference to. the exporters
of £200,000 annually. The Panama line, when
fairly established, will, without a doubt, be known
as the Australian route, and .be supported- by the
Australians liberally. The Suez line will, as usual,
be called the Indian route: -A second •postal line
between the colonies and Englgnd, has long been
songht for even by all the• colonial governments,
and the colonists generally, -appeareto i be of the
same opinion. The geographical features of a colony
cannot be changed, but the establishment of the
Panama route, the advantageS-Of the earliest point
of departure, or the earliest arrival may be shared
by more than one colony, and-thus thelocal existing
jealousies of the Australian colonies will be brought
to a termination, and all ,the colonists mutually
benefitted, as well as thousands of our merchants,
by this fortnightly line. ..It Must be borne in mind
that the Panama route is numb. less' liable to ob-
structions than the Suez route in ease. of European
war. Some people imagine that Panama is annn--
healthy route ; such ideas are absurd: it passengers
by that route are at all alarmed the have only to
walk from the steamer's deck in crap-theß4cif-G9,
into the railway carriage ~hi +h Ny4l7,p,ordr.Githo3l
across the isthmus and in.4oalitivatvef'4k.o44,
lantic Ocean in the short spa.c,o..pckflic•PSAUttaT
hour and a half. The Panafria tette home fro
colonies is a pleasant route.coiApared.torth-C-Eitez
route, where the hot winds and_. cakes ..ititgwßed
Sea for three or four months to anillie".the•
slightest description of .clething:almoSt intolerable'
to passengers. Not long afterthe-fortniOtily.inaili
to these colonies is established we Shall reiffilie,fa,
weekly mail, as our trade is increasing.-So rapidlY,
Few, perhapS, Will believe that the ' tninag.eem-
ployed between New Zealand and New ciAtli:lil'abliS
is greater than the tonnage einployed:l4,oo NeW
Smith Wales and‘Londen, the forineibelliio,oo9-
and the latter 45,000 tons annually.
~ Thoranaraa
route will in all prObabilitys'oyen,aip,i,a ip.v.r.,, trade
between the Australian' eolenies,''and.,:'geiitth Aine
rica, Central and North America, as', we las,with
1,
many islands in the Sc' Pacific, man..' iv'hi,ch
,tfr
'are not far distant' from' New'"t outh•A. ales ' or
New Zealand, especially the Fijii Isla, ei,7Most
viiluable grOup. Our OuyeliiiiTtehts'tm..:4l.onen
chants here are in complettleltii•anC.o not enly:of.
the value of these island 'Vat. 'oo:tliaferk; .- YO4s,
which aninialfranibutittalnair litttate&i ' liou-
, sand§ of•potinds sterling seine dr -,viiinVi. m:1; ii etre.
pearls, pearl shell, becefi' 10'ine*,-.,.;1141‘. Weed,
cocoa nut and sperm oilv,:tertel§eiShell,*arbrocrt,
. sugar, and a small'Onaility Of 'eoffte aiicVeritton,
&c., nearly the whole" of which trade has for the
last twenty years keertearr.lel;#n,by;l3ietlirlena-
than in a very 'quitt4iirligitt.tfi‘ii+PlielieVe that
small steamers will,shortly be runnine• fr'eiit'some
of these groups of-small 'islaifaS iiliitly'of Sydney
and New Zealand, when the PinanntfolAii,fs fairly
established,' and that the tine' iSI Ave far-distant
when theseiSlandS will be to, the AtisfihtdOiii colo-
nies what the West India IslailS'were to ifgland '
before the emanoipation'ef tilp Stares: -Why-should
not Australia b a&its 'ipT6e And §ngiti4Silinds- ','w when
its importS and exports in'eVlVieelf.4';fild'6o mil-
lions " sterling' annually? With' With' regard to-the
steamers between Panama Mid Sydney, my Opitlion
is, that five should be, eiriployed-:.•: -Ifill'abitW is to
be the calling station, there is little doubt hat the
French Government *ill' allow •ft hanetsnme sub-,
sidy to the contractors,'for n'oftnif tlreeotii-eyance,
of their mails there, but teeNt.Of t aittlarittie which
I shall presently refer to. -If Tabittris heti fo be a
calling station I can name blit oritWei other islands,
equally good,,biit- -whereYei the'rnitiway•stationi,
may be between Panama and. Sydney, tliwsth and,
a Ist class boat should be kept there itiase Of need.
The two steltinersto• he employed between Panama
land theliklPWarstatign, should be built somewhat
upon the Gravesend boat model large enough
to carry 300
~,or , 400 passengers,,, making, ey_ery
allowance for ventilation' for tropical pagtiges... It
will be between Pan6ina-Ond the half-waystation
that the great daily runs will be made froth 14 to:
17. miles an honr—Mill-pend sailing: . If proper
boats are placed here in course of a reasonable time
the passage to NeW Zealand mak be made 'in 39 or
40 days, and to Sydney in 44 or 46. days. The other
two boats between Sydney and the half-way station
should be poWerful boats. ' Beljevino.' the Peninsular
and Oriental Company are at Under any penalty
or fine for the non-fulfilment' Of their contract for
the Australian line via' Suez, I do not see why the
present contractors Should be placed under heavy
penalties via Panama. In place Of the Government
munificence of alloWing £5O per diein for'eny num-
ber, of days under the contract time, they might in-
crease this sum to'.£soo,'Vat in-My hiimble opinion
penalties and fines are all humbug. -- -
Having made a feW I'd/harks 'upon this-route, I
will now name two liorts in New Zealand most
likely to suit the contra-tot.% viz.,-Mongorini. and
Auckland. MOngonni- is aqsliug , little 'harbour;
li;vellseCeanP27ofshi
sheltered from all" Winds.'and-Sea swell; with a safe
entrance from Dohbtlesi, or, as se rile callit, Loris-
Nmirl3,4y, and is about three hours'-'sail .from the
Newps a
tZ
anchorealand a hathrbeo.suramle
time. Should this thiontelliasn'd
port of entry, be fixed upon, a
coaling wharf will have to be Made, also conve-
niences for Nvitterin,
(of which there is'a never.:
failing supply).
One objectibh to this'port by the
Tew Zealand Government would be, that they
would be compelled to -place a small-steamer' on the
line between Auckland.. and mOn
gonni for the Con-
veyance of the mails and-passengers, which would
Cost from £4,000 to £5,000:a year. 'Any 'provisions
ay- be obtained
.here.„ ~.,
au
m pposing . this to be the
the French Gay
calling port, eminent' at XeW'Cak-
donia could send one of their steamers hereto be in
readiness to receive their mails .r 74.,
...,m.France and
Tahite via Panama,. Upon the mail steamer's arrival.
. They could then I'olllll. to - New aiqc.lgnia, which
would net take theme a longer time_,;
tJan it would
take the mail- stearner.to .go.. fromAvcingonni to
Sydney. Such tiding the,easo,-the French at NeW
Caledonia would have ;the 'Sallie tinie• to..answer
their letters" by the horneivag and saao. :bud' as the
Sydney people, for which accontiodation the
French subsidy would naturally be-expected, but

should the mails be landed at- Auckland, it would'
only make a day and.a half, or two days' difference
to the Vrench, but give' theni ttiriple time to answer
their letters. Auckland, the seat; of Government,
certainly has.a prior 'claim to:Mongonni,especially
if ithe interest of the bulk of population is, to
be considered. Being the seat of Government. it
is the head-quarters• of'the military forces and com-
missariat department, ' which province Contains
about. 40,000 of the nativ:e population, the latter
being very valuable to any steam,Cempany in the:
coaling department. The -entranee•tek the harbour
of Auckland. is first-rate, with
,ample, room for a
large fleet to anchor, its entrance heing so very ac-
cessible ; there is no lighthouse at• present ; no yes-
sels have been lost there since the foundation of the
i colony, which says much for its harboni. About
seven or eight • years ago, , anticipating that' the
Panama line of steamers would call:there, a mei-
, candle firm went to a great expense in building a
coaling wharf,
,and for watering the steamers,
which I have no doubt could now be purchased or
leased at a reasonable price or rent. ,In fact, Auck-
land is already well prepared for the mail line,
should its steamers call there. In that case I re-
commend the contractors of the Panama line to
come to some arrangement with MesSrs. Coleman
and, Co., pho are under contract with the
New Zealand Government to carrry our mails
to and fro between New Zealand and the
Colonies, with a subSidy of £24,000 a-
year. If an amicable arrangement could be made
the Panama boat could remain in Auckland for ten
days during the time the Colonial boat took the'
mails and passengers to Sydney -via .Manakan,
during which time she could , coal, clean, and if
necessary repair. Manakan is a fine extensive bar
harbour ; the bar is of no inconvenience to a large
steamer, there being sufficient water for a line of
battle ship. The distance of this harbour from
Auckland by land is five and a half miles ; a tram-
road is now being made between the two ports, and
telegraph wires to the heads Of Manakan from
Auckland. One great advantage in, the Manakan
route will be splendid , and extensive coal fields
which hate lately been discovered- there coming
down•to the edge "of. the 'Manakan waters; there
has also been-another coal field lately discovered at
Wangaree harbour, about filly Miles north'of Auck-
land, both of which samples of coal have been tested
and reported, upon most favourably 'to the govern-
ment by Dr. 110311*tter;' 100 'IS the geographical
and scientific officer of the -kotrian frigate,
Novara. If a satisfactory arian7fiemb,neannot be
made with Messrs..Coleinan: dna co:I recommend
Mongonni the port for landing and taking on board
the mails and passengers''::as the detention there
need not be more than a few hours, and the course
from there towards Panama' should be made in the
variable latandes..Some people fancy that Welling-
ton, in Cook's 'Straits,' would suit to call at on the
homeward voyage from Sydney, provided. the
• steamers did not go to Auckland on their way out,
but I consider it would not only be very unsatis-
factory to the contractors but to New South
Wales colonists, whom we may thank for being the
originators of this line, and whom the public have
to thank for its handsome subsidy, granted by their
Parliament, of £50,000 annually for 10 years. The
contractors would also lose 'about
.three, days on
each voyage by going the extra distance. Another
:reason for not making Wellington one of the calling
ports is that the insurances on ships and cargo are
nearly half as much 'more to Wellington as they
are to .Auckland. SOme .of the daily papers have
, stated that little interest appears to be taken in
this tender, but I can assure them that there neter
was a mail contract tendered for by the Govern-
, ment that has in a very quiet manner created such
a sensation, and in place of three I believe there
will he six tenders for it: Should Ibe able to give
any of the contracting parties any further informa-
tion, I•shall be happy to do so.—l am, &c.„
WALTER"! BRODIE.
4, Sutherland-place, Westbourne-grOve North,
Bayswater, J-une 2.