The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-09 00:00:00

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Suez a transit duty is imposed which dOes not exist
at Panama. The western plan has far fewer stop..
ping places and transshipments than the eastern one,
and with regard to the dangers of navigation no cotn-
parison can properly be made that will favour the in-
tricate and dangerous windings from Ceylon, through
the Straits of Singapore, the coasts of Java, of Timor,
Borneo, Torres Straits, and the almost unknown
coasts f Northern Australasia, against the sea navi-
gation of the Pacific, the general placidity of whose
mighty waters and the uniformity and comparative
gentleness of the winds regularly prevailing are well
known and are matters of historical fact. After leav-
ing Panama for Tahiti a steamer might proceed at
full speed to traverse the great expanse of the South
Pacific with no intervening dangers of rocks, shoals,
islands, or even currents to delay or impede the ra-
pidity of her voyage.
We would glance at a few of the minor advantages
which have been urged in favour of the Singapore
route. One is that the time riu Dover and Marseilles
can be shortened four or five days when the French
railways are completed. This, so far as the mails are
affected, is all very well; but Australian passengers
can never afford to commence their journeys by a trip
through France. Another advantage has been held
forth, that the electric telegraph will at some future
period be completed through the continent: Neither
mails, passengers, or merchandise can be forwarded
by telegraph, and, except for the occasional transmis-
sion of very important news, the telegraph would be
useless. But allowing the time to ha shortened five
days unit Marseilles on account of a railway convey-
ance from Dover to that port, yet by way of Panama
mails could be transmitted and received in 12 or 14
days less time.
A third route by the way of the Cape of Good Hope
has been proposed to be carried out by screw steamers.
Such a route would certainly have the advantage of
conveying merchandise and passengers at a more mo-
derate expense than by way of Singapore ; but its
great length, uncertainty, and hazard, render it un-
advisable for adoption. We subjoin, however, the
particulars of the distances for the sake of illustra-
tios ; they are the same ae those proposed by the first
projectors of the scheme :

Miles. days.
England to the Cape of Good Hope 6,700 in 30
Cape to Adelaide ••• . 6,100 28
.
Adelaide to Sydney ... . 1,080 5
Sydney to New Zealand.. ... 1,200 6

Total ..
••• .. 15,080
The projectors proposed to perform the distance be-
tween England and the Cape at the rate of 223 miles
per day, and from the Cape to Adelaide at the rate of
217 miles per day ; but it must be obvious that, even
independent of strong adverse winds and a heavy sea,
it wouldle utterly impracticable, as well as physi-
cally impossible, to keep up a rate of 217 miles for
28 successive days, there being no coaling station
between the Cape and Adelaide, a distance of 6,100
miles, besides which no steamer could carry sufficient
fuel for 28 or 35 days' consumption. The Cape route
is 608 miles longer than the Sues, and no less than
2,390 miles longer than the Panama route, and
would occupy, including stoppages, at least 80 days
for each voyage.
It is announced that the Lords of the Admiralty
have recently accepted proposals for carrying out a
monthly mail to the Cape of Good Hope, by means
of screw steamers, at a cost of 30,000 t. per annum.
The establishment of this communication will be the
first practical test of the merits of steam ships pro-
pelled by screws, as applicable to lengthy Transatlan-
tic voyages. It cannot yet from experience be safely
affirmed that screw vessels are equal to ships on the
paddle-wheel principle, either in rapidity, regularity,
or general efficiency. Even supposing the Cape mail
service, as proposed, to be carried out, a considerable
time must elapse ere the scheme can be placed in
proper operation, and its practicability and success be
developed sufficiently to make it apparent that
screw steamers are better than paddle steamers
for conveying mails, or that they possess some
extraordinary advantages which render them supe-
rior to the present almost perfect speed to which
Transatlantic steam-ships have attained. There are
not wanting persons of experience in nautical affairs
who are thoroughly persuaded that screw vessels of
small power in proportion to tonnage will never make
their passages in the time prescribed by the Govern-
ment, pursuing such a route as that 'ail down in the
contract. Then if the proportion of horse-power to
tonnage be increased so as to produce an extra speed,
one of the much-vaunted advantages of screw-
steamers over their competitors, via., the increased
capacity for carrying coals and cargo, will in a mea-
sure be lost. It seems also that the interests of the
public service would have been better consulted if the
Cape mails had been carried by branch packets diverg-
ing from the Brazil mail steamers at the Cape Verdes,
a portion of their track which is nearly half way to
the Cape. These branch packets could proceed from
the Cape Verdes to Sierra Leone and along the African
coast to the Cape, instead of including St. Helena,
which not only augments the distance but pro-
duces more difficulties of navigation. This plan would
have conveyed the Cape mails to and from England
at half the cost now about to be incurred, and with
the additional recommendations of greater presumed
regularity, besides opening up a communication with
Sierra Leone and the coast of Africa into the bargain
—a service at present performed at some expense by
sailing packets from Devonport. These remarks are
necessary, because it seems to be an impression that
an attempt will at a future date be made to induce
the Government to provide a screw mail service via
the Cape with Australia. If such be ever attempted,
it would probably only lead to many disappointments,
and in anticipation of such endeavours, it is hard that
the action of Government in respect to a really prac-
tical scheme should be delayed for two or three years
till the problematical merits of an hitherto untried and
expensive plan have been thoroughly tested.
If, therefore, steam communication with Australia
is to be immediately and effectively carried out, it
must be by the western plan. The advantages of this
route are evident and tangible, and the prompt execu-
tion of the scheme possesses and presents no insuper-
able or inherent difficulties. Contractors are ready
who would undertake to perfect the communication
in from twelve to fifteen months. From all parts of
England representations in favour of an immediate
commencement of the scheme are being received ; it
is found impossible, for two years to come, even to
re-open the negotiations for the eastern plan, pre-
suming that to be the best for adoption ; and•the
Cape of Good Hope route has on the face of it
objections that would be sufficient to ensure its rejec-
tion in respect to the mail service, which must neces-
sarily be a regular one. We therefore gather that no
hesitation ought any longer to be felt by the Govern-
ment about determining its:course of action ; and that a
measure imperatively demanded, both for the com-
mercial and political supremacy of England, and for
the interests of our magnificent and yet undeveloped
colonies in Australasia, should forthwith be placed in
a train for consummation.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
WooLwicn. Sept. 7.—Commander George A. Sey-
mour (1845), arrived at Woolwich on Friday after-
noon, and hoisted his pendant on board the Firefly
steam-sloop, commissioned for service on the coast of
Africa. Commander Seymour passed his examira-
tion in 1826 ; obtained his first commission 10;h De-
cember, 1835, and was appointed on the 231 of the
same month additional lieutenant of the Presiden,.,
50, flag-ship of Sir George Cockburn, Commander-
in-Chief in North America ani the West Indies. He
afterwards b:catne senior, 29th July, 1836, of the
Racer, 16, Ciptain James Hope, on the station last-
named, whence he returned in 1838; 23th May,
1839, of the Lily, 16, Captain Charles Deare, John
James Allen, and George Baker, under whom he
was for four years employed on the Coast of Africa ;
and 26th February, 1845, of the Rodney, 92, Cap-
tain Edward Collier, fitting at Portsmouth. His
promotion to the rank of commander took place 17th
May, 1845. He has served the whole eleven years
on the coast of Africa, according to " O'Byrne'a
Biographical Dictionary."