The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-08-31 00:00:00

NEW MEASUREMENT.

feet. tenths,
Length aloft
Breadth at midship l4 6
Depth at midship
OLD MEASUREMENT.

Length of keel ..
Breadth of beam

feet. inches,
56 2
16 6

She is cutter rigged. The draught of water, 9 ft. 6 in.
Her tonnage is 67 3-94th tons—that is old measurement.
We do not remember to have seen a finer model for the
purpose for which she is intended, and it is a difficult and
almost speculative matter to hit the most suitable form,
the grand object to be attained in the construction of our
,pilot-boats being of a peculiarly compound nature.
It is indispensable that they should have proper bearing,
and stability under sail to withstand the strong gales and
heavy seas to which our outward channels are subject in
the winter, which requires great strength, and conse-
quently additional weight of material in hull and rig ;
and. that, in fine summer weather and lighi breezes, they
should always be smart sailers. The difficulty of achiev-
ing these combined qualities is obvious to all nautical
men. We venture to predict. that Mr. hoyden,—who,
from adopting principles somewhat peculiar to himself, yet
accordant with the true laws of displacement, has been
highly successful in producinc, merchant vessels, drawing
comparatively little water, and carrying large cargoes, yet
sailing fast,—has in this instance conquered these require-
ments. The Mersey has a fine bearing entrance, a remark-
ably clean run, and a graceful swell of side,—the whole of
her lines blending harmoniously together. She resembles
a first..rate yacht, and would be taken for such, but for the
green and yellow streak on the sheer of the plank, which
is rather disfiguring ; but is adopted in all our pilot-boats,
for the sake of distinguishing them from other craft. A
number of persons, including gentlemen and ladies, were
on her deck when she was launched. • All carpentry pre-
parations being completed, the daggers were struck, and
she plunged (as it may be said) into the water, the ways
being steep, her stern taking the water with great force
and effect, so that the element rose in foam over her
taffrail. She pitched a little in regaining her equilibrium.
The river here forms a small square embayment or basin;
and as she was launched parallel to, and near to the south
end of this indenture, she was forced in a curve to the
northward, from the water being less easily displaced
alongside the wall than on the north side, where it had
more room to spread. From this cause, or some other,
she was forced against the quarter-piece of a steam-tug,
whose stern projected across the north opening of the
basin, and had her taffrail partly smashed, and one or two
of her counter timbers injured by the collision. The damage
was but slight, and can be easily repaired; but the steamer
had no business to be in the way. The Mersey floated
very lightly and elegantly, and looked a beautiful craft on
the water. Bating the little accident stated, the launch
was highly interesting, and was received by loud cheers,
and the firing of a gun from the old pilot-boat. We cannot
conclude without observing that great credit is due to the
authorities in charge of our pilot establishment, for their
unremitting care, over a long series of years, in providing
suitable vessels for the service, and in taking advantage of
all modern improvements that may be available. They
had Boat No. 2 Luilt last year at Ipswich, by a celebrated
builder, and she has turned out "a clipper." ' 'We shall
not be surprised, however, if the Mersey beat her.

STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

Among the projects of the day which relate to the ex-
tension of our power and commerce, the establishment of
steam communication with Australia is one of the most
prominent. To accomplish this object a company has
been formed under a Royal charter, dated the 20th of
May last, and the route adopted from England to Sydney,
together with the time it will occupy (and which has been
sanctioned by the Admiralty), is as follows, viz.:—
England to Singapore, via Egypt, overland, 8,390
miles, 42 days.
Singapore to Port Essington (Torres Straits), Ba-
tavia, 2,060 miles, 10 days.
Port Essington to Sydney, via Wednesday Island, 2,340
miles, 12 days.
Thus giving 12,790 miles to be completed in 64 days, or
at the rate of 199 miles a day, and bringing Australia
and New Australia and New Zealand in point of time
within little more than half the present distance. Hi-
therto the Government, although expressing the strongest
desire to witness the accomplishment of this route, have
declined making any direct grant, but from the recent re-
port of a committee of the House of Lords on the Mail
Contract Service in general, there can be little doubt that
the entire profits of the postal communication throughout
the line from Singapore to Sydney would willingly be
conceded. Coupled with this the company seem disposed
to place great reliance on the rapid growth of an exten-
sive passenger traffic between India and Australia (the
distance being less than thirty days), and also that a con.
siderable business would arise from the conveyance of
horses from the colony for the use of the Indian army—a
description of export which has already been profitably
established. Looking at the facilities for obtaining coal
at Ole several points of the route, the varied commerce
which promises to spring up throughout the Indian Ar-
chipelago, and the strong interest in the matter evinced
by all parties in Australia, there appear reasonable
grounds for an early anticipation of a profitable result for
the undertaking, more especially as two-thirds of the
route—that is to say, from England to Singapore—is al-
ready an established line, yielding large and increasing
returns to the Peninsular and Oriental Company, whose
steamers at present enjoy exclusively its advantages.
It will be remembered that various plans have from time
to time been put forward for connecting Australia with
the mother country by steam. One was via Panama, but
this is understood to have been entirely given up. Another
which we believe is still maintained in some quarters, is
for a route by steam vid the Cape of Good Hope, with a
branch line to the Mauritius. The objections urged against
this, however, are the want of facilities for coaling (a diffi-
culty which appears insurmountable), and the little com-
munity of intercouse between the Cape and Australia, and
also between that country and the Mauritius. The use of
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of that method of propulsion (even supposing the scanti-
ness of population on the line were not fatal to the
scheme) have hardly been such as to warrant an expecta-
tion that it would realize anything like the rapid commu-
nication which it is now the object to attain. In Austra-
lia the respective plans seem to have attracted even more
attention than in this country, and there, as here, the
preference has been stated in favour of the India line, a
select committee of the Legislative Council of New South
Wales having in October last strongly reported to that
effect.