The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-02-26
From the Boston Morning Post.
HAS ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION BEEN
SUCCESSFUL ?-OPINIONS IMPUTED TO


From the Boston Morning Post.
HAS ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION BEEN
SUCCESSFUL ?-OPINIONS IMPUTED TO
DR.. LARDNER.
An essay written with singular spirit and ability,
and showing a thorough knowledge of all the details
and bearings of this question, appeared In the Civil
Engineer and Architects Journal published in Lon
don the first of January last and received here by
by the Britannia. 1t is evidently the production of
writer not only well versed in practical science, but
of the highest literary pretensions.
After some general reflections on the Influence of
practical and philosophical minds on the progress of
national enterprise, the writer notices the steam
mania which prevailed IN England few years ago,
and the clamor and confusion produced by any at
tempt to moderate its rage. So much of palpable
absurdty," he observes, ''was mixed up in the doc
trines currently attributed to the most distinguished
of the dsputants (referrng to Dr. Lardncr) TO de-
stroy in the minds of not affected with the steam
rabies all confidence in the genuneness OF the imputed
declarations. Men of penetration, indeed, regarded
the representa- that suggestions pregnant with
absurdHy, were the sentiments avowed by eminent
nquirers sort of de guerTe intended to shake
the reputation of those whose arguments
ceptible of refutaton."
The writer then proceeds to show what really
| the opinions expressed on the subject of Atlantic
Steam Navigation by DR.. Lardner previous to its
adjustment This he accompshes by reference to
the published reports of DIR. Lardners speeches and
lectures, and by articles written by him that sub
ject in the Ednburg Review and other leading Eng
Iish periodicals. BY such documents he demon
strates- First: That Dl. Lardner did not express
any opinion of the mpossibity of crossing the At
lanc by steam: Secondly: That DIR. Lardner did
express that project for maintaining permanent
steam communication between Bristol and New York
in one unbroken trip, could not be continued perma
nenty throughout the year with sufficient commercial
advantage to induce projectors to continue such an
enterprise in the then existing state Of steam power
and that, if established, it would probably be aban
doned after an unsuccessful trial, which might con-
tnue for greater less time, according to the endu
rance of the losing shareholders. Thirdly. That
Dr.. Lardner did express an opinion favorable to the
establishment of u line Of steam communication be-
tween the British Islands and the United States if
Halifax eretaken as an intermediate station.
Having clearly established these points, the writer
proceeds briefly, but with great force to show that
| even to circumstances of the most minute detail,
the predictions and antlclpatlons of DR.. Lardner
have been fulfilled to the letter-fulflled indeed
with degree of completeness and precision of
which scarcely another example can be found in the
history of the application of science to the arts.
The present condition of the enterprise says the
writer, for maintaining an unbroken steam commu-
| nication with America may perhaps best be shown
by enumeration of the several vessels which have
been employed upon that line, and the mode of their
respective dispositions.
Sirius. ....... Withdrawn
Royal William. =. Withdrawn.
Great Liver pool Transferred to steam communca-
United States....} ton with India.
President. ....LOst.
Great Western. Offered for sale.
Greatiron Observation-Disclosures said to be stop
ped;
Lardner predicted would probably be unsuccessful"
The Halifax line, which established in accord
ance with Dr. Lardner's advice and opinions in all
respects except starting from Liverpool instead of the
West Coast Of Ireland, advised by him. has alone
been successful. The shares in the Great Western
have fallen to discount of fifty per cent.
The writer, however, further notices the curious
accuracy with which the philosophical deductions of
Dr. Lardner have been verified by succeeding events.
In 1897 Dr. l.. addressed to Lord Melbourne let
ter, which was published in the form of a pamphlet
and had wide circulation in England, in which he
urged upon the British Government the expediency
OF establishing line of steam communication with
India, by the Red Sea, and that project being then
unpopular, and the Government being supposed to
be adverse to it, Dr. Lardner emphatically declared
his opinion to Lord Melbourne in these words =
." There is no proposition, however sef-evident,
which carries to my mind a more clear conviction
than have that this measure, if efficiently carried
into operation, will than return its own ex-
penses."
Here" says the writer in the British periodical,
is an opinion Numerically opposed to that deli
vered respecting Atlantic voyaging. Let us inquire
how far this conclusion is borne out by experience
The Great Liverpool having, in Single season,
earned loss of $4,000 upon the New York line it
was determined to withdraw her, and with another
vessel Ohe United States) built for Atlantic voy-
aging, to open communication with India by the
Red Sea. The proprietors of the British Queen,
after loss of about 100000 in the Atlantic steam
transit, became competitors with the Great Liver
pool and Oriental United States) for the Alexan-
drian line, plainly showing that both of those COM
panies, after vast expenditure of money, had ar
rived at the very conclusion DR.. Lardner held three
or four years before. recent meeting of the pro-
prietary of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navi-
CATION Company enables us to state that Oriental
steam voyagng has been highly successful, and this
result has been attained with the same vessels
which, under the same management, incapa-
BILE Of realizing any thing but loss on the New York
line. Can coincidence such this between pre-
diction and realty be merely fortuitous'
Has Atlantic steam navigation been successful
Has the establishment of the several lines of steam
communication between Great Britain and New
York been productive of permanently profitable
issue' We leave the verdict to our readers, our
part being merely to furnish such remarks and data
as may conduce to the attainment of Just conclu-
sion. Had we set out with different resolution we
might perhaps have given it opinion that the
Atlantic scheme has proved signal failure-that DR..
Lardners views have been confirmed with singular
exactness-that
Earth has its bubbles as the water hath,
And this IS one of them"
One consumiaton there is devoutly to be wished
namely, that DR.. Lardner will return to this
country, to resume the wand which, like Prosperos,
none but its master WELD We see no other
antidote against that wor than Egyptian plaques the
swarms of vermin with which the track of practical
philosophy is overrun. We deatf.-sck of the
reign of minute philosophers. If the choice rested
with u.s. we would say, give back wolves again
restore the dominion of barbarism-curse us with
any thing except the cant of philosophical imposture
the disgusting egolism of idiotic mounebanks DR..
Lordners return to England would be the death-war
rant of all such quacks, which is Of itself sufficient
to inspire the ardent desire that his will
not be much longer delayed"
The ExcHEQUER.-What will be the ultimate fate
of this project it is of impossible to predict.
There will be strenuous opposition to it by the party
which is building up in Congress for the purpose Of