Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-05-21
From Tie Cincinnati ENQUIRER.

The following communication from 4
gentleman Of not unknown 10 US, evident.
y great knowledge and sound views, upon
the suhject he treats will painfully impross
itself upon he mind Of the reader. We
add our earnest hope that the adininistra.
iion will at once avail ilse.s Of the power
uow SO providentially given. 10 cali inlo
being force Of steam YES sells equal TO the
wants Of lhe public service and The char
acterof the country.
MAIL AND WAR STEAMERS.
The interference of Grear Britain with
The peaceful annexation Of Texas 10 tho
United Slales. and The tone of defiance
recently assumed in the British Paria-
meni, towards this country, reuder il az
once cgpedient for us TO turn our attention
10 the soabonrd and The navy. The first
Thing that strikes the eye IN looking sea-
ward, is the tremendous steam power of
Great Britain on The ocean. adapted for
immediate concentration upon our own
coast. The British Yves, India royal
mail line consists Of fourteen sleam.
ers, that average eighteen hundred tons
bunhen. The Cpnard line Of steamers
increase The number to some twenty odd:
All OF these vessels can be anchored on
our shores simultaneously with the declar-
alton Of war from Great Britain. And
to encounter them, when duly armed and
equipped, our whole navy would be inade-
quate. OF steam ships, we have the,
Princeton. the Mississippi and Fulton, and
some ffy sailing ships of all sizes. But
in efficiency the whole Of them taken
together would be inferior, far inferior, to
the British Yves, India and Cunard line
of steamers combined. In no state Of the
wind could sailing vessel over,ake "A
steamer bent on escape; whilst a few
steamers, in calm, could attack iii detail
our whole force of sailers and destroy them:
There is no longer any reliance in such
nautical skill as saved Old Ironsides, du-
ring the late war from the pursuit Of tue
four British ships. We must be permit.
ted TO say that it is little to the credit Of
our country and Government, where
steam navigation was first taught to the
world by Fitch and u Fulton, that the
obvious advantages Of such an invention,
for warlike operations, should be almost
monopolized by another and rival power.
And j, adds to our modification 10 consid-
er that large part Of the expense Of sup
porting this great aud dangerous force, is
derived from our own commerce, and
much or it from neighboring trade thar
| oush, to be ours. The Cunard line issup.
ported by The trade between Boston and
Liverpool assisted by lhlie business
with Halifax-The British Government,
probably moi psyiugte thatline more than
ihe value Of i.s actuafmaa service. The
Royal West Indian Mail line receives from
the British government little more Than one
hundred Thousand dollars per annum for
each vessel--or abou, one third of tho
coast of keeping ship Of the line in com.
mission. And all these vessels of the
Cunarj and West India line are by con-
tract subject to be taken a, any moment
for Government use,. and armed aud
equipped for the Royal navy.
The manner in which our own aud The
neighboring trade and travel are thus
made To support an overwhelming force,
susceptible at any. day Of being directed
10 the destruction Of our entire naval and