The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-25
EDITORS CORRESPONDENTS
From our rSyula. s.us'Poadsn,I -

Grand project for creating four Transatlantic hnss Of
French steamers, bsitossn four great ssapovts Of
France and Other ports ia the four quarters Of the
word-PrOpOsiiiOn in reference 10 The same, submit
ted BY Mesus. Dslaha,ls, BOiksl, s. Co, 10 The min
iSier Of finance, for running hosnty-sir STEAMERS,
varying IN pOtoer from 600, $50, 10 100 horse en-
g,nss-Ihs plan, II carried out, calculated 10
place France IA hsTOni rank Of maritime nations
W'H require capital Of SO 900 ,OO0-Ths British
conquest o. the Punjatb, It's area, boundaries and re-
sources, agrteul!ually and commercially. -Govsrt-
| msni and po'osr IN former timss,-PrOspseis of the
| future bsi,ossn GTsai Britain and Russia
| According 10 the notice taken Of the subject in
the Courier dss Eais Unis" of this day, France is
soon to eclipse all the rest OF the world in ocean
steam navigation. IL states that the difficulty OF en-
terng the field heretofore the part of the French
government, has arisen from the conflicting claims
to priority as ports OF departure Of the steamers
between Havre, Bordeaux, Nantz, and Marseles
The difficulty has at length been solved by the prop
ositions OF Messrs. Delahaute, Bokell, q Co, who
have submitted proposals 10 the minister of finance
10 run lines OF steamers from all the four places 10
| transatlantic ports, &c, fer forty-sx wears and
three hundred and twenty-four days The departures
| TO be twice month, and to carry the French At
sntic mails, &c. The first line, to run between New
i York and Hayre. The second, TO run between
Bordeaux, the Azores, Havana, New Orleans,
Galveston, Tin Texas and Mexico. The third, to
| run between Nsntz, Madeira, the great and small
Antilles, the Spanish Maine, and from st. Martha
TO Chagres. The fourth, TO run betweeH Mar
settles and the Canaries, the Cape de Verbs, to
the ports Of Brazil, to south Of the ne to
La Plata, (Montevideo and Buenos Ayres) The
Hayre line to New York is, in returning, 20 touch
at Portsmouth, England the Nantz line is to
branch to Vigo and Lisbon; the Bordeaux line
to Corunna and Lisbon; and the Marseilles line TO
Barcelona, Mahon, coast Of Africa, Cadz, and Lis
bon. The three last lines to meet at Lisbon. Sec
Ondary boats are TO pass from Portsmouth, touching
at Havre, Lisbon, and landing at Cadiz, sailing in
connexlon with the Atlantic steamers.
| have not time 10 follow this splendid Bateau a
papeur Scheme, which is made TO loom largely on
paper. When we the first Of the line APP
proach this city from Havre, it will be time enough
to speculate on particulars with reference to the
| future.
If this project succeeds, France will unite herself
by steam communications with the following parts
Of the world, viz The United States, Texas and
Mexico, Little Antilles, Martinique, Dominique,
Gaudaloupe and ST. Thomas, Southern Antilles,
Trinidad, the Great Antilles, Porto Rico, Hayri,
Cuba and Jamaica, the Guianas, Cayenne, Surf
nam, and Demerara, the coast Of the Spanish Main,
La Gusyra, St. Martha, Carthasena, New Grenada,
| (lsthmus Of Panama. to Chagres, Brazil, Pernam-
buco, Bahia, Rio Janeiro, st. Catherine, Rio
Grande, Maranham, the La Plata Montevdeo and
Buenos AYres, the coast Of Africa, Algeria, Oran,
Senegal, Morocco, Tangier, Spain, Barcelona,
Mahon, CadIz, Corunns, Vigo, (Portugal,) Lisbon,
Portsmouth, England and Isle of Wight to Eu-
|
derla the Canaries, Cape Verde-with others,
king forty-sx different points,!
Ii is estimated that, to build and equip the ne
cessary steamers, supply coal, &c, will require
capital Of So, 900 600 Of francs, about 10000
600
The number of steamers that will be required for
| the service will be about twenty.six, as follows:
| Four Of 600 horse power for New York; fifteen Of
$50 do. for the three great lines Of the South; three
of 800 do to run between Havre, Lisbon and Cadiz;
-four of l60 do. for Goree, coast of northern Brazil
the Guyana, and La Guayra.
My space will not allow me to recapiiuate the
statements and explanations put forth by Messrs.
Delahaute, Boikell q Co. to the anticipated
ceipts and expenditures-the probable prices for
passage, freights &c.
One of the strongest inducements held out to
government for patronzing and encouraging it, is
that il would place France among the first naval
powers Of the world. If oil this grand scheme
should result in the establishment a we-managed
line between New York and Havre, it will be as
much az we are to expect for the present. wish
success TO the scheme.
The Punjaub, for the subjugaton of which so
fatal battle was recently fought between its Sikh
inhabitants and the English forces in India, on the
hanks Of the ancient Hydrastes, now called the
Sutej, an arm Of the Indus extends from 29o to $40
north latitude and from 100 to ITO east Longitude.
This extensive tract Of country formed the domn-
ions Of the late Maharaa all Runjeet Singh, who died
in 1889. Its shape, occupying the tributaries Of the
southwest, and its base towards the Himmalaya
spurs to the northeast, which separates it from
Cashmere.
1t has Scnde on the south, with Cabool, Afghan
istan, and Beloochistan on the west, Rajpootana
and Bahawapoor on the east. Its area is about
GO, 900 square miles.
The face Of the country and soil vary much in
different sections of it. The portion found most
fertile is the eastern border, and particularly
along the margins of the FIVE principal rivers with
bicb IL 10 uyild in lin
districts said to be remarkably fine, and on
which immense herds of cattle and horses are
reared without difficulty. In the southern districts
sugar cane is grown, the stalks Of which are very
small and the sugar very good The country is
not favorable to the growth Of cotton. Rice, in
districts admitting of irrigation, succeeds well.
Higher up, wheat barley, oats, &c, are pro-
duced by the natives to some extent.
ridge of solid rock-salt is said to extend from
the Indus to the Hydaspes, now called Jeum,
the first tributary river east Of the Indus, the yield
Of which was monopoly under the despotic gov
eminent of Runjeet Singh, and formed the principal
article of export to adjacent countries.
The shawls of Cashmere pass out the channel Of
the Puniaub almost exclusively for the trade and
supply Of other parts of the world. Since it will now
lie thrown open to European trade and intercourse,
our fashionable ladies may hereafter succeed in
buying rich shawls more abundantly, and at less
cost. In the time of Runjeet Singh the Sikhs were
very powerful and far advanced over the rest of In
dia in the arts Of war, though far behind Europeans
in civilization. 1t is said this powerful prince main
tanned an army of $4,000 infantry, drilled by Eu,
ropeans and 5000 regular cavalry and artillery and
about so 400 irregular horsemen, who were, Tor mil
itary service, rewarded by assignments Of land He
made himself feared and respected by all his neigh
bors His government strong, without unneces-
sary cruelty or severity At his death, his rival
| heirs and contending chiefs commenced struggle
for ascendency, in aid of some of whom the British
| power was invoked England was too wise to re-
fuse. She foresaw the dangerous position of
strong and powerful Sikh government in the gate
way Of India, which might, by other more civilized
aid, be turned fatally against her own possessions.
| Her course has been wise one. And by the con-
quest of the Punaub and the scnde, she has thrown
a shield between the designs of Russia and her In
dian empire; yet, day, these two great powers
| ore doomed to come in conflict in central Asia--in