Evansville weekly journal., 1848-06-01
From the Louisville Journal.

luminous ana interesting report IN the houSe
of Representatives on the expediency of esab-
fishing communication by steamers from
some port on the Pacific ocean to Shanghae
and Canton in China. We have already no.
ticed that a con;ract has BEEN made by a mrr
cantile firm in New York with the Govern
meni for building three mail steamers to run
monthly between Panama and Oregon, touch
ing at various ports in California. The line is
TO be put in operation before the close Of the
present year, and will then, in connection with
another line TO run from New York to Chagres,
touching al New Orleans and Havana, form a
communication between New York and Ore
gon, which can be performed in thirty days.
The bill introduced by Mr. King proposes,
for the protection of our commerce iu the Pa
ciiic and with China, to establish lines Of Gov
ernment war steamers of large class, one of
4 which is to be engaged in the trana poriaton
Of passengers and the mail from Monterey or
San Francisco TO the Sandwich Islands and
back again once month, while three or four
others are 10 run. from one of these ports to
Canton, BY way of the Fox Islands and Shan
ghae. These lines are 10 CARY the mail which
Is 10 be taken on boa ard Immediately on its arri
val from Panama and 10 be transported to
Shanghae and Canton once a month with as
much regularity as practicable. This route
was proposed by Lieut. Maury and IS the short
1 cSt tHdI Can o6 ouO OptSu; d> IL "StSto WIN tHS
arc of a great circle, that is TO say, if one end
of string be placed on globe al Panama and
drawn tight with the other end at Shanghae, it
nill pass south Of the Coumbia river and near
10 the Fox Islands. The point of departure
from the Pacific coast in order TO have the
shortest possible communicate with Canton
lies then south of Columbia river This line
proves that the idea OF shir canal across the
ishmus Of Darien is not tenable as it calls for
the sacrifice of too much distance and time,
the object being to save them. Farther, ii
! proves the importance OF railroad from the
Mississippi to the Pacific with its terminus at
| Monterey or San Fracisco, the only harbors on
the coast that can be taken into consideration.
The mouth OF the Columbia can never afford
depot, as it is perilous and vessels are some
times detained there two or three months wait
ing an opportunity to put TO sea- As many
/ years must necessarily pass before any such
railroad can be built, the line feom New York
to Canton, by way of Panama and California,
is the best that is now practicable. The dis
tance round Cape Horn is eighteen thousand
miles, while it is only eleven thousand by the
! proposed route, making saving OF fourteen
thousand miles i'll the voyage out and back.
The report of the committee states not only
that the extent and value of our commerce on
the Pacific warrant the proposed line OF steam
ers, but that the interests OF our country re-
quire it. By facilitating the intercourse be-
4 tween nations, their commercial relations are
necessarily increased. The proposed line
would doubtless add immensely to the com-
merce between the United States aud China
which now promises to beextremely profitable
to both countries. The best use the sailing
steamers now belonging TO our navy in course
of construction can De put to, is 10 form the
contempla. ed line with them. These steam
I ~
their sails or steam as circumstances may re-
quife. Ii is proposed to procure the consent
of Russia for the establishment of coal depot
at the Fox Islands, lying about half way be-
tween Monterey and Canton. Coal in abun-
i dance can be had near San Diego in California.
at Vancouver's Island, Japan, and Formosa.-
This article, SO Indispensable TO the proposed
line, can therefore BE- procured in any quantity
and at very low price at Convenient places.
The committee think that the voyage from
| New York to Canton can be performed in fifty
two days. The British overland mail route
from Canton to London is now performed in
sixty-fve days, and the expense of passage
from Canton TO New York by that route is about
/, one thousand dollars. 1t is practicable TO give
the steamers speed of fifteen miles an hour
5 on the Pacific, and with such speed the voyage
} from Shanghae to Monterey can be performed
in fifteen days. BY means of lelegraphic COM
munication across this continent, intelligence
can be transmitted from China 10 London in
!, twenty-seven days, which is less than half the
time now required 1t is in the power of our
: government to establish the swiftest communi-
) cation between India, China, and Europe, and
this is consideration OF vast importance in a
r commercial view. BY the proposed facilities
: American merchants would have greatly the
advantage over those of Europe in the markets
of China. A demand in these markets could
, be supplied from the United States long be-
fore il would be possible 10 supply it from Eu-
rope If railroad, three thousa nd miles long,
be constructed from the Atlantic to the Pa
1 ci6c, cars could pass over the whole distance
: in little over six days at speed Of twenty
r miles all hour Allowing fifteen days more
for the passage across the Pacific, mails and
passengers may be conveyed from Canton to
{ New York in twenty-one days, and thence to
t London in twelve days more, Or from China to
: London in thirty three days, which is about
half the time now required by the overland
route. The committee are Of opinion that the
completion OF this system of communica tion
would cause the balance of trade with all the
nations to turn in our favor, aud make New
, York what London now is, the great CONNER
cial centre and place Of settlement of the
world.
We find in the eport some interesting stat
: of our Pacific trade, 1t is estimated that the
United States have on that ocean 936 vessels
} ofIicered and manned by 24560 men, with al
| aggregate tonnage of 308, l49. These vessels
: together with our ships of war in that ocean
require some place of rendezvous from peril anC
for repairs and re-equipment. This plac'
would be the terminus of the proposed railroad
and the point OF departure for the lines of ST. an
ers engaged in the Chinese trade. The none
now disbursed in foreign ports in the Pacific b
our whalers aud other vessels would BE- securet
10 our own citizens, and serve to build up
com mmercial emporium on thp pacific. Such
concentration of means and facilities wou
: tend to the indefinite expansion of our trade OF
that ocean.
. The imports into Canton, independent G
opium, amounted in the year 1886, to II 800
2lS, of which raw cotton and cotton fabric
r constituted more than two-thirds Of the Who'll
value. Most Of this raw cotton was from In
dia. and ofinferior quality to that grown i
. the United States. 1t is manufactured by th
? Chinese into coarse fabrics worn by the people