The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-05-25
From the Louisville Journal.

4 L. butter Ming, the aOte CndHnoh VI tuc Oo"'
mittee on Naval Affairs, recently made most
luminous and interesting report in the House
lof Representatives on the expediency OF estab-
fishing a communication BY steamers from
some port on the Pacific ocean 10 Shanghai
and Canton in China. We have already no
lticed that con;r.ct has been made BY a mrr
lcsnti.e firm i'm 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 II
to be put in operation before the close OF the
present wear, and will then, in connection with
another line TO run from New York TO Chagres,
touching at New Orleans and Havana, form a
Communication between New York and Ore
lyon, which can be performed in thirty days.
The bill introduced by Mr.. King proposes,
for the protection of our commerce ia the Pa
lcific and with China, to establish lines Of Gov
eminent war steamers of large class, one OF
which is to be engaged in the transportation
of passengers and the mail from Monterey or
San Francisco 10 the Sandwich Islands and
back again once a month, while three or four
Others are to run from one OF these ports to
Canton, by way of the Fox Islands and Shan
ghae. These lines are 10 carry the mail which
is TO be taken on board Immediately on its arri-
val from Panama and 10 be transported to
much regularity as practicable. This route
was proposed by Lieut. Maury and is the short
est that can BIZ adopted, as il agrees with the
arc of great circle, that is to say, if one end
of u string be placed on globe al Panama and
drawn tight with the other end at Shanghai, il
will pass south Of the Columbia river and near
10 the Fox Islands. The point Of departure
from the Pacific coast in order TO have the
shortest possible communication with Canton
lies then south Of Columbia river. This line
proves that the idea of shir canal across the
isthmus of Darien is not tenable az il calls for
The sacrifice of too much distance and time,
the object being to save them. Farther, il
proves the importance of a 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 il is perlous 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 from New York
to Canton, by way of Panama and California,
is the best that is now practicable. The dis
lance round Cape Horn is eighteen thousand
miles, while ii is only eleven thousand by the
proposed route, making saving Of fourteen
thousand miles in 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-
tween nations, their commercial relations are
necessarily increased. The proposed line
would doubtless add immensely to the COM
merce between the United States and China
which now promises TO beextremely profitable
a. koth r.. A.
steamers now belonging to our navy in course
OF construction can be put TO, is TO form the
Contemplated line with them. These steam
ers are to be fully rugged and can therefore Use
their sails or steam as circumstances may re-
lQuire. II is proposed TO procure the consen,
OF Russia for the establishment of coal de Dot
at the Fox Islands, lying about half way be-
tween Monterey and Canton. Coal i'm album
dance can be bad near San Diego in California,
al Vancouver's Island, Japan, aud 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 i'm fiity-
two days. The British overland mail route
from Canton to London is now performed in
sixty-ive days, and the expense of a passage
from Canton TO New York by that route is bout
Ole thousand dollars. Ii is practicable to give
the steamers a speed Of fifteen miles an hour
on the Pacific, and with such speed the voyage
from Shanghae 10 Monterey can be performed
in fifteen days. By means Of lelegra phic 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. Ii is in the power of our
government TO estab lish the swiftest communi-
cation between India, China, and Europe, and
this is consideration of vast Importance In
commercial view. BY the proposed facilities
American merchants would have greatly the
advantage over those of Europe in the msrkets
of China. A demand in these markets could
be supplied from the United States long be-
fore it would be possible 10 supply it from Eu-
rope. If railroad, three thousand miles long,
! be constructed from the Atlantic to the Pa
cifc, cars could pass over the whole distan t
in little over six days at speed Of twenty
miles al 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
London In twelve days more, or from China to
. London in thirty three days, which is abou,
: half the time now required by the overland
route. The committee are Of opinion that the
completion OF this system Of communication
would cause the balance Of trade with all the
= nations to turn in our favor. and make New
: York what London now is, the great CONNER
;, cial centre and place of settlement of the
world.
} We find in the report some interesting stat
istics in relation to the value and importance
: of our Pacific trade, 1t is estimated that the
{ United States have ON that ocean 936 vessels
Differed and manned by "a $50 men, with an
), aggregate tonnage of 30S, l49. These vessels
together with our ships of war in that ocean,
, require some place of rendezvous from peril and
for repairs and re-equipment. This plac,
> would be the terminus Of the proposed railroad
and the point ofdeparture for the linesof ST,