The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-20
THE REPUBLIC.
Ocean steam Navigation.

uCie Oh great lengtn OH the Drltisn steam
communication with the West Indies and
the Pacific, shows the necessity of an en-
tire reorganization of their mail line in
order to compete with the American steam
ers. He advises direct line from South
ampton to Chagres, Of steamers of the Gu
nard class, with 700 or 500 horsepower, to
a burden of 1900 tons, capable of min
imum average speed Of ten knots, so as to
perform the voyage in twenty-one or TWEEN
ty-two days, including the necessary stop
pages at Fayal and St. Thomas's for coal
ing. By this route he states that ten days
or fortnight might be saved; thus sur
passing the despatch of the New York
route. To conform to this arrangement
the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's
ships might leave Valparaiso about eight
or ten days later than at present, to be in
time at Panama for the steamers leaving
this side of the isthmus for England; and
it may be estimated that the general mail
service from all parts of the West Indies
and South America would be accelerated
from seven to ten days, and the course of
post shortened fourteen to twenty days,
thus bringing the correspondence with all
the ports embraced in the scheme into
much shorter general communication with
Europe.
Some arrangement Of this sort the wri-
ter considers indispensable, if the Royal
Mail Company would secure the traffic be-
tween England and the greater part of the
new world. Indeed, he thinks, there is
no doubt, if the present slow conveyances
are continued, with their circuitous route
and perpetual stoppages, the whole of the
mails, passengers, and specie from the
West Coast of America, and some parts of
the West Indies, will be lost to the Royal
Mail Company, whose ships will be almost
entirely superseded by the American
steamers.
Gin national point of view," the writer
continues, 'sGreat Britain cannot afford that
the advantages of communication pri-
marily opened and established by herself,
and so essential to her own mercantile
prosperity, should be diverted into an
other and rival channel, precisely at
juncture when the intercourse has be-
come, and is likely to become, increas-
ingly remunerative and important. The
prosperity Of the Royal Mail Steam
packet Company-nay, its very exist
ence, is bound up in this question, and it
{ must rise or fall exactly in proportion to
: its efforts to retain the traffic legitimate
ly and properly its due. Unless some
alterations are made, the English steam
ers, compared with the American ships,
will, in railway parlance, be merely slow
parliamentary trains running against ex-
press mails; the former defeating their
own object by continual and vexatious
stoppages, the latter distancing their com
petitors by their extreme rapidity and
{ celebrity"
The speculations of this writer in regard
to the effect Of American competition, and
the great success of our steam marine,
are of sufficient interest and importance to
be copied at length. We must confess
that we hardly imagined, when Mr.. KING, |
after years of unavailing effort, carried
his mail-steamer bill almost unanimously
through both houses of Congress, that our
enterprising countrymen would so soon
vindicate their ability to drive English
competition from our coast. When this
bill was under consideration, the practical
and able representative from the city Of
New York, the Hon. WILLIAM s. MILLER,
alluded to the fact that, by the agency of
her contract mail steamers, Great Britain
was monopolizing the sea hostages and
the passage money Of the woodland was
taking millions in this shape and in freights
from American pockets. The monopoly
TO which Mr.. MILLER referred is in fair
way Of being broken up, by the wise ac-
ton of our own Legislature; and the United
States are now in the full tide Of success
full competition with England for the adj
vantages of ocean steam navigation.
In pursuing the idea of running slow
trains against express lines, the writer in
the Times thus continues:
/" That this climax s likely 10 result may be
gathered from the immense efforts now making by
the Americans TO increase and extend their ner-
camille steam marine. The building yards Of New
York are filled with stupendous steamers in
Of construction, and already many have commenced
running. The line Of steamers between Panama |
and San Francisco has been eminenuy successful. |
The same may be said Of the vessels running in |
conjunction with them this side Of the isthnus
from Chagres to New York-the steamers Falcon, |
Crescent City, and Empire City. While writing |
this your correspondent has before him a descrp |
ton Of the American steamship Ohio, tho pioneer |
OF mail line Of five gigantic ships intended 10 |
maintain aweekly communication between New |
York and the lsthmus Of Panama, ria Havana, in |
direct competition with the West India steamers