New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-17

towards building ibe vesSes, az u ~; ~ - - 80
structed at the szcluflVe coA1 HH1' i.fA ~ DC
r;stor, and sn certain condiiona - % 1he SIze,
P,,sfrc,iGD. end kind Of vesses sha Government
s0rns IN nay certain specified GUMS tor toe con
r,6srce Of be Yaais By them In this yon have
han r,isin{o7IGed for have satisfactory eyi1eacs
tbat the Britith Government did advance m1aey 10
,s.jst IN building the West India aal Steamel3'
Bpt were you correct, the Only difference 10 tao
two cases you'd be thss our Government ia called
upon to loan sa creGt nbl9 30 years af7ef GRte
thu 0a1s TO be expended on tbs 9nlp', under me
eupe1interdence Of q Government Consstuc5or-
such leans to be advanced from time 10 time as the
building ofthe ships progresses, aud 20 De S7cqFea
by lien on them, according to the precedent
established in the contracts made under the acso
Congress passed in la47. To thla no Y$ild oolec
,ioa car be seen The fact that British capissliatz
are rich enough to require no such assls'aoce IL
perfectly immateria 10 u.s. The angle question ~,
whether the Government you'd sustsln any o1S by
making such advances, and, believing that Il
would not, this mode Of encouraging the enterprise
seems to be without objection.
Proceeding further with the parallel between sna
project in question and the British Government
contracts, you observe that the whole Of the bflS-
sh lines realty facilitate the Commercial opera
tops Of Great Britain, and afford vaat and YauA-
! ole fscilitiea in every way.
Now, for the purpose OF securing tne nae impor'
| tant advantages to this country, should we not
| favor the establishment Of the proposed line, ee
recommended by the Naval Conmlttee-ano al
though the subject Of colonization may % regard.
ed ss of paramount importance, involving, as lt
does the abolition Of the slave trade the dltfason
of Christianity and civilization throughout the con.
| tinept of Afcg and the emigration CT ca8s OF
persons chose presence is not too desirable in our
countYy--the commercial reasons above may De
deemed sufficient for the projec. in q1estlon
Bpeaking Of the British liDes, you further say
"heae jines ct The present moment fully reimburse the
Government all their outlay by be receP's Tor the port
age alone and the Cunhfd hne etofos even very s'e
surplus 10 The reveUuen
Although the Cunard line may at the present
time yield surplus enjoying, az 1t doaa and VIII
for a abort iime longer, almost G monopoly OF the
postage between England AID toe United States
yet it ia by 10 means true that al the Iinee foAy
reimburse the government. The W est India line
for example, is very expenalve and the postae but
ttiniDg. Again: contract has lately been entered
into for q line from England to Brazil, aud no one
car eupp0Re it Will pay one twentieth peIe nt Tue
government expenses. Indeed, it appears that
The postage is quite secondary consideration With
the Britah government in entering into these con
tracts. The principal objects are the creation Of &
reserved steam navy, TO be called into the public
service when required, and IN the meau time to
afford those facilities TO commercial operations
which YOU seem to admire so much when the
country to be benefited is Great Britain, 5at can.
not see their i'm portanCe to our own The truth ls
that no country afford to keep IN actual ser.
vice very great number OF war steamers the
expenses are eDCFUOUei ana HeuCe eNOL 'HiI1
resorts to cheap mode OF providing and uslug, IN
time OF peace, these formidable instruments OF
war. Che regular steam navy of France ig almost
equal to that Of England; but the latter places fall
reliance, and no doubt with good reason, upon her
fleets OF war steamers carrying mails
Upon this cub ect there Is great difference OF
opinion between yourself and the Bri!iah govern
ment
You think il best to pos tpOne the building OF war
steamers until the exigency Tor thar use actually
- Al, nat nd mig
alterations would be required TO convert mail
steamers into war steamers If the change could %
effected at all, which you seem TO doubt. YOU peak
of the rapidly with which Ehips were bails on the
lakes in the last war, and think thaI ocean war
steamers could be GOT ready E0On. On tho other
hand, the opinion OF the Brtsa government is,
that it expedient to establish lines OF mail ateam
ers wherever important facilities can be afforded
TO commercial operations such ships being QUIT 30
az to be easily convertible into war steamers. 1t
is to be expected thas the engineers, hremen and
crews will for the most part remain with the ships
when they shall be called into the public service,
and no doubt this expectation is well founded.
4 England haB upwards OF one hundred and sWonty
war steamers ahoat carrying mails, and she ID con
staLty Increasing the number. These bhlp5 are
strongly built, and well adapted to purposes OF
war; aud although you Been consid or that the6e
noble shpB-the Ohio and Georgis-are not o. yet
have too much faith in the government construct-
or under whose inspection they were built, 70 at
,, reno, do n9 Con,moera parr VIM ss in.
tn,ts6 by the Navv Dsnnrtment with tia general
Observation-Disclosures Of mis- bueiuegs. that these yes.
ses 81 re IS the Atlantic an5 Psnc can at q
sn,sN sxner,e he cor'ycrIed into war staomers
nII'nSly s4t ann og,rjops seajnst those YOU have
evnr,,,sd nh cotfdfntlv 5l,intain that we can
bnild VA, steome,s--usins tasm 70 carrytbo malta
Nv ti1,o Of ro,cs-lna, M ee,iIv aud rslgsI %
= Great Britain,
You think that we do rot want shy more mail
I'd tl1Rr lfpIra 81
h,vn ~ fsr. slrfsdv estabiisba1 American steam
ers uDon all tbe'lopiss in which thew have ang ia
terest So tfat. through The British have ia.er
eat enouah in Brazil. Tor example, to euhorizs the