The daily union., 1852-05-14


latve discussion, they do here and are mol drought
before the public The admiralty al their will and pleas
uIe, allow such amounts as they may deem proper Ihe
allowance may be made in the name OF one man or an
other. We have seen enough in the course which the
British government has for the purpose OF breaking
down tbe Collins line 10 justify us IN The belief that they
will not be very restrictive the extent OF the grant they
would make for the purpose OF destroying ryal line
They have already consented to- II no, advised subsidiary
lines which tend TO diminish the receipts from freight and
passengeIs Of the Collins and the HavIe lines There II
is matter OF parliamentary discussion You do not
know bot that the sum granted to-day will be increased
by onehird more 10 morrow Their alleged allowance
therefore, affords no criterion for that which we should
make.
There are also two elements for increased allowance
IN tins case which do not exist in reference TO the Gu
nard line. The first presume will be admitted that
there Is Increased tonnage and increased power 10
prsPsl ne tonnage which s essential 70 toe Collins ne
and that increase of tonnage and OF power and conse
quent EXPENSE incurred order 70 enable them TO sur
pass the British line upon the The boat as the
honorable senator from Ohio chooses to call il, was not
with view to mere exhibition OF national vanityfor
he may rely upon it that speed and certainty in ocean
transit will command the mails and passengers between
Europe and America II is trivial matter, such as ne
seeks to represent it, You have the fact that the entire
tonnage according TO the British system of measurement
OF the seven Cunard steamers is 1926 tons, while the
tonnage oil the four American steamers according 10 the
same measurement is Is, ,7o2an excess OF over four
hundred tons the part OF the four American steamers
Mr. HUNTER. That is very different from the state
ment which have received from the Navy Department
MI. BAfARD. II may be SO; but my information IS
totally different My information is that our SYSTEM OF
tonnage measurement
that Of Great Britain Our steamers do no, rate by our
tonnage as much as they do by British tonnage The
Pacific and Baltic believe, according TO our tonnage,
over 2,70o ons the Arctic and Atlantic are, believe,
2soo TONS Their average tonnage, according to British
measurement. would be 3.425 tons.
Mr. HUNTER. My statement made out by MIR.
Isherwood he puts the Collins steamers in this way the
Atlantic and Pacific $50 tons each the Arctic and Baltic,
2,772 tons each The largest OF the Characteristic
Asia and Afca-he puts at 2.22e tons each and he in
formed me that including the Canada, there eight
Cunardes, and their average little 1900 tons
Therefore the aggregate tonnage OF the Cunarders would
be something like 5000 tons whilst the aggregate tonnage
OF the four Collins steamers would be only about 900
tons
Mr.. BAYARD. | will state to the honorable senator
that regards the registered tonnage OF our own steam
there in thai calculation from whoever it
comes II will be found to be by reference to the pub.
llshed reports from the Navy Department Commodore
Penys letter lex Doc No. 81, ssl gives you the reg
istered tonnage OF the four seames-lhe Atlantic is over
2s45 the Arctic, 1856 the Pacific 2,7o7; and the Bal
c 2727 TONS am sure OF the fact that the Atlantic and
Arctic are 2S0Dtha American tonnage II must
be recoleced that there difference between Ameri.
can and British tonnage.
Mr. HUNTER. In this account Mr.. Isherwood also
states that the average time OF the trips of the Collins
line 10 about eleven days and seventeen hours and OF the
days The average for the Cunarders in
cudes the Europa aBd Canada but if you take the aver
age OF the Asia and Africa alone, they about equal TO
the Collins average
MIR. BAYARD. | am not discussing the question OF
average time. know that the Asia and Africa OF the
Cunard line nearly equal to the average Of the Col
Inns line But you must take the average OF the two
lines together do not understand that communication
to say that the tonnage stated is registered onnage il
does then deny its authenticity deny that the
registered British tonnage and the registered American
tonnsge are the same In the one you have given
You The British registered tonnage for the British vessels
and the statement OF American tonnage for American
sells, wheB in point of fact the American tonnage is one
fourth greater repeat the assertion that measured
coIdng 10 the British system OF measurement, there is
difference OF over four hundred tons in favor Of the fo
Collins steamers, against the Cunard steamers
hefe more than seven steamers in tha, line in
| an f0refh that fho
tonnage OF the seven Cunard steamers to
TONS while the tonnage of the four Collins steamers &C.
cordng TO the system OF British measurement is
3,702 tons. No in his senses, who ever saw the
Asia and one OF alongside doubt that
onr- are one-third larger measure them by what system
saomit, therefore, that the average tonnage which, in
the OF the Collins line, 3425 tons, against 300
on the part OF the Cunad steamers must necessarily have
increased power to propel it. With this increased power
the Collins steamers have obtained superior speed for
thoush il may be true that the Asia and the Africa ap-
ptox nse very closely TO the average time OF the Collins
seames and admit that they do yet taking the average
of the British line, they excelled by at least day in
speed by the Collins line. II have equaed them in
this respect we have done all that we could expect and
what few men thought could be done at the time this en-
terprise was entered upon BY these gentlemen in New
York Failure was prophecied almost universally. The
idea OF competing with Great Britain in the construction
of steam which should be able 10 cross the ocean
with speed and certainty considered mad scheme
Instead OF equang they have actually excelled the Gu
nafd steamers The ouant1m OF excellence very
eral matter in this point OF view Ii is more creditable
than the honorable senator from Virginia seems willing
to allow TO the enterprise, and genius and patriotic
tons OF his connrymen.
There Is another element which must also be taxi
into the account for the Increased OF these vessels
am not going into any details about The question OF cost,
Tor II IL one which cannot undertake 10 determine
The rate OF interest In the countries is tally
different When the British government dealing with
capitalists in Their country, where capital commands bu
two and bali per cent interest, and for the purpose OF
inducing them TO enter into and untried business
which Is TO be OF great adj antage both regards
merce and The national pride, and when the American
government are entering into similar contract with
capitalist here and that, too, against previously estab
shed and successful lines the rate OF interest here being
six per cent instead Of two and halt ask whether. In
the allowance which ought TO be made by this government
10 the American line OF steamers that is element 10
be taken into the account with view to its increase
will now state TO you view which have taken OF
calculation which was brought evidence before the
Senate, by the honorable senator from Virginia which
think corfoboraes strikir-ly the amount recommended
by the sCommtee on Finance proper appropria-
ton, and the amount sworn 10 as a necessary appro
praton by these contractors refer to the statement of
Mr.. Williams, manager of the Dublin Steam. Packet
Company cited by the honorable from Virginia
The estimate OF Mr. Williams, shall show, conforms 10
the statement made out in detail by che OF the
Collins line. The senator produces this testimony here
Tor the purpose OF throwing doubt upon the proprety OF
this apYopration. Surely am entitled TO have the bene-
HI OF hs information in favor OF its being granted Mr.
penses oil such undertaking He was the manager
OF the Dublin Steam Packet Company. and therefore
better acquainted than the honorable from Vr
gina or myself with all the details connected with the
management OF steam. vessels. He man who had
been Practically engaged in the business and ho knew