The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-12

tue ciuzens OF London were recovering from the
losses caused by the South Sea Bubble, and the
citizens Of Edinburgh were suffering account of
the Porteous mob--when the population of Liver
pool was under 20 900, and the customs rev enue
of the United Kingdom not 1.-THE of its present
amount-bcfore the battle of Cuiloden had been
fought, or the United States of America had as
serted their independence, there was granted tc
Jonathan Huils patent for a boat propelled by
steam power, (" for carrying vessels ships out o
or into any harbor, port or river, against wind OF
tide, or In calm" The pictures we have of this
vessel make her look very clumsy and queer when
compared with modern steamer. This single
paddie-wheel of Hullss boat was placed at the
stern, and motion produced by an atmo.
spheric engine on Newcomers plan. There was
small funnel, but there were neither calls MOI
inasts. The boat, in fact, was merely a substitute
Tor rope and strong windlass; but nevertheless il
was the beginning of long series of experiments
That have led 10 the navigation by steam Of almost
every river, sea, and ocean OF the world. Half a
century afterwards, hen Jonathan Hulls was in
his grave, and during the same years that George
Washington was elected first President Of the Uni
ted States OF America, several experiments were
made by MIR. Syminston, an engineer employed at
Wanloc khead mines, In Dumiricsshire, in con-
junction with Mr.. Miller, of Dalswinton, and MIR.
Tayir, tutor in the family of the latter, by which
a pleasure boat was propelled by steam power on
small lake, at the of five miles hour, and
a speed of miles attained in another boat on
the Forth and Clyde canal The fame OF these in
ventiuns having reached the Of N American
named Fulton, he crossed the Atlantic TO see what
the Scotch engineer could accomplish on the Scotch
canal. Symington III compani d the stranger on a
canal voyage, aud fully explained the construc-
ton and working OF the rude steamboat; and the
result oil this indoctrination was seen in 1907, on
thc Hudson river at New York, where steamer
called the Ciermont. but nicknamed Fulfons Folly,
MADE succoss!u al voyage up to Albany, and con-
unued afterwards 10 ply regularly, 10 the great
convenience of the public and the chagrin Of those
who had prophesed lite failure.
In January, 1912, steamer only forty feet long,
called the Comet, and owned by Henry Bell, began
10 ply the river Clyde Its success led to the
construction Of others, which carried the people OF
Glasgow safely to Greenock by water in the compa
ratively short time uf four houre. In 1914 Scoand
possessed hive steamers, while neither England nor
Ireland bad one. On the 2Sth November, of the
came year. after Napoleon had been about seven
months in Elba, the London Iimes was first printed
by steam; and in the following year steamboa Ia
appeared for the fret time the Thames and the
Mersey. Thus, just after the. battle OF Waterloo
had sealed the DOOM OF the greatest captain OF the
age, aud secured the blessiL s of peace the ex-
haustcd nations OF Europe two Of the most import
ant applications OF steam power were made-one
to increase and TO cheaper, to an extent hitherto
unknown, the productions OF the printing press,
certainty paraileled only in marvellous tales, to
every region under the
From that time the progress Of steam navigation
has been exceedingly rapid In 1920 England had
seventeen, Scotland fourteen, and Ireland three
steamers; twenty years afterwards the numbers
were respectively 957, 24i, and 79. The regu
iarlty, speed, and safety with which the voyages
o! these vessels were made, soon pointed them
as the best conveyance both for passengers and the
male In 1921 they were employed the latter
service between Dublin and Holy head, and between
Calais and Dover; and now, with few exceptions,
all the channel and ocean work of the post office ia
done by stea mers; and all the passena nd much
of the goods traffic between the different ports OF
Great Britain and Ireland have been within the
last quarter Of a century transferred to them.
Alter the steamboat had thus passed through the
various stagcs OF infancy and chiidhood-had Il led
lis strength ON English rivers, in the Irish sea and
In the British channel-men began to ask, was il
not strong enough and old enough to do more?
Gould it not cross ocenn " ell a channcI;
take letters, and men, and merchandise TO Ameri-
ca, India, and Australia, well as to Ireland and
France. In this question were involved consiuera-
tons Of the highest importance to eli the world,
but particularly to this country. No other country
has such extensive foreign possessions Great
Britain, or carries on such extensive foreign
trade. With the exception of the United States,
all the colonies planted by the British remain part
OF The empire; while Spain and Portugal have lost
nearly all those rich Notwithstanding over
the fairest portion Of the Amsri continent-that
at one time scknoa lodged the sway oYhe houses of
ana braEanzs. The foreign possessions
OF France are Insignificant, and ~ the other ma
tions OF Europe the Dutch alone possess territory
abroad greater than they have at home. The only
empire at all apprpa hing the British in extent Is
the Russian, but its extent is the only point OF com
parison, Russia consists OF one great unbrokeu
mass, stretching through the bleakest and most
barren regions Of Europe, Asia, and America, che
has no port OF any consequence on the ocean; thou
sands of miles OF her seacoast seldom or never
navigab!e; and the population of her immense ter
rtory is only about 81, 900, 900 IL is therefore not
mere figure OF speech to say, that the British
empire Is the greatest in the WORLD for il embraces
territory OF nearly 5000 900 of square miles nd
population of more than I5O, OjO, 0O0-or about
ole.eighth II the land and one seventh Of the in.
habitans, Of the globe. Nor is it ess true TO cay
that on these great possessions the never sets;
tor they are scattered all over the worid-in tropi
cal Africa and Asia, in the temperate rones Of both
heInlspheres, and among the islands of every
ocean; and whether occupying rock, an leland,
continental province, or continent nsef. ne in
Australia, their geographical position fits them
well ior UNFOLDING the power OF the empire. The
foreign trade Of Great Britain 10 equal TO the ag-
RreCate foreign trade Of Russia, Austria, Spain,
Portugal, Sweden, aud Norway, and a third great.
or than that Of the United States Of America. The
proud position of Britain among the nations, the
necessities Of her foreign trade, abd the wants
OF her colonies and dependencies, apart from all
other considerations, rendered il fitting and patu-
raj that she should lead the way in maritime en-
terprse, and teach the nations ho,u 10 nauigais the
OCEAN BY stsom. Nor has she failed IN pis high
task; Jor, rtnfin hufeen fourteen years r,s
qnsst'on tras fret pTcposed, she has established ues
81 gigantic sfcam pesseis that are notc frape sing
tr.m regularity aud safefs srery ocean; streaming
dHogetsr more than Million aud quarter milts
sp1y year, and distributing htters and ne,rspopns
al oor The ,oorlo. OF these lines of steamships,
ana the routes they pursue, il Is the object Of the
present paper to give an account.
ROUTE TO THE UNITED STATES.
When it was fret proposed, about 1896, TO cross
the Atlantic by steam power alone, the idea was
deemed Elusive Some OF the most distinguished
scienthc men In the country gave verdict agaiusl
II, and prophesled its failure in unequivoca
Language. At the command OF these philosophers
all kinds Of spcctres rose up from the Atlantic
ocean 10 terrify the daring men who bad deter
mined 70 make the attempt. The action Of tht
paddle wheels on the water-the waves and storm
and currents Of the Atlsniic-and the quantity O
coal necessary TO be used, were all made the sob
Jects OF nice calculations such as person c0ul,
dispute; and the theorcm they all tended to prov,
was, that the project was utterly impracticable
o men who made no prctcnce 10 be philosophers
the difficulties in the way were self obvious.
Bot among mercantile men another great qucs
ton arose Would the specu alton payi IL iswel
known that steamboat costs much more than
milling weasel both in construction and working
the ssils Of the latter filled by wind, for whie
nothing whatever il paid; but not arm Of To
machinery OF the former will move until tie fur
mace has been fed with coal, never 10 be bad, evel
AT the choa post porte without considcraDl bic out