The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-16

ARRIVAL OF THE ATLANTIc-OUR STEAMERS
AND CIIPPERs.-The arrival of the steamer At
lantic, after passage Of nine days and twenty
two hours, is another triumph for our steamers.
1t is not the shortest passage on record, the
Baltic having accomplished the same distance,
hours. But no foreign steamer has ever made
trip in SO short period.
In connection with this subject, we cannot
help noticing, at more length than our space
enabled us to do few days ago, the recent re-
port Of Lieut.. Maury to the Secretary of the
Navy, on the rapid passages Of the Sovereign
of the Seas, the Flying Cloud, and the Comet.
A writer in late number Of the United States
Rerie,c, whose official experience ought to have
enabled him to form more judicious opinion
on the subject, affects to disregard our sailing
vessels, and rests his hopes Of defeating the
British navy, and subjugating Great Britain,
on the superior excellence Of our steamers
Without stopping to inquire whether it be alb
solutely indispensable at the present moment
to subugate Great Britain at all, or devoting
any further attention to the peculiar prejSdices
and propensities Of the Ex-Secretary of the
Navy, we may perhaps be permitted to regard
him as the representative Of a class who, striv-
ing to conceal their old fogyism under an affecta-
ton of ultra "progressiveness," make point
Of dsriding our sailing vessels, and reserving all
their admiration for those propelled by steam.
In their eyes, ships have existed too long by half;
sails ought to be abolished by act Of Congress,
or at least restricted to ornamental purposes;
mainsails ought to be 'clewed up" in museums;
and square yards sold for old timber. They
deem merchantmen rocco, and clippers nui-
sance. Nothing but steam and coal have a
nautical aspect in their eyes. Irrefragable
| evidence of the superiority of sailing craft for
| long voyages, both in point Of economy and
capacity for carrying freight, cannot convince
them that it would not be better to burn all
the ships, or at least to perforate them with a
screw. In short, these gentlemen are like the
honest farmer, who, when railroads were in
vented, broke his haycart into firewood, because,
as he said, there was no further use forit.
Lieutenant Maury, who is generally regard
ed as somewhat of an authority in nautical mat
tiers, takes a very different view Of the case
| Without disparaging our steam navy, he does
not deny to our sailing vessels fair share Of
admiration. Indeed no one but blockead OF
an ex-secretary Of the navy, could withhold a
tribute Of applause from the splendid craft
which are now securing the Atlantic and Pacific
under the stars and stripes. Steam, with all ito
advantages, has never achieved so astounding a
victory over space as those of the Sovereign Of
the Seas and the Flying Cloud. The latter
has been frequently the subject of comment in
these columns; and it will suffice to say that
the Flying Cloud ran from New York to San
| Francisco in SO days 81 hours-her greatest
speed being 433 IL statute miles in 24hours, 19
minutes 4 seconds The Sovereign Of the Seas
has made o run scarcely as wonderful eighty
two days from the Sandwich Islands to New
York, is in itself an astounding feat; but when
| to this is added the fact that she actually
ran 6,245 miles in % days, during ii Of which
she averaged 1854, and during four consecutive
days 39s2 miles, her performance stands unri.
vailed in the annals Of navigation. In the
space Of 20 hours rs minutes 4 seconds she ran
419 statute miles, being fraction Of mile
more than the distance run by the Flying Cloud
during the same time. At this rate of speed,
if we can suppose that no continents inter.
vened, the Sovereign Of the Seas would have
made the entire circuit Of the globe in con.
sderably less than 60 days
Two important propositions flow from these
facts. First, whatever merit-and we have no,
been prone to understate it-belongs to our
steam vessels, our clipper ships are still the
most wonderful of our nautical achievements
Steam is undoubtedly destined to absorb even
more Of the commerce and traffic OF the world
than it now possesses; but up to the present
time steam has done nothing to compare with
the surprising feats Of our crack clippers, com
manded BY experienced men, and sailed on
scientific principles. Neither the builder mol
the captain can claim the whole glory of the
| Sovereign's triumph. Both contributed 4 faiI