Washington sentinel., 1853-10-12
French and American clippers.

The performances of the Flying Cloud appear
to have attracted the attention of nautical
writers in France, as well as in this country
and IN England and the sailing qualities of
the tieetest ships have been compared with her
first passage from New York to San Francisco.
She has thus become, as it were, the standard
Of perfection in speed, with which the perform
ances of other ships are compared Although
often beaten on paper, yet when the logs of
those who have claimed the triumph have been
called for as evidence, they were not produced
1t is quite common to say that ship made the
passage between two ports in certain number
of days, as Mr.. Toplitf showed conclusively in
our paper Of the lst inst, in relation to the
ships Emerald and Herald. We have heard
more than hundred times that these vessels
made the passages from Liverpool to Boston in
either twelve or thirteen days, when, in fact,
they were over seventeen as the publication of
their logs would have shown But the log of
the Flying Cloud was published, and the cor.
rectness of its details has never been questioned;
we are not therefore, warranted in conceding
a triumph over her to any vessel, whose log has
not been published. The following article from
the Journal du Havre, was copied TITO the
Courier des Etats- Unis, from which it is trans.
lated. 1t is interesting, and may be correct,
although the mode of its comparisons is open
to controversy This, however, we will leave
to Lieut.. Maury, who understands the subject
much better than we do
It's already known what speed was attained
on her first voyage by the beautiful clipper built
by NJ. A. Normand the France and Chill,
which arrived at Lima from Cherbourg in sixty.
four days. Previously an American clipper
the Flying Cloud, had accomplished in ninety
days the voyage from New York to San Fran
cisco. There exists some points of comparison
between these two passages, which set forth
more distinctly the nautical qualities of the two
clippers.
The France and Chill sailed from Cherbourg
the 18th May, and reached the latitude of Vapa
raiso the 7th of July, viz: in 55 days.
The Flying Cloud sailed from New York the
I'd june the Sd and crossed the parallel Of
Valparaiso the 3lst July, viz: in So days.
The difference in favor Of the France and
Chill is therefore, at first view, A days-and
this difference still exists after some necessary
allowances are made; for, on the one hand,
the Flying Clouds point of departure was in
$40 west longitude, from which it results that
she sailed 270 miles more than the other clipper,
which sailed from due north point an increase
Of distance which, calculated at IA miles an
hour, gives difference of "a hours, or one day,
which should be deducted from the advantage
gained by the France and Chilli But on the
other hand, the distance from New York to the
equator is exactly 27O miles less than from
Cherbourg to the equator, which re-establishes
the difference Of days in favor of the French
clipper
ave will add that ships leaving the United
States, in crossing the trade winds, have the
wind a.beam, which is most favorable for at
tanning the maximum speed while those leav.
ing Europe have the wind nearly astern in cross.
ing the Trades, which should make difference
of about miles an hour, or Y miles day.
Moreover, by means Of the labors of the
celebrated Lieutenant Maury of the American
navy, who is now present at the congress of
Brussels of which he was the prime mover, we
haye before US the passages Of Ia ships from
New York to San Francisco, and the quickest
passage from New York to the equator in the
Pacific, up to that time, was that Of this same
Flying Cloud, which has just served us as a
point of comparison. This clipper reached the
line in Il days, having accomplished her entire
passage in SO days, q hours.
From the preceding comparisons is it not
clear, that the passage Of the France and Chill
is the shortest that can be cited from the same
data ?"-Boston atlas.