The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-10-02
a.r,c.n Navigation Interests. .
The Great Eastern.

w. ara happy TO see that these interests are NOT
G., =. droopipg a condition as some recent articles
On Nav York Journals have led the public to sup
nose. A weIiiuformed London correspondent OF a
Nav York journal gives some interesting facts upon
All. subject Instead Of three hundred screw
.tsamers being built In Great britain Tor trans
oceanic service and great activity prevailing IN All
branches Of steam navigation, net Single ls' sc
.,o.,oer /, building for English account except for
subsidized mail companies, aud none LOT Tue hns'
,;.h ana American trade The shp-yaris on the
Thames and Tyne present as gloomy an appear ""'e
Oh. .bin.xard, In the States, and there is even
.nn.,tion 10 build steamers than sailing ships.
m. Australia, steamers have all been unfortunate
,h,. vaar and have been badly beaten by the clip
,ar. In fact, adds the correspondent, the use of
.ma,i auxiliary steam power for long voyages has
certainly failed: instead of combining tho sd,au-
,ares Of a clipper ship with those of steamer,
these vessels do good either, aud seem TO illus
trate the old adage, "between two stools" &c The
enormous cost Of COAL in South America, India
Australia, &C. precludes the employment of full
powered ships for ordinary traffic, and for some
time at least sailing ships will have nothing to fear
in the India and Australian aud Pacific trades from
the present class of steam ships
In the meantime, 1t is added, American ships
are quietly and gradually absorbing the trade lie
tween Great Britain and her Colonies. The fine car
rying capacity and good ailing qualities ofthe ships
aud the intelligence activity, and economy of the
masters are advantages that not even English preu
dice can resist in these days Of close competition
Australian charterers and merchants now give
American ships the preference, and TO give al
idea of what we are doing in this and the Pacific
trades over 10000 tons of American shipping IL
now under charter on British account, and all pay
ing fair profits to the owners. 1t is propheciet
that every year will increase in favor the com
parative British and American tonnage employed
in the trade of the United Kingdom
That great problem in navigation, the success o
the '.Great Eastern" will soon be determined. Sh,
will be launched in three weeks and is expected
to be ready for sea in three months. We call at
tention to the prediction of this well-informed Lon
don writer 'If successful, both a nautical ana
commercial enterprise, she will revolutonize ocean
steam Nc, and the trade between Europe and Anne
RIGA, So completely as her predecessor, the Great
Western. A line of these mammoth ships, cross
ing the Atlantic in seven days will be the nearest
possible approach 20 n floating bridge between the
Continents, and with good management and feed
ers at each end of the route, drawing in traffic
from ali parts of the Eastern and Western worlds
they must mouopolize the passenger and much Of
the freight business between Europe and America
The success of such an enterprise is the only
project of the day from which New York has any
thing to fear, and the South anything, in com
lnercial way, to hope. New York has not the ne
cessary depth Of water to be the Western terminus
of this route. Norfolk has and if our connexions
with the Ohio were completed, would have feed
ers in abundance. If these had been pushed OF
and completed, as they might have been, with tn,
means which have been wasted on confictin:
schemes, we should now be in position to bring
the Great Eastern at once TO our shores.