Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-02-04
WASHING TON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The transatlantic Mail Question The

communication which we published yesterday
reminds us Of cur intention to have noticed
s|me days since an interesting letter from Mr..
Collins to the Post Office Committee Of the
House, praying to be relieved from his contract
With the Government, and showing that while
the Collins line Of steamers has successfully
competed with the English line, and accom-
plished every national object for which it was
created, ii has not been remunerative to the
owners; and that the additional compensation
granted for time, but low about to be with.
drawn, were not equal to the additional cost of
the increased speed required to compete sue
cessfulIy with the Cunard line.
We hope, on purely national grounds, that
this pamphlet will be carefully perused by
every member CT Congress; and it will then
become apparent how senseless was the cry of
excessive compensation, so industriously cir
culsted by the enemies Of the Collins line
Mr.. Collins SAYS:
" 1t Is not my purpose 10 notice the idle
sian1eIs that arc in existence against us in
regard &c ouT pecuniary affairs 1t is the
province Ct youI committee 10 investigate and
arrive at the facts Of the case and those facts
represent TO be as follows
60 st Although cur cohpany has been in
existence nearly ten years, the whole amount
of our dividends have been only S. Ger &C ut .
or per cent. per aDnum for five cut Of the
ten years that our capital has been employed
for the benefit Of the public.
&c ID. At 70 tine has there ever been day
not even when IN the receipt Of your high.
est compengaticn-that cur stock would EeIl
at par
" Sd Thai to psrseTere In our contract IN
der the reduced compensation proposed, would
be absolutely runcus 70 ell concerned and
therefore,
4th That, having faithfully discharged
cur duty to the country and the Government.
We simply ash, that IN good faith, we may be
released from our contract and our vessels be
taken by the Government at a valuation which
viii save us from loss.
We would bave Jour committee bear in
mind, that We took this contract at tie solici.
tatlon Of Government. and as co-partpers with
them, to test the question, whether there was
necessity to abandon ocean steam naviga-
ton to Great Britain and also TO prove,
whether vessels suitable for passengers, would
answer the double purpose Of naval and mail
service. We have proved that there exists no
necessity for such abandonment, and that we
can not only compete with England in ocean
steam navigation, but surpass her in all res
poets, to the lasting benefit and honor of our
than would be actually lost to the nation by
placing the mail service between the United
states and Europe, entirely under the British
Tag, ard subject to British caprice.
e Immediately after the building Ct our two
hrst ships-the Atlantic and Pacifc-the DC
prietors Of the Cunsrd line announced in the
bUs 4Ish journals that they had contracted for
the building of the Asia aud Africa with the
same sized engines as our ships; and stating,
also, that es their ships were 500 tons less that
when they commenced the service, they would
a. once put at rest the absurd idea that the
United States could compete with English
ocean steam navigation. These two. with
three Others built since then, expressly to beat
us. have all failed to do so, excepting the Per.
STA; and We have beaten her best western pas
cage as much as she mas beaten our best east.
eYn.
The bare idea CT surrendering our suprem-
acy Will be repudiated by the American peo-
pie; and sooner or later they will demand
hoeral legislation in regard to this all-import-
ant national object; and therefore, have no
fear but hereafter, all will be right, even If
hrequires millions aud tens of millions, to re-
tam the vantage ground we now possess
But our business lie with the Justice Of your
eomnittee-lesying the great national qucs-
tlone 70 be determined by your superior wig
dom. And we ask, as we have a right to do,
70 ee TefeG .S3 from 0uy contract and TO be re-
HOUfSt
hoRoTabts sr0TtS 10 SsTre orr cohHtTV
In my letter 10 you Of the 9TH inst stated
that the difference Of cost and saving To our
company would have been SIS 240 per voyage
bad our passages averaged IS instead of III
days hours, which has been their average
previous to las. year, being an excess cf s4,49O
over cur additional pay of Sl3.75O Our state
ment OF Increased cost for increased speed. ia
corroborsted by pamphlet written without
my knowledge, signed " AD Ameriean;' as
AIso by book written by the chief engineer
OF TIE hcyal dockJard and published in 1888
At W0olEIch, England wherein be
states that a sEip IF eco tons the size &C
ours can he propelled with 900 tons coal. a.
the rate.cf knots, - i6l miles when. at the
rate Of IL kIots, it will only take her lis
The distance sailed between New and Liver.
pool Il 5, 100 miles, and we consume (ayerage
for seven years ?S5 tons per Usage and
nave averaged the same length Of time, II /
knots
The concluding rarsgrsTh Of the above ex
tract, supported Is it Is by experience, shows
at cnce Ir6g the additional compensation was
asked. and Why, having been Withdrawn. it
i no longer T"ssihle for American ocean
steamers {" compete with ocean steamers
packed by me Rriti-h Government 10 any ex-
'en' which their necessities may require The
angie question aTIfes Will the American
PvPis abandon To our great commercial rival
the monopoly Of prompt trsns- Atlantic ocean
Navigation, and thur tsx the whole American
people through tho medium Of postage. and
the passage traffic. and the carrying trade Of
the country, TO build up steam marin.
which, in time Of war, will drive sur sailing
v.ssels from the ocean,
The California sepatorshiys A very gen.
eral impression prevails at this point that
Senator Gwin has triumphe1 In the contes,
that came IF at Sacramento short time since
1t results, undoubtedly, from private Iotters
from many well known politicians of Cslifor.
mia. This is contrary to the Representation,
written from California for the newspapers on
this slope, which, by the by, remind us not
little Of those written for the American pres.