The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-21
The Commercial Progress OF England-Hel
Postal and Trading Marine Compared with
those OF the United states.

From the London Times March Al
If there should be any pei opinion that the pa.
chc transactions OF this country dwared lost In
The parade Of warke armaments, the i'm
preston by very remarkable fact. Sir John Paking
navy amounts 10 cess 0 with which sum he proposes
effect such improvement in the constitution the fee,
whether the design has not been expressed
With some little hyperbole is another question, but
What IT,, we have Low & to say is, that the amoun.
be made for the single department Of Me Post
Otce knopn the Packet Serrice" For the
ais s o % se y. mails
contract Parliament will be asked to provide f9S6 73l
Considering the magnitude and extent Of our commercial
try which annually distributes, columns recently
showed nearly lZ0 millions worth Of manufactures and
produce over the regions OF the habiabe globe may per-
baps reasonably enough spend single million In keeping
upiis communications with its customers; but, for all
that, the outlay certainly extraordinary, aud its
details give more mprt ssve idea of national great
than the enumeration Of the territories depen-
dert empire. Other countries Spain have
had mighty tcmniors but Spain communicated with "the
Indles' only some half dozen times year There is
nothing Ike present system 10 be seen in all history
ancient or modern. Rome did wonders in the way Of
communication; but Rome had only subject Provinces
no distant colonies no ocean routes, no sea no world
embracing commerce.
curious contrast to this immense development Of COM
muncaton is presented by tho United States system
deiheated lately In American correspondence. The
Americans could not succeed against us IN the ocean race
lines with the remote regions Of the world. Notsth
standing this, however, their Post ON 70 service actually
costs more than ours add the cost or the
coDtr 10 that OF the service ut home Toe cnarge
estimated upwards Of 81 900 o00 or come E3
and the explanation of the fact 70 be found in the
nude Of their territory and the youth Of their STATE
There aI towns in America almost distant from
other IS Liverpool from New York. and until the Gre
Pacisc RailTosd 10 constructed these distances
can only be traversed, in many cases, by tho most
tosorlc and Irctractcd journeys. AS lustri
ton o these conditions may remark that tue
ooIs of the federal government At Utah less
bic from New York than the British army in the Cmea
was from London thosgh in the former the war was
purely civil war, and in the latter war maintained
3QCO miles from home. The cmbarrassments, indeed OF
the Americans in this respect would be extreme
not the extent 10 which they have pushed system
Of railway communication and the uso they have made
the electric telegraph.
Whatever may be said Of the navy in approaching de-
bAtee is evident that all branches Of our mercantile
marine have been marvelousy developed We never had
many shiIs or go much commercc-never such mag
nincent specimens Of vessels The Americans are con
stanty comparing our merchant navy with their
own, and at the Cberbourg fctes u was the
feet OF yachts and private steamers which filed
people with astonisbment The old East Irdiamsn, of
which so much used TO be thought times past into
Io,hrg compared with the clippers of tho present day
Royal Navy has not quite kept pace with the dcvoope
meDt OF The merchant servce but the check only
partai and transient France overlook us, or nearly SO,
IN The construction OF screw liDeOf battle SHIPS Just as
manufacture OF rhrd ordnance But IN oher respects OF
scarcely lees IMPORTANCE preserved our position, 10
some we improved II, and with the rtsolfcss OF VII ch
this country s but the work o. very brief
period TO launch exactly what ships We please Much, in
teed OF The work has been already, aud the FIRST
Lord Of the Admrsy, whlc detiipg bis views for the
completion Of ha plans gave respectable account OF per-
formances actually accomplished