The New York herald., 1866-04-29


No better evidence of the wonderful pro
gress of the American nation to wards COM
mercial greatness can be found than in taking
glance at the strength of it's shipping interest
only quarter of century ago and compar-
ing it with its condition at the present time.
1t is true we have not improved great deal
since the former period in American steam
lines to Europe but the magnitude of the
European trade carried on in foreign steamers,
and its increasing tendency, show that there is
commerce enough for all, and that with COM
mon liberality on the part of the government
the Americans can establish transatlantic
lines that will eclipse those of any Of their
European rivals. The extent and success of
their coastwise, South American and Pacific
steam lines demonstrate this conclusiveiy.
Twenty-Five years ago there was scarcely an
American ocean steamship afoat. There was
not a coastwise steam line to any Of the
Southern ports, to New Orleans, Mobile,
The great traffic with Europe was carried on
in splendid packet ships, tho superior of any
thing of the kind then upon the seas. Who at
all cognizant of the character of our mercantile
marine of those days can forget those beautiful
models Of sailing craft those ample and elegant
accommodations for passengers, that large
capacity for freight to be found in those ad-
mrably oficered and fast sailing packet ships,
the European liners? There was the London
line of Grlnnell, Minturn & Co., with
the ships St. James, Montreal, Gladiator,
Mediator, Wellington, Quebec, Philadelphia,
Samson, President, Ontario, Toronto and
Westminster-all great favorites with travel
lers There were the E. X. Collins Co.'s
dramatic line of Liverpool packets, including
those names we'll known to fame, Sheridan, Gar
rick, Roscius and Siddons; Stephen Whitney's
line, with the Stephen Whitney, United States,
Virginlan and Sheffield; GOOdhue & Co.'s and
G. III. Marshall's old lines, with the New York,
Cambridge, North America, Europe, Oxford,
Columbus, South America and England; be-
sides, in other lines, the George Washington,
Patrick Henry, Rochester, Roscoe, &c. Then
we had also Boyd & Hincken's Havre line of
packets, with the Utica, Charles Carroll, Erie
and Baltimore; in other lines, the Emerald,
Louis Philippe, Silvie de Grasse, Duchesse
d'Orleans, Burgundy, Vile de Lyons, Rhone,
Iowa, Poland, Albany, &c. There wore also
other sailing ships in the transient carrying
trade with Europe, but not single American
steamship. We were obliged, therefore, to look
to the packet ships for our latest European ad-
vices; and that the HERALD Of those days dis
tanced its newspaper rivals in obtaining the
earliest foreign intelligence can be attestcd by
tie off GERS Of each liner, every branch pilot
and the great mercantile and reading public of
New York of that period now living. We had
The introduction about that time of the well re-
membered British steamship Groa. Western,
which, with the illfated President, the British
Queen, Liverpool, &C., followed tho pioneer
steamer, the Sirius, in opening the Atlantic to
the great purposes of ocean steam navigation.
ihe subsequent energetic efforts Of Mr.. Collins
to es -abiish his line Of magn 6cent ocean steam.
ers, with the Arctic, Baltic. Atlantic. Pacific
anu Airiat.c, as well as the Efforts to create
other lines Of American transatlantic steam
ers by Commodore Vanderbilt and other
public-spiri.od Americans are f.lniliar to our
readers; and their want OF success in establish
ing Their lines permanently was no fault Of
heirs, but was rather owing to the failure of
Congress to encourage such important national
enterprises. The day is not distant, however,
vhen we will inl Americ,i st,am lines be-
bwcou New York and European ports estab-
ished upon foundations sure TO last.
Turning from the past TO the present we
ind Ia our advertising columns the list of
foreign steamers doing the carrying trade
aewscn this and European ports to be greatly
increased, aud to have entirely usurped the
places occupied by our noble feet Of sail
ing packcs Of former days. Most prominent
among these ines are the Culard steamers,
ghich nave attained 1egre, Of popularity aud
success unparalleled by any other line IN the
history OF eam rlfIlc with America. We next
have sae Innln line, sailing seni-weekly, and
Carrying sh; Uli.cl States u.s. with the City Of
b,aIon. q. ~ Of Paris, Einbrrg, &c. Tho Ma
tional So mIhip Nivi yaion Company's weekly
Inc, VITA tho sl,lm ships uelveia, Scotland,
England, Virginia, Vn-en, Erin, Pennsylvania
aaJ Louisiana, via Queenstown. The North
American Lioyd's first liss United States mail
steamships for Bremen, via Cowes, including
l.Ie Atlantic and Baltic, the Ericsson and West
ern Metropolis, Tie G.nerll Transatlantic
Company's m Ill steamers between New York
and Havrs, calling at Brest-the only direc.
line 10 France including the Washington,
Pereirc, Napoleon LII. and lafayette. The Ame-
rican Packet Company's line Of iron steamers
10 Hamburg, leaving, after the 14lh instant,
every Saturday for Hamburg. The Lon
don and New York Steam ihp line, including
he Atlanta. Bellona, Celia ard VIM. Penn.
The North German Lloyd's line for Bremen,
via Southampton, taking passengers TO Lon
don. Uavre. SOUTHAMPTON and Bremen. Ar