The Portland daily press., 1867-02-01
= merco and Naviga,ien.

A looking-glass is good thin. 70 h.uo r,
Is very old remark that looking-glasses fu,
nish fine opportunity for reflection. He,o
in the first place is French mirror. The Nor.
iteur, which publishes letter received bv :, q
French Government from New York, an.
nouncing the following important fact: n
The competition of the French Transatlan.
tho Company and of the English Companies
of Navigation has put an end to the existence
of the only line OF American steamers plying
regularly between Europe and the United
States. The directors Of the New York and
Havre Steamship Company have determined
on nselling the Arago and Fulton. These two
vessels date from 1856. Their service was in
terrupted during the civil war, but was resum-
ed towards the end of 1866. Not possessing
tne speed Of the Transatlantic steamers, they
ootalned little freight and the number of their
PASSENGERS Pas declined every day. With them the
s,. G.s.sa states flag disappears from the steam
'"e' 0ee~een Europe and the States W i.a.
fhis is rather cheerful view of ourselves
IN the French lookingg-glass, isn't it? Even
these lubberly Parley-vous, who never nre-
tended to be seamel, are shrueoino their
shoulders and talking about the disannear.
ance of our flag from the ocean. But lei nc
take look in the great revolving mirror at
London: The Times says .Iss.ag ~
If there was any branch of manufacture q,
commerce in which the United States enjoyed
natural and apparently indestructible adyapt-
ages, 1t was that of shipbuilding Americans
took to navigation as instinctively as English
men; their forests and mines gave them inex-
nausti6le supplies OF material, and their pecul-
lar skill in design and workmanship has been
so recently exemplifed in the ocean Yacht
race, that We need not insist on the point any
further. There were, in fact, no better ship
builders or harder navigators in the world
and, as necessary result, they had building
own and competing hopefully with that.
Now, it is simple matter of fact that hall thas
trade has already been destroyed. The Secre-
tary gives the exact figures and shows that
some 6,0OO,OOO0 tons of American shipping
have fallen during the past five years to little
more tnan S,goo'oOO, while the foreign shipping
by which the trade has been appropriated
counts for some 100000 tons instead of
100000. In other words, business to this err
tent has left the United States and been trans
.ferred 6y the irresistible law of commerce 10
other conutries-naainly to our oaon. a14J
The British looking-glass tlatters us no
more than the French. Nay, we cut still
more piti6al figure in this aspect. The Times
takes the figures of our Mr.. McCulloch, and
shows beyond peradventure just what our
legislation is doing for us. This state of af-
fairs demands remedy. In this industry of
shipbuilding we must compete directly with
foreign builders, and we must put cur own la
Dor on an equal footing with theirs. Our
builders must have their materials flee, or the
business must be given up and with it the
transoeeanic carrying trade. Whether this
Congress furnishes the needed relief or not
we do not believe the American people will
submit to the ruin Of the shipping interest
Our people take to the water like ducks, and
Congress of hens will be unable to eradicate
the aquatic instinct. We do not believe the
Thirty-ninth Congress will neglect this mat
ter, but If 1t should, there are other elections
coming.