The New York herald., 1868-02-27
American Commemorative IL Can and
Must Re.

Mast BE.
We cannot too often rccur to the lamentabiy
depressed condition of American shipping H.
terests, or too frequently advise some remedial
and combined action on the part of American
shipbuliders and capitalists to stem the tide OF
expansion that seems TO be the present policy
OF steamship owners of Great Britain and
France towards the absorption of the entire
ocean carrying trade of the United States.
While the shipyards of Great Britain for
series of years and those of France more
recently have been necessarily at work in the
erection of improved iron screw steamships
which the commerce of the globe is destined
hereafter to be carried on in-the shipyards of
the United States have been almost idle. This
apathy has resulted most disastrousy, as Eng
lish and French capitalists have lines running
dom and France to New York, steadily and
almost wholly forcing the few American sail
ing vessels left from the wreck of our mercan-
tile marine at the close of the war out of the
market To these established lines their
owners are designing to make still greater
vessels, that the monopoly Of the ocean trade
may in the future be exclusively foreign.
On this subject recent number of promi-
nent European gazette says:-" The mercantile
marine of this country (Great Brittany far sur
passes that of oil other nations in extent, and
is increasing in much greater ratio than that
of any other country. The consequence of
this is that the British steamship owners have
the carrying of nearly all the first class pas
sengers who cross the ocean, and all finer
and more profitable articles to and from this
country. As far as second class passengers
and heavy goods are concerned, we are grad
ually absorbing these" This is too true. And
the same journal, with others, catching the
commercial importance Of the subject, hints
that additional lines Of propelling steamships
will soon be put into operation between the
ports of that nation and those upon our South
ern coast to extinguish that paltry portion OF
American shipping interest which had sur
vived to be the carriers Of cotton hence to
Europe. These steamships are to be Of large
tonnage, and are to be run at the rate of
comparative reduction Of coal per day.
Pending the great excitement connected
with the political turmoil at Washington the
country's rulers and her prominent capitalists
lose sight of this important fact, and SEEM
ingly give into the hands of our commercial
antagonists the wealth accruing from the ocean
trade of the United States. How long shall
this continue? How long shall the ocean mer-
camille marine Of America representing this
nation few years since, upon whom then de-
volved the supremacy and sceptre of the seas,
be thus left crippled-a shadow Of her former
self? Were action prompt and decisive
among capitalists and the mechanical skill Of
the country-which has no superior-it would
soon be remedied. When American shippers
urge that with all their prudence and skill it
is absolutely impossible to successfully COM
pete with the heavy subsidies bestowed by
Great Britain and France on the steamship
companies Of those nations, that private enter
prise cannot maintain as high standard Of
speed, elegance and equipment in their vessels
as foreign corporations, they are inherently
wrong. They only want enterprise, only
want determination and combination, and they
can be as brilliantly successful as the achieve
ments of the Inman line of British steamships
which never received one dollar of such ad-
ventitious aid, yet possess some of the finest
and heetest vessels that ever steamed up the
Mersey.
Americans have not receded in the science
80 ot:A n...t
shipbuilding was never thought of as belonging
to the category of fine arts, though it may have
been carried on ever since the earth was peopled,
until here it reached its highest point of excel
lence, just as sculpture and temple building,
which were old arts before Athens was founded,
eliminated in Greece. The clipper ships we
have built, where harmony and proportion,
flowing lines and perfect symmetry are com
bined, and the steamships, from the Adriatic
and Niagara-well entitled to immortal re-
membrance as the Parthenon, and their
lamented architect as deserving of renown as
ceptions that call forth the praise that
"no creations of human art ever appeared
fairer," fully attest. In years gone by our
naval architects frequently became the recipi-
ents from foreign governments Of practical
Acknowledgements to their skill and talent as
developed in American shpbuilding, and will
again by correct procedure. As tangible
evidence Of the realization of such prophecy
comes to US as welcome intelligence from our
correspondent in Wilmington, Delaware, that
the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company Of
that city, we'll known builders of iron steam
ships and marine engines, have recently
obtained the contract to build an iron steam
ship for the Panama Railroad Company, after
long and troublesome opposition from the
renowned Messrs. r. Napier 4 Sons, of Glas-
gov, builders of the elegant Cunard ves-
sells and of the French steamers Vile de