STEAM COMMUNICATION TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 909, 19 April 1854, Page 3

STEAM COMMUNICATION TO AUSTRALIA.

[The following paper on the Panama steam route, published in the Times of September, is interesting for the account it gives of the arrangements of the Company as relates to New Zealand. After describing the Eastern route and the route by the Cape to the Australian Colonies, the writer proceeds as follows : — J But a powerful and novel competitor to both these routes is about to enter the field, and the great western track from Europe to the Pacific is to be at once placed in operation, to compete for the postal and passenger traffic with Australia. Ooly a few months will intervene before a regular communication by way of Panama will be established, Southampton being likewise, as in the case of the eastern and Cape routes, the point of departure. The communication thus projected is to be supplied by the Australasian Pacific Mail Steam-packet Company — an association incorporated by Royal charter, which, at an expenditure of upwards of a quarter of a million, hate built and are equipping five screw steam-ships, destined to run monthly from Australia vid New Zealand to Panama, and, connecting with the steam-ships of the Royal West India Mail Steam-Packet Company on this side, to maintain a rapid and regular monthly steam service between Southampton and Australia. The steamers prepared specially for this enterprise are the Kangaroo, Emu, Black Swan, Dinornis, and Menura — each of about 1,600 tons burden, supplied with auxilia.y soiew machinery of 300-horse power, and fitted wi'h propellers patented by Griffiths. These vessels are repiesented as combining in every degree the requisites of speed, either by wind or steam propulsion ; and possess all the improvements both of form and equipment yet introduced in the steam marine. To these fire ships will be added a sixth, the Pelican, of 1,100 tons, and 22<?- horse powei, destined to run betvreen Sydney and Port Phillip, in correspondence with the main line ships, and to be additionally available for any casualty that may occur on the trans-Pacific service. The Kangaroo and Emu are both launched, and are receiving their machinery ; the remainder are in a forward state. But for the strikes iv the north and the feverish state of the labour-market in the Clyde, they would have been ready some months since. It is now, however, anticipated that the Kangaroo will be despatched from Southampton in November direct for Syduey, there to commence the regular service to Panama. The Kangaroo will be followed by the other ships in quick succession. The proposed route is from Sydney to Welliugtou, New Zealand, through Cook's Straits, keeping along the 40th parallel of west longitude, thus taking advantage of the strong west winds generally prevailing in the pacific — thence a northing to Panama will be made. The outward or return course is intended to be from Panama in nearly a direct line to the north of New Zealand, calling at Auckland. It is not at present contemplated to touch at Tahiti, although a coal dejd is to be established there, to be available if required. A large supply of coals has already been sent forward to Panama and New Zealand, and the company fully expect to effect the voyages through from Southampton to Sydney in 55 days, the steamers in the Pacific being calculated- to perform their work at an average speed ot nine knots an hour. Such is an outline of the important project embarked upon by the Australian Pacific Mail Packet Cumpanj, svhose managers embrace mauy

gentlemen known to be practica'ly acquainted with steam enterprise in various parts of the world, particularly in connexion wish the West India Mail Steam Packet Company, and the Pacific Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool. In whattver light the operations of the company are viewed, they are of a highly interesting character. The vast expanse and placid waters of the Pacific Ocean are to be at length belted and bridged over by steam, and thus to be made subservient to the interests of commerce and the progress of civilization. Two or three years before any system of steam communication with Australia was agreed upon, this journal, in examining the various routes pressed upon public attention, took frequent opportunity to exhibit (he great advantages to be derived- from an adoption of the Panama route, and it was in the firm conviction that the line would sooner or later be established that- a renewal of the contract of the West India Mail Company was recommended, upon great national grounds, and in the expectation that that company, foreseeing the immense advantage to their traffic, would place their transatlantic steam service upon a tooting that would give the utmost speed upon the direct line from Southampton to Panama, which is now about to become so important a line in tbe chain of steam navigation to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Seas. The peculiar m- rits of the eastern and Cape routes to Australia have already been glanced at. It now remains to mention those of the western or Panama plan. It is clear that unless the Panama loute can be made superior in point of rapidity to either of the others, and unless mails, passengers, and bullion can be conveyed much quicker by its agency than is found to be the case over either of ihe other routes, it will be established in vain, and the enterprise will be a failure. Geographically, the Panama route to Aastralia is tbe best. It is the most direct and shortest, and to this may be added the well-ac-knowledged fact that the navigation of the Pacific Ocean is tbe most favourable for auxiliary screwsteamers of any ocean in the world. A straight line may be drawn on Mercator's Chart from Southampton to Sydney, which would very nearly intersect the American continent at tbe Isthmus of Darten, and this, without fatiguing ihe reader with estimates of distances, will be sufficient to show that thePanama route is the shortest means for approaching our Australian possessions. It is, in fact, the natural ocean highway from Europe to the South Pacific, and must necessarily, if efficiently performed, take precedence of all other systems. We have no doubt that the measures in progress by the company for establishing this service will be successful, and that, when in proper working order, their ships will regularly traverse the Pacific, and bring up to Panama most valuable freights of gold, and many passengers for transmission to England, So soon as the fact has been made evident that this is tbe most speedy line, postal arrangements will have to be completed by the Government, seeing that it is of the utmost importance to take advantage of the quickest route, and bearing in mind, also, that this company's ships will bring New Zealand - nearer to the mother-country than can by any other means be effected. But it is not alone upon tbe proper performance of the service in the Pacific by the company's own ships that the success of the enterprise •and its value to the world will be secured. Success will in an equal degree depend upon tbe maintenance of tbe most rapid communication on this side the Isthmus, between Southampton and Central America. At present this service is not adequately performed, and, unless other arrangements are speedily entered upon, it would seem that the utility of the Pacific route is likely to be jeopardized by the imperfect performance of tbe transatlantic service of the West India Mail Company; passengers and mails leaving the Isthmus, and proceeding by the circuitous route of the United States, can now reach England some days in advance of tbe steamers of the Royal Mail Company coming direct. While such an imperfection exists, it will be useless to prognosticate any great things of the Panama route to Australia, and a large traffic will never flow through it. Another drawback will be the inconvenience to which travellers are to be exposed by transshipments. Under existing arrangements, passengers will have to start from Southampton for St. "Thoma3, where they will be transferred to another steamer for conveyance (touching at Santa Martha and Carthagena) to Colon, the station on the Isthmus. After crossing this narrow neck of land by rail, the Pacific steamer will be gained, and the voyage thence to Australia be commenced. Besides the inconvenience of transshipments, the delay will, with other causes, be fatal to tbe complete efficacy of the route. To provide a remedy, some of the existing arrangements which are now so detrimental to the West India mail service should be discarded. The transshipment at St Thomas must be abolished, and to effect this a different class of ships from those now employed would have to be provided. The distance from Southampton to the Isthmus is 4,740 miles, and this voyage should be accomplished in one uninterrupted run, broken only by a stoppage of a few hours at St. Thomas to transfer branch mails to inter-colonial packets. That this can be done is undoubted. Many eminent shipbuilders in this country, if unfettered by restrictions, would guarantee to produce steamships, either on the screw or paddle-wheel principle, capable of leaching Chagres in 15 or 16 days from Southampton, without coaling at any intermediate point, unless compelled to do so by unusual roughness of weather. The coaling stations of the Transatlantic line of packets would then be merely at Southampton and Chagres, or Navy Bay, and, till such an arrangement is made, su^h ships provided, and the smaller packets employed in conveying branch mails compelled to reaci St. Thomas before the main line ships are dne there, the West ludia mail service will never be efficiently conducted ; and the prospects of the success of tbe Australasian Pacific line will be clouded by uncertainty and doubt; Looking at the immense traffic that would be secured to the Southampton and Chagres line, arising, (in addition to tbe Australian traffic) from the increased communications to flow acros3 it from Central America, California, and tbe Southern American States, it is not too much to declare that a mere rapid line of. steamships from Panama to England is one of the great necessities of the age. The outlay of half-a-ra;l-lion of capital in providing it should be considered as nothing when compared to its importance

and it will only be when arrangements of this ktnd have been placed in force that the service i ot the West India Mail Company will be carried out with that celerity which the urgency of the subject demands, and the traffic to Australia and other important points by the western route will (ill then remain comparatively undeveloped and in its infancy. It is expected that the Australian Pacific Company's ships will secure the bulk of the communications, both as regards passengers and treasure, between the United Statts and Australia, as well as provide a useful communication to and from many phces on the west coast of South America, already possessing extensive business relations with Australia. The main object of th* enterpiise, however, is to establish the most swift and direct means of corneyance to and from Europe and Australia, and if this cardinal point be achieved all other subsidiary advantage* will follow. It is well known that the Australian colonists have repeatedly expressed their conviction that the Panama route was the only one which would seive their purpose with that measure of superiority which is due to the commercial progress which Anstralia presents to the world. Constant representations in favor of the scheme have been received from Australia. Let us hope, therefore, that there will now be no disappointment. It will be a pity if the success of the enterprise should be marred by the inadequate measures for securing an efficient steam service from England to Panama (the first stage of the route) by a company which, judged eiiher by its long standing, great respectability, command of capital and resources, or by the enormous grant of the public money which flows annually into j its coffers, should possess the finest and fleetest steamships thai can be produced, should eclipse all other companies in the result of their operations, and in steam navigation take the lead of the world. To a company so situated, with such boundless prospects of solid and tangible good to be derived from the exercise of enterprise and judgment, hesitation at this juncture is tantamount to defeat, and the virtual and ultimate extinction of the Company is rendered certain, becanse in the coming era of great enterprises, other and more energetic competitors will spring up to enjoy the fruits which want of enterprise may have left unplucked.