Ocean Steam Navigation and the Ocean Post Part 10

The service of the Charleston and Havana line has been performed with great regularity; and although the return from it in the form of postages has been small, yet it has been of essential service to the South, in opening communications toward the Gulf, and in establis.h.i.+ng much needed travelling facilities between Charleston, Savannah, and Key West.

PAPER A.

LIST OF AMERICAN OCEAN STEAMERS.

The mail service has 8 lines, and 21 steamers in commission, of 48,027 registered tonnage. Much of this tonnage belongs to supply s.h.i.+ps, as for instance those of the Pacific Mail Steams.h.i.+p Company. (_See Section I._)

_Collins Line, 3 steamers, 9,727 tons._

Adriatic, 4,144-74/95 tons: Atlantic, 2,849-66/99 tons: Baltic, 2,733-1/95 tons.

_Havre Line, 2 steamers, 4,548 tons._

Arago, 2,240 tons: Fulton, 2,308 tons.

_Vanderbilt Bremen Line, 3 steamers, 6,523 tons._

North Star, 1,867-60/95 tons: Ariel, 1,295-28/95 tons: Vanderbilt[H], 3,360-54/95 tons.

[H] Independent, running between New-York, Southampton, and Havre, in connection with the Bremen steamers.

_United States Mail Steams.h.i.+p Company, 6 steamers, 8,544 tons._

Illinois, 2,123-65/95 tons: Empire City, 1,751-21/95 tons: Philadelphia, 1,238-1/95 tons: Granada, 1,058-90/95 tons: Moses Taylor, 1,200 tons: Star of the West, chartered, 1,172-1/95, (contracting for a new s.h.i.+p.)

_Pacific Mail Steams.h.i.+p Company, 13 steamers, 16,421 tons._

Golden Gate, 2,067-35/95 tons: Golden Age, 2,280 tons: J. L. Stephens, 2,189 tons: Sonora, 1,616 tons: St. Louis, 1,621 tons: Panama, 1,087-31/95 tons: California, 1,085-64/95 tons: Oregon, 1,099-9/95 tons: Columbia, 777-34/95 tons: Republic, 850 tons: Northerner, 1,010 tons: Fremont, 576 tons: Tobago, 189 tons.

_Charleston, Savannah, Key West, and Havana, 1 steamer_, the Isabel, 1,115 tons.

_New-Orleans and Mexico, 1 steamer_, the Tennessee, 1,149-1/2 tons.

The Coasting Service has 8 lines, and 23 steamers, of 24,071 tons registered tonnage.

_New-York, Havana, and New-Orleans_, 2. The Black Warrior, 1,556-1/95 tons: Cahawba, 1,643-1/95 tons = 3,199 tons.

_New-York, Havana, and Mobile_, 1. The Quaker City, 1,428-3/95 tons.

_New-York and Savannah_, 4. Alabama, 1,261-13/95 tons; Florida, 1,261-13/95 tons: Augusta, 1,310-61/95 tons; Star of the South, (propeller,) 960-1/95 tons = 4,793 tons.

_New-York and Charleston_, 4. Columbia, 1,347 tons: Nashville, 1,220 tons: James Adger, 1,151 tons; Marion, 962 tons = 4,680 tons.

_New-York and Virginia_, 2. Roanoke, 1,071 tons: Jamestown, 1,300 tons = 2,371 tons.

_Philadelphia and Savannah_, 2. Key Stone State and State of Georgia, each about 1,300 tons = 2,600 tons.

_Boston and Baltimore_, 2. Joseph Whitney, 800 tons: Unknown, 800 tons = 1,600 tons.

_New-Orleans and Texas._ The Charles Morgan, Texas, Mexico, and Atlantic, averaging 600 tons each=2,400 tons.

_New-Orleans and Key West._ The General Rusk, 600 tons, and the Calhoun, 400 tons = 1,000 tons.

There are also several propellers running: between New-York and Charleston, New-York and Portland, and between Philadelphia and the South. They are all, however, small, and irregular in their trade. The Calhoun is not a regular steams.h.i.+p.

Steamers lying up, 18. Registered tonnage, 24,845 tons.

Queen of the Pacific, 2,801-92/95 tons.

Was.h.i.+ngton, 1,640-71/91 tons.

Prometheus, 1,207-61/95 tons.

St. Louis, 1,621-14/45 tons.

Brother Jonathan, 1,359-52/95 tons.

Oregon, 1,004-89/95 tons.

Southerner, 900 tons.

Herman, 1,734-45/95 tons.

Northern Light, 1,747-91/95 tons.

Uncle Sam, 1,433-44/95 tons.

California, 1,058 tons.

Northerner, 1,012 tons.

Ericsson, 1,902-1/95 tons.

Star of the West, 1,172-33/95 tons.

Daniel Webster, 1,035 tons.

Orizaba, 1,450-62/95 tons.

Panama, 1,087 tons.

Fremont, 576 tons.

The registered tonnage of these vessels was furnished me by Mr. S. P.

Ingraham, of the New-York Custom-House.

PAPER B.

The following paper, prepared by Mr. Pliny Miles from the reports to which we have alluded, presents the British steam mail service in full detail.

"The following tabular statement gives the particulars of the ocean mail service of Great Britain, now carried on almost exclusively by steams.h.i.+ps. The numbers in the margin, running from 1 to 15, will point out the different lines in the recapitulation at the close.

LINE OF COMMUNICATION, | CONTRACTORS, AND CONTRACT PRICE. | PLACES CONNECTED.

---------------------------------+-------------------------------- 1.--Liverpool and Isle of Man. | Liverpool and Douglas, Isle of _Mona Isle Steam Co._ Twice a | Man.

week. $4,250 per annum. | | 2.--England and Ireland. _City of| Holyhead and Kingstown, near Dublin Steam Packet Co._ Twice a | Dublin.

day. $125,000 a year. | | 3.--Scotland and Shetland. | Aberdeen, Wick, Kirkwall, _Aberdeen, Leith and Clyde | (Orkney,) and Lerwick, s.h.i.+pping Co._ Weekly, $6,000 a | (Shetland.) year. | | 4.--England, Spain, and | Southampton, Vigo, Oporto, Gibraltar. _Peninsular and | Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibraltar.

Oriental Steam Navigation Co._ | Three times a month. $102,500. | | 5.--Mediterranean, India, and | Southampton, Malta, Alexandria, China. _Peninsular and Oriental | Suez, Aden, Bombay, Calcutta, Steam Navigation Co._ Twice a | Singapore, Hong Kong, and month to India--monthly to China.| Shanghae.