Part 12 (1/2)

Mr. Wm. Iselin, of Havre, kindly furnished me the following:

”The French Government has offered the following contracts:

”Havre to New-York, 26 voyages a year, fr.3,100,000, or $620,000.

”Bordeaux to Rio Janeiro, touching at Lisbon, Goree, Bahia, or Pernambuco, and a branch line from Rio Janeiro to Montevideo and Buenos Ayres, 24 voyages a year, fr.4,700,000, or $940,000. The Government now requires 13 departures from Bordeaux and 13 from Ma.r.s.eilles at the same price.

”Nantes to St. Thomas, thence to Guadalupe, and thence to Martinique, with the following branch lines:

”No. 1. St. Thomas to St. Martha or Carthagena, and thence to Aspinwall.

”No. 2. St. Thomas to Porto Rico, thence to Havana, Vera Cruz, and Tampico.

”No. 3. From Martinique to Cayenne.

”The subvention offered is fr.6,200,000, or $1,400,000.

”The total amount of subvention offered for the 3 lines is therefore 14 millions of francs per annum, or $2,800,000.

”The Messageries Imperiales have given a tender for the Brazil lines.

”William Iselin of Havre, in connection with Mr. Calley St. Paul, for the Havre and New-York line; the necessary capital of $3,200,000 is subscribed; their intention is to have a weekly departure from Havre to New-York, by making the fortnightly departures of the French boats alternate with American Havre and Bremen boats.

”For the line from Nantes to the West-Indies the Company Gautier is said to have given a tender; but it is doubtful if they can make up their capital.”

The _Messageries Imperiales_ is one of the largest and strongest companies in all Europe. They have the following different lines: the Italian, the Constantinople direct, the Levant, the Egyptian, the Syrian, that of the Archipelago, the Anatolia, the Thessalian, the Danubian, the Trebizond, the Algiers, the Oran, and the Tunis lines, and forty-seven sea-steamers. They have already obtained the Brazilian service.

Mr. Iselin and others have proposed for the United States line, and will doubtless get it.

The Company Gautier may not get the West-India service, it is said.

They had the line from Havre to New-York, with the steamers Alma, Cadis, Barcelona, Franc-Contois, Vigo, and the Lyonnaise, and without subvention. They found it impossible to run it without subsidy, and hence, sought a new home for their steamers. They attempted to run from Havre to New-Orleans; but this again failed, after four voyages.

They had also the 1,800 ton ether s.h.i.+ps, ”Francois Arago,” and ”Jacquart,” which broke down. These ether engines were built on the principle of De Tremblay; but the Company are now subst.i.tuting steam for the ether engines. Thus, the experience of this Company proves two important positions which I have taken; that ocean mail steamers can not run on their receipts, and that many of the gazetted improvements on steam propulsion and the ordinary methods are valueless.

The _Compagnie Gautier_ have a contract with Spain, for semi-monthly voyages between Cadiz and Havana, and receive $25,000 per round voyage for each steamer. They are all English built, iron vessels, of about 1,800 tons each. Lyons is the home of the Company.

PAPER D.

STEAM LINES BETWEEN EUROPE AND AMERICA.

COLLINS, steamers Adriatic, Atlantic, and Baltic; (running:)

HAVRE, steamers Arago, and Fulton; ”

BREMEN, steamers North Star, and Ariel; ”