In offering to the Government and the public this little volume on Ocean Steam Navigation and the Ocean Post, I am conscious of my inability to present any new views on a subject that has engaged the attention of many of the most gifted statesmen and economists of this country and Europe. There is, however, no work, so far as I am informed, in any country, which treats of Marine Steam Navigation in its commercial, political, economic, social, and diplomatic bearings, or discusses so far the theo

Section X. notices each of the American lines, and presents many facts corroborating the views advanced in the preceding sections. Paper A (page 192) enumerates all the Steamers of the United States . Paper B (page 193) gives a list of all the British Ocean Mail Lines . Paper C (page 198) presents Projét of Franco-American Navigation . Paper D (page 199) gives the Steam Lines between Europe and America . Paper E (page 200) gives many extracts from eminent statesmen, corroborating views herein ad

THE SPLENDID TRIUMPHS OF STEAM: IT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF NATIONAL PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT: THE FORERUNNER OF CIVILIZATION: IMPORTANT TO THE UNITED STATES AS AN AGRICULTURAL, MANUFACTURING, AND COMMERCIAL COUNTRY: NATURE OF OUR PEOPLE: MARITIME SPIRIT: VARIOUS COMMERCIAL COUNTRIES: OURS MOST ADVANTAGEOUSLY SITUATED: THE DESTINY OF AMERICAN COMMERCE: OUR COMMERCIAL RIVALS: GREAT BRITAIN: SHE RESISTS US BY STEAM AND DIPLOMACY: OUR POSITION: MOST APPROVED INSTRUMENTS OF COMMERCIAL SUCCESS:

THE TRANSMARINE COMPARED WITH THE INLAND POST: OUR PAST SPASMODIC EFFORTS: NEED SOME SYSTEM: FRANCE AROUSED TO STEAM: THE SAILING-SHIP MAIL: THE NAVAL STEAM MAIL: THE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE MAIL: ALL INADEQUATE AND ABANDONED: GREAT BRITAIN'S EXPERIENCE IN ALL THESE METHODS: NAVAL VESSELS CAN NOT BE ADAPTED TO THE MAIL SERVICE: WILL PROPELLERS MEET THE WANTS OF MAIL TRANSPORT, WITH OR WITHOUT SUBSIDY: POPULAR ERRORS REGARDING THE PROPELLER: ITS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES: BOURNE'S OPINION: ROBERT M

THE MAIL LINES OF THE UNITED STATES: THE HAVRE AND BREMEN, THE PIONEERS: THE BREMEN SERVICE RECENTLY GIVEN TO MR. VANDERBILT: BOTH LINES RUN ON THE GROSS RECEIPTS: THE CALIFORNIA LINES: WONDROUS DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PACIFIC POSSESSIONS: THE PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY: ITS HISTORY, SERVICES, LARGE MATERIEL, AND USEFULNESS: THE UNITED STATES MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY: ITS RAMIFIED AND LARGE EXTRA SERVICE: EFFECT UPON THE COMMERCE OF THE GULF: ITS HEAVY LOSSES, AND NEW SHIPS: STEAMSHIP STOCKS GENERA

The mail service has 8 lines, and 21 steamers in commission, of 48,027 registered tonnage. Much of this tonnage belongs to supply ships, as for instance those of the Pacific Mail Steamship 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: Ari

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 steamships. The numbers in the margin, running from 1 to 15, will point out the different lines in the recapitulation at the close. The following are the names of the steamers in service in each line, with the amount

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 Pernambúco, 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 Marseilles at the same price. "Nantes to St. Thomas, the

Collins , steamers Adriatic, Atlantic, and Baltic; (running:) Havre , steamers Arago, and Fulton; (running:) Bremen , steamers North Star, and Ariel; (running:) Havre , in connection with the Bremen . Steamer Vanderbilt; (laid up:) Cunard , steamers Persia, Arabia, Asia, Africa, Canada, America, Niagara, and Europa; (running:) Cunard , screw-steamers Etna, Jura, Emue, Lebanon, and Cambria, (side-wheel; all running:) Glasgow , screw-steamers Glasgow, Edinburgh, and New-York; (running:) Bremen , s

The following numerous extracts from the Senate Reports of 1850 and 1852, and also from the letter of Judge Collamer, then Post Master General, as well as from a letter by the Hon. Edwin Croswell, will present in detail a strong corroboration of the views which I have taken in the preceding Sections . I copy first from the Report of 1852. The Committee was composed of Hon. Thomas J. Rusk, Chairman, and Messrs. Soulé, Hamlin, Upham, and Morton. The Report says: "Your Committee desire to have it u

[K] Building another steamer of 2,500 tons for the Brazil line. [L] These vessels average about 250 horses' power each. Their tonnage is large, probably 1,200 tons each. There are several other lines of ocean steamers in Europe; but it is almost impossible to ascertain anything definite about them. The list above embraces all of the most important companies of the world. The lines are continually changing, while the vessels are passing into new hands almost every week....

The following official letter from Hon. Horatio King explains itself. } Post-Office Department, Washington, Nov. 12, 1857. Sir : In answer to your letter of 10th inst., I have to inform you, that the ocean mail steamship lines now under contract with the Government for the conveyance of mails, are as follows, namely: 1. The New-York and Liverpool (Collins) Line, performing twenty round trips per annum, at an annual compensation of $385,000. Length of route, 3,100 miles. 2. The New-York and Breme

The following list is kindly furnished me by Hon. Wm. A. Harris, of Washington. The French list is taken from the " Tableau General des Batiments a Voiles et a Vapeur composant les Flottes de la Marine Impériale Francaise ." Ships of 120 guns .—Ocean, Friedland, Ville de Paris, Valmy. Ships of 100 guns .—Hercule, Temmasses, Tage Turenne. Ships of 90 guns .—Jena, Suffren, Bayard, Breslau, Hector, Achille, Eole, Santi-Petri, Tilsitt, Sceptic, Castiglione. Ships of 86 guns .—Diademe, Neptune, Jupit