Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859), Thursday 2 November 1854, page 2


SHIPPING NEWS.

Hobart Town.

ARRIVALS

November 1st - Eucalyptus, brigantine, 198, Blackburn, "Melbourne. Cabin -Mr., Mrs. Jervis and child, Mrs. C. Troy andohild, Mr., Mrs. Young and"ehUd,~Mr. Eason;~15 steerage, and 16 Govern ra-. *'»migrant».

No»5»aber 2rid-rPrydo, brig, 405, Stanton, Mel-

bourne.

November 2nd-Lockwoods, ship, 806, Wilson, London. Cabin-Mrs. and Master Wilson.

CLEARED OUT.

Eclipse, schooner, 190, Dodd, Pert Albert. Cabin -Mesan. M'lntoah, J. Smith, Baynham ; 5 steerage.

IMPORTS.

Acis—3265 bgs flour, 165 bgs bran, 100 boards, 3 tons firewood, Brown and Thompson.

Harriett Nathan—2000 sheep skins, 180 hides, 9 csks beef, Order.

Leven Lass, Melbourne -47 cas cigars, 9 bxs ditto, 4 cas, 4 bxs, 1 pkg, I kg tobacco, 9 hhds rum, 2 brls geneva, 4 qrs csks 9 hhds brandy, C. M. Maxwell.

Mooltan, London-60 hhds beer, 214 css, T. D. Chapman; 80 csks ditto, F. A. Downing; 42 pkgs

refined sugar, I. Wright; 9 css, Lewis and Sons; 3 css, W. Knight; 2 ditto, Watchorn and Perkins; 1 bx, 1 cs, 1 bx, 1 cs, 1 bx, as addressed; 200 tns coals, P. Rodgers; 150 csks beer, Brown and Co; 14 hhds ditto, Saville; 9 pkgs, N. Neilson ; 2 css drugs, Order.

EXPORTS.

Flying Fish, Geelong -1 cask cordials, C. M. Maxwell; 50,000 ft timber, 10,000 palings, 35,000 laths, 115 posts, 50 bgs 150 bushels oats, 5 lihds oil, 3 tanks, M Thereon and Francis; 5051 bgs 200 bshls oat«, Maning Brothers.

Mary Ann, Port Albert-1 cs 1 bl drapery, 4 ess mckies, 1 esk groceries, 2 bxs raisins, 1 cs mustard, W. Murray ; 1 dray, Boys and Hall ; 1 case drapery, Sly and Risby."

Creole, Melbourne-5600 pieces timber, 30,000 42 bdls palings, 180 bdls laths, 193 felloes, 300 spokes, H. F. Armstrong,

j Eclipse, Port Albert-1 hhd rum, A. Nicholas; 4 tns flour, 4 cbsts tea, 1 paper parcel, 1 bl woolpacks, CM. Maxwell.

AUSTRALIAN POST \L . COMMUNICATION.

. (From the Liverpool Albion, July 24.)

IT cannot but be regarded as unfortunate, hy all who take an interest in the question, that notwith-standing the efforts employed, during the last five or six years, with a view of placing steam communica-tion with the Australian colonies upon a regular and permanent footing, that important end has no sooner appeared in process of accomplishment than some nntoward circumstances have sprang up to mar the project, and almost frustrated the hope of better

results.

The arrival of the last Australian mail affords a palpable and but too fearful illustration of the case we > suggest, more especially in reference to the steamer Golden Age, where success and failure are placed at once in such juxta-position as to aggravate disap-pointment and paralyse anticipations for the future. Alost of our readers will remember the advent of this

noble vessel at her departure from the Mersey not many months ago. At that time our Post Office and Admiralty authorities, with a view of cloaking their blunder« with respect to the Australian Koyal Mail Steam Company, reverted to the alternative of employing sailing-ships as mail packets, and this at a rate of remuneration which, if previously afforded to the vessels of the Peninsular and Oriental, or the Ge-

neral Screw Company, would have been readily mut, whilst the duty would have been satisfactorily per-formed. This would not, however, have covered the retreat from a job, and it warf sought by the delin-quent parties, therefore, to enforce upon the public mind that postal communication by steam with the Australian colonies was, if not impracticable, at least a thing of time. It was in vain that the successful voyages of the Chusan, the Hellespont, the Argo, and the Harbinger were referred to. The Melbourne, the Australian, the Adelaide, and the Sydney were quoted on the other side, as if their failures were not known in the quarters where they were attempted to be justified, as arising from premature anangeraents, imperfect appliances, and an entire absence of piac ticil experience in the management.

At this conjuncture the Golden Ago appeared in our barbour, and just at the period when we believed the first of the sailing line of mail packets was about to be dispatched, with a bonus of £1000 for the con-veyance of her letters to Australia within eighty-five days. To be suie, the Golden Age was an American,

whilst the Matilda Wattenbach at least hailed from a British port, but still it was thought, ceteres paribm, that the high prestige of the former, coupled with the fact (bat she was a steamer, might have induced the Postmaster General to feel that the Australian letters might be conveyed with some acceleration of speed by the latter vessel; and under this view it was expected that she would have been engaged for the carriage of a supplemental mail, with a pioportionate remuneration. This, however, was a stretch of libe-rality beyond the stomach of officials, who already stood committed to an arrangement, bon ever foolish and inefficient, and the seal of the Post Office was accordingly denied to the letter-bags of the Golden Age, whilst the British public became dependant «pen the generosity of the commander of the vesnel, wso spontaneously offered to carry tho letteis gra-tuitously rather than accept the paltry sum which wouM bave been available under the Post Office regu-

lation.

And now, as if toenmplcte our humiliation, we are again indebted to the Golden Age as the bearer of the latest intelligence from the Australian Colonies. This vessel has been tho first to make a voyage demonstra-tive of the route between the colonies on the east ernst of New Holland and the west coast of America ; and although in the effort it would appear she had to contend with imperfect arrangements for coaling, and other impediments incidental to an untried enterprise, ?he has been enabled, we leam, to accomplish her voyage across the Southern Pacific in the shortest period yet known. It is enough that, after six days' delay in coaling at Fapeitè, and other stoppages, she reached Panama in sufficient time to accomplish the delivery of her mails in London via the Isthmus and the West India line in 67 days, although at an expense which we apprehend must deter her owners from fur therexperimental trips of the same description, however they may tend to exhibit their energy and public spirit. We confess that, having long desired to see postal communication with England and Australia esta-blished by way of Panama, as a route at once the .hortest,easiest, and most direct, we have suffered no little disappointment that the question of expense should thus bp likely to prevail in suspending an undertaking so well begun; but the conviction is forced upon us that, although the intercourse between the Australian ports and loose of, Western America might be maintained at less cost by screw-steamers, the present price of ooah) in all paru of the world, and more especially the rates paid by the Golden Age, must, for some time to come, preclude the pos aibiHty of saecessral adventure in the same field. If, ander such circumstances, the General Screw Steam Navigation Company sustain their footing in their bi monthly line from Southampton to Sydney, we are bound to give them the merit of admirable

management, combined with a successful economy

of their resources.

The.J ¿cawood*, from London, has experienced ye*j heavy weather since leaving the Cape of Good dope. Her crew bavo been in a state of mutiny during the latter part of the voyage, refusing to obey the captain's orders, and thereby imperilling the safety of the ship. On one occasion recently, in consequence of their refusing to obey the captain's orders to reduce sail, the topsails were blown to rib-bons. The greater portion of the crew were given into custody on the vessel arriving in port The lockwoods brings about 1000 tons of coal for the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company,