The Americans have an idea that they are very far a-head of us in steam navigation, a great error which I could not persuade them of. In the first place, their machinery is not by any means equal to ours; in the next, they have no sea-going steam vessels, which after all is the great desideratum of steam navigation. Even in the number and tonnage of their mercantile steam vessels they are not equal to us, as I shall presently show, nor have they yet arrived to that security in steam navigation which we have. The return of vessels belonging to the Mercantile Steam Marine of Great Britain, made by the Commissioners on the Report of steamvessel accidents in 1839, is, number of vessels, 810; tonnage, 157,840; horse power, 63,250. Mr. Levi Woodbury's Report to Congress in December, 1838, states the number of American steam vessels to be 800, and the tonnage to be 155,473; horse power, 57,019. It is but fair to state, that the Americans have the credit of having sent the first steam vesse across the Atlantic. In 1819, a steam vessel, built at New York, crossed from Savannah to Liverpool in twenty-six days. The number of sea-going steam vessels in England is two hundred and eighty-two, while in the United States they have not more than ten at the outside calculation. In the size of our vessels also we are far superior to them. I here insert a table, shewing the dimensions of our largest vessels, as given in the Report to the House of Commons, and another of the largest American vessels collected from the Report of Mr. Levi Woodbury to Congress. TABLE-shewing some of the Dimensions of the Hull and Machinery of the Five largest Ships yet built or building. Diameter of paddle-wheels. tons 1,321 1,140 2,016 1,840 1,400 horses 450 468 500 540 450 inches 73 75 77 80 73 ..feet 7 7 7 7 7 28 9 in. 28 5 in. 30 6in. 31 28 Total weight of engines, boilers, tons Total weight of coals, 20 days' Total weight of cargo Draught of water, with the above weight of stores ..... But the point on which we are so vastly superior to the Americans, is in our steam vessels of war. They have but one in the United States, named the Fulton the Second. The following is a list of those belonging to the Government of Great Britain, with their tonnage: Dasher Dee .... ...... Cyclops....1190 Lightning.. 296 .... ...... Doterel .... .... 704 Medea 835 237 Medusa.... 889 Echo...... 298 Megæra .. 717 Fearless 165 Merlin .... 889 733 Flamer 496 Monkey.... 211 .... 116 Volcano .... 306 Otter .... 809 Wildfire .... Government Steam Vessels Building. .... I trust that the above statements will satisfy the Americans that we are a-head of them in steam navigation. In consequence of their isolation, and having no means of comparison with other countries, the Americans see only their |