From March 9th to March 31st, from the parallel of 48° south in the Pacific to 35° south in the Atlantic, during an interval of twenty-two days, that ship made 29° of latitude and 126° of longitude; her shortest day's run during the interval-determined by calculation, not by the log-being one hundred and fifty knots, The wind all this time is not recorded once with easting in it. It was steady and fresh from the westward.

In these twenty-two days that ship made 5,391 nautical miles. But that you may the more conveniently contrast her performance with that of railroad cars and river steamers, I will quote her in statute miles.

Here, then, is a ship under canvas, and with the winds alone as a propelling power, and with a crew, too, so short, the captain informs me, that she was but half manned, accomplishing in twenty-two days the enormous run of 6,245 miles, (onefourth the distance round the earth,) and making the daily average of two hundred and eighty-three statute miles and nine-tenths, (283.9.) During eleven of these days consecutively her daily average was 354 statute miles, and during four days, also consecutively, she averaged as high as 3984 statute miles.

From noon of one to the noon of the next day, the greatest distance made was 362 knots, or 419 miles; and the greatest rate reported by the captain is 18 knots, or 21 statute miles, the hour. This is pretty fair railroad speed.

The greatest distance ever before performed from noon to noon, on the ocean, was 374 knots, (433 statute miles,) by the clipper-ship Flying Cloud, in her celebrated passage of 99 days and 21 hours to San Francisco, in 1851, and which yet stands unequalled. I say, from noon to noon, because from noon to noon was not, with either of these ships, the exact measure of twenty-four hours.

The Flying Cloud was going to the northward and westward, and on the day of her great run she made 4 deg. 46 min. of longitude, which in time is 19 min. 4 sec.; that is, her noon to noon for that day was 24 hours 19 min. 4 sec.

On the other hand, the Sovereign of the Seas was steering to the eastward, and on the day of her great run she made 8 deg. 44 min. of longitude, which in time is 34 min. 56 sec.; that is, her noon to noon for that day was only 23 hours 25 min. 4 sec. longitude.

Thus the Flying Cloud's run in 24 hours 19 min. 4 sec. was 4331 statute miles, and the other 419 in 23 hours 25 min. 4 sec.

Reducing these runs each to the performance pro rata, according to the log, for 24 hours, we have for the former ship 427.5 against 427.6 by the latter; that is, the best 24 consecutive hours' run by the Sovereign of the Seas exceeds the best consecutive 24 hours of the Flying Cloud only by one-tenth part of a mile.

These two ships are certainly par nobile, but the great day's performance of each does not prove the Sovereign of the Seas to be a faster ship than the Flying Cloud.

The Sovereign of the Seas had in her favor that long rolling swell from the westward that is peculiar to high southern latitudes, and which helped mightily to heave her along. All seamen who have doubled Cape Horn know what it is, and I need not describe it.

It is true the Flying Cloud, on her great day, had during the "latter part strong gales and high seas running," still those high seas were not like that long rolling Cape Horn swell that comes from the westward with such a heaving force, and which had been chasing the Sovereign of the Seas steadily for ten days.

On the other hand, it may be urged in favor of the latter that she was short-handed, with foretopmast disabled, and jury topgallantmast. Her abstract log, it should also be mentioned, says nothing as to the force of the wind, the heave of the sea, or the sails set; while that of the Flying Cloud is quite full upon these points.

Though I am unwilling therefore to decide against the Flying Cloud as to the greatest day's run ever made, it is clear that her competitor has borne off the palm as to the length of time for which she has kept up her great speed. Her log stops March 3d, latitude 33 deg. 16 min. north, 432 nautical miles in a straight line from Sandy Hook.

Taking it, therefore, for the seventy-nine days for which she gives it, and stating the distance by straight line from her place at noon of one day to the noon of the next, it appears that her daily average was 222.7 statute miles, making the whole distance sailed during the interval to be 17,597 statute miles; which gives for canvas the remarkable achievement of accomplishing a distance more than two-thirds of that which it requires to encircle the earth, at the average rate of nine miles and upwards the hour for 1,896 consecutive hours.

She

As I write this, the abstract of another ship, the Comet, E. C. Gardiner, from San Francisco to New York, is received. She, too, has made an extraordinary run. made the passage in 833 days, sailing during the interval 17,496 statute miles, and averaging 210 miles a day. She, however, except merely by doubling Cape Horn, did not run through the region of the trade-like winds and heaving swells of the South Pacific, which favored the Sovereign of the Seas to such an extent, and therefore no fair comparison can be made as to the relative sailing qualities of these two ships. There is another circumstance, however, connected with this voyage of the Sovereign of the Seas which is worthy of attention, for it is significant, and a fact illustrative of the revolutions in the way or business which are being quietly wrought by the time-saving devices of the age.

This splendid ship, after unloading her cargo in California, was sent to glean after our whalemen, and she came home with oil gathered from them at the Sandwich Islands.

This adventurous class of our fellow citizens resort there in such numbers, that the fees annually paid by the goverment for the relief of the sick and disabled seamen there amount to upwards of $50,000.

Now, if the Pacific Railway were built, the thousands of American seamen and the fleets of American whaleships that annually resort to those islands for refreshment and repairs, would resort to California. There they would be in their own country, the oil would probably be sent home on railway instead of by clipper ships, and all the advantage of refitting so many ships, of treating and recruiting so many men, would insure to the benefit of our own citizens. Respectfully,

Hon. JAS. C. DOBBIN, Secretary of the Navy, Wash.

M. F. MAURY, Lieutenant U. S. N.

NARRAGUAGUS LIGHT-HOUSE.

A fixed white light to Narraguagus Bay, on the southeast point of Pond Island, Me., will be exhibited for the first time at sunset on Monday, 18th inst., and every night thereafter, from sunset to sunrise.

The light is above the center of the keeper's dwelling, and its center is 29 feet feet above the ground, and 56 feet above mean low water mark. It should be visible in ordinary states of the atmosphere about 12 nautical miles from the deck of a vessel 10 feet above water. The keeper's dwelling, lantern tower, and dome of the lantern are painted red.

The illuminating apparatus consists of 7 fixed parabolic reflectors and argand lamps. Compass Bearings-From Petit Meuan light house N. E. by N., distant 7 miles. From Nash's Island light house, W. & N., distant 6 miles.

From Narraguagus light, Strout's Folly Rock bears S. E. by E. E., distant 6 miles. East point of Black Ledge bears S. S. E. & E., distant 14 miles.

S. W. point Jordan's Delight, bears S, distant & mile.

S. W. point of Tratton's Island N. 4 E., distant 14 miles.

By order of the Light House Board.

PORTLAND, ME., March 7th, 1853.

W. B. FRANKLIN, Lieut. U. S. Topographical Engineers,
Lighthouse Inspector, 1st District.

REGULATIONS AT ELSINORE.

Rainals, Deacon & Co., writing from Elsinore, under date of March 30th, 1853, give the following statement with which captains should be furnished, from port of shipment, to avoid delay at Elsinore:

Two sets of bills of lading, when bound to Russia; and whenever the same contain any marks or numbers in the margin, the master of the vessel should sign his name under the same, as well as in the usual place. From the United States of America: Bill of registry, manifest and bills of lading; when laden with cotton for Russia, the master should be supplied with a certificate, authenticated by the Danish Consul, setting forth that such cotton is the growth of the United States; or if it be Brazilian or other cotton, it should be stated that it has been duly landed in a port of the United States; and not shipped direct from a vessel from a foreign port. From the Island of Cuba: Bill of registry, manifest, custom-house passports, bills of lading, and when. ever a clean bill of health can be obtained from the Danish Consul, such should be

taken. From any port in Europe, (laden with cotton for Russia)-a certificate duly authenticated before the Danish Consul, stating that such cotton is not the growth of the Levant, and has undergone quarantine, according to the rules of the place of shipment. If not supplied with such a certificate, a vessel would be liable to quarantine, and, in some cases, have her entire cargo discharged; besides said certificate are required, in all cases, bills of registry, manifest, cocket and bills of lading; from France, Holland, Belgium, Portugal and Hamburg, also outward clearances; from Holland and Belgium, further Prussian consular certificate when a vessel is bound to Prussia. A vessel in ballast should be provided with a document from the custom-house at the place from which she departed, stating the name of the port she belongs to, as also that she is in ballast; if the word "ballast" be left out, the vessel is liable to a fine.

RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.

THE RADIAL RAILROAD LINES OF CINCINNATI,

The Railroad Record, published at Cincinnati, furnishes the following interesting statements touching the railroads that radiate from that city. The great question of commercial interest, says the Record, in cities, as connected with artificial communica tions, is, how far do the artificial lines of locomotion extend the radii of Commerce! The answer must, adds the Record, of course, be given in reference to time and cost :

The diminution of time diminishes interest on capital, and diminishes also the amount of capital needed, by literally converting the "slow shilling into the nimble penny." The diminution of cost on carriage diminishes the whole cost, or rather increases the margin for profits. If, judged by time and cost, the radii of Commerce are extended, then Commerce itself, (other things being equal,) is extended in the same proportion. If, from the limits of a country, the radial lines of a town can be extended to a State; if from a State to a number of States; and if from States to the continent; and from the continent round the earth; that city and its Commerce will be extended in like proportion. Paris is the commercial metropolis of France; but London is the commercial metropolis of the world. It is the number and length of its radial lines which makes London the center of Commerce. Of itself, London is but the largest town of a small country, but in Commerce, it is the center of the earth. Calcutta and Canton, Paris and Petersburg, New York and Naples, alike look there to ascertain the standard prices, the condition of funds, and whatever influences the commercial tides. It is not that London determines these results itself, but it is the heart whence every pulse beat in the extremities is felt and known.

Cincinnati is naturally better located for a great town than London; but its commercial power will not depend on its location, but on the number and length of its commercial radii. We pretend not to say what these will be; but it is absolutely certain that every canal, railway, and turnpike yet made have, in fact, extended our commercial limits, and enabled the merchants of Cincinnati to compete with those of New York and Boston, hundreds of miles beyond their utmost boundary, twenty years since.

It might have been assumed, with a great deal of plausibility, prior to the construction of the Miami Canal and the Cleveland Railway, that these works would, in some articles, have diminished the extent of Cincinnati trade in that direction, by facilitating the competition of New York merchants. It has done no such thing, but quite the contrary. These very works have contributed greatly to the extension of Cincinnati Commerce. If this be so, how much greater will be the advantage of railways to the South and West? For there Cincinnati will be nearest geographically, and nearest by affinity.

As an example of the effect of railways in increasing the number and extent of radial lines to a central city like Cincinnati, we will present two tables. The first will be right line distances from Cincinnati to the principal commercial and geographical positions in the Valley of the Mississippi, as compared with the right line distances from the same points to New York. The second table will represent the dis

tances from the same points to Cincinnati, by railway time, as compared with New York.

360 Independence...

550

N. Y. 1,115

Pittsburg

250

330 Paducah

Of the above twenty-six principal places of Commerce in the Mississippi Valley, sixteen are less than one-half the distance from Cincinnati that they are from New York. Of the remainder, eight are less than three-fourths the distance of New York; and one only (Buffalo) is farther from Cincinnati than from New York. Railways cannot go on straight lines exactly, but they will approximate these lines as near as possible, and the final distances will be in these proportions.

It follows then, inevitably, that to the entire valley of the Mississippi, Cincinnati, (other things being equal,) has greatly the commercial advantage over New York in

its radial extension.

It may be said that Cincinnati must import through New York. This is a great mistake. There is, as we shall hereafter prove, a very large importation direct into Cincinnati, and this will rapidly increase. Nor is that all. if Cincinnati be nearer Charleston than New York she may import there; and finally, the class of imported foreign goods sold here is small compared with those of domestic produce and manufactures. When therefore, the radial lines of Cincinnati become, as they will in four or five years, railways, the power of distribution in Cincinnati will be quadrupled as compared with New York, or any other place on the eastern Atlantic. Allowing the railway lines to be 25 per cent longer than the straight lines, and the time of freight trains to be 16 per hour, we have the following results, as between Cincinnati and New York:

It will be observed that the same practical differences, in point of time, are still maintained, and that for all places west of Erie and Pittsburg, it is impossible for New York to compete with Cincinnati in the power of distributing the articles of traffic. For all the country west and south of Cincinnati this place is nearer by five hundred miles than New York. It follows, therefore, that for these places Cincinnati will become the distributor of products, except those which must be brought from the Atlantic. Cincinnati will be the distributor, west and south, for all the following articles, (south, we mean the dividing line between the southern Atlantic and the Ohio,) viz: hardware, crockery, groceries, American manufactures, machinery, iron, and all ́agricultural products.

It is this simple fact of the shortness of its radial lines which, in three years, has

doubled the Commerce of Cincinnati, and in five years more will double it again, and seriously diminish the relative proportion of Atlantic trade in the West.

This result is inevitable, and within ten years there will be a great commercial revolution in the trade of the West, the result of which will be to concentrate in Cincinnati four-fifths of the commercial traffic, which has heretofore been done for the central West in the Atlantic cities.

The radial lines, which are exclusively those of Cincinnati, extend from within fifty miles of the lake to the Tennessee River, and from the Wabash to the foot of the Alleghanies. This space comprehends two hundred thousand square miles, and will, in a few years, contain ten millions of people-half the present white population of the United States. Within twenty years Cincinnati will probably have its half million of inhabitants, and be where New York now is. This will be the result of the centralization of internal Commerce, as the growth of New York has been the result of foreign commerce.

PROGRESS OF THE RAILROAD MOVEMENT IN CANADA.

And

The progress now being made to cast a net work of railways over every part of British America, has induced us to note the following list from the propositions now before the public, for the construction of lines in Canada. Numbers 2, 4, 11, 13, 18, 19, are under contract, Charters have been granted for numbers 3, 17, and 28. acts of incorporation are now before Parliament for numbers 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 23, and 26. These roads do not include the northern line, from Toronto to Lake Huron via Barrie, now more than half finished, nor the line from Toronto to Guelph, also in rapid progress to completion. The progress of Upper Canada in railway enterprise is almost without precedent, and in a few years will render the country one of the finest and most productive in the world.

1 and 2 Across the St. Lawrence at Cape Rouge and at Montreal.

3 Port Hope and Peterborough, 4 Coburg to Peterborough.

5 Quebec to Montreal, via north shore. 6 Megantic Junction (and canal.)

7 Quebec via Montreal, Bytown, and Peterborough, to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron.

8 Lake Huron to Vandereuil.

9 Quebec via Perth, Hawkesbury, and Peterborough, to Lake Huron.

10 Brantford to Amhurstburg, via St.

Thomas.

11 Quebec to Trois Pistoles.

12 Brockville to Ottawa.

14 Montreal, Bytown, and Ottawa.
15 Barrie to Lake Huron.
16 Goderich to Port Sarnia.
17 Toronto to Hamilton.
18 Guelph to Goderich.
19 Brantford to Goderich.
20 London to Port Sarnia.

21 Guelph to Owen's Sound, to Sangreen.
22 Toronto to ditto.

23 Niagara to Fort Erie.

24 Port Dalhousie to Fort Erie.
25 Galt to Paris.

26 Galt to Guelph.

27 Toronto, via Peterborough and Belleville to Kingston.

28 Hamilton to Niagara Falls.

13 Grand Trunk, or Montreal to Toronto, 29 Hamilton to Port Dover. via Kingston.

30 Whitney to Sturgeon Bay.

FREIGHTS ON THE CANALS AND RAILROADS OF NEW YORK.

A writer in the Albany Argus endeavors to show that the Central and Southern line of railroads in the State of New York have diverted but a small amount of freight from the canals, and that, in most instances, such freight could not be carried on the canal, or if so carried, would be liable to great loss of weight, quality, or value, while undergoing transportation. The writer states, that in 1852 the canal tonnage was 3,863,441, and the railroad tonnage was about 300,000, or as 13 to 1. The amount which was delivered at the Hudson River by the Erie Canal was 1,644,699 tons, and by railroad was 140,401 tons, or as 12 to 1. The average distance of the movement of the freight on the Erie Canal was 183 miles, while that on the railroad was only 52 miles. Of the tonnage arriving at tide water, over eleven hundred thousand tons was from Western States, all of which was through freight, while the through freight on the railroad from Buffalo to Albany was less than twenty thousand tons, or 60 to 1. The whole quantity of freight carried from intermediate places, to and from Buffalo and Albany, by railroad, was 114,512 tons, and from Albany and the intermediate