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Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3796, 22 March 1873, Page 3

A New Opeea Company.—A German Opera troupe were performing in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and intelligence has been received that they intend visiting Australia immediately. The troupe is spoken of as very superior to any that has visited that city, and the baritone is specially mentioned as being something marvellous. The Cape Route. —The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, Writing on Feb. 26, says;—The advocates of the proposed steam service by way of the Cape of Good Hope are of course amongst the dissentients from the resolutions of the Conference in relation to future postal services. These gentlemen have, however, certain dissentients from their own proposals, and the most prominent of them is a medical gentleman of repute in one of our suburbs (Dr Thomson), who has a great penchant for yachts. And the worthy doctor has for some time been advocating a rapid sailing service by the Cape route, to be done by yachts of large build, and suited chiefly for passengers. His suggestions were revived the other day in a lengthy paper addressed to the President of the Chamber of Commerce, and inserted in the Age. The document is an elaborate one, and contains a vast amount of useful information bearing on the question of steamers and sailing ships and their capabilities. An iron yacht of 2000 tons could, according to Dr Thomson, be made as strong as an iron braced girder, and would be less costly than the ordinary steamer, the slow, deep,_ dirty sailing ship, or the hybrid auxiliary with the Worst faults of both and the advantages of neither. If confined to the passenger trade, for which alone the ship yacht is fitted, its spacious deck would he cleared fore and aft for exercise from obstructing hencoops, cowsheds, sheep-pens, and piggeries; and the Passage might be made between this and ■England in fifty days, the quickest yet recorded passage by a steamer being fifty-three ond a half days and by a sailing vessel fiftyCjght days. Notwithstanding, however, the clever and well-sustained arguments of the Writer, carried out as they are almost to demonstration, he has at present but few disciples, and the public regards his views Only as but theory and speculation.