THE PANAMA ROUTE.

Southland Times, Volume 3, Issue 102, 16 October 1863, Page 6

THE PANAMA ROUTE.

(trom the Lyttcllton Times, October 6 ) When ihe English Government definitively refused to assist in subsidising a line of mail steamers to New Zealand and Australia, via Panama, the promoters of such a line in England by no means abandoned the hope of accomplishing their object. The fact that New Sou- h Wales and New Zeal md together off< r eighty thousand pounds a year to any company prepared to undertake the contract, is sufficient to show that the public: on this side of the world is in earnest. AUhough the English Government has at present refused to recognise the claim oi tie Imperial Treasury, yet their are many leading men in the city who are sufficiently interested in the question not to let it. drop without making' an effoit. In a letter which we publish to-d.iy, Mr Hamilton reminds us that in the northern hemisphere there are other interests besides those of England which are concerned in the establishment of a Panam i r »ute. It would, indeed be hard to show any part of the civilised world 'hat is not interested in opening up a totally new route from the old wo: Id to lhe newest and wealthiest colones inhabited by men of European origin. Even in time of peace, a dependence on one line of steamers, or one route, is 100 injurious to commerce to be long tolerated. In iho event of a European war it might lie the cause of ou being reduced agnin to awaiting (he uncertain arrival of sailing yes e!s, via the Cape of Good Hope, for our let ers and European news. But, apivt from the ■ hnces of war, the injury done in by the virtual monopoly a ( present enjoyed by the Peninsular artrl Oriental Company is very great. The comparative punctually of the steamers owned by that wellnvinaged company is such an improvement upon the time kept by former contrac'ors, fiat we have been somewhat inclined of late to close our eyes to the helplessness of our position. The agitation raised by Ne.v Zealand and New South Wales for the adoption of ihe route via Panama h-is so far clone good service already, that it has drawn attention to the bad bar^iaii we have boen obliged to make with the Peninsular and Oriental Company, while it has compelled that company (o come forward with an offer to improve the service, for a comparatively small increase to the subsidy they now receive. Victoria opposed the adoption of ilu Panama lloate. That colony ought to remember hereafter that tie fonn'ehtly servic.- 1 via i-uuz, now promised, is due to the mere agitation in favor of a rival route. If the prospect <»f com petition doss so inudi for us how much for us, how much more may we not expect when a line of steamers running on a calmer and easier cou.-se is actively com pating with the I'eninsulr.r and Orient 11 Company's packets ? Looking only at the prospects h.-M out by the traffic between En « land and the Colonies, there is every encourii«ement for a company to start n line of mail steamers was Panama for a moderate subsidy. No doubt a very considerable-quantity of Australian and New Zea'and gold would be se:it to London by that route it' once opened, and a considerable amount ( f paying traffic in light »cods would spring up with the increasing facilities offered, and the increasing wealth of the colonies The passenger traffic would be almost menopolised by lha new line. The tariff if charges on the t. and 0. steamers is almost prohibitive for families; indeed it was intended to be so, as there is not sufficient accommodation from Ceylon to England for the Indian passengers alone. Hesid-j.s this, even if the faros were the s?a«e by either line, the Panama route would ge; the preference, as a great part of the journey would be through waters almost always calm, whereas a great part of the Suez route U very stormy and unpleasuii. The connection of Australasia by a regular postal route with the West Indies and the two Americas, would alone develop n "w intc e^s of the greatest importance to the progress of lhe colonies and to the advantage of the woild. Nor will the line when adopted stop there The Pacific <!cean will soon be traversed by branch li:ies, counertiiig the New "World with the the oldest empires of the East, und a new future will be opened up for the South Sea Island--, such as is not yet dreamt of even by the most sanguine. The Emperor of the French is ns likely to appreciate all tho consequences of enterprise in this direction as any man living, and he i.s always ready to encourage his subjects to grasp at new fields of commercial action. Mr Hamilton has not over-rated the probability that an Anglo-French Company, subsidised partly lry ihe colonies and partly by the French Emperor, might effect n~ eoiution of the problem which has not been 3d worked out. The suggestion is worthy of consideration, and we trust that it will be taken up in influential quarters. We are not of tlio.se who hold that mercantile enterprise in these seas on the part of the French, or any other civilised nation, would injure Baitish interests. Such protective notions are happily at a discount in our day. His Imperial Majesty has shown an anxiety for encouraging French enterprise in the South Seas, an anxiety which has led to undertakings not always justifiable. He would gladly seize an opportunity left open by the English Government, to give vent To the legitimate aspirations of enterprising French merchants. "What better motive for fresh enterprise could he wish than that of opening seas, hitherto out of the ordinary track of commeics — what better sequel to the commercial treaty with England than the formation of a great AngloFrench Company, destined to play an important part in the civilisation" of the world ?