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believe that in such voyages it has ever been adopted, except by Captain 

 Reed, of the " Iowa," in a late voyage. The success of this one trial was 

 quite equal to that which I had anticipated. 



Until within a few months the principles we have explained, and which 

 have been employed with such signal success by sailing vessels, have 

 been totally rejected in navigating steamers to Australia. I had 

 promised to this Society a Paper on the best route for steamers to and 

 from Australia, but now it is unnecessary ; the "Harbinger" and "Argo" 

 have solved the problem, and I hope that in a few weeks news from the 

 Great Britain will confirm the fact. Up to within twelve months, 

 steam to Australia might be regarded as a failure ; that is, sailing 

 vessels having made the direct passage in less time than steamers, we 

 could not regard steam as a successful experiment in such voyages. 

 The causes I consider to be, first, that the commanders have been bound, 

 by contracts entered into by the directors of the companies to which their 

 ships belong, to land mails or passengers at intermediate places which, 

 on the chart, appear on the route to Australia, whilst, if they had 

 consulted the winds and the globe, they would have perceived that such 

 intermediate stations were undesirable ; and secondly, that the previous 

 experience of those in command of ocean steamers had led to a system 

 of practice unsuitable to the management of steamers bound to and 

 from Australia. 



The principle ocean steamers had made their voyages within the 

 regions of the variable winds : the consequence is, that in such cases 

 the wind is disregarded in selecting the route, and out and home these 

 steamers have been navigated by the shortest route. When the winds 

 have been favourable, the sails have been employed ; but when the wind is 

 adverse, it is steamed up against. No other 2:)ractice would be successful 

 in these regions of variable winds ; but in a voyage to Australia, in a 

 route of upwards of 13,000 miles, steam is only required for about 3000 

 miles if the tracks of our sailing vessels be adopted. But instead of 

 being guided by the winds we hear of one vessel, in steaming up against 

 the winds, reduced to the necessity of falling to leeward for coals. 

 Then, again, because by the Cape it is about 7 per cent, shorter than 

 by the Horn, they have returned as well as gone by that route. Then, 

 again, we have instances of three coaling stations out, and three coaling 

 stations home ; so that, if we allow four days for coaling, from tliis 

 cause alone twelve days on each passage has been wasted. At length 

 sailing vessels taught steamers to return by the Horn, and then the 

 clmllengc was thrown in Australian newspapers in these words — 

 "Steam-ship 'Cleopatra,' guaranteed quickest route home." "Steam 



