INTEODUCTION. Vll 



took it to sea, they tried it, and to their surprise and delight 

 they found that, with the knowledge it afforded, the remote 

 corners of the earth were brought closer together, in some 

 instances, by many days' sail. The passage hence to the equator 

 alone was shortened ten daj^s. Before the commencement of this 

 undertaking, the average passage to California was 183 days ; 

 but with these charts for their guide, navigators have reduced 

 that average, and brought it down to 135 days. 



Between England and Australia, the average time going, with- 

 out these charts, is ascertained to be 124 days, and coming, about 

 the same ; making the round voyage one of about 250 days on 

 the average. 



These charts, and the system of research to which they have 

 given rise, bid fair to bring that colony and the mother country 

 nearer by many days, reducing in no small measure the average 

 duration of the round voyage.* 



At the meeting of the British Association of 1853, it was stated 

 by a distinguished member — and the statement was again repeated 

 at its meeting in 1854 — that in Bombay, whence he came, it was 

 estimated that this system of research, if extended to the Indian 

 Ocean, and embodied in a set of charts for that sea, such as I 

 have been describing, would produce an annual saving to British 

 commerce, in those waters alone, of one or two millions of 

 dollars ;t and in all seas, of ten millions.^ 



* The outward passage, it has since been ascertained, has been reduced to 

 97 days on tlie average, and the homeward passage has been made in 63 under 

 canvas alone. 



t See Inaugural Address of the Earl of Harrowby, President of the British 

 Association at its 24th meeting. Liveipool, 1854. 



+ . . . " Now let us make a calculation of the annual saving to the commerce 

 of the United States effected by those charts and sailing directions. According 

 to Mr. Maury, tlie average freight from the United States to Eio Janeiro is 

 17*7 cts. per ton per day ; to Australia, 20 cts. ; to California, also, about 20 cts. 

 The mean of this is a little over 19 cts. per ton per day ; but to be within tlie 

 mark, we will take it. at 15, and include all the ports of South America, China, 

 and the East Indies. 



" The sailing directions have shortened the passages to California 30 days, 

 to Australia 20, to Rio Janeiro 10. The mean of this is 20, but we will take 

 it at 15, and also include the above-named ports of South America, China, and 

 tlie East Indies. 



" We estimate the tonnage of the United States engaged in trade with these 

 places at 1,000,000 tons per annum. 



" With these data we see that there has been effected a saving for each one 

 of these tons of 15 cents per day for a period of 15 days, which will give an 



