Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress with the Annual Message of the President, December 2, 1872, Part I
No. 113.
Mr. Wing to Mr. Fish.
Quito, Ecuador, December 22, 1871. (Received Feb. 3, 1872.)
Sir: From a late Panama Star and Herald, December 10, 1871, I extract the inclosed articles, (1, 2, 3, and 4,) for consideration of the Department, and also (5) from the European Mail of November 17, 1871. They are interesting, and bear directly upon a subject to which I have referred frequently and persistently since my arrival in Ecuador.
I place but small credit, however, in the “opinion of a Guayaquil merchant,” (4,) and believe that Ecuador (and not only Ecuador but the whole Pacific coast) will patronize the line offering the most liberal inducements. Success, however, of a permanent nature, over the English line on this coast, can only be secured by an American line, in my judgment. I hope to see the commercial flag of our country flying at the front of a steam marine on the whole Pacific sea-board, in the event of General Grant’s re-election, which I regard as a foregone conclusion.
I have, &c,
Steam-navigation between Great Britain and South America.
Steam-navigation to South America has corresponded with the development of commerce. It is not many years since that even tug-steamers were unknown in Brazilian ports, and ships were towed out to sea by boats. An effort was made to maintain a regular steam-communication with Rio de Janeiro by the ships of the General Screw Company, but the enterprise failed. The subsidized ships of the Royal Mail Company were more successful. The past few years, however, has witnessed a great extension of steam in that direction. British Guiana is a district of the South American Continent, but is usually classed in the West Indian ports. We may, therefore, in noticing the employment of steam tonnage in South America, omit all ports below Demerara, having already referred to the West India trades. The northern Brazilian ports of Para, Maranham, and Ceara are now served by the Booth line, from Liverpool, with four vessels of 3,898 tons, and by four ships of the Red Cross line, of 5,370 tons. Steamers are also dispatched by Messrs. Harrison to Pernambuco. To Rio de Janeiro and the River Plate, instead of only one line, as formerly, we have several competing fleets of steamships. From London the Ryde line, consisting of four ships of 6,415 tons, touching at Antwerp, go on to Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Ayres. The Royal Mail Company’s ships sustain a monthly service from Southampton to the same ports, and these are supplemented by those from the Mersey. We find by the Mercantile Navy List that the Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Company own eighteen steamships of 24,606 tons, and a new fleet has been constructed, or is building, for the River Parana Steamship Company, whose vessels call at Bordeaux en route to Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, and Rosario. Messrs. Lamport & Holt also send ships of the Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Company from London via Antwerp to Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and the River Plate, on the 12th of every month; but the Pacific Steam Navigation Company are the largest employers of steam-vessels to South America. The Pacific Company possess twenty-seven vessels of 36,992 tons register, and advertise a fortnightly line from Liverpool, calling at Bordeaux and Lisbon, for Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, through the Straits of Magellan, for Arica, Islay, and Callao, in connection with their vessels on the South Pacific coast. Taking the vessels of the Pacific Company as a link of those from this country, there are now seventy-one steamships under the British flag either plying from the United Kingdom to South America or along the coasts of the Pacific northward to Panama, registering 96,995 tons. Large as this tonnage may appear when considered in relation to the infancy of steam navigation, it is certain to be augmented in a few months, and in 1872 the aggregate will exceed 100,000 tons. Deducting the coasting steamers on the Pacific, this will leave about 80,000 tons for direct ocean transit to the Brazils, the River Plate, and round to the southern ports.
Nearly all the cotton, sugar, coffee, tobacco, and other produce of the States of South [Page 170] America are, therefore, likely to find their way to England, France, and Belgium by steam-vessels.
To judge whether remunerative employment can he found for all this steam-tonnage, we have to look to the imports and exports. The declared real value of British and Irish produce exported from the United Kingdom to the following States is thus given in the Parliamentary reports:
| Countries. | 1860. | 1870. |
| Ecuador | £74,149 | £57,011 |
| Brazil | 4,446,776 | 5,358,140 |
| Uruguay | 922,733 | 829,525 |
| Argentine Confederation | 1,782,447 | 2,353,676 |
| Chili | 1,702,800 | 2,680,792 |
| Peru | 1,381,337 | 1,766,128 |
| Total | 10,310,242 | 13,025,272 |
In ten years, therefore, the value of British and Irish produce exported to these countries, had increased £2,715,030. As compared with 1866 the exports to Brazil fell off by nearly two millions sterling, but that was an exceptional year. The exports of foreign and colonial produce from ports in the United Kingdom were as follows:
| Countries. | 1860. | 1870. |
| Ecuador | £2,122 | £1,653 |
| Brazil | 124,532 | 155,411 |
| Uruguay | 21,269 | 46,691 |
| Argentine Confederation | 38,488 | 60,725 |
| Chili | 35,129 | 54,438 |
| Peru | 46,815 | 48,193 |
| Total | 268,355 | 362,111 |
These figures show that the exports of foreign and colonial produce from the United Kingdom increased £93,756 in the ten years. The estimates here given, however, are not complete without taking into account the value of foreign merchandise imported into ports of the United Kingdom in transit. The transshipments to Chili and Brazil were:
| 1860 | 1870. | |
| Chili | £58,351 | £453,832 |
| Brazil | 3,268 | 96,187 |
| Total | 61,619 | 550,019 |
Merchandise imported from abroad to be forwarded to foreign states increased to Chili and Brazil to about half a million sterling. The enhanced value of the goods conveyed from the United Kingdom in the ten years was £3,297,186.
The declared value of imports, therefore, was greater in 1870 by £6,956,437 than in 1860. Allowing for transshipments, classed under the head of “other countries” in the customs returns, some of which, no doubt, appertain to South America, we may estimate the average increase, in exports and imports together, at a million and a quarter sterling per annum. As the trade and navigation returns exhibit a decrease in British sailing tonnage to Brazil, the River Plate, Chili, and Peru, we find that this is fully compensated for by the increase of steam navigation with those States.
Steamers launched for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company.
Messrs. John Elder & Co., Glasgow, have launched an iron screw-steamer, named Cuzca, of 3,850 tons register and 550 horse-power, nominal, for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool. The Cuzca is designed specially for that company’s fortnightly service between Liverpool and Valparaiso, via the Straits of Magellan.
[Page 171]Her dimensions are: Length, between perpendiculars,—feet, breadth 41 feet, depth 36f feet. All modern improvements are introduced. She has accommodation for one hundred and forty first-class, forty second-class, and eight hundred third-class passengers, and is divided into seven water-tight compartments. Engines are supplied by her builders on the compound principle.
Messrs; Laird Brothers, of Birkenhead, have launched a fine screw-steamer for the same company, named the Eten. Her dimensions are as follows: Length, between perpendiculars, 280 feet, beam 38 feet, depth in hold 21½ feet, tonnage, board-measure, 1,975 tons. The Eten is also intended for the company’s service on the west coast of South America, and is therefore fitted with special requirements. She has an extensive arrangement of deck-houses, in similar style to those previously built by Messrs. Laird Brothers for this company. Engines on the compound principle, having iron cylinders, the high pressure one being 45 inches in diameter and the low pressure one 78 inches, with a stroke of feet. The screw is on Griffith’s principle and has four blades. There are two boilers of large size for the power of the engines, which are fired from each end, and these are intended to be worked at 60 pounds pressure. The vessel has accommodation for fifty or sixty first-class passengers and thirty second-class, and the forepart of the between-decks is fitted for carrying cattle. The Eten will be rigged with three pole masts, and she has a complete arrangement of steam winches, derricks, &c, for working the cargo. She is fitted with side hatches, and in all respects the vessel is a model of what a vessel should be when intended for such service. The midship part of the ship is supplied with the double-bottom principle, so that it can be used as a ballast-tank if required.—European Mail.
The long-talked-of French line of steamers in the Pacific is likely now to be realized. Monsieur D’Aleman, as agent of the French Transatlantic Company, went south by last steamer to make all preliminary arrangements for the establishment of the line between Valparaiso and Panama. The four vessels destined to be put on this route are all magnificent ships, of which we had a specimen the other day in the Ville de Bordeaux, at Aspinwall. We also learn, though not officially, that the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, in view of this opposition, will replace their present small and old ships now on the mail-service to Panama by an, equal number of their best new steamers, the better to control the coast business between” here and Valparaiso. The first French steamer was announced to leave France for its station on the coast in January next, so that the new line will likely be inaugurated in a few months hence.
We are assured by a very responsible merchant of Guayaquil, that the statement made in our last issue that the leading merchants of that city had compromised themselves to give all their business to the new French line in preference to the English company, is not correct, and that no such compromise has been made. We received our information from what we considered a perfectly reliable source, and now gladly make this correction as requested.
Steam navigation to South America has corresponded with the development of commerce. It is not many years since, a contemporary says, that even tug-steamers were unknown in the Brazilian ports, and ships were towed out to sea by boats. An effort was made to maintain a regular steam communication with Rio de Janeiro by the ships of the General Screw Company, but the enterprise failed. The subsidized ships of the Royal Mail Company were more successful. The past few years, however, has witnessed a great extension of steam in that direction. British Guiana is a district of the South American continent, but is usually classed in the West Indian ports. We may, therefore, in noticing the employment of steam-tonnage in South America, omit all ports below Demerara. The northern Brazilian ports of Para, Maranham, and Ceara are now served by the Booth line, from Liverpool, with four vessels of 3,898 tons, and by four ships of the Red Cross line, of 5,730 tons. Steamers are also dispatched by Messrs. Harrison to Pernambuco. To Rio de Janeiro and the River Plate, [Page 172] instead of only one line, as formerly, we have several competing fleets of steamships. From London, the Ryde line, consisting of four ships of 6,415 tons, touching at Antwerp, go on to Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Ayres. The Royal Mail Company’s ships sustain a monthly service from Southampton to the same ports, and these are supplemented by those from the Mersey. We find by the Mercantile Navy List that the Liverpool, Brazil, and River Plate Company own eighteen steamships, of 24,606 tons; and a new fleet has been constructed, or is building, for the River Parana Steamship Company, whose vessels call at Bordeaux, en route to Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, and Rosario. Messrs. Lamport & Holt also send ships of the Liverpool, Brazil, and River Plate Company from London, via Antwerp, to Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and the river Plate on the 12th of every month; but the Pacific Steam Navigation Company are the largest employers of steam-vessels to South America. The Pacific Company possesses twenty-seven vessels, of 36,992 tons register, and advertise a fortnightly line from Liverpool, calling at Bordeaux and Lisbon, for Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, through the Straits of Magellan, for Arica, May, and Callao, in connection with their vessels on the South Pacific coast. Taking the vessels of the Pacific Company as a link of those from this country, there are now seventy-one steamships under the British flag either plying from the United Kingdom to South America, or along the coasts of the Pacific, northward to Panama, registering 96,995 tons. Large as this tonnage may appear when considered in relation to the infancy of steam navigation, it is certain to be augmented in a few months, and in 1872 the aggregate will exceed 100,000 tons. Deducting the coasting steamers on the Pacific, this will leave about 80,000 tons for direct ocean transit to the Brazils, the river Plate, and round to the Southern ports. Nearly all the cotton, sugar, coffee, tobacco, and other produce of the States of South America are, therefore, likely to find their way to England, France, and Belgium by steam-vessels.—European Mail.