STEAM ROUTES FROM TORRES STRAIT TO SYDNEY.

PORT ALBANY, the spot recommended as a coaling station by the officers charged with the Torres Strait Surveys, is remarkably like New Harbour, in the neighbourhood of Singapore, both with regard to appearance and capacity. The island which forms the eastern side of the port is 3 miles long, well wooded in the valleys, with uplands consisting of open grassy downs. The harbour

is easy of access both by the northern and southern entrances, and the depth of water is sufficient to allow a steamer to be brought close alongside the shore, so that the fuel can be put on board without the aid of boats. Under these circumstances the process of coaling need not occupy much time, and when proper arrangements are made, it may safely be calculated that the steamer will be ready to pursue her voyage by daybreak of the morning after her arrival, an object of some importance if the middle passage is adopted.

There are two distinct routes between Cape York and Sydney, each of which has its advocates, even among those who have tried both routes, and therefore may be considered capable of judging as to their respective merits. One of these lies within the Great Barrier Reef, close along the Coast of Australia, and is called the "Inner passage." The other, or "Outer passage" lies through the open sea, outside the Barrier, by the track laid down in the accompanying plan. The Inner Route has the advantage in point of distance, being 200 miles shorter than the other: and the water is so smooth within the Barrier, that the speed of a steamer, at least as far as the southern tropic, is never likely to be retarded by the strength of the opposing monsoon, which will sometimes occur to a certain extent on the outer route. But on the other hand, the navigation for the first 500 miles after leaving Cape York, requires so much care and precision that it will be necessary to anchor every night, and for 300 miles further the steamers can only proceed with safety after dark when the nights are sufficiently clear to allow the land marks to be distinguished. The three or four hundred miles saved by the decrease of distance, and by the comparative smoothness of the water, will therefore be swallowed up by the delay of anchoring, long before the steamer reaches Break Sea Spit.

The first steam committee of the Sydney Legislative Council, which sat in 1846, pronounced in favor of the Inner Passage, and this decision was perfectly in accordance with the evidence that was placed before it. Ocean steam navigation was then in its infancy, and the leviathan Steam Companies which have since been called into existence were only in embryo. The colonists therefore were not without suspicion that they would have to convey the mails, at least as far as Cape York, in their own small but active steamers, which were unfitted for the outer passage, although peculiarly well adapted for the inner route.

But as

matters turned out, the decision was most unfortunate; for the colonists, instead of carrying out the recommendation of the Committee to establish a line to Singapore by the inner route through Torres Strait, which a small addition to the annual sum voted by the Council would have enabled them to do, invited the co-operation of several rival steam companies;-and as two of these were interested in establishing lines by the Cape of Good Hope and by the Isthmus of Panama, they exerted themselves in throwing discredit on the Torres Strait route by bringing prominently forward the difficulties of the Inner Route, without noticing that these might be avoided by adopting the passage outside the reefs. Disinterested parties, including the authorities of the Admiralty, who had decided in favour of the Torres Strait route when the question was brought before them, might soon have put the matter in its true light, but the apathy and indecision of the colonists, had produced a corresponding apathy in those who were not personally interested in the question. Nor would the writer of these essays, who has been occupied occasionally for some years past in acquiring a practical knowledge of the subject, have troubled himself with it now, had not the recent discovery of a valuable natural production in Australia rendered rapid communication with British India an object of national importance.

The time is not far distant when light houses, beacons, and an establishment of skilful pilots, will enable steamers to make the passage between Cape York and Sydney by the Inner Route in five days, even if no improvement in the speed of steam travelling takes place in the meantime. But in the first instance the longer and safer route outside the reefs is to be recommended.

Outer Passage from Torres Strait to Sydney.

Winds and Currents. The Easterly Trade-wind prevails throughout the year in the sea contiguous to the northeast coast of Australia. From May to September inclusive it blows generally from E. S. E. to S. S. E. strong and steady. During the remaining months of the year, the trade-wind becomes light, and draws more to the northward, sometimes blowing for several days from E. N. E. and N. E. In January, February and March, spurts of short duration from the northwest may be expected about the change of the moon, sometimes in strong gusts, but generally moderate with clear weather. The writer has already alluded to a spurt of northwest wind which he met with in the end of April 1844, in Lat. 19° about the spot marked "Noon, 16th day" in the accompanying track chart, but they rarely occur so late in the

season.

On the cast coast of Australia, between Moreton Bay and Sydney, westerly winds prevail from May to September, the winter months of the southern hemisphere. Gales are of common occurrence at this season, but as the wind blows from the land, the water is smooth, and they offer little obstruction to steam navigation. During the summer months the wind is generally from the

eastern quarter, assuming in a great degree the character of a trade-wind. In March and April, the rotatory gales which sometimes rise among the island groups of the Pacific, curve to the south between New Zealand and Australia and throw a very heavy swell on the east coast. The Sovereign, a small steamer employed in the trade between Sydney and Moreton Bay, was lost during a calm, by attempting to proceed to sea by the southern channel against the rollers caused by one of these storms, which had passed on to the southward. The beam broke, and the boat fell broadside on to the rollers, and foundered. These gales have been known to blow home on the coast, but such events are of rare occurrence. The Edward Lombe, an emigrant ship, was lost some ten or twelve years ago during one of these gales, which, from the impression left on the mind of the inhabitants, must have been the most severe ever experienced. In running for the harbour during the night when the gale was at its strength, the anchor was let go while the vessel was still between the heads; when she drifted on Middle Head, and soon went to pieces. A similar accident is not likely to occur to parties acquainted with the locality, as the entrance of Port Jackson is well lighted, and by turning to the right or left immediately after passing the heads the ship will be well sheltered in the course of a few minutes.

The currents on this coas are chiefly influenced by the tradewind. The stream from the eastward divides at Break sea spit, when one portion runs to the northwest towards Torres Strait, and the other curves to the south along the east coast until it reaches Cape Howe, when it unites with the body of water forced through Bass' Strait by the westerly winds, and runs eastward again towards the south end of New Zealand.

Steam Track. As it is not yet decided whether the steam line from Singapore to Sydney will be taken up by the large paddle-steamers of the English companies or by the new screwsteamers of the Sydney Company, the rate of speed on the track now laid down has been reduced to 8 knots per hour, since the latter class of vessel will meet with some obstruction from the long swell of the Pacific which they would not be liable to in the smoother seas of the Indian Archipelago. This is also the rate of speed which the Pacific Steam Navigation Company has tendered to maintain with small power screw-steamers during a course of 8,000 miles in the teeth of the trade-wind.

For a description of the first part of the track, from Port Albany to Raine Island, the reader is referred to the September number of this Journal. From Raine Island the course is S. E. by E. 470 miles, then S. E. 440 miles, which will lead up to Kenn's rocky islet by day break of the fifth morning after leaving the Barrier. This island may be sighted or not as convenient, but with good chronometers there will be no occasion to make it, as the last of the detached reefs will be passed before dark. Up to this point, the route will be directly in the face of the trade-wind but after passing Kenn's Rocks the course is south, when the fore

and aft sails will probably draw. All the difficulties of the passage, if they can be called such, are now over. At sunset, by which time the position of the doubtful" Australia Reef" will have been passed, a direct course may be steered S. S. W. for Cape Byron. Mount Warning, which lies to the north of the Cape, is one of the most conspicuous land-marks on the east coast of Australia.

Cape Byron

West 4 miles

:

Mount Warning

Captain Flinders, writing fifty years ago, thus describes Cape Byron "Cape Byron is small steep head, projecting about two miles from the low land, and in coming along the coast makes like an island; its latitude is 28° 38' and longitude 153° 37' or 7' east of the situation assigned to it by Captain Cook. There are three rocks on its north side; and in the direction of N. 57° W. eight or nine leagues from it, is the peaked top of a mass of mountains named by its discoverer Mount Warning; whose elevation is about 3,300 feet, and exceeds that of Mount Dromedary, or any other land I have seen on this east coast. To Mr Westall's sketch of this remarkable peak it may be added that the surrounding hills were well covered with wood, whose foliage announced a soil more fertile than usual so near the sea side.' -Flinders Voyage, vol. II p. 5.

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The country so favourably described by Flinders is now covered by the flocks of wealthy settlers, the neighbouring territory of New England being the most flourishing of the pastoral districts. The bay on the north side of Cape Byron also affords good anchorage, and is much resorted to by the coasters. It is probable that arrangements will be made for landing the mails for the Moreton Bay, New England, and Clarence districts at Cape Byron, as it may be effected by a delay of a few minutes, and no other establishment will be required than a post-master, a whaleboat's crew, and a few post riders for distributing the letters. This will enable the residents in these important districts to answer their letters by the return mail, which might not be the case if they were carried on to Sydney. The route along the coast from "Cape Byron to Sydney is perfectly clear of hidden dangers. The light on the South Head of Port Jackson, which is a red revolving light, is a sure guide for the entrance during the darkest night, and a floating light on some rocks within the harbour's mouth enables a vessel to lead up to the city.

The track laid down in the accompanying chart is that almost waiversally pursued by ships bound from the southern colonies through Torres Straits by the Middle Passage, and as the annual

number is rurely less than 60, it is scarcely possible that any unknown dangers exist near the route. The distance between Cape York and Sydney by this track is 1,780 miles, which makes the entire length of the route from Singapore to Sydney 4,300 miles. 200 miles will be saved between Sydney and Cape York when the track round Break-sea Spit and between the Horse-shoe and Great Barrier Reefs comes to be fully explored; and the track through the Indian Archipelago may be shortened nearly 80 miles by an accurate survey of the banks near the S. W. extreme of Borneo, and of the direct track from Salayer Strait to the south end of Timor Laut,-both which services might be performed by a surveying ship in the course of a single season. The entire length of the route will then be reduced to 4,000 miles.

But in the first instance it will be best to remain satisfied with the beaten track, which although rather longer then it need be, may still be traversed from end to end in 20 days. Thus a steamer leaving Singapore on the 1st of June, with the English mails of the 24th of April, may be expected at Sydney early in the morning of the 21st of June, completing the communication between London and Sydney in 58 days. The steamer will have to remain at Sydney until the 6th or 7th of the following month, or about 17 days, before starting for Singapore with the home mails to be forwarded by the line-steamer from China, which arrives at Singapore about the 2nd of August. This will allow ample time for circulating the letters throughout New South Wales, Victoria, and Van Diemen's Land, and for collecting the return mails:-Port Phillip and Launceston being each distant from Sydney by sea 540 miles, or about 3 days steaming. Steamer No. 1, leaving Sydney on the evening of the 7th of July, would cross steamer No. 2, which will have left Singapore with the English mails on the 1st of July, about noon on the 14th of the month, 350 miles south-east of Raine Island; and may be expected at Singapore on the 26th or 27th of the month, which will allow No. 1 four days for coaling and preparing to start from Singapore with the outward mails on the 1st of August. The stay at Singapore may appear short, but as the steamer will have had 17 lay days at Sydney, this must be considered ample time for refitting for 40 days steaming.

The writer has been thus explicit, because even practical men who have not closely examined the subject, have expressed surprise on finding that only two steamers would be required to complete the monthly line of communication between England and Aug-. tralia;-in fact that an establishment which the Opium trade between Bengal and China is alone able to support, would be sufficient to reduce the time necessary for an interchange of letters between the mother country and her chief southern colonies by exactly one half.

G. W. E.