to the ship-master, but under a deduction of 3 per cent. on the amount; if a remonstrance is made against this overcharge, he is told that it is according to the laws of the Russia Company, which regulate all business matters connected with British trade. These laws like those of the Medes and Persians, are, it appears, unalterable, and are quoted to the party complaining whenever he remonstrates on that or any other overcharge. I would advise every shipmaster, therefore, to avoid paying this 3 per cent.; to stipulate, when he charters his vessel to carry a cargo to Petersburgh, that the frieght shall be paid on delivery, free of commission or charge. Let him also be careful to sign bills of lading to deliver the cargo at Cronstadt, not at Petersburgh, which is generally done, as the vessel becomes then liable for the cargo until it is safely landed in the city; and in several instances parties have been made to pay for goods, stolen while in the lighters going up the river. Wishing to obtain a homeward freight, again the exclusiveness of the Russia Company becomes apparent, there is only one broker for chartering vessels, employed by all the merchants, and of necessity by all shipmasters. The freights are thus entirely at their own making; this broker keeps a list of all unchartered vessels according to arrival, and if business is dull, as it was in the early part of last season, the vessel must remain until her turn comes, unless a merchant may be induced through other means to give her a preference. Through the monopoly, enjoyed by the merchants and broker, I saw several instances of injustice towards strangers, Another practice to be guarded against is the common one, of inducing the shipmaster by the temptation of a good freight on two-thirds of his cargo, in the West Indies, Mediterranean, &c. to take the other third on half profit; that is, to receive one half the profits, or that third, when sold at Petersburgh as freight; the produce being invariably consigned to the charterer's agent. This becomes a good business for the merchant, he obtaining commission and charges innumerable, while the vessel is paid on the third, with from £1 10s. to £2 per ton, instead of £4 10s. or £5, which was obtained on the twothirds. The sugar or other produce is at times fourteen to twenty days, from its being sent from Cronstadt until it is landed in the city; the consequence is, before it can be sold, the vessel is ready for sea, and the master is told that he may have account sales, at a certain price under the market price, or sail without a settlement, and remain months without his money. Several Americans were very much deceived in their" calculation" in this manner last season. The port-charges paid to the Russian Government by the vessel, are very trifling, but the master when he receives his account from the agent in Cronstadt, will find a great many charges made against th vessel, at fixed rates, on the authority and by command of the Russia Co... pany. Amongst others he will find a sum of about £5 charged on a vessel of 250 tons register, every voyage, for the support of two churches and their respective clergymen, one situated in Cronstadt, the other in the city. This, I conceive, is manifest imposition; I have every respect for religion, and would most willingly contribute my part of a very ample sum, for the support of a church and clergyman in Cronstadt, but I see no reason for requesting me to pay for a church, situated sixteen miles from the vessel, which neither myself nor my crew can attend. ENLARGED SERIES.-NO. 5.-VOL. FOR 1841. 28 There is also a charge for the company's secretary with whom the master has no chance of acquaintance, except through the medium of Mr. Booker's account; there are also other charges quite as exceptionable; but remonstrance is vain, the all-powerful Russia Company have imposed them, and they must be paid. While attending to business the shipmaster should not lose the opportunity of spending a few days in the city. Two very respectable and convenient hotels, will be found in Galernoi street, kept by English women, and frequented by all respectable English and American travellers; the accommodation will be found good and the charges moderate. The churches, palaces, theatres, bridges, museum, markets, &c., are all well worthy of attention. The immense granite column, erected by the Emperor Alexander, and the statue of Peter the Great, with its ponderous pedestal, should be seen, in order that their dimensions may be credited. The city itself, with its wide streets and squares, and its magnificent public and private edifices, has a noble appearance; yet there is something very different from the bustle and activity of our large towns, something mechanical and forced were connected with it; this effect is very much increased by the number of persons you meet in uniform; it seems as though you were walking through an immense fortification. Tsarskoe Selo, the summer residence of the Imperial Family, is also well worthy of a visit, the gardens and grounds are extensive and well kept; the armoury compact are allowed to be an excellent collection; the interior of the palace also is splendid. Amidst all its splendour and magnificence, however, one small room óccupied my principal attention; it was the bed-chamber of the late Emperor Alexander, this, with its furniture, is kept exactly in the state in which he left it. Every article of furniture in it is of the most common kind, the articles of the toilet of the plainest sort; the hat, coat, sword, boots, &c., remain as they were left, even the blotting paper on the side table remains, soiled with ink as it had been used by the lamented Emperor. A visit should also to be paid to the cottage just built by Peter the Great when he came to build the city; it is very small, and is now protected by another house built over it. The fortress also, containing the old church of St. Peter, where the deceased members of the Imperial Family, from Peter downwards, are buried, is worthy of attention; around the interior walls of the church are thickly planted flags and standards taken at various times from the Persian, Turks, &c. on one, a white silk flag, is very distinctly imprinted the mark of a bloody hand, evincing the deadly struggle which had taken place for its possession. From Constadt, very agreeable excursions may be made to Peterhoff and Oranienbauend, summer palaces of the Imperial Family, situated on the main land, nearly opposite Cronstadt. The gardens at both places are extensive and well laid out, and the splendid fountains, grotto, and water-works in the garden at Peterhoff, are said to rival those at Versailles. In visiting all these places, and indeed, every public edifice, in or near Petersburg, every facility is given to the traveller for seeing them. I found the servants and guards at the palaces civil and attentive, and a far greater degree of liberty allowed in visiting Imperial residences, &c., than would be tolerated in England. These are merely a few hints for the guidance of the traveller. I am afraid they may be thought irrelevant to the subject I have been writing on; but, I think such a city as Petersburgh well worthy the attention of the intelligent mariner, and I trust others who may go there at a future period may enjoy themselves as much as I did, both in the city and in Cronstadt, where I met with much civility and hospitality, and formed some agreeable acquaintances. At sea, 22nd Dec. 1840. MEXICANO. VICTORIA AND ADELAIDE RIVERS form deep indentations in the northwest coast of Australia; the latter, although the smallest, is navigable for many miles beyond where the water is fresh, and therefore is a discovery of vast importance, being the second navigable river in the whole continent. To the settlement of Port Essington it is truly a great acquisition. Victoria River is still a magnificent one, but far from what it was formerly. Strong tides and numerous shoals, some having scarcely six feet water on them, must ever render its navigation hazardous in the extreme. As a point of departure for exploring the interior it is most admirably situated. From its appearance in the last twenty miles, I think there can be little doubt of it extending many miles into the interior, probably coming from some swamps, for such I believe the nature of the interior of this vast continent to be.-Extract of a letter. THE NIGER EXPEDITION.* THE long talked of expedition to the Niger has at length sailed from our shores, destined to convey another olive branch of good will towards man, in the still benighted wilds of Africa. Small though the effort may be in comparison with those extensive tracts, in which ignorance and suffering prevail, doubtless, it will add an important link to that chain of events which will be recorded for successive generations, as the efforts of this country in behalf of christian charity. Forth go our gallant countrymen, their mission that of peace and prosperity, to Africa, under the protection of an all-wise and Almighty Providence. -May they prosper. We shall now briefly lay before our readers the following extract, from a little work "the Friend of Africa," which will convey some account of the vessels, and the gallant hearts they contain, and shall hereafter watch and report their progress, with all the anxiety which so interesting an expedition must excite. "In accordance with the recommendation of Sir Edward Parry, contained in his report on this subject appended to Lord John Russel's letter to the Treasury, the expedition will consist of three iron steamers, strongly built, and of light draught of water, fitted for river navigation. Three such vessels have been built by Messrs. Laird of Liverpool, and fitted with every improvement which their well-known experience could suggest. At their launch in September last the steamers received respectively the names of Albert, in honour of our royal President; Wilberforce, in memory of that venerated name; Soudan, (or more * See page 265 and others of our last volume. correctly Habib-es-Sudan,) or Friend of the Blacks. The dimensions of the vessels, the two larger of which are exactly of the same size, rig, and power, with all their stores precisely alike, are as follows:— Albert and Wilberforce. Soudan. 110 feet. 22 feet. Length on deck 136 feet. Breadth of beam 27 feet. "Each of the larger vessels has two engines of 35-horse power each, and can carry coals for fifteen days, (of twelve hours.) The smaller has one engine of 35-horse power, and can carry coal for ten days. All the engines were constructed by Mr. Forrester, of Liverpool. The vessels have as roomy and airy accommodation as their size would permit. The Soudan is intended for detached service, when required, up smaller rivers; for conveying intelligence or invalids, and especially for sounding ahead of the other vessels in difficult or unknown navigation. "The vessels are thoroughly equipped with every necessary, nay, every comfort that prudence or foresight could dictate. The supply of provisions of all kinds is most ample, including preserved meats, chiefly prepared by Goldner, and sufficient for the consumption of the crews for four months. "For the purpose of enabling the medical officers of the expedition to render their services useful to the natives, an extra quantity of medicines has been furnished to each of the ships; and from the great respect, if not veneration, in which the healing art is held throughout Africa, it may be inferred that a judicious and liberal exercise of it will contribute much to the objects of the expedition. "With the view of endeavouring to supply a remedy for the want of a free circulation of fresh air between decks in a tropical climate, and for the miasma that usually prevails in alluvial soils on those coasts, a system of ventilating tubes has been fitted, under the able superintendence of Dr. Reid. With this is connected a chamber, containing woollen cloths, lime, &c., through which it is intended, whenever the presence of malaria is suspected, the air shall pass previously to being circulated below by the ventilating apparatus. "A more detailed account of Dr. Reid's plan will be given in a future number of this paper; but in the mean time it may be remarked, that it seems to be quite possible, that, by a careful observation of the effects of a 'malaria' atmosphere on the substances in the chamber, a clue may be given to the nature of this hitherto unknown, but formidable, foe to European life in tropical climates—a result which would deserve to be ranked among those discoveries, by which science may be truly said to have benefited mankind. These observations will be conducted by Dr. M'William, the senior medical officer, who fully enters into Dr. Reid's views, and is well qualified to render these experiments subservient to the advancement of knowledge. "The command of the whole expedition is entrusted to Capt Trotter, of the Royal Navy, already well known by his services in putting down slavery while in command of the Curlew, on the coast of Africa.* The two other officers in command are Captain William Allen, R.N., the companion of Lander in his last voyage, and to whom we are indebted for the chart of the Quorra, and Captain Bird Allen, R.N., who has long been employed on the survey in the West Indies, and is well acquainted with the African character. The following table shows at one view the officers of the respective ships:— Eng. J. Langley, 1st class. Eng. W. Johnstone, 1st cl. Eng. G.V.Gustaffison, 1st cl. 2d class. W. Johnson, 2d cl. 2d cl. J. Brown, 3d class. G. Garritte, 3d cl. "The Rev. T. O. Müller will, we believe, be chaplain to the expedition. "The crews of the three vessels consist besides, of 22 marines, and 88 seamen and stokers; of these 88, not less than 20, or nearly onefourth, already entered, are Africans by birth. On their arrival at Sierra Leone, the ships will take on board about 120 Kroomen, who will do all the work that requires exposure, as wooding, watering, &c. "The commanders of the ships, and Captain Cook, (well known for his skill and humanity in rescuing the crew of the Kent East Indiaman when on fire in the Bay of Biscay,) will be her Majesty's four commissioners for making treaties with the native Chiefs for the abolition of the slave trade. "So far, the government has thoroughly provided for all the wants of the expedition; and a deep debt of gratitude is due to her Majesty's advisers on this account from all well wishers to the cause of Africa. "But the committee of the African Civilization Society, deeply impressed with the necessity of embracing the opportunity afforded by the Niger expedition, of carrying out its pacific and benevolent views as stated in its prospectus, and of investigating the resources and capabilities of this part of Africa: desirous also of effectually co-operating with the government in rendering the expedition as complete in a scientific point of view as lay in their power; have spared no expense in selecting and engaging individuals in every department of natural history to accompany it. As a botanist, they have had the good fortune to secure the services of Dr. Vogel, acting director to the Botanic Garden at Bonn, (and highly recommended by Baron Alexander von Humboldt,) an individual who, to a practical knowledge of horticulture, * See Nautical Magazine for 1837, page 1. |