Diary in America, Series Two | Page 8

+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝOhio River, Do.
Do. Ý 1372Ý +-----------------------------------------------------+------+
ÝColumbia River, empties into the Pacific Ocean, Ý 1315Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝKansas River, a
branch of the Missouri Ý 1200Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝYellowstone
Do. Do. Ý 1100Ý +-----------------------------------------------------+------+
ÝTennessee Do. Ohio Ý 756Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝAlabama River,
empties into the Gulf of Mexico Ý 575Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝCumberland
River, a branch of the Ohio Ý 570Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝSusquehanna

River, empties into Chesapeake Bay Ý 460Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝIllinois River, a
branch of the Mississippi Ý 430Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝAppalachicola
River, empties into the Gulf of Mexico Ý 425Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝSt John's River,
New Brunswick, rises in Maine Ý 415Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝConnecticut
River, empties into Long Island Sound Ý 410Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝWabash River,
a branch of the Ohio Ý 360Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝDelaware River,
empties into the Atlantic Ocean Ý 355Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝJames River,
empties into Chesapeake Bay Ý 350Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝRoanoke River,
empties into Albemarle Sound Ý 350Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝGreat Pedee
River, empties into Atlantic Ocean Ý 350Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝSantee River,
empties into Atlantic Ocean Ý 340Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝPotomac River,
empties into Chesapeake Bay Ý 335Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝHudson River,
empties into Atlantic Ocean Ý 320Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝAltamaha River,
empties into Atlantic Ocean Ý 300Ý
+-----------------------------------------------------+------+ ÝSavannah River,
empties into Atlantic Ocean Ý 290Ý
+==================================================
===+======+
Voice from America.
Many of the largest of these rivers are at present running through
deserts--others possess but a scanty population on their banks; but, as
the west fills up, they will be teeming with life, and the harvest of

industry will freight many more hundreds of vessels than those which
at present disturb their waters.
The Americans have an idea that they are very far ahead of us in steam
navigation, a great error which I could not persuade them of. In the first
place, their machinery is not by any means equal to ours; in the next,
they have no sea-going steam vessels, which after all is the great
desideratum of steam navigation. Even in the number and tonnage of
their mercantile steam vessels they are not equal to us, as I shall
presently show, nor have they yet arrived to that security in steam
navigation which we have.
The return of vessels belonging to the Mercantile Steam Marine of
Great Britain, made by the Commissioners on the Report of
steam-vessel accidents in 1839, is, number of vessels, 810; tonnage,
157,840; horse power, 63,250.
Mr Levi Woodbury's Report to Congress in December, 1838, states the
number of American steam vessels to be 800, and the tonnage to be
155,473; horse power, 57,019.
It is but fair to state, that the Americans have the credit of having sent
the first steam vessel across the Atlantic. In 1819, a steam vessel, built
at New York, crossed from Savannah to Liverpool in twenty-six days.
The number of sea-going steam vessels in England is two hundred and
eighty-two, while in the United States they have not more than ten at
the outside calculation. In the size of our vessels also we are far
superior to them. I here insert a table, shewing the dimensions of our
largest vessels, as given in the Report to the House of Commons, and
another of the largest American vessels collected from the Report of Mr
Levi Woodbury to Congress.
Table shewing some of the Dimensions of the Hull and Machinery of
the five largest ships yet built or building.
[Table to be added in a later edition.]

But the point on which we are so vastly superior to the Americans, is in
our steam vessels of war. They have but one in the United States,
named the Fulton the Second. The following is a list of those belonging
to the Government of Great Britain, with their tonnage:--
+=========+=====+=========+=====+===========+=====+
Ý ÝTons.Ý ÝTons.Ý ÝTons.Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAcheron Ý
722ÝFearless Ý 165ÝMyrtle Ý 116Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAdder Ý
237ÝFirebrandÝ 495ÝOtter Ý 237Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAdvice Ý 475ÝFire
Fly Ý 550ÝPhoenix Ý 809Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAfrican Ý
295ÝFlamer Ý 496ÝPigmy Ý 230Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAlban Ý 294ÝFury Ý
166ÝPike Ý 112Ý +---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+
ÝAriel Ý 149ÝGleaner Ý 306ÝPluto Ý 365Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝAsp Ý 112ÝGorgon Ý
1111ÝProspero Ý 244Ý +---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+
ÝAvon Ý 361ÝHecate Ý 815ÝRedwing Ý 139Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝBeaver Ý 128ÝHecla
Ý 815ÝRadamanthusÝ 813Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝBlazer Ý 527ÝHermes
Ý 716ÝSalamander Ý 818Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝBoxer Ý 159ÝHydra
Ý 818ÝShearwater Ý 343Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝCarron Ý 294ÝJasper
Ý 230ÝSpitfire Ý 553Ý +---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+
ÝCharon Ý 125ÝKite Ý 300ÝSprightly Ý 234Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝColumbia Ý
360ÝLightningÝ 296ÝStrombolo Ý 966Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝComet Ý 238ÝLucifer
Ý 387ÝSwallow Ý 133Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝConfianceÝ
295ÝMedea Ý 835ÝTartarus Ý 523Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝCuckoo Ý

234ÝMedusa Ý 889ÝUrgent Ý 583Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝCyclops Ý
1190ÝMegaera Ý 717ÝVesuvius Ý 966Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝDasher Ý 260ÝMerlin
Ý 889ÝVolcano Ý 720Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝDee Ý
704ÝMessengerÝ 733ÝWidgeon Ý 164Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝDoterel Ý
723ÝMeteor Ý 296ÝWildfire Ý 186Ý
+---------+-----+---------+-----+-----------+-----+ ÝEcho Ý 298ÝMonkey
Ý 211ÝZephyr Ý 237Ý
+=========+=====+=========+=====+===========+=====+
Government Steam Vessels Building.
+======+====+======+===+==========+===+ ÝAlectoÝ
799ÝLizardÝ282ÝPolyphemusÝ799Ý
+------+----+------+---+----------+---+ ÝArdentÝ
799ÝLocustÝ282ÝPrometheusÝ799Ý