Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

NEW LIGHTS ESTABLISHED.

1. SURINAM RIVER. II. TURK'S ISLAND. III. FIXED RED Light at KATAKOLO, (WEST COAST OF THE MOREA.) IV. AUCANADA ISLAND, (EAST COAST OF MAJORCA.) V. CORUNA, (SPAIN.)

The following information is communicated through the Light-House Board at Washington for the information of merchants:

1. Light-Vessel off mouth of Surinam River.-Official information has been received, through the Department of State, that the light-ship moored off the mouth of Surinam River is to be anchored in a different position on the first of April, 1861, as follows: In place of being anchored outside of the buoys, (there being three,) it is to be placed at the second, in sixteen feet water, low tide, Bram's Point bearing south 46° east. The burnt bush, south 81° east. The outer buoy, north ° west. The light is white, and can be seen about eight miles in clear weather. According to former advice, vessels making land to the windward, in the night, will do well to anchor till daylight.

2. Light-House at Turk's Island.-Official information has been received, through the Department of State, that a light-house has been erected on the north point of Grand Turk Island, showing a white light, revolving every 27 seconds, with a continued dim light between intervals of the strong flashes.

The tower is 60 feet in height, painted white, and is situated 400 yards S. 50° W. of the extremity of the point, with a focal plane elevated 110 feet above the mean level of the sea.

The position of the light is, latitude 21° 32' north. Longitude 71° 7′ 40" west.

The light is visible from all points, except where it is eclipsed by the Cays lying to the southward of the Grand Turk. The fixed part of the light will, under favorable conditions of atmosphere, be visible from a height of 10 feet above the level of the sea at a distance of 7 nautical miles, whilst the flash will be visible 15 nautical miles.

Directions.-Vessels running for the Turk's Island passage from the northward must endeavor to make the light on a bearing to the westward of south, as its range does not extend sufficiently far to guard against the dangers lying off Cape Comete, East Caicos.

A reef runs off from the north point of Grand Turk. Its extreme bears from the light N. E., (magnetic,) distant three miles, and from thence extends southerly, and runs parallel with the east side of the Cay at the distance of two miles; and, consequently, vessels, on making the light between the bearings of S. W. and W. should (if intending to take the Turk's Island passage) be careful to avoid that danger.

On the bearing of south the light may be safely approached to within. two miles, and have the passage open. This light cannot be seen from the dangers at the southern entrance of Turk's Island passage.

MEDITERRANEAN-WEST COAST OF MOREA.

3. Fixed Red Light at Katakolo.-Official information has been received, that on and after the 6th day of February, 1861, a light would be exhibited from the extremity of the jetty in the course of construction at the port of Katakolo, situated in the bay of that name, on the east side of Cape Katakolo, on west coast of the Morea.

The light is a fixed red light, placed at an elevation of 33 feet above the mean level of the sea, and should be seen in clear weather, from the deck of a ship, at a distance of four miles.

The light-house is of skeleton wood-work, at the end of the jetty, and at 240 yards from the shore. Its approximate position is given in lat. 37° 41' 30" N., long. 21° 24' 9" E., or by the admiralty charts, in 37° 39' 10" N., long. 21° 20′ 50′′ east of Greenwich.

MAJORCA, EAST COAST.

4. Fixed Light on Aucanada Island.-Official information has been received, that on and after the 15th day of May, 1861, a light will be exhibited from a light-house recently erected on the east and highest part of the island of Aucanada, in Alcudia Bay, east coast of Majorca.

The light will be a fixed white light, placed at an elevation of 77 feet above the mean level of the sea, and should be seen in clear weather, from the deck of a ship, at a distance of nine miles. The illuminating apparatus is dioptric, or by lenses, of the sixth order.

The tower is circular, 49 feet high, painted white, and surmounted by a white lantern. It rises from the centre of the keeper's dwelling, and its position is in lat. 39° 49′ 50′′ N., long. 3° 12′ 24′′ east of Greenwich.

ATLANTIC SPAIN, NORTH COAST.

5. Fixed Light at Coruna.-Official information has been received, that on and after the 15th day of May, 1861, a light will be exhibited from a tower recently erected on the platform of the castle of St. Antonio, at the north side of the entrance to Coruna.

The light will be a white fixed light, placed at an elevation of 56 feet above the mean level of the sea, and should be seen in clear weather, from the deck of a ship, at a distance of ten miles. The illuminating apparatus is dioptric, or by lenses, of the fifth order.

The tower is twenty feet high, painted green, and surmounted with a white lantern. It rises from the centre of the keeper's dwelling, which is also painted green, and stands in lat. 43° 22' N., long. 8° 23′ 6′′ west of Greenwich.

Position of the Cartaya Light-house. Also, that the position of the light at Cartaya, on the left bank at the entrance of the river of Las Piedras, on the southwest coast of Andalucia, should be lat. 37° 11′ 50′′ N., long. 7° 1' 6" west of Greenwich.

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.

TRANSPORTATION IN BOND TO CERTAIN PORTS DISCONTINUED.

The control of the warehouses of the government in the several States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas, having been usurped under the alleged authority of those States, and the officers of the customs acting under the authority of the United States having been forcibly excluded from their proper functions in the custody of merchandise and superintendence of the entries for warehousing and withdrawal, it has become impracticable to continue the privilege of bonding for transportation to those ports.

Collectors of the customs are accordingly hereby instructed that no entries for transportation in bond to those ports can be permitted until otherwise directed by this department.

In the case of merchandise entered for transportation before the receipt by collectors of these instructions, transportation bonds to the ports of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas, will be cancelled on payment of the duties at the collector's office at the port from which the goods were shipped, on the collector being satisfied, by the affidavit of the party, to be filed with the bond, that the merchandise arrived at the port of destination after the United States officers at such port had ceased to issue the lawful cancelling certificate.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS IN BRAZIL.

The London Times contains the following communication regarding the recent customs regulations adopted by the Brazilian government:

"Sir,-With reference to the obstructive policy on the part of the Brazilian government about the clearances of vessels, I supply you with particulars of its retrograde operation. The first vessel has just been cleared, after ten days' tedious and continuous labor of nearly the entire staff of an office. It is no great figure of speech to say that acres of paper are required to clear a vessel. The vessel in question is a small craft, and, among other portions of her cargo, has about twenty tons of iron on board, which contain probably about five hundred bars in the whole. Now, the weight of every bar must be specified. This might have done very well in the olden times of Portuguese corruption, when rattage' was charged in every account of sale, not excepted from iron and braziers' copper. The bills of lading are covered with figures and writing, and how or where to endorse one nobody can tell. The manifest is nearly fifty feet in length, and three copies have to be made out before the vessel can be cleared. The paper alone for the documents, exclusive of the bills of lading, actually cost 10s. Hitherto the conduct of the Brazilian government has been one of enlightenment and progress, and this sudden and unaccountable move of backwardation' has astonished and confounded all her best friends. Among other foolish and other impolitic measures is the imposition of an export duty on coffee, under the absurd

notion that it will come out of the foreigner's pocket instead of the planter's. If Brazil were the only coffee-producing country, then it would come out of the foreigner's, and ultimately out of the consumer's pocket; but inasmuch as Brazil is only one out of many coffee-producing countries which compete with her in foreign markets, it is clear it must be a tax on the Brazilian farmer, and cripple his means of competition with other countries producing the article."

A meeting of merchants and brokers connected with the Brazilian trade was recently held at the Cotton Sales-room, Liverpool, for the purpose of considering the propriety of memorializing the Brazilian government on the subject of the vexatious detail in ships' manifests required under the Brazilian tariff. Mr. W. C. MILLER occupied the chair, and eventually a committee was appointed to consider the advisability of appealing directly to the Brazilian Minister, or through the Chamber of Commerce, or both conjointly.

TRADE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

It is understood that the new commercial treaties between Turkey on the one part, and England and France on the other, came into operation on the 13th of March. The change is likely to prove highly beneficial, and all countries will equally participate in its advantages. Under the commercial treaty of 1838 the import duties were fixed at five per cent., and the export duties at twelve per cent. By the present treaty, which is for twenty-eight years, with right of revisal in ten years, both the export and import duties are to be placed, in the first instance, at a uniform rate of eight per cent. ad valorem, but with the condition that the export duties shall be reduced one per cent. annually for seven years, when they will be brought down to one per cent., which will then be permanent. This will clear the way for a vast and steady augmentation of trade, since the advance of the import duties from five to eight per cent., which is considered absolutely necessary to provide for the revenue of the country, will not, it is believed, even for the moment, have any appreciable effect in checking the consumption of foreign manufacturers; while the reduction of the export duties gradually, to a point at which they will be merely nominal, will enable buyers to obtain much larger supplies of produce, the profits from which will lead the Turkish agriculturist to become, in a proportionate degree, a better customer in distant markets. Already the exports of Great Britain to Turkey are of an amount nearly equal to those of France, and far superior to those of Russia, the total last year being £4,408,000; while France, even under the operation of the new treaty, did not take more than £5,249,000, and the amount to Russia was only £3,267,000.

With regard to the prospect of reforms in the interior fiscal administration of Turkey, it appears from recent advices that the government has given assurances that a commencement shall at once be made-a project for the formation of a company to promote the growth of cotton in Asia Minor, in the district opened up by the Smyrna and Aidin Railway, having been entered into on that understanding.

The new treaty embraces all parts of the Sultan's dominions, including Egypt and the Danubian Principalities.

THE FRENCH FISHERIES.

The Moniteur contains a long report to the Emperor from M. COSTE, of the Institute, "On the Organization of Fisheries, as regards the increase of the naval force of France." He begins by stating that the production of oysters on the plan recommended by him, has taken such a prodigious development, that in the Ile de Ré alone, more than 3,000 men, who have come from the interior, have already established 1,500 parks, which produce annually about 378,000,000 oysters, of the value of 6,000,000f. to 8,000,000f. These men have also formed themselves into associations for the defence of their common interests. Those associations and others like them, which could be formed on different parts of the coast, might, instead of confining themselves to the production of oysters, establish parks for the production of soles, ray, turbot, lobsters, crabs, &c. But the formation of the parks would not only cost considerable sums, but would necessitate the employment of vessels in which the men could go out to sea to fish; and that course again would necessitate further outlay. As the men have not the funds to do all this, M. COSTE suggests that advances shall be made to them by what are called the Maritime Caisses de Retraites, subject to the condition of their paying back three per cent. per month of the produce of their fishing, in addition to the three per cent. which they are already bound to pay to the said Caisses, in order to obtain relief in sickness or in old age. He adds, that such a payment would not be in any way burdensome to them, and would besides in time make them proprietors of vessels, parks, &c., paid for by the means of the advances. As several millions are granted annually for the encouragement of the Newfoundland fisheries, M. COSTE submits that there is nothing unreasonable in what he proposes, and he affirms that, if his suggestion be acted on, a vast increase would be made to the maritime population, which augmentation would naturally strengthen the Imperial navy. He likewise observes that the fishing associations which he wishes to see established would not only provide a large and constant supply of fish for the inland towns, and thereby create an important branch of trade, but might lead to obtaining fish, insects and plants in great quantities for manure.-London Times.

TRADE WITH JAPAN.

The following communication has been received by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce from the Board of Trade:-Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Whitehall, 8th April, 1861. Sir, I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, to request that you will inform the Committee of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce that they have received, through the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Minister in Japan, together with enclosures, consisting of a report, with patterns, chiefly of woven fabrics in cotton, specifying articles of this description suitable for the Japanese markets. The report and specimens may be inspected on application at this office.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

J. EM. TENNent.

The Secretary of Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.

« EdellinenJatka »