While in the eighteenth century but trifling advancement would seem to have been made in naval matters, what a contrast is presented by the achievements of the last eighty years! As compared with the 'Etruria' and the 'Umbria' recent acquisitions of the Cunard Company, for the conveyance of the mails between Liverpool and New York, each of 8000 tons burthen and 12,500 horse-power, the pigmy vessels of the past almost sink into nothingness; and we cannot but acknowledge the rapidity with which such stupendous agencies have come under the control of man for the furtherance of his work in the world. [Illustration: Steamship 'America.'] A favourite American packet of our own era, for travellers crossing the Atlantic, was the 'America' of the National Steamship Company, which has since been purchased by the Italian Government for service as a fast cruiser. It is a ship of 6500 tons gross tonnage; and is a surprising contrast to the American packet of eighty years ago already described. We would present a further contrast between the past and the present as regards the packet service. So late as 1829, and perhaps later still, the voyages out to the undermentioned places and home again were estimated to take the following number of days, viz.:-- Days. To Jamaica, 112 " America, 105 " Leeward Islands, 91 " Malta, 98 " Brazil, 140 " Lisbon, 28 There were then no regular packets to China, New South Wales, Sierra Leone, Cape Coast Castle, Goree, Senegal, St Helena, and many parts of South America; opportunity being taken to send ship letter-bags to these places as occasion offered by trading vessels. Nowadays the transit of letters to the places first above-mentioned is estimated to occupy the following number of days:-- Days. To Jamaica, 18 " America, 7 " West Indies, 16 " Malta, 4-1/2 " Brazil, 21 " Lisbon, 3 And the return mails would occupy a similar amount of time. In nothing perhaps will the advantages now offered by the Post-office, in connection with the packet service, be more appreciated by the public than in the reduced rates of postage. The following table shows the initial rates for letters to several places abroad in 1829 and in 1884:-- 1829. 1884. France, 2s. 1d. 2-1/2d. Italy, 2s. 10d. 2-1/2d. Spain, 3s. 1d. 2-1/2d. Sweden, 2s. 7d. 2-1/2d. Portugal, 2s. 9d. 2-1/2d. Gibraltar, 3s. 1d. 2-1/2d. Malta, 3s. 5d. 2-1/2d. United States, 2s. 5d. 2-1/2d. Brazil, 3s. 9d. 4d.