A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western | Page 6

to a certain extent.
Let the fact be urged in the strongest manner, that a communication once a month, to any given place, will never pay, nor answer any great or good purpose. Mails, or rather letters and passengers, will not wait for such a length of time, especially when these could, as for example from the Havannah, almost be in England, by way of New York, in the interval that would elapse between the departure of one packet and another, when there was only one packet in the month; but give two each month, and neither could ever be so.
The arrangements, and the extent of the internal Post-office establishments of Great Britain, are upon the most splendid and efficient footing. There is nothing of a similar kind in any other country, either in management, or combination, or regularity, that can equal or even be compared to them. It is, however, much otherwise with all her transmarine mail communications. They are all particularly deficient in combination, limited in their operations, and inefficient as regards the machinery employed to carry the mails. This, in a more particular manner, is the case with the West Indies: the small sailing vessels there employed are generally very unfit for such a service, and the steamers sent out to work them, with the exception of the Flamer, being only of 100-horse power, and besides badly constructed, are (p.?008) wholly unfit for the service in any way; and even the vessel named, which is 140-horse power, though much superior to any of the other three, the Carron, the Echo, and the Albyn, is still too small to perform her work in proper and reasonable time, or to stem the currents and trade winds, to say nothing of tempests, which, as regards the two former, constantly prevail in the seas in that quarter of the world.
It may also be remarked, that to extend or to add to the number of post communications, does not add proportionally to the machinery necessary for the conveyance of these: in other words, if the communications are doubled in number, the machinery used for conveyance is not necessarily doubled, nor the expense consequently doubled. Take, for example, the station between Barbadoes and Jamaica: with two mails each month, this could not be effected with fewer than three steam-boats; but the same number of steamers will, without inconvenience, extend the communication to Havannah, and take in, at the same time, several important places extra. A judicious and proper combination and regularity in all movements can, with the same machinery, and with but little additional expense, perform, in some instances double, and in many instances nearly double work.
The objects for making Fayal, in the Western Islands, a central point of communication, are as follow:--First, it is directly in the course for the West Indies; so nearly so for Rio de Janeiro in the outward voyage (in the homeward it is the best course), that if not actually the best course, as it is believed it really is, the deviation, as will afterwards more clearly appear, is not worth taking into account. It is also the proper course for New York, and even not much out of the way from the direct line to Halifax; while, considering the winds and currents, the Gulf stream, for example, which prevail in the Atlantic, steamers or sailing packets will make the voyage from Falmouth to Halifax by this route as speedily, on an average, as if they were to take the direct course. It is well known, that vessels bound to the northern ports of the United States, go much to the southward of the Western Islands. Secondly, it will save two steam-boats on (p.?009) the North American line, and two more on the South American line, for that distance (not fewer than two would do for each line); which, with coals, yearly, would cost 41,600l. This, alone, ought to determine the point.
These steam-packets should be allowed to carry parcels, packages, and light and fine goods, which could afford to pay a considerable freight. This ought to be limited, however, not to exceed forty tons in each vessel on each of the great lines (except Falmouth to Fayal, which may be 120); and the small sailing vessels in proportion. These things, without retarding the speed materially, would produce a considerable return, but from which must come port charges, &c. If the steamers are allowed to become mere vessels of freight, or for carriage of goods, no regularity in their voyages could be expected. To avoid delay, these articles could be landed and taken to the Custom-house in every island and place, and delivered thence, under the Revenue laws, to each owner.
The greater extent to which combination can be carried on in the mail circle, and the wider that that