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

A General Plan for a Mail
Communication by
by James
MacQueen

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Communication by
Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western Parts of the
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Title: A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between
Great Britain and the Eastern and Western Parts of the World
Author: James MacQueen
Release Date: February 27, 2007 [EBook #20702]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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COMMUNICATION BY STEAM ***

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A GENERAL PLAN
FOR
A MAIL
COMMUNICATION BY STEAM,
BETWEEN
GREAT BRITAIN
AND THE
EASTERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE WORLD;
ALSO, TO
CANTON AND SYDNEY, WESTWARD BY THE PACIFIC;
TO WHICH ARE ADDED,
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTICES
OF THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA, NICARAGUA, &c.
With Charts.

By JAMES M'QUEEN, Esq.
LONDON; B. FELLOWES, LUDGATE STREET. 1838.

Startling as the subject of connecting China and New South Wales
(p. vi) with Great Britain, through the West Indies, may at first sight
appear, both as regards time and expense, still few things are more
practicable. The labour and expense of crossing the Isthmus of America,
either by Panama or by Lake Nicaragua, by a land conveyance, is
trifling. With eight steam-boats, ONLY FOUR ADDITIONAL to the
number already in the West Indies, added to the present sailing-packet
establishment, the whole Plan for the Western World, extending it
westward to China and New South Wales, can, in the mean time, as the
following pages will show you, be put into execution to the fullest
extent, with a very great saving in time, and with very great regularity.
A water communication moreover will, I feel convinced, and at no
distant day, be carried through the American Isthmus--say by Lake
Nicaragua--when the sailing packets for the Pacific may run direct
between Jamaica and Sydney, New South Wales, and Canton-China.
In the estimate for the cost of steam-boats to be employed in the service
proposed, I have been chiefly guided by, and adhere to, the statement
made by that able and practical engineer Mr. Napier, of Glasgow, in his
evidence to the Post-office Commissioners in 1836, that steam-boats of
240-horse power, and 620 tons burthen, could be furnished at from
24,000l. to 25,000l. At this rate the total yearly cost of mail
communications by the aid of steam, to every quarter which has been
adverted to in the subsequent pages, will (p. vii) be as stated in the
following brief summary. Reference No. 1, shows the expenditure,
keeping the Red Sea route confined to India only, and extending the
communication to China and Sydney by the Pacific, from Panama or
Rialejo. No. 2, the expense, confining the communication by the Cape
of Good Hope to India only, and extending the communication to
Canton, &c. across the Pacific as before. No. 3, shows the expenditure
for the Western World, the work performed by steam in the West Indies,
and steam from Falmouth to Fayal, with sailing-packets for the
remainder of the work; and the whole expense, by extending
sailing-packets to China and Sydney westward across the Pacific, but
limiting the communication by the Red Sea to India only. Lastly, No. 4,
shows the expenditure of the communications made in a way similar to

No. 3, limiting the conveyance by the Cape of Good Hope to India only:
(see also Appendix No. 2, p. 128.)
No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. Western World £279,250 £279,250
£161,615 £161,615 East Indies, &c. 128,850 187,978 128,850 187,978
Pacific 63,000 63,000 63,000 63,000 -------- -------- -------- --------
£471,100 £530,228 £353,465 £412,593 -------- -------- -------- --------
It is, however, to that portion connected with the Western World that
the immediate and particular attention of yourself and the other
members of Her Majesty's Government is particularly requested. The
other parts, above alluded to, may hereafter not be deemed (p. viii)
unworthy of your consideration, and the consideration of the Public.
Carried into effect in a decided manner, and as speedily as the nature
and extent of the machinery required will admit, it would produce great
and lasting advantages to the British empire, and confer great honour
upon the British Government and the splendid Post-office
establishment of this country.
Permit me to observe, that the speedy conveyance of mails outwards, to
any