A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western | Page 2

place, is but a minor point gained, unless the returns are made
regular and equally rapid, and so combined, that while every place
possible can be embraced in the line, no place shall obtain any undue
advantage over another. These points can never be lost sight of in
planning or arranging any mail communication, but more especially a
communication like that at present proposed.
No narrow or parsimonious views on the part of this great country
ought to throw aside the plan particularly alluded to, or leave it to be
taken up and split into divisions by parties, perhaps foreigners, who
will then not only command the channels of British intelligence, but be
enabled to demand what price they please for carrying a large and
important portion of the commercial correspondence of this country.
The Public, moreover, can only repose implicit confidence in a mail
conveyance under the direction and the responsibility of Government.
Further, it is scarcely necessary to point out, or to (p. ix) advert to, the
immense advantages which the Government of Great Britain would
possess, in the event of hostilities, by having the command and the

direction of such a mighty and extensive steam power and
communication, which would enable them to forward, to any point
within its vast range, despatches, troops, and warlike stores. From
Falmouth, letters might be at Sydney, New South Wales, in
seventy-five, and at Canton-China in seventy-eight days, by employing
sailing packets only, to cross the Pacific from the Isthmus of America.
Letters from Falmouth, by way of Barbadoes, Jamaica, and Chagre,
could be at Lima in thirty-five days.
To give greater security to the mails, and comfort and accommodation
to passengers, &c. a class of sailing-vessels rather larger than the
generality of those at present employed in the West Indies, ought to be
engaged; and for this purpose, a larger sum annually must be allowed
to defray the expense. Some of those at present employed, such as the
Charib, may do, but sloops are too small for the service.
It is only within these few months that a mail communication, and that
very uncertain and irregular, has been commenced with the British
Empire in Hindostan, containing 100,000,000 of people. With the
rapidly rising colonies in British America, containing 1,700,000
enterprising inhabitants, there is still but one ill-regulated mail
conveyance, by a sailing-packet, each month. Such a state of things
(p. x) is neither creditable nor safe to a country like Great Britain. The
population of these colonies must be left far behind their neighbours in
the United States in all commercial intelligence, and the interests of the
former must consequently suffer greatly.
The steam-boats to be employed in the service contemplated, although
of the high power mentioned, need not be of the same tonnage as
vessels of an equal power which are built for the sole purpose of
carrying goods. Consequently, a considerable expense in building the
former will be saved. Mails never can be carried either with regularity
or certainty in vessels, the chief object and dependence of which is to
carry merchandize. The time which such vessels would require to
procure, take in, and discharge cargoes, would render punctuality and
regularity, two things indispensably necessary in all mail
communications, quite impracticable. Any attempt to resort to such a

system, more especially in a quarter where steamers would have so
many places to call at as these will have in the West Indies, would
throw every thing into inextricable confusion. Steam-boats carrying
mails and passengers should be the mail-coaches of the ocean, limited
as mail-coaches on land are to cargoes, and as near as possible to the
tonnage pointed out in the following pages. The steamers to be
employed in the service contemplated should also be built broad in the
beam, of a light draught of water, and in speed, accommodation, and
(p. xi) security, must be such that no others of equal powers can surpass
them.
The liberality of MR. JOHN ARROWSMITH, so well known for his
geographical knowledge and geographical accuracy, has enabled me,
without the labour of constructing it, to present to you and to the public
the Chart of the World, between 70° N. lat. and 60° S. lat., on
Mercator's projection, which accompanies the present sheets. On it I
have laid down all the routes of both steamers and sailing-packets, to
every quarter of the world that has been adverted to; and further added
a Chart of the West Indies, and of the Isthmus of America, drawn by
myself, and corrected by the latest authorities.
The timid and the interested will throw every doubt upon the success of
such an undertaking. What is going on in the world is the best answer
to doubts and fears on this subject. What takes place in other quarters
will