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

disembarked from such steamers, &c.,
as cannot be detained till the packet arrives to receive them. This,
however, will seldom be the case, nor to any great extent; as the
homeward-bound packet, whether steamer or sailing-vessel, will almost
always be at Cape Nichola before the steamer gets up from the leeward.
She may also be used to hold coals for a supply for the steamer 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.