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

II.—Steam Boats.

By an Admiralty Order, dated August 1837, it is directed that the pay of the following persons in steamers shall be as under, but increased one-half of the sum when on service in the West Indies:—

And according to the Report of the Post-Office Commissioners, the pay of the following officers on some of the Home Steam-boat Stations, is:—

III.—Small Sailing Vessels.

POSTAGES, PROBABLE AMOUNT, INCREASE, &c.

In the General Post-office Accounts for 1836 (see Finance Accounts, 1837, p. 55), there is charged the sum of 9,406l. 7s. 5¼d., as the sum paid for ship letters. For each letter received by a ship not a regular packet, 2d. is paid by the Post Office at landing, and which gives the number of such letters to be 1,128,764 yearly. Suppose 400,000 of these went by packets under the new arrangements, the additional Post-office revenue therefrom would be 16,665l.

The sum just mentioned as paid for ship letters may be stated as principally attached to ship letters brought from all places in the Western World. According to a return to the House of Commons (see East India Steam Communication Report, 1837), the number of ship letters from India for 1836, was 159,360. The New York packet ships alone carry from 5000 to 6000 letters each. Twice each month the proposed packets to and from England would bear an equal, perhaps even a greater, number, under the proposed regular and prompt arrangement: certainly all the Canadian correspondence will be very greatly increased. This number, however, in four voyages each month, backwards and forwards, gives at the rate, in round numbers, of 290,000 each year. At 9d. each letter, the additional packet postage beyond the ship-letter rate, would be 10,875l. gained to the British Post Office.

In the Accounts above referred to, p. 54, there is entered 75,484l. 10s. 8¼d., charged on the postmasters in the British West Indies, and in British America. This sum is doubtless for the unpaid letters outwards, and perhaps some internal postage. The return postage from these quarters will exceed this sum, because more double and treble letters come inwards than are sent outwards. There is also a considerable sum paid in this country for letters sent by post to the British Colonies.

In the same accounts there is entered, p. 54, 83,610l. 10s. 5d. received by the window men, &c. at the Foreign Post Office. A portion of this must be for the letters outwards to the Brazils, to St. Thomas, to the French Islands, to Honduras, to Mexico, to Havannah, and all places in central South America, for all of which places the postage must be paid before the letter can be forwarded. How much of the above sum is for the purpose alluded to, is not stated, but let it be taken at 30,000l. yearly outwards, and an equal sum from the same places inwards; together, 60,000l.

Next, there would be the gain on the New Line between Halifax, New York, and the West Indies; or, more correctly speaking, between all North America and all the West Indies, from Demerara to Mexico inclusive, and including also the shores of South America on the east, and all its western coasts, from Valparaiso on the south, to Nootka Sound on the north. The exports and imports to and from these quarters, with all quarters of the world, amount, in goods, produce, specie and bills, and freights, &c. to upwards of 80,000,000l. a year. The letters to which this vast trade, especially as the whole of it is carried on by means of correspondence, must give rise, will be immense: and yet, with the exception of the scanty mail communication afforded by Britain to a few places, there is none to be found. The amount of the trade here stated, includes of course the trade with all places in Europe. The portion which is exclusively Colonial and American, and which would of course be attached to the new line alluded to, cannot be less in exports and imports than 30,000,000l. yearly. The proportionate postage from this commerce, even at the ratio of the present West Indian postage, to and from Great Britain and her West Indian colonies, would be 110,000l. yearly; but admitting that a sum equal to one-half only of this sum came from the letters sent through the British Post Office, the sum gained on this station yearly would be 55,000l.

To all these sums must be added a considerable sum in postages, which would be annually drawn from the correspondence between all parts of the United States, and Maranham, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, &c. which would go by the British packets from all these places to Fayal, and thence on, without any delay, to New York. What this will be, it is impossible to estimate; but taking the trade of the United States with these places as a basis, it can hardly be less than 10,000l., or more probably 12,000l. per annum.

The postages derived at present from the packet intercourse with the whole Western World is taken at 200,000l. outwards and inwards. It is not too much to estimate, that under the new and extended communications and arrangements, more regular and frequent, this sum would be increased one-third, or 66,666l.; together, 266,666l. yearly. To this there is to be added the additions, as are previously noted; together 92,540l.; making the sum total at least 359,206l. per annum. The estimated expenditure for conveying the whole of the mails by steam, which are calculated to produce this yearly revenue, is 252,850l., or a gain of 106,356l. The present revenue barely pays the expenditure, if so much, of the establishment, consisting of thirty sailing packets; four steamers in the West Indies; ten mail boats (6000l. yearly) there; some sailing vessels at Halifax, and very frequently, a considerable assistance from ships of war besides!

Postages and Salaries in West Indies, &c.—1834-5.

Parl. Pap. 598 of 1836, and 6th Report of Post-office Commissioners, 1836, p. 32, &c.

It has been stated (see p. 3) that many letters by packets from foreign parts are returned unopened to the Post-Office, in order to save the postages, because the originals or duplicates had previously been received through private channels. It would be useful and important to ascertain the number of these. In the Finance Accounts for 1837, p. 54, there is entered in the Post-office deductions on account of "Returned, refused, mis-sent, and redirected letters, over-charges, and returns," the following sums:—

Postages.—Mediterranean, &c.

Postages of letters passing through Falmouth by the Mediterranean packet, years ending October[20]—

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES OF PACKETS CALCULATED.

The arrivals at, departures from, and the returns to Fayal, of the packets for all quarters, will correspond so well with the arrival outwards of the steamers from Falmouth, that no material delay on the part of the steamers bearing all the return mails to Falmouth will be occasioned or required. But because February has only twenty-eight days, the mails, to make all coincide more nearly, should be made up in London, instead of the 1st and 15th of February, on the 30th of January, and 13th of the former month. The following, however, taking the despatch of the mails from London according to the days in each month, will show the periods of the whole:—

1.—West Indies.

Thus showing that, by the time the steamer was ready to return to Falmouth, the West Indian mails would be up at Fayal; and, as regards the other quarters, the mails from thence would have some time to spare for the voyages in case of accidents, and still be in time at Fayal, thus:—

2.—Brazils.

3.—Fayal and Halifax Department.

4.—North American and West Indian Department.

The following will be the periods of the steamers between Halifax and Havannah, from which it will appear how well the whole will work as regards all North America and all the West Indies; and also how regularly and pointedly the return steamer from the Havannah (bringing the Havannah and Tampico mails, should any accident have happened to the Jamaica steamer), will call at New York for the replies to the letters by the packet from Europe, arrived at that city two days before her; and carry these forward to Halifax (giving two days to stop at New York) in time to get the steamer with the homeward British mails from that place to Fayal.

Arrivals and Departures of the London Mails of the following dates.

Sailing packets in these stations would depart and arrive at corresponding periods, being able to be, if any thing, earlier forward to Fayal; but always 15 days more on their respective voyages than the steam-boats.

The steamer outwards from Barbadoes could land, and the homeward bound packet take up the Haytian mails at Cape Henry, when the return packet goes by the north side; and the return Haytian mails could be picked up at Jacmel, if the packet, when a steamer, calls, as she may do, at that place on her voyage to Jamaica, preparatory to her return by way of St. Jago and Cape Nichola to Fayal or Falmouth.

The distance and time of communicating between Barbadoes and Halifax with steamers, by Jamaica and Havannah, would be,—

Speed, &c. of Steam Boats.

In the Sixth Report of the Post-office Commissioners, p. 281, it is stated that the Malta steamers average 7½ miles per hour, and have done so for a period of two years. The Dublin and Liverpool Steam Post-office packets average also 7½ miles per hour, or 180 miles daily.

In the same Report, p. 265, Mr. Napier states, that he built the steamers which run between Dundee and London; and that during a period of eighteen months they have averaged 11½ miles per hour. This, it is believed, means British miles, or 10 geographical miles. At the latter rate they run 240 miles per day. During the period above mentioned, these boats have not cost their owners 18l. for repairs to the machinery. A steam-boat of 240-horse power would at that time (1836) cost 24,000l. to 25,000l., burden 620 tons. A contractor, to keep them in repair, would require 1,000l. per annum.

According to accounts lately received from the East, the Berenice, with only one engine, the other having been broken, ran from Socotora to Suez, a distance of 1800 miles, in 9½ days. The Leith and London Steamers, such as the Monarch, of 200-horse power, run the distance, 415 geographical miles, in 45 hours,—the average of voyages during the year; and frequently the distance is run in 40 hours, and even less.

Estimates for Passengers on each Station.

The cost of finding passengers is here estimated at 4 dollars per day. In the House of Commons Report about Steam Communications with India, the cost of finding passengers to that quarter of the world is estimated by experienced captains of ships at 10s. sterling per day. The charge made in steamers in the West Indies for cabin passage money, by orders of the Admiralty, is 17l. sterling, Barbadoes to Jamaica; 10l. sterling, Jamaica to St. Thomas; and 10l. sterling, St. Thomas to Barbadoes.

Income:—Parcels, Packages, and Fine Goods. Steamers to be restricted to 40 tons Weight in all.

APPENDIX, No. II.—EASTERN WORLD.

Distances and Bearings of Places.