At Batavia, steamers could take up the European, the Indian, and the
Chinese mails, and proceed on to Sydney, New South Wales, by Swan
River and Hobart Town, &c. thus:
Geo. miles. Days.
Batavia to Swan River 1745 9
Stop at ditto, coals 2
Swan River to Hobart Town 1770 9
Stop at ditto 1
Hobart Town to Sydney 570 3
Stop at Sydney, coals, &c. 3
Ditto at Hobart Town and Swan
River, returning 3
Sydney, by Hobart Town, &c. to Batavia 4085 21
---- --
Totals 8170 51
---- --
Three boats would perform this work, giving two mails each month; (p. 071)
but in case of accidents, there would require to be one spare boat on
the station, to be stationed either at Batavia or Sydney. The cost of
the four would be 96,000_l._ Each boat actively employed would be at
sea 42 days each voyage = 84 monthly = 1008 yearly: 25 tons coals daily
is 25,200 tons yearly, at 40_s._, 50,400_l._ The yearly expenditure of
each boat besides would be 6820_l._; for four, 27,280_l._, together
with coals, 77,680_l._
It is unnecessary to dwell on the immense advantages which such a plan
of mail communications as this would give to the commercial world in
general, and to the commercial interests of the United Kingdom in
particular. These would be incalculably great, both to the governments
and to the people. To complete the scheme, it would be requisite to
have more than one station at which boats and machinery could be
repaired. These would require to be Malta, in the Mediterranean,
Bombay, Trincomalee, Batavia, and Sydney, in all five places; the
salaries, &c. for superintendents, rents, and rent coal depôts, could
not be less than 2000_l._ per annum at each, or 10,000_l._ The expense
for workmen and materials are included in the 5 per cent. allowed for
tear and wear in the annual expenditure for each boat.
The yearly expenditure for the whole Plan, in all its parts, would
consequently be as follows, and under the respective heads as here
enumerated.
_Abstract._
No. 1. Falmouth to Alexandria, by Lisbon, &c.
2. Malta to Constantinople, by Zante, &c.
3. Alexandria to Suez, by Cairo.
4. Suez to Bombay, by Mocha.
5. Socotora to Mauritius.
6. Bombay to Calcutta, by Ceylon.
7 & 8. Trincomalee to Canton, by Batavia, &c.
9. Batavia to Sydney, New South Wales, by Swan River, &c.
10. Coal depôts, and stations for repairs.
_Expenditure by Steam Power, &c._ (p. 072)
--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+-------
| |Provi- | | | | | |Number
Number | Fixed | sions |Tons of| Price |Cost of| Total |Number| of
of |Capital|Wages, | Coals | Coals | Coals |Expendi-| of |Sailing
Station.| re- | &c. |Yearly.| per |Yearly.| ture |Steam-| Ves-
|quired.|Yearly.| | ton. | | Yearly.| ers. | sels.
--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+-------
| £ | £ | | s. | £ | £ | |
1 | 72,000| 18,600| 20,400| 25 | 25,600| 44,200| 3 | "
2 | 24,000| 6,200| 5,000| " | 6,250| 12,450| 1 | "
3 | " | 5,000| " | " | " | 5,000| " | "
4 | 72,000| 20,460| 25,200| 40 | 50,400| 70,860| 3 | "
5 | 8,000| 4,000| " | " | " | 4,000| " | 2
6 | 48,000| 13,640| 14,400| " | 28,800| 42,240| 2 | "
7 & 8 | 98,000| 28,280| 21,600| " | 43,200| 71,480| 4 | 1
9 | 96,000| 27,280| 25,200| " | 50,400| 77,680| 4 | "
10 | " | 10,000| | " | " | 10,000| " | "
|-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+-------
|418,000|133,460|111,800| |204,650| 337,910| 17 | 3
| | | | | 68,000| 68,000| |
|-------+-------+-------| |-------+--------+------+-------
|418,000|133,460|111,800| |136,650| 269,910| 17 | 3
--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+------+-------
The return boat from Alexandria ought not to leave that place until
the Eastern mails come up from Suez.
The course of post under this arrangement between London and
Alexandria, would be 45 days; between London and Constantinople, the
same; between London and Bombay, 90 days; London and Calcutta, 120
days; London and Canton, 150 days; London and Batavia, 120 days;
London and Swan River, 150 days; London and Sydney, New South Wales,
180 days, &c. &c.