The Express.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

THE NEW ROUTE TO HOLLAND AND THE

REIN&
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The route from Loudon to Rotterdam, via Har-
wich, is now open. On Thursday last, the Great
Eastern Railway Company's steamship Avalon, the
first of the magnificent line of passenger boats
which has been projected by that company for
the purpose of establishing a new mode of com-
munication between this country and the Nether-
lands, made a preliminary trip from Harwich to
Rotterdam, and returned on Saturday afternoon,
after one of the most successful runs across the
North Sea upon record; the service being performed
in a manner which augurs well for the future success
of the undertaking. A special train, in which were
Mr. Moseley, the managing director, Mr. Birt, the
traffic manager of the Great Eastern Company ;
Captain Chevalier, their marine superintendent ;
Mr. Stevenson, goods manager of the London and
North Western Railway, who attended to report
upon the facilities which will be afforded by the
new continental route for the traffic between the
Midland and Northern counties and Rotterdam ;
and a party of gentlemen who had been invited to
accompany the boat on her first trip, left London at
half-past eight o'clock, and after a sharp run down
the line to liars ich, they stepped on board the
Avalon at a quarter to eleven, and she immediately
steamed off from the new pier amidst the
cheers of some hundreds of spectators who had
assembled to witness her departure.
The registered tonnage of the Avalon is 455 tons,
her actual measurement being 614. She is 230 feet
long, her height between decks forward being 71t.,
and iu the saloon Eft. Win. She has sleeping ac-
commodation for 200 passengers, and altogether is
one of the most beautifully fitted vessels ever con-
structed. She is propelled by paddle-wheels, moved
by oscillating engines of 200 horse-power, which
are fitted with all the latest improvements. The
length of the engine stroke is 41t. 6in., which is
also the diameter of the cylinder, the average num-
ber of revolutions per minute being 42 with a pres-
sure of 251bs. per square inch on the boiler. With
Welsh coal, and working, as she is calculated to do,
up to the pressure of 30Ibe. per square inch, her
engines would make 45 revolutions per minute, w hich
in moderately calm weather would give her a speed of
something like 18 miles an hour. She is also fitted
with a new and improved screw steering gear, by
means of which the wheel can be managed with
the greatest ease in the heaviest weather. The
engines as well as the vessel were constructed by
the Messrs. Dudgeon, who also have the contract
for supplying the other two passenger vessels, the
Zealous and Ravensburg, as well as the cattle
steamers Harwich and Rotterdam. The length of
time occupied by the Avalon on her passage from
Harwich to Rotterdam, from quay to quay, being a
distance of 152} miles, was exactly 8} hours, the
average rate of speed being 16 miles per hour. She
started at a quarter to eleven precisely, and arrived
at Rotterdam at &15. The weather during the
passage was very beautiful, but on the return
voyage there was considerable sea on and a head-
wind, notwithstanding which she made the distance
between Brine bar and the Cork light within three
minutes of the time occupied on her outward trip;
and the whole journey from Rotterdam to Bishops-
gate-street station was accomplished, in eleven hours
and three-quarters. During both her outward and
homeward journey the Avalon was perfectly steady,
very few of the passengers experiencing any incon-
venience from sea sickness.

The object which it is proposed to accomplish by
the new route is twofold. In the first place the
Great Eastern Railway Company seek to establish
a regular continental passenger and parcels traffic,
eta Harwich, Rotterdam, and Cologne, in compe-
tition with the existing route, ria Calais, the ordi-
nary mail route to Germany and the Rhine, at
cheaper fares ; and in the second place to meet the
demand for additional accommodation for the
increasing traffic in cattle between the Nether-
lands and this country. With respect to
the passenger service they propose, through the pre-
sent route, and by mewls of an arrangement with
the Netherland Rhine Railway Company, to convey
passengers to Cologne, which is the general point of
departure for the continental lines in every direc-
tion, in something under the time which is now oc-
cupied by the mail route from England, and at fares
from 10 to 30 per tent less than they are at present
charged. An improved continental passenger ser-
vice will be thus established between England and
Berlin and Leipsic, on the one hand, and London
and Hanover, lteimen, Bremen Hamburg, and the
North of Germany on the other. With regard to
passengers for the Rhine, they will reach Cologne
in 19 hours, being about the same time as is occu-
pied by the Calais route, but at fares.considerably
less than thosenow existing. By an arraegement with
thecontinentel railway, third-class passengers will be
taken in 19 hours 27 minutes to Cologne, the point
from which all the German railways radiate. The
establishment of this route will not only give
greater facilities to the traffic of all the east coast
of England, bat will enable passengers north and
west of Cambridge to visit the continent without
passing through the metropolis; consequently great
saving of time will be effected as far as they are
concerned. Passengers from Peterborough will
probably reach Cologne about the same time as
those leaving London, namely 19 hours, while
Berlin will be reached in 351, passengers having
the option of resting seven hours either atßotterdam
or Oberhausen. This stoppage is rendered nee
in co nsequen ce of the existing arrangements by which
the time tables on the continent are made up to cor-
respond with existing routes from England, but
when similar arrangements are made with reference
to the new route it will be quite possible to reach
Berlin ria Harwich in 24 hours, while it will be
the nearest by many miles to Denmark, St. Peters-
burg, and the whole North of Europe. In order to
provide for the passenger accommodation the
Avalon is to be followed almost immediately by the
Zealous and the Ravensburg, two sister ships, in
every respect identical with the Avalon. The
engines of the first are now being fitted by Messrs.
Dudgeon, and she will be ready at the end of the
present week, while the Ravensburg will follow in
about three weeks after. At present the passenger
service is only throe days a week, but when the
additional vessels are put on it will be a continuous
one, and the steamers will sail every day.
In addition to the establishment of a new pas-
senger route to the continent the cattle traffic forms
an important element in the scheme, and is pro-
vided fur by wholly different vessels. At present
that traffic is carried on, ria Blackwell and St.
Catherine's Wharf, by the General Steam Naviga-
tion Company; and, more recently, in order to meet
the i °creasing deniaed for money accommodation, the
Netherlands Company have established a route, via
Thames Haven, which will, no doubt, be the real
competing one with that ria Harwich. For the
purpose cf facilitating this traffic the promoters of
the new route have chartered three steamers, the
Prince of Wales, the Princess Alice, and the Norfolk,
which make five voyages a week, and they have ou
the stocks two more' steamboats, the Harwich and
the Rotterdam, each of which is capable of convey-
ing 300 oxen and 1,500 sheep. Extensive lain
have been constructed at Harwich, in which the
jaded cattle can obtain rest and food after coming
out of the hold of the vessel, the great advantages
offered by this route being that the cattle will be
confined for a much less space of time in the hold of
the vessel, while on the other hand all agents'
charges, such as primage, wharfage, landing,
housing, customs clearance, kc., which it is esti-
mated amount to as much as 25 cent. on the freight,
wits' be entirely avoided. At present the route to
Blackwell is 22 hours, while from Rotterdam to
Harwich it will only be 14. . _

During Friday the Avalon was visited by many
hundreds of Dutchmen, who were invited to give
it a thorough inspection, of which permission they
readily availed themselves, expressing their admi-
ration at the manner in which she was fitted up,
and their surprise at the rapidity of the communica-
tion between the two countries.

GREAT NORTHERN HOSPITAL, CALEDONIA.N-ZOAD,
ISLINGToN.—NosoIor of patirete for as wish coding
Julie 11, 149, of which 245 won wow crow,

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