The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-12 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND INDIAN MAIL.
TRIESTE v. GENOA.

Slit—Some days article appeared
in your paper, comparing an imaginary Genoa line with the
existing Trieste route, and illustrating the comparison with
statement. which are entirely erroneous, and which, as they
ore calculated to induce the English public to entiten, nee •
scheme which has no support elsewhere, we think it but just
to refute. Objection is made in the article referred to, to
the control of the Austrian government, and to the employ-
ment of Austrian steamers. With reference to the sea
voyage, it is mottled that there is an uncertainty of access to
the port of Trieste, an easier navigation of the GulforGenoe,
and an equal distance between Alexandria and Trieste, and
Alexandria and Genoa. sad respecting the land journey, that
the Trieee line has hitherto been performed in 1064 hours,
when the Genoa can be made in 72 ; and that in 1852 the
Genes line will only require 54 hours. Now, we must reply
that the Trieste line is one that has been tried, and that we
rely upon facts for the present and easily proven calculations
for the future. To balance the fear of Austrian control, we
have to point not only to the security accruing from
Austria's strength, end the conformity of her interests with
those of Great Britain, but also that Trieste is the terminus
common t. five different lines leading to the northern
seas; while from Genoa no other line is at the dis-
posal of the English courier, if the suppossl railway
from Genoa should be endangered by political derangements.
Concerning the Austrian steamers, we must confess that an
Eoglish company would have no competition in Genoa, as
there is not one steamer belonging to that port, but the
Austrian Lloyd's Company in Trieste, with their steamers
(which they are about to increase in number to 30), are not
to be blamed for offering to the English nation those sec.
vices which the Netherlands and other continental states
have already accepted.
The difficulty of the acme of steamers to Trieste exists
only in imagination, the Adriatic sea being calmer than
any other part of the Mediterranean ; while the passage of
the Straits of Messina through the Scylla and Charybdis of
the ancients, and the navigation of the Genoa Gulf,
render the sea Topics from Alexandria to Genoa so small
an object of speculation that until now not one steamer
has been directly ensuing between those pore. In
the trials of the Trieste line made by the very
unsuitable steamer Ardent (running only eight knots
per hour), the transit during the six most unfavourable
months of the year varied from 1624 hours against adverse
winds, to 130 hours under more favourable circumstances ;
but the distance, being only 1,194 miles,can be accomplished
in 119 hours by steamers of the ordinary rapidity of 10
knots, or probably in less time. The advocate of the Genoa
route estimates the duration of the voyage to Genoa at 143
hours; considering, however, that the length of the voyage
must be extended by 150 mice in going round Sicily, or
that the steamboat must be delayed in the Straits of
Messina, wo think ourselves entitled to titling* a dif-
ference of at least 48 hours between the two voyages ; but
even comparing the supposition of 143 hours with the
Lloyd's easily proven calculation of 119 hours, a difference of
24 hours ea remains in favour of the way of Trieste, in
opposition to the assertion of an equality of distance.
With respect to the land journey it is the same on the exist-
ing Trieste line, and the projected way of Genoa from Lon-
don to Mannheim. In six trials the average time consumed
by this part of the journey was 48 hours : supposing the
railways from Mannheim to Zurich already opened, they
could not be travelled over in ler than 17hours—then re-
mains, therefore, only 9 hours to go from Zurich to Genoa,
where no railways, but estremely picturesque nwuntains,
beautify the trip, which is genalllyperforwd by coach in 66
hours. The fallacy of the arguments in favour of the Genoa
route, for the present, is sufficiently palpable ; for the future it is
tweeted in the year 1842 the journey may be accomplished
in 54 hours. We beg to state that long before 1852 the
Trieste route will be panted over in 51 hours, and refer to the
authority of a pamphlet entitled " The Overland Mail and
the Austrian Lloyd's" (George Mane, Cornhill), in, which
this with many other facts is explained. If, therefore, the
Anglo-Indian mail rid Trieste, by 119 hours' tea voyage and
51 hours' land journey, will, in reality, arrive in 6 days and
16 hours, the ideality of the Genoa route being 8 days 5
hours—a saving of 37 heart, proves the advantage of the
Trieste route.
The English public can only wish for a competition on a
route by which they regulate their mercantile and political
transactions is the east. But we think it only just to assert
that the Genoa line is no party in each competition, no com-
pany existing fur the construction of the railroads, none for
the management of the entire route, the statistics of traffic
offering not the lewd chance of the realisation of a railway
from Genoa to Zurich—(the; conceal= of the King of Sar-
dinia to begin the construction not having yet met with
capitalists willing to lend their money to fight with the
Alps, which bar the line with a wall 6,000 feet high)—where
they are most favourable for such an enterprise.—Annit.—
London, Aug. 9.