The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-09 00:00:00

Welsh coasters from a SRIe thoonvenience to which
ordinary railway bridges might perhaps have put
them. This was Admiralty ex on the first.
The second was to insist that the Railway Com-
pany, whom expenditure was thus inordinately in-
creased by the western:don of tubular bridges, should
come under obligations to the Admiralty to lay out
200,0001. in improving and deepening the harbour of
Holyhead. This was extortion the second.
Well ; as some compensation for these two enter-
tione, the Company proposed to the legislature that it
should have powers granted it to carry on steam na-
vigation between the line it was constructing, and the
harbour it was to deepen and the Irish metropolis.
Such powers it had hitherto been the policy of parliament
not to grant railway companies, fearing very unnecessa-
rily as events have everywhere turned out, that the
great capital of railway companies would enable
them to destroy the competition of navigation com-
panies and of private enterprise and, by such destruc-
tion, give them ultimately the same monopoly of
water pamage as they already enjoy of land transit.
Notwithstanding this general policy, parliament,
on Sir Itonen2 PEEL'S earnest recommendation,
made an exception in favour of the Cheater
and Holyhead Railway Company, and bestowed on
it authority to carry the passengers they brought to
Holyhead over to Dublin an their own steam-vessels.
The ground on which Sir ROBERT PEEL urged the
Home of Commons into this exceptional legislation
was the public advantage. This, argued the light
honourable baronet, then first minister of the crown,
is not a mere railway communication between the
small but interesting town of Chester and the insigni-
ficant port of Holyhead ; it is the establishment of the
speediest route between London and Dublin ; let UP,
therefore, ensure its completion and its sucetraul
operation, by placing its service throughout in the
hands of one company. Such was the reasoning of
Sir ROBERT PEEL. Parliament yielded to it ; broke
through its rule, and made the Chester and Holyhead
Railway Company a Steamboat Company also.
Alas ! the boon only plunged the company deeper than
ever into the slough of despond. Fur, no sooner
had they built their steamers and placed them on
the station, than their old plague, the Admiralty,
rushed into hot competition with them for the ear-
riege of passengers over the Channel. This was bad
enough ; but it did not last long. The House of
Commons reported generally against such unprofitable
and expensive operations as Admiralty trading in
the conveyance of goods and passengers; and
directed the mails to be conveyed by contracts.
This change opened a hope for the unfortunate
company. It was prepared to take the mails, it
brought from Chester, across the water, and eke
rem* net, however, at any extravagant sum, for
the Admiralty brings no charge of inordinate demands
against the company : but at rates merely remu-
nerative of the capital parliament had encouraged it
to lay out in steam-ships. But no. Whether
it is that there is fatality attending all of this un-
happy company'saffsirs or whether there is a predeter-
mination on the Admiralty's part to ruin it, we know
not; but this much is certain, that the Admiralty,
notwithstanding an intimation of the Company's de-
sire to negotiate tor the contract, disregarded the in-
Vmation, and were on the point of concluding

arrangements with an Irish company for 50,0001. i
year, when the terms were discovered, and
competition was re-opened. The company
now offered to take the contract for 35,0001.
being 15,0001. a year less than the Ad-
miralty, were about giving to its rival; when
the Irish Company again interposed, and, proffering
now to do for 30,0001. a year what they were nearly
getting 50,0001. for doing, obtained the contract.
Thus, for the sake of saving 5,000/. a year, the
Chester and Holyhead Railway Company is agan
injured by the Admiralty. This last blow, however,
has driven it to desperation ; and to an appeal to the
House of Commons, by which a committee was on
Tuesday appointed CO consider its wrongs.
To shorten the route between London and Dublin

ne few hours, and to reduce the coat of transit

some few shillings, upwards of five millions sterling
have thus been spent by a railway company, called
into existence principally by the action of the Irish
interest on the imperial government. Yet, in conse-
quence of the demands of the government on
this company, of the severity of its contracts
with it (for the company has a Post-office
contract by which that department saves several
thousands a year), and of the disfavour shown it by
the Admiralty, the present prospect is, that that
enormous outlay will be utterly unprofitable. The
company might not have been a very profitable
one, had it been differently treated; but, char];,
the depth cf its present misfortunes is the
result of the conduct of the Admiralty ; just
as the present plight of Birkenhead is attri-
butable to the Woods and Forests. And there
is, at least, some moral obligation on both depart-
meats to do what in them lies to undo the mischief
they have perpetrated. What this is in reference to
the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company, the
committee will perhaps state.
The conduct of these two departments to compa-
nies incorporated for the execution of great public
works is very generally complained of. There is
scarcely a railway or a dock company in the king-
dom to which one or other has not unnecessarily
caused delay and expense. And the Woods and
Forests is now carrying on, in the name of the sove-
reign, a crusade to obtain possession of all the land
between high and low water marks in England worth
looking after. thus, when two years ago a committee
of the house remarked to Lord CARLISLE, on the fact
that the value of the Woods and Forests' property
did not increase like other property, his lordship in-
geniously replied, that he hoped it would increase
when they got possession of all the unoccupied water-
side property in the kingdom. And on tsis precious
scheme the department is now acting; as the suit in
Chancery between it and the Corporation of London
testifies.