The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-31 00:00:00

LONDON TO DUBLIN..

~ .
The class of steamers recommended by Mr. Lang ate
to be 400 feet long, with 4800 nominal horse power,
working up to 8;000 horse power by the indicator, and
drawing 13 feet of water. Mr. Penn, Mr. Scott Rus-
sell, and' other eminent enffineers and ship-builders,
attest the perfect practicability of constructing such
vessels with complete, security and efficiency, and the
many naval , gentlemen examined acknowledge the
adequacy-of the corresponding harbours of Holyhead
and Kingstovin '(Dublin) to accommodate them. The
only difficulty that has been suggested is that vessel
moving at such rapid 'speed as 25 miles an hour might
be dangerous to the traffic Of St. George's Channel.
It seems to have been forgotten, howe'ia, that a vessel
running twelve miles an hour, the present rate, would
be as fatal running in upon another as if she ran 25
miles an hour, and that the larger and swifter vessels
provided would be but half as long upon the water as
the vessels now in use, and would wessarily greatly
reduce the number of•vessels in theAradel the effect of
the adoption of the larger class of vessels being, thus,
much to diminish the chances of danger from collision
that now exists. On the whole, the single tenable ob-
jection to the plan proposed by the committee is the
question of expense, for steam-ships, like diamonds and
looking-glasses, are costly according to their size, far
beyond the direct ratio. This question of expense is,
however, we hold, quite unworthy of consideration
when we take into account the incalculable benefits that
must attend every improvement in the communication
between the two islands.

The great—the immeasurable—benefits to be expected
from the improved communication, are two-fold—mili-.
tary and social. First, of the military, not as the most
important, but as that to which the report of the com-
mittee more directly refers. It was stated, by all the
witnesses to whom the question was put, that one of
the vessels proposed by Mr. Lang would with ease carry
2,000 men, that is more than two regiments, across the
Channel in two hours and twenty minutes ; and thus
the Guards might, in case of emergency, be transferred
by steam vessel and railway from London to Dublin in
about eleven hours, and vice versa, the Dublin garrison
might with equal rapidity be brought to London ; nay,
long within the compass of a single day might the gar-
risons of Galway, Cork, and Belfast be conveyed to the
metropolis of the empire. About seven or eight years
ago, when the Times was usino• all its exertion to dis-
courage railway enterprise, we (and we were the first to
do so) directed the public attention to the immense im.
portance of railways, as multiplying ten or twentyfold
the defensive military power of any country intersected
by them, enabling a Government to act almost cum Coto
corpore regni at any point at which danger threatened,
and to act immediately. We have a proud recollection
of our efforts upon the occasion, because we know that
they were honoured by the high approbation of the
Duke of Wellington. It is unpleasant to refer to such
subjects as the Irish rebellion of 1798 ; but it were un-
just to the subject before us to withhold the fact, that
n love
ftf advantagehL Lucas—who was not animated with a sin-
in that crisis of the fate of the British empire the trans-
mission of troops from Liverpool and Bristol to Dublin
occupied no less than three weeks' sea passage ! We
shall never have another rebellion in Ireland—thanks to
steam navigation and railroads and other as pleasant
causes—though
purposes, by
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trucklingMi nisttenrsfantmiasyn,s, to
threatenserve
We now come to the more agreeable consideration of
the social benefits to be anticipated from the improved
theirs such
a calamity.
f
communication between Great Britain and Ireland.
Every
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osecurededK
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England, Ireland—assoevery
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merely as a philanthropist, but as studious of the wel-
fare of his own country. The commercial and industrial
prosperity
identification with Great Britain as part of the United
Kingdom. Were the countries politically separated to-
morrow universal bankruptcy must overwhelm the
western Wand. A common paralysis must starve and
deaden al its industry. This is well known to the com-
mercial classes of Ireland through all their ramifications,
and it is no secret to the humbler classes, who ever look
to England as a bank at which they can receive remune-
ration for their labour, their only possession. The bene-
fits that Ireland enjoys, the benefits that she expects,
from the British connection are the hostage for the in-
violable fidelity of the commercial classes, and of the
humbler classes for the inviolable preservation of the
national union ; as to the higher classes of Irishmen
they are in fact Englishmen in spirit, as they are Eng-
lish by race and religious faith. In conferring benefits
upon Ireland, therefore, we are securing benefits to our-
selves—wealth in peace and strength in war • but it
need not be said how much Ireland must be benefited by
an improved communication between the islands ; the
400 feet steamers at Holyhead will of course be emu-`
lated by vessels of equal or even greater capacity and
speed from Liverpool, Fleetwood, Bristol, &c. &c. And,
it is scarcely being too sanguine to anticipate a 9ty.
Bog-
nors, Margates, Ramsgates, Scarboroughs, shall gem
lwohzDthueblLinoncodunonty7orcrhwanetifshordall, haanvde hßisrivg!hlltan_nsl.th W
The m
the beautiful coasts of " the green island.'
Standard
must bean improved means of communication.
leading to this happy consummation—happy
us all—

FATAL ATTACK BY BEES.—On the morning of the late
storm, the Abbe Jouanneau, cure of Fatines (Sarthe),
went into his garden to replace a beehive which had
been blown down. Scarcely, however, had he touched
the hive, when he was attacked by the bees with such
fury that his death took place shortly afterwards.
E xcuT
underwent the extreme penalty of the law at half-past
six o'clock this evening, in front of the county gaol. He
culprit,
appeared on the platform faint and feeble, assisted by
the Rev. Mr. Commins. He desired to address the
I N o
convicted o r HURLEY
of mAT
murder at
,tky.ur 0 last assizes,
—This unfortu-
nate
immense concourse, but his voice being so weak, it was
repeated by tie rev. gentleman. He said he was guilty
of the crime imputed, was sorry for what be had done,
and what had occurred at the court-house, and begged
the prayers of the people for mercy on his soul ; after
which the fatal bolt was drawn, and in a few minutes
the unfortunate Hurley had ceased to exist. Thousands
of people, amongst whom the female sex predominated,
were witnesses of this harrowing and inhuman spectacle.
—Galway Mercury.

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.

Lessee and Manager, Mr. Farren.
THIS EVENING, Aunusr 31,

Will he performed THE TIJIE3. Characters by Messrs. T. Farren,
J„ Johnstone, William Farren, H. Marston, G. Cooke, and Shalders ;
Mesdames Anderon, H. Gordon, E. Turner, and Bartlett.
With SILYLOCK, or, THE MERCHANT OF "VENICE PRE-
SERVED." Shylock, Mr. F. Hobson.
To conclude with TUE WANDERING MINSTREL. Jem bags,
Mr. F. Robson.