The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-27 00:00:00

By the opening of the Chester and Holyhead Railway

in Yiay, 184 S, and the subsequent completion of the
bular bridge across the Menai Straits, Holyhead became '
the point of embarkation for the greater proportion of
the Irish passengers and mails ; four new steamers were
built by the Government expressly for the Holyhead
station, and made up to the commencement of the year
1850, groat offorto wore made to perform the service
with the utmost possible efficiency. It cannot therefore
be doubted that since the union the establishment and
maintenance of the best and speediest means of commu-
nication between the two countries has been regarded as

a paramount duty of Government.
In the year 1848 Lord Auckland, then First Lord of
the Admiralty, stated in his evidence before the select
committee on army, navy, and ordnance estimates, that
as a general principle he was of opinion that the packet
service might be more cheaply done by contractors,
though he thought in most cases it might be more effici-
ently and certainly done by Government, and the com-
mittee recommended the contract system on the grounds
of economy.
This recommendation appears to have led to the adop-
tion of a totally different principle, as regards the com-
munication with Ireland, from that previously acted
upon since the time of the Union ; and the matter was
accordingly dealt with by Government, in 1850, as
purely departmental, and with reference solely to the
minimum cost at which the mails could be conveyed
across the Channel. Not only had the mail packets been
removed from three out of four of the above-mentioned
stations a measure which the facilities afforded by the
completion of the Holyhead Railway may have ren-
dered desirable), but tenders were invited for the per-
formance of the service between Holyhead and Kings-
town, by contract, at a diminished speed; and a contract
was accordingly entered into with the City of Dublin
steam Packet Company to perform the service for the
sum of 25,000/. a-year, which, when performed by her
Majesty's packets, had cost a much larger sum.
The result of this change has has been a considerable
diminution in speed of the mail packets. No stipule-
tiOlis were made with regard to the accommodation of
passengers. The inadequacy of both the mail and ex-
press boats for the present amount of traffic is a per-
petual source of complaint ; ladies are described as
frequently being obliged to lie on the floor, in such
numbers as to render it impossible to move about the
over-crowded cabins, and the fact that the boats are not
sufficient for the number of passengers having become
known to the public, a very serious obstacle is inter-
posed to that intercourse between the two countries,
which, for many reasons, it is so desirable to promote.
Thus, during a period when immense advances have
been made in the science of steam navigation, and while
all other important lines of communication, such as the
Cunard to New York, and the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's lines to the East have greatly improved, that
with Ireland alone has deteriorated.
Your committee have had ample evidence that the
postal arrangements between London and Dublin admit
of considerable improvement. There are at present two
daily communications each way via Holyhead. The
first, leaving London at 5 p.m., with letters received to
3.30 at the General Post-office, is forwarded by the
ordinary Northern express train to Crewe, and thence
to Holyhead, where it is due at 12.25 a.m. the next day.
This mail is due at Kingstown at 6 a.m. Dublin time,
but its arrival is exceedingly irregular, being frequently
half-an-hour, or even an hour late. The nominal time
occupied between London and Kingstown is 13 hours
25 minutes that is, from 5 p.m. London time, to 6
a.m. Dublin time. The second departure from London
is the 8.45 p.m. mail train, which is due at Holyhead at
5.49 a.m. The packets should sail at 6.14 a.m., and
reach Kingstown at 11 a.m. The arrival of this post
appears to be equally irregular with the former ; the
time occupied between London and Kingstown may be
taken at 15h. 10m., or from 8.45 p.m. London time, to
11.30 a.m. Dublin time.
The first mail-packet leaves Kingstown at 1 p.m,
Dublin time. The time between the departure of this
boat from Kingstown (1.25 p.m., London time), and the
departure from Holyhead of the mail train in connection
with (7 p.m.) is 5 hours and 34 minutes ; the trainis
due at Euston station at 4.50 a.m., the time2sOccupied
from Kingstown to Euston station is 15h. m occu
The second mail-packet leaves Kingstown at p
7 55
p.m., occupies the same time on thetfinassag7,n at
andis-due
at Euston station at 11 a.m. The
occupied from
ra
Kingstown to Euston station is 15h. 5 e
There is also a daily communication
each way, Sun-
days excepted, between London and Dublin, for pas-
sengers only, performed by an express train, and steam-
boats belonging to the Chesterfor and Holyhead Railway
Company. The departure from
10 p.m.
London, is at 9.15 a.m.,
the arrival at Kingstown
p.mxin; the time occupied
5
12h. 45m. The departure from
gs own is at 9.25 a.m., the arrival in London, 11.25 p.m. ; the time occu-
pied 14 hours.
The time supposed to be now occupied by the mails
between London and Kingstown may be thus taken at
an average of about 14 hours 25 minutes each way.
Your committee are of opinion that this time may be
easily reduced to about 11 hours. To effect this, the
speed on the railway must be accelerated, by diminish-
ing the length and number of stoppages, and a class of
vessels superior to those at present employed provided ;
but such acceleration of speed must necessarily involve
considerable alterations in the present times of departure
and arrival. It has been shown by the evidence that
considerable additional accommodation could be afforded
to the public, both in England and Ireland by extensive
1 changes in this respect.
1 A proposal has been made for the establishment of a
mail by the morning express trains leaving London and
Dublin at 8.30 or 9 a.m. respectively, and your com-
mittee are of opinion that great advantages would result