The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-18 00:00:00

June 14, 28, 29, 30 ••• .. 4 „
July 22, 26 ••• ••• ... 2 „
August 22 ••• 1 „
October 10, 11, 20, 21, 28 5
__
November 7, 21, 26 3
December 7 ••• ... 1 „

40 times.

Out of these 40 delays, that of Jan. 9 was occa-
sioned by an accident to the Princess Alice-that of
April 18 by an accident on the Dover Railroad-and
that of Oct. 20 by an accident to the Undine (3).
Jan. 1,7, Feb. 5, and May 17, a thick fog prevented
the captains seeing the entrance to the port ; they
prudently kept off, and were too late (4).
Jan. 18, 28, Feb. 6, 10, 27, 28, March 2, 12, July
22, August 22, Oct. 21, Nov. 21, and Dec. 7, the
road service at Dover was impracticable, the packets
were compelled to remain 'in the harbour, and could
not get out till it was too late to make Boulogne
before the departure of the train (13).
Jan. 26, Feb. 26, March 23, April 12, and Oct. 28.
-The late arrival of the packets in our roads did not
permit the disembarkation of the mails by boat, a
service so easy in itself; in sufficient time. It should
be remarked that the first five delays would not have
occurred if the station had been then, as now, at
Boulogne (6).
Total, 26 delays, which, cannot evidently be attri•
buted either tc the difficulty of access to the port of
Boulogne, or to that of communicating by boats with
packets in its roadstead.
There remains, then, 14 delays out of 40, for which
the port of Boulogne may be considered responsible ;
and out of that small number we should not have had
to reckon January 5, February 4, and March 3, if our
port had been provided (which it was not for six
months) with boats suitable to the road service. Since
then two boats have been constructed (3).
Finally, April 13, 14, June 14, 18, 22, 30, July
26, Oct. 10, 11, Nov. 7 and 26, the landing of the
mail, by boats in the offing, was rendered impossible or
dangerous by stress of weather (11).
During the past year the mails landed at Calais
have arrived at Boulogne too late for the eight o'clock
train, 38 times, viz. :-8 times in January, 3 in
February, 2 in March, 1 in April, 1 in May, 1 in
June, 1 in July, 2 in August, 1 in September, 9 in
October, 4 in November, and 5 in December.
‘ve cannot conclude this article without recurring
o the singular coincidence that the last days of
_Vovember and the Ist of December should see the
mails go to Calais, and Lord Clanricarde come to
France. To say the least of it, it afforded an argu-
ment in favour of Calais. We would also inquire, do
the public reap any advantage by the mails going to
Calais when the captains choose, or are compelled to be
too late for Boulogne ? If the dispatches arrived at
Boulogne too late for the 3h. 50m. morning train,
they would go by the eight o'clock night train,
reach Paris at four in the morning, and form part
of the first delivery. If they go to Calais to save the
six o'clock morning train they would arrive in Paris
(according to the printed bills of the Great
Northern line), at a quarter to eight in the evening ;
hut coasidering that this arrival is only at the ter-
minus, and that it takes another half-hour to forward
them to the Post-office, to say nothing of the time
required for sorting, are they, or can they be de-
livered that same evening? If not, the public de-
rive no benefit whatever from these voyages de
plaisance a Calais.