The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-19 00:00:00

and every precedent bearing on the subject, whether fa-
vourable to his views or otherwise. The functions of
the Committee would be of a judicial nature, simply to
report to the House the result of their inquiries.—(Hesse.)
Mr. M. J. O'CONNELL moved, to enable the •Hon.
Member for Youghal to be placed on the Committee, that
the Committee do consist of 22 members, but subse-
quently withdrew it.
Major BERESFORD observed that there were 13
members who were in favour of the Jewish claims, and
only 8 against them; he would repeat, therefore, that
the Committee was unrairly chosen.
Mr. B. OSBORNE moved the omission of the name
of the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, in order to substi-
tute the name of Mr. Anstey.
The motion was negatived without a division. -
The names were then agreed to till the SPEAKER
came to the name of Mr. Hume, when
Mr. B. OSBORNE moved the omission of the name
of Mr. Hume, as the Hon. Gentleman assured him he
could not attend.

Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—
For the motion 16
Against it ... 47
Majority —3l
The remaining name. were then agreed to.
The Brick Duties Bill was brought in and read a first
time.

Mr. HUDSON wished to knoW whether any provision
was made for allowing drawback to the brickmakers who
had stocks upon hand. It would be a great hardship
upon them if some return of duty was not provided for.
Mr. HAYTER said it was provided for in the Bill.
The House adjourned at One o'clock. •

COMMUNICATION WITH FRANCE
The important question relative to the transmission
of the maila between London and Paris, having occu-
pied considerable attention, the following extracts
from the report upon. the subject will be found well
worth the attention of our readers
BOULOGNE.
The westerly or south-westerly winds prevail in
the Channel full nine months of the year, and the
swell rolls in from the same quarter ten months,
having no impediment between the exposed and
dangerous western coast of ' the Pas de Calais
and the distant shores of America. In thick,
dark, and foggy weather, the coast in the neighbour-
hood of Boulogne is no less difficult than dangerous
to approach ; it is fringed with reefs, having deep
water close to ' - a vessel cannot therefore feet her way
by theiead, and there being no light except at Point
d'AlprC-cht, it is a work of immense peril to ap-
proaeh such a shore in a dark night, particularly at
low water, under the ordinary circumstances of wind
and sea as above adverted to.
The port of Boulogne dries at low water spring
tides, and has frequently three or four feet bar in face,
the sluices not being so effectual as those of Calais.
The entrance of the port is also narrower than Calais,
and the piers being solid, form a dam across the
tide ; and as these piers are of unequal length, the.
western considerably outside the eastern, the cur-
rent 'running to the eastward with great rapidity
round the west pier is met by a counter western
stream between it and the eastern pier head. This
counter-action is so strong, even under ordinary cir-
cumstances, as to endanger vessels losing command,
and probably causing their wreck against the west
pier, and in a dark night, during the prevailing
westerly gales, the duty of pointing a vessel for
the harbour thus becomes a service of immense
peril. The egress is equally dangeroue, for in south-
westerly gales a violent sea is created by the action
of the tide, and immediately a vessel gets without the
west head she takes the sea on her broadside that
sweeps her round towards the stone work which ex-
tends beyond the eastern works, and is in danger of
breaking her wheel, or (what may be worse) en-
tangling it with the buoys which mark this stone
work. •
The communication by boats is much more difficult
at Boulogne than at Calais during winter, when a suc-
cession of S. W. gales setting in, will sometimes cause
an interruption for several days together. The cir-
cumstances of this duty having to be performed in the
night, and on an open coast, with the frequent
attendant difficulties of darkness, thick rainy weather
and a heavy sea, are obstacles of so insuperable a
nature, that frequent delays and serious probable
accident will ensue in carrying on so perilous a ser-
vice. There have been several fatal accidents in
Boulogne Bay, even by daylight. One happened a
few years ago, in landing the mail from her Majesty's
packet Beaver, when it was not only daylight, but the
wind off the land, the boat was upset by the breakers
on the shore, and Mr. S. Hare (second -master), the
French pilot, six of his crew, and two passengers
were all drowned without any possibility of rescuing
them; and even so late as the 17th of last November
sixteen French seamen were drowned, part in attempt-
ing the harbour of Boulogne, and others in its imme-
diate vicinity.
The distance from Dover to Boulogne is six miles
further than to Calais, and in dark winter weather the
passage is much more dangerous to the latter'perrt, the
course lying athwart the track ofshipirunnihg up the
Channel ; it also leads directly among the numerous
English and French fishing vessels which congregate
about the " Verne and Ridge," and also the fishing
ground on the coast between Grisnes and Boulogne.
It is longer and more difficult to get to Boulogne
against a strong wind at S.W., and a spring flood,
than it is to get to Calais against a strong east wind
and a spring ebb.
The difference of the passage between the two ports
will be in favour of Calais, in fine weather about
half an hour, and in bad weather from an hour and a
half to two hours.
The port of Boulogne is not adapted for a perma-
nent mail station, in consequence of the peculiar na-
tural difficulties, arising from its exposed locality and
the nature of the coast. The important conditions of
punctuality and certainty of safe performance of the
service at the most economical cost, are not to be ob-
tained at this place, in consequence of the several
opposing circumstances stated in the foregoing
remarks. It is confessed by all nautical persons
acquainted with it to be fit for fine weather only, and
as such it may be suitable enough for vessels whose
sole object is the conveyance of passengers, and who
can suit their proceedings so as to avoid the difficulties
of the tide and the risks of weather. But for mail=
packets, whose duty is to be fulfilled' punctually,
without reference to these matters, and are regulated
only by the arrival or departure of trains, it will be
found totally unsuitable.
It may be reasonably predicted, that if the packets
continue to use the pert of Boulogne in the night, as
they have done since the commencement of the last
year, that some of them will eventually be lost, for
it is frequently impossible, in a dark night, to know
the danger a vessel is coming into until too late
to extricate it, and the lights and signals on shore
are by no means to be trusted to. Both -the risk and
the wear and tear, with the concomitant
expense,
may be safely estimated at 100 per cent. more than at
Calais, the exposed nature of the Boulogne coast ren-.
dering it frequently unsafe to anchor, and a steamer
consequently consuming fuel and other stores, wear-
ing her hull and machinery, and exposed to accidents
to both, in a manner which would not be the case at
Calais, where the intervals of being kept from enter•
ing the harbour are much shorter, and where safe
anchorage can be obtained, in most cases, during
such intervals.
In reference to the transit of the mails between the
coast and the interior, I know the French- authorities
have offered to accelerate the trains between Bou-
logne and Paris, and to perform the distance in five
hours and a half, instead of seven hours apd a half,
as at present; by which they propose to afford
nearly seven hours for the sea passage-
Instead of four
hours and three quarters as now.
As the journey from Paris to Calsitis now effected
in nine hours and three quarters, the present rate of
travellingasa
monatbteor of beingthrocaodusrse t
that
at aboutthe whole route,to
the same, it fol-
lows
Calais (which branches from the others at Amiens)
accomplishedmay be proportionallyi
n
Ven hours
accelerated,
and
a half,aad thus gaining the distance
on the longer road two hours and a half, as two hours
are proposed to be saved on the shorter one.
The sea transit by Calais requires only four hours
to cover all probable contingencies, and thus pursuing
the safe route by Calais, the bags by the night mail
may reach the French capital earlier than at present,
and by the day mail leave later, affording about four
hours at Paris to return an answer in thirty-two hours
from London ; or allowing about eight hours in Paris
to return a reply by the night mail to London in
thirty-eight hours—that is to.say, a person may leave
London on Monday at Bh. 30m. rem., reach Paris at
10h. 3Dm. on Tuesday, leave again by day mail at 21i.
30m. P. 24., mad be in London at 4h. 30 n. on -Wednes-
day morning ; or he may remain about eight hours
in Paris, and by leaving with the night mail at 7
P.M., will be in London at 10h. 30w. on Wednesday
morning, say thirty-eight hours from his departure.
CALMS.
The port of Calais is sheltered from westerly winds ;
the water is, then, smooth along shore; it is easy to
enter the harbour, land in boats, or anchor on the
coast, which is a good roadstead. The coast of
Calais may be approached with perfect safety in
dark or thick weather. It is sandy, and shoals so
gradually towards the shore that a vessel may
stand in without risk, and feel her way by the lead,
even when the weather is so thick as to render all
objects invisible, except at very short distances.
The piers project so far to seaward that a
vessel feeling her way by the lead along the
shore at tide-time cannot miss them, and at low
water they can, without risk, be approached so near
as to hear a bell, which, in foggy weather, is kept
ringing. The light is a most brilliant one, and so
situate, by its position in reference to the tide light on
Fort Rouge, that a vessel may with certainty run in
between the piers, even though so dark as not to be
able to see them.
The port of Calais is so much improved by the
newly-constructed sluices and the extension of the