The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-16 00:00:00

" The Select Committee appointed to ascertain the
most expeditious and least expensive mode of postal
communication between London and Paris and the
northern parts of Europe, who were empowered to
report their opinion, together with the minutes of evi-
dence taken before them, to the House, have ex4mined
witnesses on the matters to theta referred, and have
agreed to the following report:—
" 14Your Committee find that the postal communi-
cation between London and Paris has always passed
through Dover anti Calais, wlh the exception of a
period of 13 months, commencing on toe Ist of
January, 1848. The Boulogne Railway being then
nearly completed, that port was substituted for
Calais on the establishment of an additional and ac-
celerated daily mail between the two capitals.
" 2. The experiment was also then made for the first
time of requiring packets to perform their voyages
between tidal harbours at fixed hours, without refe-
rence to the state of the tide.

4, 3. The journey from London to Paris,which had
was performed in 14k, the
London to Dover in ... 21 hours
thiimthee hitherto
being taken
thus 3l
apportionedhou rs ,
Dover to Boulogne in 5
Boulogne to Paris in 7

14f
" 4. From January 1, 1848, to January 31, 1849,
there were 46 occsasions in which the night mails
did not reach the post-office at Boulogne within the
period of five hours allowed from Dover, and on the
return voyar,e, when abopt six hours were allovVed,
they reached the,London post•office too late 38 times.
But it was also in evidence, that during a portion of
this period the boating service was extremely im•
perfect.
From January 1, 1848, to January 31,
1849, the mails were obliged to be
embarked by boat in Boulogne Roads 111 times,
And disembarked ... • • .. 102

213
And the cost of the boat service during the same
period was 7991. 17s. 5d., inclusive of 151. 16s. for
the construction of new boats.

"5. During the following 13 months, from the Ist
of February, 1849, to the 28th of February, 1850,
there were 25 occasions on which the night mails
were landed from the packets at Calais after 2.30
A.M., or within 3k hours from the departure from
Dover, and 26 on which they reached ,the London
post-office too late.
They were embarked in Calais R?ads... 65 times
And disembarked ... •• ••• 18

83
And the expense of the boat service during the same
period was 102/. ls. Id.
"6. In considering the route by which the greatest
speed, combined with regularity, may be obtained
for this postal communication, your Committee find,
the chief uncertainty to rest upon the amount of time
which must necessarily be allowed to include the
delays that may be expected from contrary wea-
ther, and the detentions arising when the packets
are prevented by the falling of the tide from enter-
ing or leaving the harbours. The witnesses examined
upon this point, on whose opinion with regard to
such matti-rs reliance may be most safely placed, con-
cur in stating that punctuality cannot he reckoned
upon, in regard to the Boulogne voyage, under 4
hours and 30 minutes.
"7. The night mail is at present conveyed from
London to Paris, by Calais, in 12- hours.
H. iv.
From London to Dover in ... 230
Dover to Calais ... .. 3 0
Calais to Paris ••• ... 7 0

12 30

"8. Three hours may therefore be taken as a suffi-
cient allowance of time from the railway station at
Dover to the station at Calais, though one of the
witnesses stated that 3A- hours should be allowed, to
insure regularity.
"9. It appears therefore from the evidence your
Committee have taken, that 4i hours are required be-
tween the stations,at Dover and Boulogne, and 3
hours between the'stations at Dover and Calais, the
difference being attributable to the following circum-
stances :

"10. The sea-passage to Boulogne pier is, on the
average, about 20 minutes longer than to Calais pier.
" 11. In Boulogne harbouso4,MAAted that there is
depth of water sufficient tor the packets about 7 hours
out of 12, and in Calais generally at low-water neap
tides, and at .spring tides, with the. exception of about
1 hour and 40 minutes out of 12 hours.
"12. The boat service is more liable to delay and
difficulty at Boulogne than at Calais.
" 13. Boulogne is more exposed to the prevailing
gales, and more difficult and dangerous of approach,
particularly in the dark, in bad weather.

" 14. The manager of the Boulogne and Amiens
Railway stated five hours to be the shortest time in
which the mail could be conveyed with regularity
from Boulogne to Paris, assuming that the best ar-
rangements could be made with the North of France
R iilway Company.
" 15. A superintendent of the North of France
Railway stated 6 hours and 45 minutes to be the
average time actually occupied in the transmission
of the mails from Calais to Paris, though seven
hours are allowed to cover delays ; and he considered
that rate of speed to be susceptible of acceleration.
" 16. The time, therefore, at which the mails may
be conveyed by the two routes, assuming an accelera-
tion on the Boulogne line, appears to be as follows
H. M.
London to Dover 2 30
Dover to Boulogne 4 30
Boulogne to Paris
.. 4 45

11 45

London to Dover
Dover to Calais
Calais to Paris

2 30
3 0
6 45

12 15

" 17. The advantage of half an hour possessed by
, counterbalanced by the
" 18. It is shown by experience to be more exposed
following
lo formerwing considerations
irs a,t hioonwse :Ler
to delay, even with the allowadce of 4h. 30m. for the
sea voyage, than the other route ; and it must be
B o
re-
membered that nine times the
e,
and,packets to
were
avoidu nablet o
deliver further
delay,
of the Boulogne line for boat ser-
vice, coal, and tear, is estimated at
. proceeded theirT l
storks,
t o enr as pi ,
el
tos
a ngn
ed at
Calais.
wear
~oe.third more than the same service from Dover to
C dais, and the risk of serious accident is greater.
"20. Your Committee have it also in evidence that
the p )rt of Calais could not well be superseded, but
would remain the port for letters for the north of
Europe, and that letters are sent twice a day at the
present time to Belgium and the Rhine by this route.
" 21. Your Committee are Informed that the mail
train from Dover to London may be accelerated from
15 to 20 minutes by diminishing the number of stop-
pages, and one cause of delay will be considerably
removed as the works at Dover advance and the
packets can land at the pier at all hours."

THE UNITED STATES.
NEW YORK, APRIL 27.—The long-contemplated
appointment of a committee of thirteen has been made
in the Senate, and strong hopes are entertained that
they may suggest some term. s of compromise regard-
ing the slavery question which will prove acceptable
to a majority in both the Chambers.
This committee is very impartially constituted.
Among its members there are seven Whigs and six
Democrats ; seven are chosen from the slave States
and six from the free States. Mr. Clay, a Whig and
Senator from a slave State,is chairman, and the
names of all are well and favourably known to the
country. They are Messrs. Webster, Cass, Dickin;
IC
son, Bright, Phelps, Cooper,
114, Mason, Downs,
Magnum, Bell, and Berrien. Both Mr. Webster and
Mr. Phelps are said not to anticipate any result to
their labours; but it is nevertheless evident that there
exists a better general disposition to terminate the
discussion, and adjust in as agreeable a manner as
possible the questions which for the last five months
have impeded all attempts at ordinarylegislation.
The facility with which
a clerk to the House of
Representatives was a few days since elected proves
that the affinities of the Democratic party in that
Chamber are becoming restored, and their power of
course strengthened.
A disgraceful scene of ruffianism took place a few
days since in the Senate. Mr. Foote, of Mississippi,
drawing a pistol on Mr. Benton, of Missouri. The
affair is now under investigation, and it is hoped
that one or both of the parties implicated will be
expelled.
The treaty with England regarding Central Ame-
rice, which I some weeks since reported as having ben
sent to London for approval, has been returned to
Washington, and has been fully concluded with Sir
H. L. Bulwer. It is now before the Senate, and
no doubt exists of its ratification. It gurantees