The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-03 00:00:00

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LONDON AND
DUBLIN.

(From the Correspondent of the Monitor.)
I understand that Sir Edward Smith, Professor Barlow,
and a third gentleman whose name I do not at the moment
remember—the commissioners appointed by Government to
investigate and report upon the best line of communication
between London and Dublin—will, within the next month,
send in their report, which is in favour of the route by Ches-
ter and Holyhead, in preference to that by Shrewsbury and
Port-dynlaen ; a company of which Mr. G. Stephenson is the
engineer, was formed some time ago, for carrying this line
into effect, but the state of the money market with reference
to railway shares is, and is likely to be such, that unless they
obtain assistance from the Government, which I learn is at
present confined to a loan on the part of the company, of one
million sterling, the re-payment to be spread over a series
of years, they will not be able to carry out their intentions as
set forth. This railroad from Chester to Holyhead, if ever
finished, will be eighty-two miles in length; the first thirty of
it will be almost a dead-level, and will skirt the coast of
Wales for that distance. The engineering difficulties on the
subsequent part of the line are by no means of as formidable
a character as might have been anticipated' and are certainly
not greater, if so great, as those which have been success-
fully contended against on the London and Birmingham, and
the Manchester and Leeds lines. The great point at issue
was the risk of crossing the Menai bridge. Independent of
the dangers of suffering so much as eighty to one hundred
tons, the average weight of a train, being on it, in rapid transit,
it is well known that the vibration of a suspension bridge itn-
pedes the action of the locomotive, and that there is, conse-
quently, an immense loss of power. To obviate this, as well
as the danger, I believe the commissioners, will recommend
the granting permission to the company to transmit one or
two carriages at a time, by means of a stationary engine ; the
weight on the bridge at any one time not to exceed about ten
tons. Whether this railway is ever completed or not, the
Irish public will shortly reap the benefits of even more rapid
railway communication than that at present in existence, as
in August next the Crewe and Chester railway, branching off
at the first named place from the grand junction railway, by
which company it has just been purchased, and the Chester
and Birkenhead railway (a continuance of that from Crewe)
will be opened, there will be a saving of nine miles in dis-
tance—and in consequence of the superior gradients twenty
minutes will be saved on that account—making a total of
about an hour, no small consideration when the present fast
mail-train from London only occupies 9-4-hours in its journey.
The corporation of Liverpool have recently bought a large
tent of ground on the Birkenhead side of the Mersey, close to
two principal ferries, opposite to Liverpool ; and in conse-
quence of the bed of the river lying on the Chester side
they are about to construct docks, which will be accessible at
almost all states of the tide, and from whence it is probable
that the Irish mail steamers will start. The railway will run
as close to the water's edge as the Kingstown railway does
to the harbour, and the transference of the mails, passen-
gers, &c., will not occupy more than ten minutes, instead of
as, at present, nearly three quarters of an hour. A saving
in time of altogether an hourand a half might thus be gained,
which would—except in severe gales from the westward—en-
sure the delivery of the night London mail in Dublin the
evening following its departure.

A fo
rt Viennas , correspondentthe
porf t i
ii the Gm e
eAeur
Augustus
Journal t
usofSaxe ofF ra n
Coburgk-
Cohary, brother of the King of Portugal, and the Princess
Victoria, who is to marry. the Princess Januaria, sister of the
Emperor of Brazil.
friends inLeith
Company,UNDATION Or THE VISTULA.—We are favoured with
the following interesting information from Messrs. Gibson
anldN, of
eDs
sarnst.zmi e ,a
xthroughl a
rt hs
lei alml , eadni
du mc 0 ofm p
at lni their
:
—" Dantzic Feb. 5, 1840.—A circumstance has occurred
which may derange the corn trade this year, and put all par-
ties interested in it in very un-looked for positions. In our
last we referred to the very dangerous appearance of the river
(the Vistula.) The result has been such as no one ever con-
templated, and which at first none but eye-witnesses would
have believed. The Vistula, from the mild weather and the
heavy floods from Poland, had partially broken up, and came
down with great force, committing frequent damage to the
dykes, bursting the sluices, and overflowing a district called
the Binuen Neyrung. About four miles from Dantzic, at a
spot called Neufebr, a stoppage of ice occurred, which di-
verted the water from the channel. At this point the Vis-
tula runs near the sea, being separated by only one-half to
three-quarters of a mile (English) of land, from which, how-
ever, it again diverges, and proceeds on to Dantzie. The
channel being bloced up, the river, bursting across the
41 owed on to the sea; the intervening sand-hills, of
80, and even 100 feet high, formed no opposition ;
speedily undermined, and the river rolled on,
theyc76)uanntdr werey
both sides, in-
wardsl 000 feet wide, and the breadth
seemingly regardless of a lower channel on
through
• es that width. Since then the
ofththeesadnodw-nhsillosrwsaasnthills: In. a few hours the cut
. is 2 000 feet wide,
opening ,
.andm the hills fall hourly down, as
if cut with a knife.
ravages
in the dyke. The inhabi-
tants fearful .
tr
rushes fiercely through, making
district of Werder are hourly in dan-
ger of the populous I
ho
ifgthheer riveru p the
haet
most
the sea
Tthhereriev
of about ten English miles.
of the river, the supplies
of nature will have on the navigation_
What the human hand can
of corn, &c., no one can tell.
old bed of the Vistula
ger of being inundated. By this tehffeercitvett;issaysetrsaandgeistwaonreke
lies fast with the ice hillocks, and it may -0
do in it, 'tis impossible to say ; the
melt.";—Edinburgh Courant. h months ere they

COURT CIRCULAR.-FRIDAY.

Her Majesty gave audience, yesterday, to Viscount Me'
bourne, Viscount Dancannon, and the Judge Advocate-Gel
oral.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert having consented to en•
roll himself as a member of the Goldsmith's Company, 0.
which her Majesty is the head, a deputation from the coin•
pany, consisting of Mr. Bridge (prime warden), anti Messrs
Hodges, Smith, and Buttemer (wardens), waited, ye,terday
upon his royal highness, at Buckingham Palace, and had at
audience, to receive his commands with respect to his roya
highness taking the usual-oaths.
The royal dinner party at the palace, last evening, includeC
the Baron de Nieuniann, the Austrian Minister on a srecia
mission, the Earl and Countess of Carlisle and Lady Elisabetl
Howard, the Earl and Countess of Minto, Viscount Mel.
bourne, Viscount Boringdon, and the Right Hon. G. S
Byng.
The band of the Coldstream guards attended at Bucking-
ham palace during the evening.
On the return of her Majesty from Drury-lane Theatre,
on Wednesday night', the elegant cup, presented to Mr. C
Kemble by the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Beaufort,
the Marquis of Lansdowne, and other subscribers, was sub.
witted to the Queen and Prince Albert.

An address of congratulation to her royal highness the
Duchess of Kent, from the London clergy, was presented
on Tuesday to the royal duchess, atßuckingham Palace.
Her Majesty the Queen Dowager had a dinner party, on
Wednesday, at Marlborough House.
The reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha visited her Ma-
jesty the Queen Dowager, yesterday, at Marlborough House.
His serene highness also paid a visit to the Princess Augusta,
at Clarence House, St. James's.
The Duke of Cambridge visited her Majesty the Queen
Dowager, yesterday.