The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-06-28 00:00:00

STEAII NAVIGATION.

It is but few years since steam navigation was brought
to the perfection that would admit of its being relied
upon as the established and systematic mode of convey-
ance which it has now become. Between this port and
the various ports of the sister kingdom the steamers are
constantly and regularly plying, and frequently, scarce
an hour elapses through the day, or during the hours
that the state of the tide admits of their entrance or
exit, that the long line of smoke is not seen approach-
ing and receding in various directions at the mouth of
the river. From Belfast, alonc, the whole line of coast
to Cork, every port has its line of''' packets connected with
the trade of this, their most natural market. Again, from
hence to the Clyde, and by the western and southern
course round to the metropolis, we are in constant in-
tercourse by means of coals and paddle-wheels. In like
manner, taking Glasgow, Leith, and Bristol, as so many
points from whence are incessantly radiating the substi-
tute for the sail, the intercourse between the several
parts of the 'United K ingdom, and from England especially
with various foreign countries, may be almost said to be
limited to .steam navigation. Bv this wonderful agency
countries are brought together which once were remote;
and by the same means, by a little license or speech, we
may say that the mail coaches cross the sea, as easily as
'the land. The question formerly was, how Many mails
are due from this or that place ? Now, if dui deliveries
of letters from Ireland or the Continent are an hour or
two behind the regular time, it leads to an exclamation
of surprise, and sets people wondering as to the cause of
delay.
Our attention was more immediately led to this ques-
tion, by glancing the eye over three several announce-
ments in the London papers, in the course of 24 hours
of the arrival of the General Steani Navigation Com-
pany's vessels, thus :
"The General Steam Navigation Coiupany's packet the Lord
Melville, from Calais, arrived off the Custom-house, at four
o'clock, p.m., yesterday." (Monday.)
"The General Steam Navigation Company's mail-packet the
Mountaineer, from Rotterdam, arrived off the Custom-house at
eight o'clock a.m. yesterday." (Monday.)
" Yesterday (Tuesday) arrived in the General Steam Navi
gation Company's mail-packet the William Jolliffe, from Ham-
burgh; Count Paplin, with despatches from St. Petersburgh."
Here are arrivals froth' the three principal points of
communication between England and the continent of
Europe, bringing intelligence from some of the principal
capital cities and commercial depots with which we are in
communication even in northern Europe, within the
same space of time that was but a very few years ago re-
quired to convey the correspondence from hence to Lon-
don; and with a system and punctuality equal to that of
the mail coach. The same company have their packets
also at fixed hours to Ostend, Boulogne, and other parts
of France, as well as coastwise ; conducted in all its de-
partments with a system equal to that of the Postoffice
itself. So from Dover to the French coast—from South-
ampton and Brighton to various parts of France, and to
the British islands in the channel—and daily from Mil-
ford to Waterford—from Holyhead to Dublin—and, not
less punctually than any of them,
.the Postoffice packets
from hence to Dublin, which may be seen .under weigh,
if that expression may be used, daily, within five minutes
of the same time. Steam navigation has, in short, effected
a commercial revolution—and will, hereafter, in all pro-
bability, make naval warfare a matter to be determined
in a given number of days, or even hours. Such are the
powers of this agent of human skill.