New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-20
CHANCES AT EUROPE. No. XII.
WEST OF IRELAyD-ATLlyrrc MAILS.

CANE GOWN mere Yesterday from Du"iii
ti2e! miles) by the first Railroad train ever run
through FOR the travelling public, hoping not only
10 gain some personal knowledge Of the "es' o.
Ireland, but also 20 gain idea Of the anVah-
,ages and difficulties attending the proposed e.
Enlistment Of direct communication oy Wan
Steamers between this port and our own country
And although my trip IS necessarily hufi'eD
ose ve, having been rowed nearly across the
Bay. so AZ 10 gain some knowledge OF It's conior-
nation and lis entrance, and having usVefseo
the town IN every direction, and made me &C
ouaIntance Of some Of its most intelligent QUEENS
shall At all events return with clearer idea Oh
the whole sub ect than ever 50 much distant
study Of maps, charts and books could have gwen
me.
The Midland Railroad from. Dublin passes by
MAMMOTH. Mullingay, Athlone, (where It crosses
the Shannon by noble iron bridge and Ballina-
sIoe 10 this place, at the head of Galway Bay,
some twenty-five miles inland from the broad
Atlantic The country is remarkably level
throughout, and very little rock cutting and but
moderate amount OF excavation have been re-
CURED in making the Railroad, OF which pan
from Dublin to Mullingar,) has been for some
time in operation, while the residue has Just
been opened (The old stage-road from Dublin
70 GALWAY measures 1873 miles, or nearly seven
more than the Railroad) presume there is no
where an elevation OF forty feet to the mile, and
with good double track, (now nearly completely
,herccan be no difficulty in running expresstralns
through in three hours. From Dublin TO Holy
head will require four hours, and from Holyhead
TO London six more, making fifteen hours IN all
Gncludlng two for coming into Galway tor the
transportation of the Mails from the broad At
lan,ic off this port to London Allow three
more for leeway, and still the entire Mails may
be distributed in London about the time that the
steamship can now be telegraphed as of Holy
head. and at least twelve q hope fifteen hours
earlier than the Mails can now be received IN
London, to say nothing OF the saving OF thirty or
forty hours on the Mails to and from Ireland, and
twenty or so for those Of Scotland. Is there any
rood reason why those hours should not be
saved | can perceive none even though the
steamships should still proceed to Liverpool as
heretofore.
Galway Bay is abundantly large enough and
safe enough for steamships, even as 1t Is, though
It's security is susceptible Of easy improvement.
II has abundant depth inside, but hardly twenty
feet at low water on bar in the harbor so that
large steamships coming IN would be Obliged to
anchor mile or so from the dock for high water
n they did not arrive so to hit 1t, they must
now wait off the bar at Liverpool, only much
further from the dock But what contemplate
as a beginning is not the bringing IN OF the
Steamships but of their Mails. Let small
steamboat be waiting outside when Mail
Steamer is expected, (as now Oft the bar at
LiverpooD and let the Mails and such passen-
gers as would like TO feel the firm earth under
their feet once more, be swiftly transferred to
the little boat, run up to Galway, put on an ex-
press tram, started for Dublin, and thence sent
over to Holyhead, and dispatched to London and
Liverpool forthwith. Let Irlsh Mails for Gal
way, Dublin, &c, and Scotch Mails for Glasgow
be made up on our side, and let us see by three
or four falr trials what saving of time could be
effected 10y landing the Mails at Galway, and
then we shall be IN position To determine the
extent and character OF the permanent changes
which are required. That a saving OF fully
twelve hours for England and thirty for Ireland
futN ut SttultN ~ iiNNAiS '"iN"l WV LUZ fN"''
terminus of the Atlantic Mail Route, am very
confident, while IN the calculations OF those who
feel a local and personal interest in the change
the saving Is far greater But this is quite
enough to Justify the uncomfortable expense
which the experiment urge would involve.
-Galway was formerly place OF far greater
commerce and consequence than 1t now is. 1t
long enjoyed an extensive and profitable direct
trade with Spain, which, since the Union OF Ire
land with England is entirely transferred TO
London, SO that not shadow OF 1t remains At
a later day, II exported considerable Grain
Bacon, &c to England, but the general decline
Of Irish industry, and the low prices of food since
Free Trade have nearly destroyed this trade also,
and there are now, except fishing boats, scarcely
half a dozen vessels IN the harbor and OF these
the two principal are a Russian from the Black
Sea selling Com to a district whose resources
are Agricultural or nothing and a smart-looking
Yankee clipper taking In a load of emigrants and
luggage Tor New-Nork-the export OF her
population being about the only branch OF lrlsh
commerce which yet survives the general rum
GALWAY had once 10000 inhabitants; she may
now have at most 0OOO hut there is no Amer-
can seaport with 5000 which does not tar sur
pass her annual aggregate Of trade and industry.
What should we think IN America of a seaport Of
at least $4,000 inhabitants, the capital oi large,
populous county. located at the head OF noble,
spacious bay, looking of on the broad Atlantic
some twenty miles distant, with cities OF twenty,
fifty, and hundred thousand inhabitants within
a few hours reach ON either side OF her. vet not
owning single steamboat Of any shape OF nature
and not even visited by steamboat daily, week
ly, monthly, or at any stated period Truly, the
desolation OF Ireland must be witnessed OF II
canno, be realized
nudge that OF the twenty-five thousand people
Who live here Not ten thousand have any regular