The New York herald., 1868-04-28
INDIA.

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England Seeking for q New Mail Midway
to the East-Itaiy as a Common iseute-
Can France "Stop the Way p,
From the London Times. April 81
Tne letter OF our Florence correspondent appear
our attention to the important subject Of the trans
mission Of the overland mail to India over the sass.
out the advantages which this line possesses over
the present French route by Marseilles, amonntirC
OF short land journey instead Of long sea yoysSe
The world has gradually and In some measure mn.
consciously to itself undergone great revolution with
respect to these matters There time In which
water Afforded the speedest as well as the safest mems
Of communication. When King OF England with
coach and six took four hours to get over the dis
tance between Kensington and Whitehall when
piled their calling on HOunslow and
Bagshot Heaths no wonder II such places as Bristol
the time In which those cities rose into pros
perlty the the great object for passengers snaI and
as the vessel which bore them could be made
to penetrate. The rocks and shoals in the cham
nes, the fogs and bars In the estuaries, were bus
triGng drawbacks in comparison with the horrors Of
bad roads and unsafe neighborhoods. Very different
Is the state Of things at the present day. On what
chance to come to land, 1t has to compete with
means Of conveyance in every respect pre-
ferable to itself. Had not trade for CEN
turies taken root in certain localities, and were
It TO take fresh start on our present system
most fairly launched out into the broad open ocean
would enjoy its monopoly, and that Milford Haven,
Ior instance would become our best Atlantic port;
TOT whatever was landed at Milford could be made
to travel by rail 70 any destination in Great Britain
with less loss Of time less fear OF accidents than
accessible inlets. sPraise the sea and keep to the
land' has become an economical no less than
Communication by water is invariably avoided.
except when It answers the purposes either OF tho
conveyance OF heavy merchandise or Of pleasure
trip Now, the overland mail, ON Its way from Lon
don to Alexandria, must needs perform both land
and q sea journey. SO long as the best means
narrowest strip Of the continent and the
broadest expanse of the Mediterranean offered
attained at least twice the speed Of the steamer the
position Is reversed. All our object should be the
longest land journey and the shortest sea passage,
and glance at the route, along that part In which
free choice left to u.s. say from Macon forward wtl
satisfy US that line which from that place strikes
Peninsula from Susa to Brndsi s much shorter than
the one which from Macon and Marseilles must either
go Ss Sazae e o o aH s
the Straits also that the former route takes us by
land over at least threeourhs Of the distance which
the latter must achieve by water The Mediterranean
Is like great ditch, OF which more than one-hall D
brdgef over by Italy, and the Peninsula nu, lies i'es
to have been best intended for the convenience or
the overland mail.
SO wise having been the arrangements Of nature
to mans purposes 1t seems hard that her pro.
vident designs should be for so long time defeated
by mere human stolidity. The obstacles which have
than desirable improvement lie. first, in the slug
gishness and incapacity of the Italian government;
OF our own postal authorities. The Italians have
between Alexandria and Brndisi They have not
set the latter port in the best order. Their railway
service leaves much to desire. Finally they actually
disgust and frighten away travellers by the delays
and vexations OF their custom houses and the DIRT
and discomfort Of their inns and stations The
French for their own part. endeavor to befrend
their own Marseilles line by the uncOnscionable do
tention Of fourteen hours In Paris Of the English
out how W V easily the French dlflicuty ought to be
overcome by little pressure OF diplomatic remen-
STRANGE. The interest OF private company cannot
be set against the imperOus eXigencieS Of universal
progress. 1t Is not tor such a nation as France to
'stop the aoav;" nor belteve that the 0oce,n
to, 'coud insist upon policy at vartance aoitn al
the usapes OF CtUtized nations. At all events, We
sVer were made and an answer We're voachsaed
to 1t, to be laid before the English public. With re-
spect to Italy, we are convinced the ADVANTAGES M
mails and passengers would be so great as to de.
termine that government to accede to any de-
and improvidence stand in their way. We do net
know to what extent it might be worth the while Of
some OF our steam navigation companies to UNDER
take the service between Brindisi and Alexan lra.
We do not know why some tidy SWISS or German
everyWhere else oionp the a. ,ne some Of those de-
ghtful hotels which turn out such excellent specula.
tions even among the barest SUBMITS and the most
forbdding gorges OF the Alps SO far as Italy Is con.
cerned, all Is reduced to mere question Of demand
and supply 1t is all an affair Of capital and if tire
Italians are too poor or too slOthfu to do the work
for themselves we feel confident the speculation
would turn out paying one, even II 1t were neceS-
sary to buy the whole line, with steamers, railways
and houses Of accommodation of Italian hands, A
to the annoyances at the Custom Houses, the din.
Guilty. like that Of the French Post ONCE, admits Of
diplomatic treatment.
the common highway OF Europe to the East we are
reminded by the fact that travellers from all parts
OF Germany, from Belgium, from Holland and Scan.
dnavia will be under as great necessity to avail
themselves of 1t those coming from the North Of
France or from England. From the Simpl0n, the s..
Gothard, the Spugen, the Brenner and the S0mmer.
ing, all the Alpine roads meet at the Bologna juno
ton. Not only will q man from Cologne, from Am.
sterdam, from Berlin, Dresden or Munich, II bound
to the East, find the track between Bologna and
Vienna, upon reaching Trieste will gain both time
and comfort IT. instead of embarking at that port he
Bologna and Brindisi Nay, upon the Termination d
the COrnice road from Marseiles to Genoa the Mar.
selais himself will find 1t for his con en-
fence to give preference to the Brindisi route.
drawback still existing against the convey
ance Of the overland mail across Italy p
railway communication at the Mont Gems Pass he.
tween st. Michel de Maurienne and Susa. The great
delay has damped our hopes in the eventual success
OF Mr.. Fell's Summit Railway We have, however.
both our correspondents evidence and Captain Ty-
ton Of communication across the Alps arising from
wintry inclemencies never extends beyond twenty
four hours, and that happens In extremely rare O>
currences Such loss Of time, even when it becomes
inevitable, Is but trfne to set against the three or
four days gain that the Brindisi route even In is
present most imperfect state, already gives over
the rival line Of Marseilles The English government,
as our readers are aware when 1t signed contract
with the Peninsuar and Oriental Company for the
conveyance OF the overland mall reserved the right
OF changing the route from Marseies to Brndsi any
time that such change should he deemed practica-
BILE and advisable. We have written to little purpose
II we have not proved that the contemplated con-
tngency depends in great measure the good will