Chapter XI: Appendix: , No. II.--EASTERN WORLD

Places. Latitudes. Longitudes.

Falmouth 50° 8' N. 5° 1' W.
Lisbon 38° 24' -- 9° 12' --
Cadiz 36° 31' -- 6° 18' --
Gibraltar 36° 6' 20" -- 5° 20' 53" --
Malta 35° 53' -- 14° 30' E.
Zante 37° 47' -- 20° 54' --
Athens 37° 57' -- 23° 43' --
Smyrna 38° 25' -- 27° 6' 45" --
Constantinople 41° 12' -- 28° 59' --
Alexandria (light) Egypt 31° 12' -- 29° 52' --
Cairo 30° 3' -- 31° 18' --
Suez 30° 0' -- 32° 28' --
Mocha 13° 20' -- 43° 20' --
Babelmandel, Isle 12° 38' -- 43° 20' --
Cape Guardafui 11° 41' 4" -- 51° 12' 24" --
Socotora, Galanscea road 12° 43' -- 53° 18' --
Cape Aden 12° 46' -- 45° 10' 30" --
Bombay 18° 55' -- 72° 54' --
Colombo, Ceylon 6° 57' -- 79° 57' --
Point de Galle, Ceylon 6° 1' -- 80° 18' -- (p. 126)
Trincomalee, ditto 8° 33' 30" -- 81° 20' 15" --
Madras 13° 4' 10" -- 80° 21' --
Calcutta 22° 34' -- 88° 26' --
Cape Comorin 8° 4' -- 77° 41' 30" --
Mauritius, Port Louis 20° 9' S. 57° 28' --
Bourbon, St. Dennis 20° 52' -- 55° 26' --
Madagascar, Cape St. Mary 25° 38' 54" -- 45° 1' 42" --
Ditto Tamatave, E. C. 18° 10' 6" -- 19° 23' 18" --
Amsterdam Isle 37° 52' 0" -- 77° 52' --
St. Paul's, ditto 34° 42' -- 77° 52' --
Great Nicobar Isle 6° 45' -- 94° 0' --
Singapore 1° 12' N. 103° 30' --
Batavia 6° 0' S. 106° 51' 45" --
Canton 23° 7' 10" N. 113° 14' --
Swan River 32° 4' 31" S. 115° 6' 43" --
Hobart Town 42° 53' 35" -- 147° 28' --
Sydney 33° 50' 40" -- 151° 14' --
Madeira, Funchall 32° 47' 42" N. 16° 55' 30" W.
Cape de Verde, Port Praya 14° 53' 40" -- 23° 34' --
Ascension Isle 7° 55' 56" S. 14° 23' 50" --
St. Helena Isle 15° 54' 48" -- 5° 45' 20" --
Cape of Good Hope 34° 22' -- 18° 24' 24" E.
Rio de Janeiro 22° 54' 15" -- 43° 15' 50" W.
Pernambuco 8° 4' -- 34° 51' --

_Distances and Bearings of Places._

Geo. Miles.
Falmouth to Gibraltar S. 4° W. 820
Ditto to Madeira S. 27° W. 1170
Madeira to Cape Verde S. 19° W. 1130
Gibraltar to Malta, direct S. 1° E. 770
Malta to Zante N. 69° E. 320
Zante to Athens, round Cape 260
Athens to Constantinople N. 51° E. 310
Malta to Alexandria S. 70° E. 825
Suez to Babelmandel 1205
Babelmandel to Bombay 1630
Cape Verde to Ascension S. 22° W. 1530
Ascension to St. Helena S. 47° E. 655
St. Helena to Cape of Good Hope S. 50° E. 1720
Rio de Janeiro to ditto ditto S. 78° E. 3250
Cape of Good Hope to Mauritius N. 38° E. 2280
Mauritius to Swan River S. 77° E. 3150
Mauritius to Colombo, Ceylon N. 38° E. 2100 (p. 127)
Ditto to Point de Galle N. 49° E. 2080
Point de Galle to Bombay N. 29° W. 880
Madras to Calcutta N. 39° E. 735
Trincomalee to Car Nicobar S. 82° E. 775
Nicobar to Singapore S. 60° E. 665
Singapore to Batavia S. 25° E. 475
Singapore to Canton N. 24° E. 1440
Batavia to Canton N. 18° E. 1830
Trincomalee to Batavia S. 60° E. 1750
Batavia to Swan River S. 18° E. 1745 1645/100
Swan River to Hobart Town S. 66-1/2° E. 1770 1620/150
Hobart Town to Sydney N. 18° E. 570
Cape of Good Hope to Hobart Town S. 85° E. 6000
Pernambuco to Cape of Good Hope S. 62° E. 3300
Fayal to Pernambuco S. 7° W. 2800
Sydney to Canton N. 33° W. 4100
Canton to Swan River, by E. Coast Borneo 3300
Fayal to Cape Verde, Port Praya S. 11° E. 1545

There never having been heretofore any regular packet conveyance to and from India, there are consequently no accurate returns of the postage received, or letters that are conveyed backwards and forwards between England and the vast countries to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope. The number, however, from the extent of the trade, must be very great; and not a doubt can remain, that if regular and speedy conveyances were established, the numbers would be very much increased. In a communication from Col. Maberly, Secretary to the General Post Office, printed by order of the House of Commons last year, along with the Evidence taken before the Committee appointed to consider the propriety of establishing a Steam Communication with India, that gentleman gives the whole amount of postage outwards for 1836 to Cadiz, Gibraltar, Malta, and Corfu, at 3411_l._, and reckons the amount inwards at the same sum. He estimates the whole postage outwards and inwards, including sea postage between England, Ceylon, India, and the Mediterranean, at 47,000_l._ Even this sum, which certainly by no means includes every letter to and from the places mentioned, would, under the arrangements proposed, be doubled, independently of all the postages which would be obtained from the New South Wales, China, and Batavia, &c. &c. trade. The coasting or internal postages of Hindostan would certainly be greatly increased.

In the Finance Accounts of 1837, p. 55, there is charged the sum (p. 128) of 14,216_l._ 19_s._ 11_d._ for transit postage through foreign countries. Much of this is doubtless from letters which come through France, &c. from the Mediterranean, and countries near that sea. Under the proposed regular and frequent packet arrangement, the letters from which much of this sum is obtained would come directly through the British Post Office.

The amount of postage to be obtained through the vast range of countries which the New Plan proposes to embrace, can only be conjectured by considering the immense trade which is carried on with them and by them. As it is very great, so must the correspondence to which it gives rise be.

_Mauritius and Socotora._

An error has been committed in stating the expense on this station (see page 68.) Three sailing-vessels, instead of two, will be required; thus adding 4000_l._ to the capital, and 2000_l._ to the yearly expenditure.

* * * * *

Including the Mediterranean, the yearly cost of the present Foreign Packet conveyances, limited, uncertain, and irregular as the whole is, cannot be less than 350,000_l._, exclusive of any sum set apart to replace the capital engaged in it.

If the East Indian communication is amalgamated with the plan for the Western World to Pernambuco by Fayal, as it may readily be, then a considerable further reduction of expenditure in the former can be made (including the sailing-vessels between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Ayres) in capital 106,000_l._ and in direct yearly charges 45,000_l._; and nevertheless extend the steam conveyance to Buenos Ayres by Rio de Janeiro from Pernambuco. This desirable object could be effected with the saving mentioned, and without creating any additional delay in the communication; because, if the communication by this route between Falmouth and the Cape of Good Hope can be effected, as it may be, within 75 days, then no delay in the course of the mails takes place, while a considerable expense is saved, and important additional accommodation is afforded to the public, and to the commercial world. The distance from Falmouth to the Cape of Good Hope by Fayal and Pernambuco, is 7330 geographical miles. This could be run in 75 (p. 129) days: thus--36 days outwards, and 34 days inwards: 215 geographical miles per day in the latter, and 203 geographical miles in the former.