1830.] on "Affairs in GcntrAl. 97 



prize and a country-built vessel. In 1812, the Americans had 170, mostly 

 small ; in 1829 the number was 320, nearly all of them large vessels." 



In this enumeration, we must observe that almost the whole of the 

 English external commerce is still carried on by sailing vessels, while 

 nearly the whole of the internal is on canals, in which steam- vessels are 

 not used. The American internal commerce is, almost without ex- 

 ception, carried on by steam. In fact the English steamer is little more 

 than a passage boat, or substitute for the stage coach, which, however, 

 it has scarcely in any instance put down. Yet the number of the English 

 steam-boats is greater than that of the American. So much for the luxury 

 of England. 



The contrast with France is still more striking. The Rhone, the Ga- 

 ronne, the Seine, and the Loire, all navigable to a great distance from the 

 sea, and traversing the finest part of France, have on them all scarcely 

 more steam-boats than belong to the port of Glasgow. The enormous 

 expense of building the British steam-boats is also to be remembered. A 

 Thames steam-boat costs from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds, and pro- 

 bably the value of the whole is not much less than a million and half. 

 But the most attractive purpose of the system is now the shortening oi 

 the East India voyage. If any man had ventured to say twenty years 

 ago that letters from Bombay would be delivered in London within six 

 weeks, he would be laughed at as a visionary. Yet this has been nearly 

 done within these few days, and the calculation now is that it may be 

 effected in little more than a month ; in other words, that Bombay may 

 be brought as near London as Rome, for the practical effect of in- 

 creasing the spead is to shorten the distance. If the railway system 

 shall spread through England, Edinburgh will be brought within a 

 twelve hours drive, or be as near as Bath is now, and Bath be scarcely 

 further than Richmond. The advantages of this accessibility, for trade 

 and intercourse of all kinds would be beyond all calculation, and would 

 almost entirely change the face of society. If the railway were to be also 

 adopted on the continent, the furthest point of Europe would be at a 

 trivial distance ; yet even the railway may be exceeded. We do not 

 despair of seeing the steam engine applied to ballooning. It requires 

 only to be made on a lighter and more compact principle, and to require 

 less fuel than at present, to be made the directing and moving power of 

 the balloon. Then difficulty and distance would vanish, mountain and 

 sea, climate and cloud would be no barrier. The intercourse of nations 

 might be carried on at a height above mountain and storm, and the world 

 would for the first time since the patriarchal age be one great family, one 

 brotherhood, rejoicing in the interchange of all the bounties of earth 

 and heaven. 



" Boxing. The fight between Perkins, the Oxford Pet, and Alic 

 Reid, for 100Z. a-side, took place on Tuesday, near Chipping Norton. 

 On Saturday the London coaches brought into Oxford a large number 

 of the Fancy, including Dutch Sam, Dick Curtis (seconds for Reid), Jem 

 Ward, Harry Jones the Sailor Boy (seconds for Perkins), Ned Neale, 

 Tom Gaynor, Stockman, Oliver, Sampson, and others. Betting 7 to 4 

 on Reid. The fight lasted an hour and nine minutes, during which 34 

 rounds were fought. Reid won. Both the men were severely punished." 



Such is the detail of one of those collections of every vice and atrocity 

 of London, that take place perpetually in the presence of a whole host of 



M. M. New Series. VOL. X, No. 55. N 



