1824.} 
pected from the Turkish government ; 
it would necessarily gain by the transit 
of goods, and could-neither incur risk 
nor expense: f , 
- There must be a: depot of: such 
stores, both at Cairo® and at Suez,+ as 
would be:required for the use of the 
steam-boats ; there: must be, also, the 
means of) repair at each place. A 
steam-mail-beat would be stationed at 
Suez to receive the caravan from Cairo, 
and weuld start without delay down 
the Red Sea. The steam-tmail shonld 
either ‘proceed at once from Suez to 
Boinbay,: fourteen’ days run, about 
3300 miles, or the distance could be 
divided into two voyages, by going first 
from Suez to Socatara, and having 
there, also, a depét of stores, which 
might be wanted for the use of the 
mail: the island of Soeatara being in 
the direct route from Suez to Bombay, 
very. little time would be lost «by 
putting in regularly, or another steam- 
boat could be in readiness to start for 
Bombay. The isiand is described to 
be populous and fruitful, about. fifty 
miles in length, and twenty in breadth. 
“The capital of the same name is 
Situated on a river near the sea in lat. 
15° 24! N.. The natives are Mahome- 
tans, with a mixture of Paganism. 
They trade to Goa with the produce of 
their island, viz. fine aloes, frankin- 
cense, ambergrease, dragon’s blood, 
rice, dates} and coral, which are trans- 
ported from thence to many parts of 
India, and all Europe. ‘The sultan is 
tributary ‘to the princes of Arabia. 
The shore every-where affords safe 
anchorage and good ports; and here 
are, in particular, two remarkably-fine 
harbours, where shipping may ride 
secure from every wind that blows,” 
lat, 12°15' N. lon. 54° E. No island 
can be better calculated, as a depdt, 
than that of Socatara, should the run 
be thought too long from Suez to 
Bombay, 
*,* We have giyen place to Mr. Wil- 
kinson's project, because we regard it as 
a practical consequence of steam-naviga- 
tion, and to be of great public concern; 
but,as Mr. Perkins’s new steain-engine, by 
diniinishing the consumption of fuel, will 
enable ships to make long voyages, we an- 
ticipate the speedy establishment of 
Steam-packets and traders between Eu- 
yope aud India by the Cape of Good 
Hope. This will be a practical conse- 
qnence of his invention, and an East India 
_ ™ Vide.Cook 658, Art. Boulac, 
+ Ditto p. 666, Art, Suez. 
Proposal for an East- India Steam-Mail. 
485 
voyage will thep not be of greater duration — 
than a West India one at present. In- 
deed, the idea which we expressed long 
ago, seems, likely to be soon realized, that 
every ship which attempts to navigate the 
ocean, must be provided witb the supple- 
mentary power of a steam-engine, 
ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
PLAN for CLEANSING and PURIFYING the 
METROPOLIS. 
AVOURABLE as is the interior 
of English houses to the virtues 
of cleanliness, it is to be lamented that 
for want of a special police, or efficient 
arrangements for the purpose, the 
streets of London are disgustingly 
filthy, and are a disgrace to the gene-: 
ral manners, habits, and character of 
the nation. Carriage-ways covered 
many inches deep with mud blackened 
by the unctuous distillation: of ‘coal- 
fires; filthy odours from the corners of 
every street, and the entrances of 
every alley; and coats of condensed 
smoke and various effluvia, attached to 
the walls of the houses, and: often 
coeval with them; are the present cha- 
racteristics of London... Nevertheless, 
with its abundant supplies of water, its 
common sewers, and other conveni- 
ences, it might, under a propersystem, 
be kept perfectly sweet, and become, 
with inconsiderable labour and’ ex- 
pence, a pattern of public cleanliness 
and external neatness to all cities. 
Nothing is wanted but an Act of 
Parliament, and the sanction of the 
common council and magistracy, to 
arrange and give force to an establish- 
ment for the purpose. The expenses 
of exterminating dirt, filth, and noisome 
smells, might amount to 30,000/. or 
35,0001. per annum; but it would not 
be above seven or eight shillings, on 
the average, to every house; while the 
advantages in point of health, plea- 
santness, and cheerfulness, would be 
great beyond belief; and would, in 
many respects, double the agreeable- 
ness.of a town-life,,. In fact, for an 
expense of a few shillings per annum, 
a residence in London, might be ren- 
dered as pleasant and healthy as one 
in the country, It may. be supposed 
also, that external cleanliness: would 
lead. to increased neatness in: the 
houses; dresses, and habits, of the poor, 
and consequently to an improvement 
of their moral condition. 
The details of the plan might be 
something like the following : 
1, Let 
