1825.] 
be placed under the superintendence of 
the police. 
During the last spring, also, the Ame- 
rican, Government took . the subject 
under their consideration. The report 
of the American Committee is so ably 
drawn up, that I shall here beg leave 
to copy a few extracts. After describing 
the condensing engine, which (as most 
of your readers know) is worked at a 
pressure very little exceeding that of 
the atmosphere, or fifteen pounds to 
the square. inch, they state: 
“ The high-pressure engines, however, 
are driven entirely by the force of the 
steam, without any assistance from a va~ 
cuum, and are usually calculated for a 
pressure of from 40 to 100Ibs. on the 
square inch, and on which the power of 
the engine is calculated. But in case of 
emergency, the force may be multiplied to 
any extent to which the temperature of 
steam may be raised: so that an engine of 
twenty horse power may be made to per- 
form the work of a forty, or even of a 100 
horse power. This effect is, however, 
produced at the risk of bursting the boiler, 
and endangering the lives of all the pas- 
sengers. From habitual impunity, the en- 
_gine-workers disregard the dangers, and 
rather than suffer a boat to pass them, will 
often increase the pressure of the steam 
to a dangerous extent.” 
The American report farther states : 
“ That your Committee are decidedly of 
opinion, that high-pressure engines, under 
any guard that could be applied to them, 
are not equally safe for steam-boats with 
low-pressure engines. 
amount of property is vested. in boats pro- 
pelled by high-pressure engines, in the 
United States, they forbear to recommend 
any measure which should go to prohibit 
their use.” 
’ They however recommend, 
. “ That every boiler of a steam-boat 
should, previous to its being used to con- 
vey passengers, be subject to the inspec- 
tion of one or more skilful engineers, who 
should ascertain, by trial, its strength, to 
the extent requisite, and that they should 
certify the same. That. every such boiler 
should also be provided with two or more - 
safety valves. And that penalties should 
be inflicted on all persons placing any ad- 
ditional weight on a safety valve beyond 
that which it is registered to carry with 
perfect safety,” &c. he. 
It is somewhat remarkable, that so 
great a portion of public attention in 
England should be drawn to the danger 
arising from the mismanagement of 
stage-coaches, and so many acts of Par- 
liament passed to prevent those acci- 
dents, whilst the infinitely greater danger 
arising from inattention, ignorance, or 
obstinacy in the working of a steam- 
Abuse of the Foreign Post-Office. 
But as a_ vast. 
29 
boat passes quite unnoticed. The re- 
gulations respecting fire-arms of every 
description affords a similar anomaly. 
No gun-maker in the kingdom would 
presume to manufacture or sell a pair: 
of pistols, or a fowling-piece, without 
having the barrels previously tried. or 
proved, with at least a double or treble. 
charge of powder; yet steam-engines 
are allowed to be constructed without 
sufficient proof of the strength of the 
boiler previous, and are subsequently 
placed under the care of persons (in 
many instances) not fit for such a fear- 
ful responsibility. 
In conclusion, I would beg leave to 
suggest, that certain regulations might 
be established by the proprietors and 
directors of our principal passage-ves- 
sels (where high-pressure engines are 
employed), which would not only render 
any interference of the legislature on 
the subject unnecessary, but add to the 
security of their own property, and an in- 
creased patronage from the public. Not- 
withstanding the many thousand per- 
sons who travel by the steam-vessels 
to Margate, Ramsgate, &c., during the 
summer months, perhaps a much greater 
number are prevented from this most 
convenient and even elegant mode of 
travelling, by the conviction that there 
is always more or less liability to acci- 
dents with steam-engines. 
Iam, Sir, &c. 
Kensington, Oct. 20. T,S2¥. 
—[$—— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
Asuse of the Forrren Post-Orricr. 
OU would oblige me, and, at the 
same time, confer a favour on the 
public, by giving an insertion to the fol- 
lowing fact, connected with the foreign 
post-office, and which I cannot help 
considering as an imposition unworthy 
to be countenanced by the government 
of so great a nation as this. 
There is a regular packet conveyance 
from England to Hamburgh, for the 
purpose of forwarding the correspon- 
dence between this country and the 
north of Europe. The charge for every 
single letter, by this conveyance, to or. 
from Hamburgh, is 1s.8d., to which 
there can be no objection. But it is 
notorious, that all letters addressed to__ 
the central parts or the south of Ger- 
many, as well as Switzerland, are sent 
by the Dutch, and more frequently by 
the French packets; and that all letters 
coming from those countries arrive by 
either of these mails. Yet, notwith- 
standing the charge of a Dutch letter is’ 
but 
