270 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



more difficult guide, perhaps, to act upon when the 

 mails had to be taken by water from the mail- steamer, 

 lying outside, right up Lough Mahon, to Cork, than 

 now, when they are put ashore, subject to varying 

 circumstances, at the deep-water quay in front of 

 Queen stown railway- station. The key of the situa- 

 tion was the time of despatching the mail-steamers 

 for Holyhead from Kingstown. If the steamer arrived 

 off the Cove or came inside it in time to catch the 

 ordinary mail-train from Cork to Dublin, no question" 

 arose ; if not, it had to be determined whether time 

 allowed of overtaking the mail by special train and 

 catching the steamer at Kingstown. 



In the latter case, the English mails were landed 

 and sent up to Dublin ; otherwise they were carried 

 on to Liverpool. Of course, when practicable, the 

 mails for Ireland were always landed ; but not so 

 those for Scotland. The table was arranged to show, 

 as far as possible, for each hour of the twenty-four 

 what course should be followed. 



When the train from Queenstown to Kingstown, 

 the boat from Kingstown to Holyhead, and the train 

 from Holyhead to Euston Square, are specially pro- 

 vided throughout, there is no need to consider the 

 times and the seasons, and the whole of the mails are 

 sent through Ireland, if they can be landed at all. 



When I first visited Cork, Mr. Arthur Webb, the 

 postmaster of pre-penny-postage days, had been suc- 

 ceeded by Mr. Barry, a member of an ancient family 

 of that name, which has owned the island where 



