The mails, passengers, and packages, are, of course, disembarked from the steamers coming from England at Alexandria, and are re-embarked at Suez in the steamers proceeding to India on the outward route, and vice versâ on the homeward route.
It now remains to show how their transit across Egypt, between Alexandria on the Mediterranean, and Suez on the Red Sea, is effected, with the present cost of it, in order to estimate how far it would be improved by the contemplated Canal communication.
I shall now proceed to consider what advantages the Canal would present to sailing vessels navigating between Europe and the East.
| The distance from the English Channel to Calcutta, viâ the Cape of Good Hope, by the route taken by the best sailing vessels, may be put down at | miles 13,000 |
| Viâ the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and Indian Ocean, it is about | 8,000 |
| Gain in distance by the latter route, to or from Calcutta | 5,000 |
| By the Cape route to Bombay it is about | 11,500 |
| By the Red Sea route | 6,200 |
| Gain in distance to or from Bombay | 5,300 |
This is, of course, assuming the navigation by the Mediterranean and Red Sea route to be of equal facility with the Cape route. And I shall now endeavour to examine this part of the question with the accuracy which its importance demands.
The first point which presents itself in this consideration, is the influence of the monsoons, or periodical winds, which prevail throughout the Indian Seas, and in the southern part of the Red Sea.
The south-west monsoon, which blows much stronger than the north-east monsoon, prevails in the Indian Ocean, between the east coast of Africa and the coasts of India, &c., from May until October, blowing with the greatest force during the months of June, July, and August.
The north-east monsoon prevails from October to May, but is of much less force than the south-west monsoon.
In order to estimate the difficulties or advantages of these periodical winds, to a sailing vessel navigating by the Red Sea, as compared with the route by the Cape of Good Hope, we must, for vessels bound to or from the most important commercial ports in India—the Presidencies of Madras and Bengal, as also Ceylon, Singapore, Java, China, &c., suppose her placed at a point a few degrees to the southward of Ceylon from or to which she would have to proceed, whether navigating by the Cape of Good Hope, or by the Red Sea route.