The entire completion of this celebrated structure, the wonder and admiration not of a kingdom only, but of the world, perfects the communieation between England and the sister country. The interchange of transit, and conveyance of correspondence between their respective capitals, may be daily within the compass of ten or twelve hours. This rapidity of locomotion in the present day may be well with the slow doings of former times. In I655 it took the then Lord Clarendon, at that time Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, from six o'clock in the morning to three in the afternoon, nine hours to get ftom Conway to Bangor, a distance of 14 miles, while a short time since the distance was accomplished by the present Lord Clarendon, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in exactly twenty minutes. At the same period it took a king's messenger, " by express," six days to get over the ground now traversed between London and Chester, 1SS miles, in live hours; and it is but twenty years since, that the same distance by coach took more than twenty-four hours.
These are the immediate advantages; the prospective ones consist in the completion of the great harbour of Holyhead, now being constructed for the Admiralty by Mr. Mendel the engineer, the pier at which is cot ,pleted, and the breakwater for commencing the vast operations fixed. Should the Admiralty, as has been long expected, on the completion of this harbour, remove to it the West India packets, now start ing from Southampton, and the Galway line of railway be finished, the voyage to the United States by this route would be shortened four or live days.
We cannot close this article, and necessarily imperfect account, of the Britannia bridge, without a passing allusion to the unfortunate diferenee that occurred during its progress, • between Messrs. Stephenson and Fairbairn. It is greatly to be lamented, that men so eminent for talent should differ as to their respective claims to the conception and execution of I so grand a work. It is not for us to presume to settle such claims, lint surely each possesses in himself merit so surpassing ordinary minds, that he may well afford to yield a portion of honour to the many competitors who may join with him in the race for fame. A work like this might afford distinc- • tion for many minds, and varied talents; to all give 11011 ou r, where honour is due. Let us then award to a Stephenson the merit justly due to him for his original conception ; to a Fairbairn, the unwearied perseverance and the vast practical ability, by which that conception was realized and brought to perfection; to all associated in the undertaking, each in his peculiar walk, the merit of talent, zeal, and untiring industry.