I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No 47
of the
14th of July, transmitting a Memorial from the Inhabitants of
Vancouver Island praying that assistance may be granted from the
Imperial Treasury towards the establishment of a postal communication
with the Colony.
I I have also to acknowledge your despatch No. 76 of the
30th of November enclosing a similar memorial adopted at a public
meeting at
New Westminster.
Her Majesty's Government are very sensible of the benefit which the
two Colonies would derive from the establishment of a line of Mail
Steamers to
Panama or even to
San Francisco, and they have not failed to
give the wishes of the Memorialists their careful consideration.
But But I
regret to inform you that they do not feel themselves justified at
present in applying to Parliament for a subsidy from Imperial Funds
towards improving the arrangements under which correspondence is
conveyed between this country and
Vancouver Island and
British Columbia.