I referred for the consideration of the Lords Commissioners of
               
the Treasury your despatches of the numbers and dates noted in the
               margin
               
               
               
                  
                     No. 39 of Mar. 1867
                     
                     No. 60, 10 April 1867
                     
                     No. 71, 24 " "
                        
                
               
               relating to the conveyance of mails between this country and 
B.
                  Columbia and I transmit to you for your information a copy of the
               reply forwarding a copy of a report which has been furnished to their
               Lordships on the subject by the Postmaster General, from
which
 which you
               will see that it is not considered advisable on Postal grounds to
               incur on the part of the Imperial Government the considerable
               expenditure which the establishment of a subsidized line of British
               Packets between 
Panama and 
B. Columbia would involve.
               
               You will see however that the Postmaster General has written to
               the Postmaster General of the United States requesting to be informed
               whether some arrangement cannot be made for the transmission of the
               British Mails by the Steamers which it is understood have lately been
               established under contract with the American
Government
 Government between 
San
                  Francisco and the ports North of it.
               
               I take this opportunity of conveying to you my approval of the
               contract which you have entered into with an American Steam Packet
               Company for the temporary conveyance of the Mails between 
San
                  Francisco and 
Victoria every twenty days, reported in your Despatch
               No. 71 of the 
24th of April.