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.