No. 48
1 August 1867
Sir,
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, fromwhichManuscript image 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 AmericanGovernmentManuscript image 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.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most obedient
humble Servant
Buckingham & Chandos
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript image
Copy, Hamilton to Rogers, 22 July 1867, advising that is would not be advisable on the Postal grounds to incur on the part of the Imperial Government the establishment of a subsidized line between British Columbia and Panama as the cost would be too great.
Manuscript image
Copy, Duke of Montrose to the Lords Commissoners of the Treasury, 27 June 1867, stating that American Steamers had refused to convey mail from San Francisco and that "Ships of War had been sent by the Senior Naval Officers to fetch ninety bags of letters."