Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Douglas, Sir James to Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer 5 November 1858, CO 60:1, no. 535, 360.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (3), Other documents (1), Marginalia (1).
Douglas offers his opinion on mail transport between England and British Columbia.
The minutes send a copy to the Treasury “at once.”
Enclosed is Merivale to the Treasury forwarding a copy of the despatch for consideration.
No. 16
1. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your
Despatch No 9 of the 2nd September,
1
and have to thank you
for transmitting a copy of a correspondence between the Treasury
and the Colonial Office on the subject of the Postal arrangements
between England andBritish
British Columbia, a subject deeply interesting
to every person connected with this
country.
2
British Columbia, a subject deeply interesting
to every person connected with this
country.
2
2. I observe by that correspondence that it was proposed
to extend the present mail service by the way of Halifax and
Nassau to
Colon,
3
at a probable expense of £25,000 per annum,
apparently with the view of facilitating postal communication
between Vancouver's Island and Canada; already accomplished via
New York.
3. From Panama to Victoria, Her Majesty's Government would
be inclined to establish a line of British Postal Steamers but
for the great expense say £100,000.
For
For the present therefore, it is proposed to enter into
arrangements with the Postmaster of the United States for the
carrying of mails from Panama to San Francisco, and to invite
tenders for their conveyance thence to this place; not being
aware probably that the mails are already conveyed to Pugets
Sound and this place by the United States Mail Steamers.
It is also proposed to request the Postmaster of the United
States to re-consider the time of departure of the United States
Mail Steamers from Panama so as to suit the Royal Mail Company's
Steamers.
4
4. By
4. By existing arrangements we receive our mails once a
fortnight and have not much reason to complain. From England
to Colon two routes are open, vizt via New
York,
5
and by the
Royal Mail line. The former is the more certain of the two
for letters, and the one generally adopted by business men, as
it connects with the line between Panama and San Francisco. The
last named could hardly alter their periods of departure without
confusion on the Atlantic side.
If Her Majesty's Government carry out their views and establish
a line from Nassau, we should thus have three lines arrivingat
at
Colon. As there will probably, be a weekly line soon from Panama
northwards, there would appear to be little gain by interfering
with present arrangements between San Francisco and New York,
Canada and England.
at
Colon. As there will probably, be a weekly line soon from Panama
northwards, there would appear to be little gain by interfering
with present arrangements between San Francisco and New York,
Canada and England.
5. A detention of sometimes a week occurs at San Francisco,
not necessarily but from want of arrangement on the part of the
American Authorities. The Steamer conveying the mail northward
frequently calls at the Columbia River, where she is liable to
detention, and also frequently does not deliver our Mail till her
return voyage from Olympia at the head of Puget's Sound, occasioning
a loss of two days, and giving us no timeto
to reply to letters
received by the same mail.
to reply to letters
received by the same mail.
6. The only detention and irregularity therefore which we
would wish to see remedied lie between San Francisco and this place,
and this could easily be effected by an arrangement with the
Pacific Mail
Company,
6
or perhaps by the preferable mode of
inviting tenders for the service.
7. It would be advisable to stipulate, in any such arrangement
that the Steamer leave San Francisco for Victoria direct within
12 hours after departure
of the Atlantic Mail at San Francisco,
and leave Victoria on her return trip to San Francisco, in time toovertake
overtake the next succeeding mail. The voyage either way ought to
be performed in about four days, thus allowing six days to reply
to letters from Europe.
Query[:] arrival?
overtake the next succeeding mail. The voyage either way ought to
be performed in about four days, thus allowing six days to reply
to letters from Europe.
8. When the resources of the Colony are more fully developed,
a line of British Postal Steamers from Panama to Victoria would
be the most satisfactory and advantageous to British interests in
this part of the world. This line might touch at San Francisco
and Ports in Mexico, from whence treasure is largely exported, in
all of which there are large British interests and between which
there is a large passenger traffic.
9. Trusting thatthose
those remarks may not be found irrelevant,
those remarks may not be found irrelevant,
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Merivale
A letter from the Treasury with the previous correspondence on this subject is in circulation. 7 I suppose a copy of this Despatch should be sent to the Treasury?
A letter from the Treasury with the previous correspondence on this subject is in circulation. 7 I suppose a copy of this Despatch should be sent to the Treasury?
VJ
17 Jan
I think that a copy of this desp. should be sent without delay to
the Treasury as the Govr proposes a very important modification of
their plan. It appears to be a great improvement in as much as it will
be far less expensive.
C
Jany 18
To Treasury at once.
EBL
J 19
Other documents included in the file
Merivale to Sir Charles Trevelyan, Treasury, 21 January 1859,
forwarding copy of the despatch for consideration.
Footnotes
- = Lytton to Douglas CO 398/1, p. 62.
- = Postal arrangements Enclosures in Lytton to Douglas, No. 9, 2 September 1858, CO 398/1, p. 62, p. 264.. Enclosure is probably 8624, 25 August 1858, CO 6/26, p. ?? NEED TO GET
- The city of Colon, Panama, was founded in 1850 at the eastern end of the Panama Railway. On 2 February 1852, the city was named Aspinwall after William H. Aspinwall, founder of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and Panama Railway; after 1890 the city officially adopted the name of Colon. Cf. footnote in Douglas to Stanley 6667, CO 305/9, p. 87; received 13 July, and Trevelyan to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary) 9752, CO 60/2, p. 263??
- The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was founded by James MacQueen and received its charter on 26 September 1839. It's West Indian Line ran steamers from Southhampton ?? to Colon?? Check?? T.A. Bushell, "Royal Mail," A Centenary History of the Royal Mail Line, 1839-1939 (London, Trade and Travel Publications, 1939). Check also J.H. Kemble, Mail Steamers Link the Americas, 1840-1890, in Greater America, Essays in Honor of Hubert Eugene Bolton (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1945). Cf. Trevelyan to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary) 9752, CO 60/2, p. 263.
- = Galway Line The Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Galway Line, ran steamers from Galway, Ireland, to New York City via St. John's, Newfoundland. Before 1859 the company was called the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company. Source as above?? Cf. Trevelyan to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary) 9752, CO 60/2, p. 263.
- I.e, Pacific Mail Steamship Company; see footnote &V02304 above.
- = Treasury letter re mails. See Trevelyan to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary) 473, CO 60/6, p. 104, 13 January 1859.