With reference to your Letter of the 14
th Ultimo, I
am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's
Treasury to acquaint you for the information of the
Duke
of Newcastle, that Their Lordships have informed
Mr Edward
Stamp, and Mess
rs Benson & C
o, the Agents of the North
West Navigation Company of Canada, that having regard to
the present state of the Postal Communication with the
Colony of
British Columbia, and to the very small amount of
Postage derived from it, and considering also the position
of the general question of the Packet Service, with reference
to the inquiry which is still pending in Parliament, Their
Lordships are of opinion, that the time has not arrived
whenwhen They could entertain the proposals of subsidizing a new
line of postal communication to
B. Columbia either overland,
or via
San Francisco.
I am at the same time to transmit to you Copy of a Letter
from the Postmaster General dated
4th Instant, and to state
that Their Lordships concur with the
Duke of Newcastle that
Governor Douglas should be instructed to make the best
arrangements he can for the performance of the Service at
present.