Colonial Despatches

It is incumbent upon me to bring to the especial notice of your Grace the very unsatisfactory condition of the Mail Service as now existing between California and this place.

2. As Your Grace is no doubt aware, the arrangements between Great Britain and the United States for the conveyance of letters to this Colony and to that of British Columbia do not extend beyond the American Territory, and from that point to this we have for years past been dependent upon chance opportunities for the carriage of our Mails.

3. Since the discovery of gold in 1858 the vessels of the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company have found it to their interest to call at Vancouvers Island, en route with the United States Mails between San Francisco and Puget Sound, and through the courtesy of the Postmaster of San Francisco all mail matter for these Colonies has been placed in separate bags, and the Captains of theSteamers Steamers have most kindly taken charge of them and have invariably delivered them with the greatest care and punctuality. They have also taken charge of our return Bags, and the service although gratuitous has been performed with every care and attention, and but little cause for complaint existed.

4. Within the last two or three months however,this this system has been completely disarranged. The Ocean Mail Service of the United States has been discontinued. The Mails from New York are conveyed across the Rocky Mountains to California and an overland route to Puget Sound has been substituted for the former direct sea communication with San Francisco. The letters for these Colonies in consequencearrive arrive at most uncertain intervals. Sometimes a Mail from San Francisco is received by a Sailing Ship, sometimes by a chance Steam Ship, but more generally they reach here weekly in a Steamer from Puget Sound, and by this conveyance letters are frequently delivered in a most delapidated condition, and in fact there is no doubtthat that many are lost, as regular correspondence has now become exceedingly intermittent.

5. So serious is the evil that the merchants of Victoria recently met and pledged themselves to subscribe Four Hundred Pounds (£400) a month for the next six months, if the Government would guarantee a like amount, to subsidize a British Steam Vessel to run twice a month between this place and SanFrancisco Francisco. Nothing however has as yet resulted from this movement, there is no British Steam Vessel available, and our slender Revenue would not bear the heavy call thus made upon it.

6. In this unfortunate juncture I am compelled to apply to your Grace with the hope that Her Majestys Government may extend the sameassistance assistance to us that is granted to most other Colonies, by voting a sum of money as a Mail subsidy.

7. There is a large trade between this place and San Francisco, and I do not suppose there would be any difficulty in establishing a line of British Steamers to run between these Colonies and San Francisco, at least, if not to Panama, providedHer Her Majestys Government would afford a reasonable subsidy for the service of carrying the Mails.

8. In the mean time so entirely are we at the mercy of the United States functionaries that I am at a loss what to do to ameliorate the evil. The only expedient open to me is to request Her Majestys Consul at San Francisco to use his influence to obtain uponthe the arrival of every Mail all the Vancouvers Island and British Columbia Mail matter from the Post office, and to retain it in his possession until an opportunity occurs from forwarding it direct by water to Victoria. I fear however that even this will scarcely effect a change for notwithstanding the arrangement which Your Grace communicated tome me in Your despatch No 13 of August 1859 that all correspondence would be forwarded in closed bags to the Consul at San Francisco, it is very evident that scarcely any of the correspondence for these Colonies can pass through his hands.