The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

THE POSTAL SERVICE.

Tas copy of a Treasury minute,dated the 27th of November,
1855, upon the subject of postal communication between
England and the Australian colonies, has just been issued.
The minute enters into a variety of details relative to the com-
munications which have- passed with the Colonial-office, the
colonies, the Postmaster-General, &c. The concluding portion
of the minute shows the result.

The plan which "my Lords" propose is thus shortly summed

up:-

"1. That they shall instruct the Admiralty to obtain ten-
ders, by open competition, for a monthly postal service between
this country and Australia, the vessels (outward and home-
ward) touching at King George's Sound, Melbourne, and
Sydney, carrying the mails for the six colonies of New South
Wales, Victoria, South AnstraliasWestern Australia, Van Die-
men's Land, and New Zealand.
"2. That branch services shall-be established by open compe-
tition from Melbourne, as the central point,with Port Adelaide,
Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand.
"3. That all letters and newspapers- shall be prepaid, and
that each post-office shall retain its-own receipts...
" 4. That the entire cost of the- services described shall be
divided equally between the homt government and the colonies
collectively.
" 5. That each of the colonies shalbeontribute to•the moiety
to be paid by them collectively in proportion to the-number of
letters despatched by each, to be ascertained-every two years.
" In the first place, it will be necessary to obtain, from each
of the colonies named a duly authorised legislative acqui-
escence in the arrangement proposed. For this purpose let a
copy of this minute be transmitted to the Colonial-office, and
request that the Secretary of State will take the necessary steps
with that view; but state that, as some time must elapse
before replies can be received from. the different colonies, and
at my lords are anxious that no time-should be lost in re-
establishing a monthly mail by steant,.my lords relying upon
the correspondence now before them from the governors of
New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, have-decided
to take immediate steps in order to secure a cotnmencement of
the service at the earliest possible time after the receipt of
communications from the different colonies acquiescing. in. the
proposed arrangements.
" Write to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and regent that
the- Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will take im-
mediate steps to procure tenders for a monthly postal com-
munication by steam with Australia on the following:condi-
tions; and report to this board beforeuny contract is actually
made:—

" L The tenders to be delivered within two months- of the
date of the advertisement.

"2. The tenders to specify the route and the 92412iMUM
number of days between the departure of the mail from.South-
hampton and its arrival at Melbourne and Sydney, . and King
George's Sound, respectively ; and- also the number of days on
the homeward route.

That the service shall be performed under a penalty of
£loo'a day for delay in starting, and £3O a day for any time•
consumed in the voyage beyond the allowed maxianraa:,
"4". The contractors to state in what time from the accept-
ance of their tender they will be prepared (under a penalty to
be agreed upon) to commence the service.
" 5i The contractors to give such adequate securityaczto the
Lords of the Admiralty may appear necessary for the.payment
of any penalties which may become-due, and generall,y.for the
performance of the contract, whiff penalties in no ease:what-
ever-GI:all be relinquished.
"-The contract to be for five years,"

The following table, partly compiled from a Parliiinmntary
paper,.shows the estimate for the-Post-office packet service for
the .current year, ending the 31st of March, 1857, as-compared.
with that for the preceding twelve months. There was a
decrease- last year of £57,587, exohisive of the dedwatiOns made•
from the Cunard contract for the. alternate pasasges-omitted
by that company, and which have only just been. resumed ;
but;.on the present occasion, no alteration is exhibited, except
a slight addition for a mail conveyance between Thurso and
Stromness:—

Year.
Route. Company. 1356-7; 1855-6.
S-
Lir. and I. of Man
Iltdyhead and Kings-
town City of Dublin 25,000 25,00)
Aterdn. and Lerwick-
Thurso and Stromness
Soutliamp. andChnnl.
Islands ......... South,W. Railway .... 4;000 4,000
Dover and Calais and

Dover and Ostend.. Doves .Mail Co. .......- 15;500 15,500
Southampton, Vigo,
Oporto, Lisbon, Ca-
diz,and Gibraltar.. Peninsular and Orienal 20,500 240,5'00
Liverpool and Halifax
and Boston, and Li-
verpool and N.York Cunard
Halifax, Bermuda, and
St. Thom as, and Ha-
Ma and St. John's,
Newfoundland Onnard ..... 14,700 14,700
Southamp. and West
Indies . ........ Royal Mail
Southampton, Brazil,.
and Buenos Ayres., Royal Mail ... 30,000 30,000
Panama, Callao, and
Valparaiso Pacific Steam.., 25,000k 25,000
England and West
Coast of Africa...... African Steam.... 21,500 22,000
England and Alcutn-
dria, Ceylon and
Calcutta.. ......... Peninsular-4c Oriental 145,414 145,414
Aden and Bombay ... Peninsular-Ss Oriental 24,700 24,700
Allowance of Govern-
agents on board the
contract packets ............... .......

.240,000 240,000

7.50,599 749,499
Packet Esblishrnents—Dcter, Holyhead,
Liverpool,. and Southampton... - 6,888 6,740

£756,487 755,239

Mr., DALLAS, 'TICE /sTzw, AMERICAN ENvoY.—The New
York Herald gives the following account of the new American
Envoy to London, the Ron. George Ma.pplin Dallas, LL.D.:
—" Our newly-appointed minister to England was born in
Philadelphia in the year 1792, and is consequently now in his
silty-fourth year. Its father was Alexander James Dallas, a
native of Ireland, who emigrated in early life to this country,
and subsequently became Secretary of the Treasury and
Secretary-at-War,in which posts he rendered eminent services
to his adopted country. The English family from which our
new minister is descended is very highly connected, and has
from time to time been brought into prominent notice by the
literary and scientific talents of its members. Sir George
Dallas, whose political writings were so highly appreciated by
William Pitt, and his brother, Sir Robert Dallas, Chief-Justice
of the Common Pleas, were amongst its most distinguished
ornaments. Miss Dallas, the minister's aunt, married Capt.
Byron, of the English navy, and was mother of the present
and seventh Lord Byron. His eldest brother rose to the
rank of commodore in the American navy, and his youngest
was the late Judge Dallas, of Pittsburg. Mr. Dallas himself
entered the civil service of the country at a very errly period
of life, acting as private secretary to Albert Gallatin, in the
mission of the latter to Russia. On his arrival home be applied
himself to the study of the law, and, in return for his services
rendered to General Jackson, he was, shortly after the election
of the latter, appointed District Attorney of the United States
for the state of Pennsylvania. In 1831, he was chosen United
States' senator, by the Pennsylvanian Legislature; and in
1837, on the election of Mr. Van Buren to the presidency, he
was appointed minister to the Court of St. Petersburg. In
1839, lie was recalled from his mission, at his own request, and
six years afterwards, havinc, received the nomination of the
Democratic party, he was erected Vice-President of the United
States, and took the oaths of office on the 4th of March 1845.
Since the.expiratiou of his term as vice-president, Mr. Dallas
has resided in the city of Philadelphia, '
and applied himself
closely to the practice of his profession. The whole of his
career has been Marked by a thorough and consistent demo-
cracy, and an unsullied integrity of character, both in public
and in private life.

[REBRuARY 19, 1856.
CROSBY, and SOUTHPORT

RAILWAY

AN extraordinary meeting of this company was held ea
Friday, at the Clarendon-rooms, for the purpose of considerthf,
a report of the directors, as to the agreement for sale as!
transfer to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway of the uude_r,,,
taking of the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport. The repel"
which was read by Mr. Duncan, solicitor to the company,
as follows : REPORT.
"The proprietors will recollect that at the special meeting 4)(
this company, held on the 14th June, 1855, it was resolved tu
sanction an agreement previously entered into by the die
, tors for the transfer of this company's line to the La4o--
mid-YeirlfAiife-Railway CoMpany.
The terms agreed upon and adopted were, that the Lailn'
shire and Yorkshire Company should assume all the engind.
ments of the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport Company, ?r" f
pay to the proprietors thereof, for the year 1855, a dividefl!)..
21- per cent. per annum; for the years 1856 and 1857, aat
dead of 3i per rent. per annum, and subsequently the aa''ci
rate of dividend as that payable to holders of Lancashire an
Yorkshire Stock.
And your directors were empowered to take all needful reea'
sures to carry out such arrangement.
agree,
After much discussion, a deed, embodying the terms
upon, was duly sealed on behalf of the two companies, Pe to
sion of the line and property of this company was givelin,
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, and your board flu!,l
expected that, in accordance with' he provisions of that dezi
the dividend for the first half=year.of.lBss,would be preraP'
paid to the proprietors of this company. -
It was intimated, however, to ybur board, by letter fr°
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, under date Of -ith
t.e
October, 1855, that upon examination of the accounts of t 55,
Crosby Company for the half-year ending 30th June, t,
and of other claims sent in for payment, certain items dia
in the opinion of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Board of Did
rectors, come within the scape of liabilities contemplated, 6ta
the amount of these items, it was intimated, would be deduced
from the dividend payable to the Crosby shareholders. (1,4
The board of this company, having carefully examined to
unexpected demand, came to. the conclusion that it Was
in accordance with the agreement as settled between the ceuf,
panics. In order, however,- to avoid litigation, your directer's
first proposed that the legal advisers of the two compail_le
.
should be empowered to settle the difference, and have sub, ea
quently used their best efforts to induce the Lancashire
Yorkshire Board to refer the-claim to the decision of any cP.
lified umpire they themselves might select.
Your board regrets to state that all offers of arrangement
have been absolutely declined by that company. • I
The board entertains a strong conviction that the claira
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company is untenable either a'
law or in equity ; but considering the amount of the cl
which is £630 only, and the position of this company, the
„b,
directors leave to the proprietors to dictate the course virr''
under the circumstances of the case,- they prefer to be take,!'A,
Mr. James Aikin, in answer to a- question by Mr. Gieu
stone, said that the sum in dispute amounted at first to rf,r;
but it had been reduced to £630 by an agreement, the um',
standing being that the Lancashire and Yorkshire were 11.3,1)'°t
for £l5O. One of the most curious facts..of the affair watt, tle
more than half of the whole amount in dispute was due to
Lancashire and Yorkshire for foliage. When this was poil'"0
out to the Lancashire and Yorkshire directors, some of the,.
seemed astonished, but notwithstanding all the efforts oft ;
Southport directors, they still resisted their claim,•and it 10,„
rested with the shareholders to say whether they would !Pt
mit to that resistance, or go to law. Individually he thous,.,
the better course would be to refer the matter back to. time
rectors, empowering the latter to come to some arrangera„el
with the Lancashire and Yorkshire board on the subject.
some conversation, resolutions agreeing to this- course we',
adopted; and a claim of £3O, made by Mr. Taunton, for of
peaces- in connexion with the committee under-whose tnarley4.
ment• the transfer to "the Lancashire and Yorkshire f_„,
effected, having been also referred to the directors, the IP'
ceeclings closed.