The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-19 00:00:00

SEA-BORNE MAILS.

When the new oc-2an mail contracts into which the
Government has recently entered comp into opera-
tion, , the whole cost to the nation for conveying
its sea-borne correspondence will amount to nearly
a million sterling per annum. The ocean mail
packet lines served by this country will then be
about 60,000 miles in length; and the number of miles
which the British mail packets will traverse annually
will be nearly 2,500,000 miles. The number of letters
which these packets will carry in the course of a year,
at the present postal packet rates, will be about thirty
millions.

The relative importance of different parts of the world
with this country may be estimated by the frequency of
the mail packet communication with them. Thus, the
communication with France will be twice daily ; with
Belgium, once daily ; with Holland and Hamburgh,
twice weakly ; with America, weekly ; with the East
Indies and the Peninsula, three times monthly ; with
the Cape of Good Hope, five times every two months ;
with the West Indies, China, the west coast of Africa,
Central America, Chili, Peru, and the Spanish Main,
twice monthly ; 2111 with Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and
Buenos Ayres, monthly.
The principal steam packet companies who have con-
tracts with the Government are: the Pacific, the British
and American, tho West India, and the Peninsular and
Oriental Companies.
The Pacific Steam Navigation Company has hitherto
confined its operations to the south-western coast of
America., between Panama and Valparaiso. I. will most
probably extend its enterprise to California, and mate-
rially assist in the navigation or the Pacific Ocean, and
in establishing a western communication with Australia.
The British and American Steam Packet Company is
distinguished for the success with which it has navi-
gated the North Atlantic Ocean. It has been in ad-
vance of all the other steam-packet companies, as far as
the perfection of its vessels is concerned; and in taking
immediate advantage of every discovery in the improve-
ment of steamers. Its ship-building career has been
one continued triumph, each of its packets having sur-
passed its predecessor in magnitude and speed. Tno
operations of this company have consisted almost ex-
clusively in running packets between England and the
United States, and British North America. When
California was discovered, it was expected that the
British and American Company would have extended
its enterprise southward from New York, in order to
share the imaaense traffic that would arise on that route.
It has not, however, seen fit to do so, and has allowed
the American people' to monopolise the whole of the
sea traffic between New York and San Francisco.
The Royal West India Mail Packet Company differs
from all other companies in having commenced its exis-
tence as a great company, and in undertaking at the
outset of its career a vast and magnificent ocean mail
packet scheme. It has been'more unfortunate than all
the other companies pat together, having lost, in the
space of 10 years, a splendid fleet of steamers, the de-
struction of which has caused some of the most terrible
and heartrending calamities recorded in the history of
ocean navigation.
It is singular that from the first mail
packet scheme, projected by this company, there would
seem to have been anticipated some t
discovery
the Pacific in oonuexion with the yeedastat s,
since
itin
comprehended a communication between the Darie n
Gulf and Now York. It is curious to observe also, the
changes which this company's mail route scheme has
undergone. In the first instance, of so little importance
were the North and South American ports in the
Pacific considered, that Chagres was never visited until
the northern Antilles had been served, and then only
by a branch steamer, once a month, from Jamaica.
As for Grey Town, it was not even mentioned in
their scheme. Now, however, there is a direct com-
munication between England, and Chagres, and
Grey Town, once every fourteen days. The great policy
of the Royal Mail Company, at present, is to prevent
the riches and traffic, originating on the eastern shores
of the Pacific, from passing to this country by way et-
New York; end to draw it to England, by a direct
tiorth-easterly course, from the Isthmus of Panama.
To accomplish this gigantic steamers are running
between St. Thomas and their home station; the =a-
bet of inter-colonial packets of the company is to be
augmented, and its trade with Mexico to be partially
sacrificed.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company was the most
insignificant of all the packet companies, and has become
the greatest of any. It first possessed, as a foreign
packet compluy,, two or three steamers only, which
were earq,leyed is coasting -in She- Bay of Biesay.
and it now possesses a flies of which a nation might
be proud,- In .a few months its fleet will consist of
ol)ware of steamers, which will cover a sea and
wean line4s 000 miles ' ni.
this . . , in length. The operations
be luterei.rfell
companymarvellous
have been spreading eastward with
'-up:ireveiptlei I rity. The company has now secured the
e of the eastern world, which will scarcely
awni
it a
tnA.
jus Australia
tpr
a,:n.
aw
ii
st he,
established.
whoaishe
d. a
Tradingw es t e fn
withco m at 3
huen irci:ht ieosnt
ocean to croPssulcus countries on the globe, with no great
Tae nisil Sit? in the world.
comna,,,_
~
,s: have made the Peninsular nevi Oriental
pukertZzetpat wealthiest and most fortunate steam-
of its crow
ing and beneficial
crowning
achievements,
service of this country is one
.rievements, and will leave more last-
ageltcmost celebrated nations of anti-
in 3nt cxiCiQg of tlhaeces of its ,
pity ; for by its greatness than any moan-
ct.
the
English name and language
iviusd world; and the fame
wiil be extended
of Ecgland will rest on
doubt
and not on conquest.
There can be, little that if a uniform foreign
postal rate, sufficiently lowt
amount, prep-fid by
stamp 3, were substituted for in
- ootintry would pro-
ovsrsra correspondence of ttilil's present carges the
of letters a year
bah; increase from thirty millions
,hananadroevdersramill:noin.s,
In
any
additional ex..
pewit) to t In eUn3e(prin, ' h • 4
duetion of the penny postage to three
the
ici , ea ot t o `ex-
of this this country increased frero 90 and correspondence
^ 400 millions. It increased e?iilions of letters a
year .ofacilities for trade and
commerce had not arisen in the country a f©
a,
oenny p ostsga could not have caused such
since,
crease in the number of letters; and even _ . an in-
crease if it had, no
means would have existed for its conveyance without
cssistance of railroads. Thus the cause
of. the
affaled facilities for its existence. I, like
manner the
extension of railway and steam navigation 1
all over r the
world increases foreign trade and d international inter-
course, and this extension viou.d cause a vast addition
of our fotelgu correspondence, and would afford the
rtquisite facilities for its conveyance and existence.
It is the_peonliar privilege of England to be the ocean
mail carriers for almost the whole world. Her mail
packet system extends, in Earop e &ad Africa, from

Hamburgh to the Cape of Good Hope; in America,
from Halifax to the River Plate ; and from the
Panama Gulf to the southernmost limit of Chili ;
and in it is comprehended the Whole of the af,a
coast of Asia. The Dutch and the Spaniards are
indebted to ber for conveying their mails to and from
Java and the Philippines; and she carries the corre-
spondence of every maritime power in Europe which
has dependencies in the west. Her power to do
good by means of cheap foreign postage is enor-
mous. By it she could materially advance civi-
li'attion, encourage international peace and amity, assist
emigration, and augment the commerce of the world.
By refusing to bestow the boon of cheap foreign
postage, she will neglect her high missiou, and incur
an unenviable responsibility. No one who has
ever seen a foreign mail arrive at or leave this coun-
try could fail to have been struck with the ludi-
crous disproportion existing hetween its bulk,
the magnitude of the steamers appointed to carry it,
and the enormous sums paid to the packet companies
for its conveyance ; and yet this mail contains literally
the seaborne correspondence of one portion of the world
with the other.

Great Britain, by acting generously, and reducing her
high packet rates of postage, may claim the homage and
the gratitude of all nations; but by keeping up her im-
politic charges and contracting international correspond-
ence within narrow limits she will deservedly incur their
censure.