The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-24 00:00:00

OSTEND.

By the treaty entered into with the Belgian Govern-
ment, in October, 1834, it was agreed that a communica-
tion should be maintained between Dover and Ostend four
times a week in place of twice, as had formerly been the
case. The days of departure from Dover are Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and the packets return
from Ostend the following days.
As the two mails which arrive at Dover on Saturday and
Sunday are delivered in London at the same time on Mon-
day, the two packets givi9lo4 the advantage of one addi-
tional mail from Belgtu4ez--"'
All the Belgian cortspondence, even that passing be-
tween Dover and Ostend, must, under the present Post-
office regulations, be sent through London, as they do
not permit any bags to be made up at Dover for Belgium,
nor at Ostend for Dover. The letters are, therefore, sent
up to London from Dover, returned again there, charged
with the inland rates of postage, and subjected to an un-
necessary delay of two or three.day&before _they reach their
destination. We are not surprised that the inhabitants of
Dover, and other towns similarly situated, should, under
these'circumstances, abstain from sendinc, this part of their
correspondence through the medium of the Post-office.
However trifling in amount this correspondence may be,
we think it very objectionable that it should be prevented
from being sent in the most expeditious manner. We are
also of opinion that it would be worthy of your Lordship's
consideration, whether a line of daily packets should not be
established between this country and Ostend, provided the
Belgian Government would undertake to bear a fair share
of the additional expense which it would occasion.

WEYMOUTH.

There arc three packets on this station, which convey

the mails twice a-week from Weymouth to Jersey and
Guernsey. They leave Weymouth on Wednesdays and
Saturdays, and return on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
In 1833, Captain Stevens, a naval officer, was appointed
agent. He had been, for twenty years previously an com-
mander of Post Office packets on different stations, and 12
ears in command of a steamer at Holyhead. "He is
most decidedly of opinion that were he not a practical sea-
man, and well versed in steam navigation particularly, he
could not possibly execute the duty of a packet agent with
credit to himself, nor advantage to the public ; nor could
he possess the control over both the captains and engineers
of the packets, which the necessity of the service and the
issue of stores require."
The only accounts which CaptainStevensreceived,
.

nected with the packets, " were contained in a private cash-
book of his predecessor, which does not afford the means of
ascertaining with any degree of accuracy the receipts or
expenditure of the station previous to 1833." The ac-
counts of the former agent were destroyed, although we
have no reason to suppose that this was done from any im-
proper motive.
Since 1833, the accounts have been kept with great re-
gularity, and a very efficient and proper control exercised
over the receipts and expenditure, as far as depended upon
the agent.
Stores are obtained from tradesmen here as at Dover,

but are never supplied without an order from the agent,—
a demand being made for them by the commander, and
signed by the engineer—if the articles required are for the
engine-mom.

The mates strictly adhere to the orders of the agent
with respect to. seeing the stores weighed on board, and also
that they arc of the best quality.
The coals are obtained by contract, and are delivered
from the contractor's store. The second mate has every
cwt. weighed and put on board the packets, and sends in a
monthly account .of the quantity and quality.
The commanders and engineers send another account in

their monthly report, and the agent also receives from the
chief mate (or master) a printed docket, in which the daily
issue is inserted.
Advertisements for contracts arc issued y,—the
tenders are received by the agent, and tr.. .•'; ed to the
Postmaster-General for his serection.
The expenditure of the Weymo,uth station has exceeded
the receipts by 6,703/. I2s. I Id. in the last four years ;
but the agent " is convinced that with larger and faster
vessels a very considerable revenue would he returned from
passengers alone, especially if a French mail was sent that
way."

PACKETS.

The agent, commanders, and all the engineers and other
officers, recommend the improvement of the packets, by
lengthening them, and giving them increased power.
would call the
.attention of your Lordships to the
following statements of some of the captains employed upon
this station

" Had the steamers been the property of the commanders,
as the sailing-packets formerly were, self-interest would
have compelled them to alter the construction of the
packets, and place greater power in the engines, to enable
them to compete with the private steamers from South-
ampton to the Channel Islands."

The private companies running steamers to Guernsey
sey and Jersey have seen the necessity of giving additional
power to their vessels, which were formerly of the same
class as the Post Office steamers now arc, and constantly
alter and improve them, as the science of steam navigation
increases."

The Post Office Packets have remained without im-
provement, and serious loss appears to have ensued from
passengers giving a preference to the private vessels from
Portsmouth and Southampton, which are of superior power
and speed.
•

It is stated that, independent of every other advantage
which would be obtained by improving the packets, the
saving in the consumption of coals would more than com-
pensate the expense.
Notwithstanding the great distance of this station from
Holyhead, the packets are sent there for repairs, which
occasions much expense and inconvenience from the length
and uncertainty of the voyages, and the necessity they
are under of laying in coals at some intermediate port.
The voyage to and from Holyhead averages about ten

days. " The expense attending sending vessels therebh from
so distant a port as WeyrnouiL might be avoided by having
the repairs done at Portsmouth, whicit a packet could reach
in a few hours ; and if so disabled as to I;e Untn.!° proceed
to Holyhead without first undergoing considerable repair
Weymouth, she might be towed to Portsmouth by one of
the other packets without any delay to the service."
tigygestioris have been made for extending and improv-
ing. the post comttititheation by means of the packets on
this station. No letters for arty part of France can be sent
by the Weymouth packets.
A direct post communication with St. Male or Gran-
ville would probably be productive of a considerable addi-
tional income from passengers, and the acceleration of the
correspondence would be also attended with an increase of
revenue, and afford a great convenience to the public.
There are no possible means of preventing the convey-
ance of letters by private individuals through Jersey to
France, nor can it be expected that any precautions can
prevent individuals from sending and receiving their corre-
spondence in this manner, when, if put into the Post-office,
it would have to pass through London and reach its desti-
nation via Dover.

The agent is of opinion that the Government packets at
present on the station, if they had additional power, would
be quite sufficient for maintaining a communication with
the Channel Islands, and one of the ports on the French
coast, twice a week.
He is also of opinion, that they would get the greater
number, if not the whole, of the passengers that now go
by the private steamers, and that the additional expense to
the Post-office of sending the packets on from Jersey to
St. Melo, or Granville, would be very trifling —" merely the
increased expenditure of coals and small stores proportionate
to the additional number of hours the vessels would be
at sea."

The correspondence between the Channel Islands, Bris-
tol, Ireland, and the manufacturing districts in England, is
much retarded, owing to the present circuitous route by
which letters are sent to Bristol. An offer has been made
to obviate this inconvenience, without any expense to the
Post Office, by carrying the mails by the direct road from
Weymouth to Bristol every morning.
Proposals havo also been made for conveying the mails
for the Channel Islands from Southampton, in plaC-e-Of
Weymouth : and we have considered whether it would be
advisable to recommend the removal of the packets from
the present station to Southampton or Portsmouth. In a
merely financial point of view, Southampton would, no doubt,
be preferable ; but we are of opinion, on account of the
shortness of the sea voyage in a difficult navigation, that
the present station ought to be retained, as the passage is
likely to be made from Weymouth with greater certainty
than from any other place. We refer your Lordships to
the Report of Captain Stevens on this subject.
The private steam-vessels at Southampton may advan-
tageously be had recourse to for the conveyance of ship
letters to the ports to which they trade ; and due notice
ought to be given by the Post Office of their intention to
send mail-bags regularly by them.
We think that the improvement of the packets, and the
acceleration of the mail communication, especially with
Bristol, would render Weymouth a very efficient packet
station ; and the charge for its maintenance would in all
probability be reduced by the increased number of pas-
sengers.
We beg, in conclusion, to express to your Lordships our
satisfaction at finding a system of control and management
exercised over this station which is highly creditable to
Captain Stevens, the agent.