The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-18 00:00:00

SUPPRESSION OF THE AUSTRALIAN
POSTAL ST EA M SER VICE.

The following memorial has been addressed by the
Gmeral Association of the Australian Colonies to the
Lords of the Treasury, urging the impolicy of the delays
proposed in their recently-published minute on steam
communication :

" TO THU RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS
OF mut MAJESTY'S TREASURY.
" The memorial adopted at a meeting of the General
Ass,ciation for the Austrtlian Colonies, held in
the City of London, on the 4th day of March,
1856 ; C. Wentworth, Esq., late Member •f
the Le2islatura of New South Wales, for the City
of Sydney, in' the ehai,,
" Humbly showeth,—
" That your memorialists approach your Right Ho-
nourable Board with the painful conviction that the great
Imperial question of steam communication with Aus-
tralia has met with unmerited neglect on the part of her
Majesty's Government.

' Tout; in the year 1552, after many years of previous
hesitation and delay, a postal steam service was at length
organised on alternate months, via the Cape of Good
Hope and the Isthmus of Suez.
4' That the hi-monthly service, via the Cape of Good
Hope, was a mere experiment, undertaken contrary to
the publicly recorded opinion of the Right Honourable
the present First Lord of the Admiralty ; that such ser-
vice was tried under two different companies and con-
tractors, and in each case was characterised by failure
and disappointment to the public.
"That the hi-monthly service via Suez was, during
its continuance, carried out in a more regular and re-
liable manner, hat that the route was so devious, and
the stoppages so numerous, that the passage to Mel.
bourne occupied 64 days ; the speed maintained, if roes-
cured by direct distan7e, not exceeding six and a half
knots per hour, whereas the usual speed on other con-
tract lines is ten knots or nautical miles per hour.
" That such last-named service, in the month of Nov.,
1854, was without notice wholly suppressed, nosninally
on account of the requirements of the war, bet
your memorialists are prepared to substantiate that tbe
exigencies of the public service in no way rendered this
musars Reeeseary.
_ _

"That since the above period our Australian colonies
have been wholly deprived of all postal steam commu-
nication, and the result has been that the transit of
letters bats been effected with extreme uncertainty and
irregularity, the outward mails having been delivered,
upon an average, at Melbourne in 894 days, and the
homeward mail.. from the same place, in London upon
an average of 934 days.
"That your memorialists now collect, with extreme
regret, from your lordships' published minute. that in
lieu of immediately re-establishing a service whioh ought
never to have been discontinued, you propose first to
make a reference to the colonies, in order to ascertain
the exact amount of subsidy each colony is willing to
contribute to the cost of a postal steam line.

" That your memorialiAs beg respectfully to repre.
sent to your lordships that such reference must, under
any circumstances, be attended with a delay which can-
not be estimated at less than 18 months, even though
the various colonies concerned ehou!d then agree
amongst themselves as to the amount of their respective
contributions.

"Teat your memorialists in consequence feel it to be
their duty to impress on your Right Honourable Board
that the colonies expect that their steam poval service
will he re-established by the Imperial Government with•
out any further urnece,sary delay; and great di, appoint-
ment will ariee if there their just hopes are not realised.
"That your memorialists would urge on your lord-
ships that it the contract steam service between Liver-
pool and New York were casually interrupted the exe-
cutive would not allow a week to elapse without nrrang.
ing for its immediate resumption ; but in the case of
Australia your lordships have already permitted its mail
service to continue in abeyance for 17 months, and are
now about to protract its final re-establishment for a
further indenuite period, notwithstanding that its trade
with Eng!and is proved by Parliamentary returns to be
scarcely lees important than that with America ; and.
the regular and speedy transmission of its monthly sup-
ply of gold, averaging a million sterling, would be of
incalculable importance to this country.
"That at no period of our colonial history has the Im•
perial Government required, from any colony, pecuniary
contributions for postal purposes ; end that, in the
present instance, to make the voluntary and munificent
offers for contribution of the Australian colonies a spe-
cial ground for indefinitely postponing the re-establish-
znent of their postal service, originally suppresed with-
out sufficient cause, does not appear to your memo-
rielists consonant with principles of equity or sound
policy.
"'That if your lordships desire such contributions
they will be best secured by a Treasury minute, gradu-
ating the ecale cf postages for each colony, according
as yoer lordships may find that the moneys voted by their
re.•pective legislaturf s are adequate or otherwise ; hut to
refer the question in the manner proposed by your lord-
ships' minute will probably be to throw au apple of dis-
cord amongst the colonies, without obtaining therefrom
any practical res Wt.

I' That your memorialists observe, with great concern,
that your lordships select no definite route for the con-
veyance of the maile, but trust secure by A system of
pecuniary penalties their regular delivery within the con-
tract time.

" That your memorialists entreat your lordships to
remember that the very recent history of the Cape line
amply evidences that really heavy penalties are never
enforced, while light^r penalties, such AS are provided
for in he pre,,ent notioa for tenderF, have been paid with
a smile by the clntractor ; and, therefore, that a mere
system of penalties affircls no practical guarantee of
any kind to the public far the due performance of a
mail service.

" That your memorialists subruif., with all respect,
that the right way to insure the rapid and due trans.
mission of the mails 14 not to rely altogether on penal-
ties, hot rather to select the shortest route ; and, as is
usually done in othsr branches of toe cor.tract packrt
service, to insist on the employment by the contractors
of first-cla -s vessels,
,with adequate strain power and
well tested speed.
" That yaur memorialists have satisfied themselves
that the shortest route is via Suez and Diego Garcia ;
such being, according to official computation, 3,019
miles shorter than the ras•aga by the Cape of Good
Hope ; and 2,335 miles shorter than that Via Panama,
the latter traversing 7G degrees of longitude m.ire than
the eastern route.

"That your memorialists are also convinced it is for
nautical as well as oilier reas'onS-, highly desirable that
the postal steamer,, without tuuchina at Ceylon, as
heretofore, should proceed from Suez to Melbourne,
stopping for coaling purposes only at the island of Diego
G,rcia, a dependency of the Crown, situate in the midst
of the Indian Oscan, half-way between ArahiA and Aus-
trali,, and possessed of a moat excellent and capacious
Barbour.

"That the r-ute via Diego Garcia being the ihortest
of all routes 2,338 miles, it is evident that, at the re-
quired rate of ten miles an hour, the mails admit of
being forwarded by it neatly ten days sooner than they
can be conveyed by any other line ; and if the rate of
speed were accelerated to 11 or 12 miles per hour, as is
quite practicable, the period of transmision would he
reduced in proportion. •
" That your memorialists would also observe that,
viewing the geographical position of Diego Garcia, a
ehrrt branch might with facility be organised from this
island, which would bring the Mauritius and the Cape of
Good Elope into cloi,e communication with Australia,
and at the same tune realise for the two colonies first
named a speedy awl cheap -rteam connection with the
mother country, of which great advantage they now
continue wholly deprive(7..
. . . . . .

"That if your lordships entertain any doubts as to
the superiorly of the route to Melbourne, •ia Suez and
Diego Garcia, your memorialists trust your lordships
will refer this question for the consideration of the Hp
dro,,,rapher Rya', in o►der that thus their confident
opinion may be corroborated by official testimony.
"That your memorialists are ready to prove that by
adopting this route, send insisting, at the same time, on
an average speed of 10 knots an hour from Suez to Mel-
bourne; the ►nails may easily be delivered in Melbourne
within 44 days from the date of their leaving London.
" That by the same route telegraphic intelligence from
Australia might be received within 42 days.
" That a trunk line to Melbourne, as being the most
central terminus for the Australian colonies in general,
is all that is atjpresent absolutely necessary ; and that
it should be left to the several governments of Australia
and New Zealand to direct the organisation of the re•
quisite branch lines.
" In conclusion, your memorialists submit that the
wealth, intelligence, and great commercial importance
of Australia fully entitle litr to the best and speediest
postal service which it is possible to organise ; and they
would add that the just expectations of her population
will be satisfied with no less ; they contend that the
close union by steam of Australia with the mother coun-
try will be attended with great results, and they believe
that a measure so Imperial in its object merits at the
bands of the British Government at least the same de•
gree of support which, in the case of other and less im-
portant steam lines, has already so materially assisted
the development of our commerce and the extension of
our civilisation.

" Trusting that this their appeal will meet from your
Right honourable Board that consideration which they
feel it deserves, your memorialists earnestly pray—
"l. That your lordships will, without further reference
to the colonies, withdraw the notice for tenders now
advertised, and invite tenders for the immediate •sta-
blishment of a regular and reliable monthly postal steam
communication with Australia.
"2. That in order to obtain the delivery of letters
in Melbourne within 44 days from their leaving Lon-
don, you will select the eh•rtest route—viz., that via
Suez and Diego Garcia.
"3. That to secure a uniform speed of 10 knots an
hour in all weathers, you will not rely altogether on
a system of penalties, but rather stipulate that the
steam vessels employed by the contractors be first-
class ships of 2,200 tons burden at the least, and be
capable of performing, when tested for speed in the
usisal manner, not less than 12 knots or nautical
miles per hour.
"And your memorialists will ever pray, &c.
" Signed by order of the meeting.
" W. C. WICNTWORTH, Chairman."

TEE LATE COLONEL GORDON, OF PARK.—The officer
and men of the Inverness-shire regiment have raised a
subscription for the purpose of ereering a tablet to the
memory of their much-respected commander, Col. Gor-
don. A sum of 401. has been already subscribed. The
tablet is being preTared by Mr. Ness, Edinburgh. The
act; is most creditable to the regiment, while it shows the
high esteem in which the deceased officer was held by
all wader his command.—Bcoujetire Jeurnal.