The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-15 00:00:00

AUSTRALIAN MAILS.

, .
The following is extracted from a letter dated
Melbourne, Aug. 16 :
" The European, with the June mail, arrived at
the Heads on Thursday night, the 12th inst., and
some of her letters were delivered on the following
evening. The Victoria, with the May mail, did
not arrive until the Ist of August, and her letters
were delivered on the 2d of August: The Kent—
a good ship, with a smart captain—came up on the
Friday, and gave a better batch of news than had
then been received by the mail. The Lincolnshire,
you will remember, had before delivered the latest

...,..,_
iiews, in spite of steam, navigated on a more direct
line. Let it be remembered that, although these
colonies pay largely, it is the Government at home
which manages this mail contract. Some - time
since, when the Government, speaking through its
then Postmaster-General, Mitchell, ventured a re-
monstrance, and added a mere opinion that the
Legislature might take it into its head (if the pos-
session. of a head can logically be predicated of a
Legislature) to put an end to the contract, the then
Secretary of State,—l forget whether it was Mr.
Labouchere or Lord Stanley—read us a homily on
the morality or rather immorality of repudiation.
This was a piece of pure official quietism—' Disturb
not the existing order ofthings.' But what if we do
kick at the way in which this mail service has been
performed ? Is that repudiation ? I say the con-
tract has been broken over and over again by the
company, and it was only because we could not help
ourselves, because we could not do better, that we
have continued to submit to monthly disappoint-
ments, Legally, equitably, morally, we have long
been entitled to say, ' You have failed to perform
your part of the contract, we will b.cep cur purl no
longer." The whole management has been literally
starved from the beginning. The company com-
menced first with two, then with one steamer short;
their steamers were of too little power ; from these
two circumstances they made one steamer go from
Sydney to Suez, by which they got foul, without
any means of clearing for the voyage out to Mel-
bourne. If they had had a change at Point de
Galle this would not have arisen. The inconve-
nience and day's delay of a change of conveyance
would have been amply compensated by the in-
creased facility for the voyage. It is said the com-
pany has lost £200,000, and no doubt every share-
holder will say, 'lt can't pay.' This has been
said over and over again of every kind of enter-
prise. A ruined theatre has, Phoenix-like, risen
from its metaphorical ashes, under the new broom
of a new manager. I have known men of energy
who have made fortunes by taking up ' losing con-
cerns.' I feel very certain that this mail service,
with the handsome sum now contributed, might be
made to pay, and I think Cunard's line or the
Peninsular and Oriental Company could do it. But
here, I think, there is some prejudice against the
latter, owing to an impression that they are dis-
posed rather to sacrifice Australia to India. But I
scarcely see any fair ground for such suspicion.,
They have the semi-monthly mail from Ca,clittr,
touching at Point de Galle. All that remains to
give to Australia a semi-monthly mail is to have a
few powerful but not very large steamers between
Sydney and Melbourne and Point de Gall .% This
was the plan in 1852 with the Chusan and For-
mosa. It would certainly cost less than the pre-
sent system, and the only inconvenience was, that
when the ships from Australiagot to Point de Gallo,
the Australian passengers found the best cabins
taken up by passengers from India. This might
be avoided by more accommodation and reserved
cabins.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LIVER-
POOL AND HOLYHEAD.— The engineer of the Mersey
Dock Board has prepared, and submitted to the board
yesterday, a plan of an electric telegraph line between
Liverpool and Holyhead. There will, according to this
plan, bo 65 miles of wire suspended from poles, and 221
miles of submarine cable. Th,; latter includes a line wider
the Mersey, another from the Point of Ayr to Hilbre
Island, and a third from Point Lynas to the western
extremity of Great Ormeshead. The engineer's plan was
approved by the board yesterday, and he was instructed to
prepare estimates of cost.
Owing to the numerous arrivals of shippino.
(chiefly from the East Indies) for the London Docks, the
London Dock Company have to-day commenced to dock
vessels at their new entrance. Annexed is the statement
furnished of the new accommodation about to be provided
" The works are not yet completed, but it is sufficiently ap-
parent that they offer manifest advantages to the shipping
interests of this port. The gate sills next the river are laid
to give 28 feet depth of water by Trinity datum ; the
entrance is 60 feet wide, with two locks—one 200, the other
150 feet long, capable of being used as one, lock of 350 feet ;
the gates and
bybridzs are opened and closed with great ease
facilitiesa ndrapidity
completeeans thato theentrance
f hydraulic
affordsner ,• andte
at the
of admitting or passing outvessels of theinargest tlln
class, at any
period of the tide, where there is in the river sutliant depth
of water for them ; and by the proposed new arrangements
for docking vessels at one entrance and undocking them at
another every kind ,of detention and risk will be avoided,
and ships bound outwards will save much time. The new
basin is excavated so as to give four feet more depth of
water, and this additional dock accommodation, which has
been so much requireti, is to be surrounded by extensive
warehouses and sheds for merchandise. The new dock and
works are easily reached by the Blackwell railway, being
in close proximity with the Shadwell station, to which
trains run every 15 minutes from Fenchurch-street."
ATHENEUM SOIREE, MANCHESTER.—The ar-
rangements for this literary celebration are now complete.
The illustrious visitors will be located, during their visit,
among our townsmen. The Right Hon. Lord John
Russell ccepts the hospitality of Sir Elkanah Armitage,
President of the Athenwum, who will assemble a distin-
guished party to give his lordship a reception somewhat
befitting the high position and eminent services of this vete-
ran statesman. The Right Hon. Lord Stanley of Alderley
accepts the invitation of Sir James Watts, vice-president of
the Athenseum. Professor Aytotm, will stay with
Mr. M. Rose, treasurer to the institution. The Hon. Judge
Haliburton stays with his relative, Alderman W. B. Wat-
kins. Mr. M. Milnes, M.P., and lady, stay with W. Fair-
bairn, F.R.S. J. Grant,
Esq.., of Edinburgh, the popular
novelist, also accepts Mr. Fairbairn 's hospitality. Sir J.
Brooke, K.C.8., Rajah of Sarawak, and the Earl of
11 Wilton.l
have
Caithness will bo entertained by Thomas Fairbairn, Esq.,
Northwood. Charles Mackay, sq., LL.D., will stay with
The
Alex.
Earl
RightEerf
Brown,
oer daw,cE,cileblpiutarei
Thomas Barge, Esq. George Cruikshank, Esq., sojourns
3biCi
.Ispo gb.
,gr
and
will
with s
tyEwithsq Thomas.
t hEeßr:,;
rtsh:
Brown,
the invitation of Thomas Bazley, Esq., K.L H W.N.
Massey, Esq., M.P., will stay with Olivr Heywood, Esq.
Great Es
Great pleasure may be anticipated from this reunion of
distinguished men, who have reflected honour upon their
cottrary.—Xanchester Guardian