The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-13 00:00:00

THE PANAMA ROUTE TO AUSTRALIA.

The following memorial is in course of signature by par-
ties connected with our dependencies in the Pacific :
"To THE RIGHT IION. SIR E. BULWER LYTTON, BART.,
M.P., SECRETARY OFSTATE FOR TIIE COLONIES, &C.
"The memorial of the undersigned bankers, merchants, and
others, inhabitants of, or otherwise interested in, the
welfare of the colonies of New South Wales, Moreton
Bay, and New Zealand,
" Sheweth-1. That your memorialists have suffered great
inconvenience, and, in some instances, considerable loss, in
consequence of the delays and irregularities which have
hitherto attended the performance of the postal service
between this country and the Australian colonies.
"2. That even with the present insufficient communica-
tion the mails are rapidly increasing in bulk and importance,
whilst an amount of traffic is springinc, up which demon-
strates the profitable results that would arise from a postal
service conducted with regularity and despatch.
"3. That the increasing wealth and importance of the
Australian colonies, and the rapid development of their
resources, demand a more frequent postal communication
than has hitherto been maintained with this country, and
that for such purpose a fortnightly mail ought to be esta-
blished.

" 4. That whilst in deference to the wishes of the southern
and western colonies of the Australian group, the route by
way of Suez should be maintained, the interests of the
northern and eastern colonies demand that a new route
by way of Panama should be established, the mails being
conveyed alternately by either route, so that each portion
of the whole group may share equally the great advantage
derived from being made the point of first arrival and of
last departure of the trails.

" 5. That the insufficiency of the postal service viii Suez
:o the wants of the northern and eastern colonies is such
;hat twice only in the time during which it has been in ❑se

c Sydney oy return of post;
it is comparatively of little use to the district of Moreton
Bay (about shortly to ba erected into a separate colony),
which would receive its mails via Panama as soon as Mel-
bourne; and New Zealand, although willing to share the
expense, can derive bat little advantage from the service.
" 6. That the feeling of the colonists of New South Wales
and New Zealand has already been clearly manifested, the
Governments of both those colonies having unanimously
voted a large sum to establish a mail service by the Panama
route ; the former £35,000 a-year' the latter £15,000. And
this feeling has again been strongly expressed by the Legis-
lature of New South Wales, as appears in recent accounts
received from that colony.
"7. That whilst your memorialists believe that the Suez
route ought to be maintained as having the incidental ad-
vantage of keeping open the intercourse between Australia
and the British dependencies in the East, the Panama route
presents still more important incidental advantages as open-
ing the communication with the British colonies in North
America, the West India Islands, and the newly discovered
gold fields on the north-west coast, as well as with the
United zitates and with the coast of South America, between
which and the Australian colonies commercial relations of
great importance already exist.
"8. That the importance of the Panama route is im-
mensely enhanced by the completion of telegraphic com-
munication with America, by which intelligence may be
conveyed between the Australian colonies and England in
about 30 days.
" 0. That upon every consideration, whether of com-
mercial or political convenience, the maintenance of a
double line of postal service is of the highest importance as
a provision against those contigencles to which a single line
will always be more or less exposed.
" And your memorialists earnestly hope that their petition
may be taken into the favourable consideration of her
Majesty's Government.