The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-05 00:00:00

POSTAGE TO AMERICA.

Mr. SEELY asked the Secretary to the Treasury whe-
ther the National Steamship Company (Limited), whose
steamers ply weekly between Liverpool, Queenstown, and
New York, had, as had been reported, offered to the Post
Office authorities to convey the mails one day in each week
to New York at the rate of a penny per half ounce for
letters.

Mr. HUNT said it was quite true that such an offer was
made by the company, who were one of the parties who
sent in tenders. They proposed to carry letters between
Queenstown at ld. per half ounce every 14 days under
certain penalties, but it had not been thought advisable to
accept the offer, as the usual rate of payment for ship
letters was Id. each irrespective of weight, and in any case
it was not thought proper at present to alter that arrange..
ment.

THE CHARGES AGAINST MR. MURRAY.
Mr. WYLD asked the noble lord the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs if he had seen a statement in the Morning
Post charging the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs with malversation of office.
Lord STANLEY said he had seen the statement, and
he was very glad that he had an opportunity of stating
that the assertion that the Assistant Under-Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs levied tolls upon those with
whom he came in contact was simply and absolutely un-
founded. (Hear, hear.) If the charge related to the
agency of the Foreign-office, that had been abolished, and
Mr. Murray received no other emolument than his
salary. He could only say he regretted that a
respectable journal should have made such a statement
without inquiring. With respect to the statement that
had been made that papers had been kept back from the
head of the department was the fact. He was certain
no papers ever came back from him, and with respect
to the document referred to, Lord Russell must
have seen it, as the cover of it bore the mark of the noble
lord, but it was quite open to the noble earl not to read its
contents. _ _ .

Mr. LAYARD said he had to bear his testimony to
the high character of Mr. Murray. With respect
to the letter in question, ho had never seen it,
and ho had spoken to Earl Russell on the sub-
ject. The covering of the despatch was dated 12th
of February. The arrangement of the bu,iness at the
Foreign Office was divided between two Under Secretaries,
the permanent and the political, and the letter, he should
imagine, had been sent to Mr. Hammond, as his
duty to dispose of all matters relative to the East. He
could only say he had never seen the letter, and if the
noble earl had seen it he did not think it required his
attention, and it had accordingly been sent to the India
Office.

Mr. OSBORNE said the onus of this business rested
with the Foreign Office, and we had been plunged into as
expensive war through the bungling which had taken place
during the time his hon. friend was Under-Secretary. We
were embarking in war without knowing what it was
about. The war had been brought about because King
Theodore's letter had not receive I proper attention. What
had become of that letter? Nobody had seen it; but it
had now bean answered; but by whom? (Hear, hear.)
The fact was, had there been no Foreign-office there
would have been no war.

Colonel SYKES said it was now sought to fix this mat-
ter on the Indian Office, but he had to say on behalf
of Mr. Kay that the letter had been sent