New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-07

from the General Government, no one can fore.es
the prices that will have to be paid after the exPa
ton of the present contract II the present contract
ors DO not wish the Government 20 purchsre Their
steamships and thus TO end the contracts, u VII Dc
for them TO sgree 10 reduction OF the present prices
Government will then pay fair remuneration for all
the service which IL receives, ana the carrying
and passenger trade between our Atlantic and Pacne
coasts ill not have become monopoly In the oias
received under An Issued 10 obtain infor
uaton required by the third section OF the act OF ID
March, 1853, the Nicaragua Company proposed 70
carry semimonthly mail between New York and
California for q sum not exceeding tnree hunfred
thousand dollars or ak hun ired thousand dollars for
a weekly service which is now required; and this, "a
nv opinion is the highest rate Of pay which ought 10
be demanded The present semh monthly service,
including the SUN Of slls,727 %, paid for the 18th
mus transportation, will cost this year the sun ct
$751; 977 g. by the act of July 81 1852, the number
Of trims on TIE Collins line increased 20 twenty
six and the price raised from nineteen hous and two
hundred and hfty TO thirty three thousand dolarss
Tip making the yearly cost o. tels service egot nun
dred and fifty-eieht thousand dollars. The section
thus increasing the compensation contains proviso
reseryng Il over TO Congress to terminate this si
dtouvl allow ance Mt any time after the 3lst Of d..
cember, 1884 upon giving six months notice.
While shall always take great pleasure N testify
ing TO the faithfUlness with which these contractors
have performed the service and IN saying that The
ships built under the contract reflect great edH upon
American skil and enterprise, cannot rosiSs coming
and that the notice should 90 given. Considering the
size and cost of these steamships, and the speed with
which the mail is carried the sums liked Ia the con-
tract may have been too low; bat, however toh may
be- the present rates much too high and such as
cue BIT not to be paid. For the mail service between
Liverpool and the United States the English Govern
ment pay the Cunard line the sum OF tl73,3io wheh
committing the pound sterling at hVe uoilhs, VIII
make the sum Of $500, 700 For this sum they have
weekly service the seven steamships wmcn constr
int the line running alternately between Liverpool
and New-York and Liverpool and Boston, AMI re-
cevpg sl6 $50 trip. II IL true there Iuierenes
in the tuDpage OF the Collins aad Cunasd lnes' auo
that the American steamers make tbelr voyages IN
shorter time; bat the difference in the tqnnage ana
speed of the two lnes does nst, IN my JUG neh' ~
ford any valid reason why there should be 50 marked
disparity in the prices paid by the
The steamships Humboldt aud frsnAnn, Oh ,ue
New York and Havre line, have both been wrecked
during the year. The former was lost IN tne moh.a
Of December 1883. and the latter in July, 1884, IN
consequence of which the service on ina nue mas
been irregular. Temporary arrangements nave oeen
made 10 supply the places of the lost steamers urW
suitable steamships be built to replace mem on
The line and such vessels nov IN course OF con-
struction. Both on this aud on the Bremen me one
of the monthly trips has been omitted !nese lrtegu.
larities materially detract tfom the eicency VI oui
mail service across the Atlantic ma.
In September last, the United States Mail steam
ship Company. having Withdrawn tner direct sse.u-
ers between New. Orleans and Aspin.all, the maus
between New Orleans ana the IhC'ut na'c StSc "oS~
convened according TO the original contract, oy tue
way of Havana On the Pacific line the company
are permitted TO omit Monterey and san DISCO "
their ocean steamers, and thus expedite the through
mails, condition OF their supplying mos o"ioo;
tooether with Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Lus
Obispo III practicable and San Pedro semi-mohtny
by n coastwise steamer from San Francisco, IN aus
connection with the through route, Without chahge"
pay .:.. .,,, Ina, animal
renort in the pending negotiations with Great brtaa
relative TO the admission of France lnto the arrange
mont as contemplated by the provision IN the isth
article of postal convention ms ar'eie pro-
vides that
The rate Of postage to be taken by the British POsoe.
upon arriving 10 the United Knsdom from the uS'ss
warded hroSsh the United Kingdom 70 colonies or poses
sons Of United Kingdom Of The United states.
fian rice rerGsha be the same ss me rate
which which may hereafter be taken oy the BRUSH
upon ter. to or from such colonies or Poesnoa
or reD countries respectively when posted AZ the port
srriys or delivered at port departure Of the psctsu
conveying the mails between the United KINGDOM and the
BY this article similar privilege is secured to Crest
Britain in respect 10 letters to ard from the United
Kingdom, to be forwarded through the United States
Bat letters and papers passing through the Unaed
Kingdom 10 and from France ART expressly excepted
from the stipulations of said article The two con-
tracing parties, however, agreed " TO MrH Fran@p
" enter INTO communication Ddh them w1hoH l0s
time IN order 10 effect such arrangement for me Goa
" vegdRce of letters and RerspGpeTs and closed mas
d" Though he territories If dc United Kingdom,
" The United States and Of France. resp cti1ely az
may BE- most e0ndHc,Ce TO the interests ~ me are
" countries" The cause above referred to, excud'
inc the correspondence between the United ststes
and France from the advantages of the convention
was strongly objected to by Mr.. Bancroft, who nego
tiated the treaty on our part aud he wa. induced nn
ally TO consent TO it only being assured by the Brit
ish Government that the treaty sipuatiOns between
" England and France rendered its insertion nece
sary, a. without il the latter power would haveJua
" cause of complaint against the former" This rep
reseniaioD, however appears TO have been incorrecs
as MIR Lawrence, the successor OF Mr.. Bancroft, was
subsequently assured that " France was then readyp
"Degotiate at once, waving the privilege OF the COO
" vention which England set up IN her behalf
This Government deemiDg the treaty unequal In
its bearing upon the interests OF the two countries,
particularly on eccount Of the exceptlonable clause
referred to, and being DESTROYS VI consummstng,
without loss of time, the triple arrangement eentenr
plated by the 18th article, commenced negotiations
for that purpose imme oiatey after the treaty was e.
ecuted which negotiations have been continued
the present timeneary Elk years-without any benz
fetal result. The British Government has steadily
declined 10 unite in effecting such arrangement
would "be most conducive to the interests OF the
three countries" which arrangements might have
rendered the treaty more equal IN its operations and
the original terms of the convention still remain IN
changed. The more important parts OF the core
spobdence which has passed between the two Cover
ments on this subject is contained in EIecudveDoea
ment No 49, published by order Of the Senate at TIE
second session of the 32d Congress. On the part
this Government it is claimed that the British trans
charge for the United States and French eorreepoae
ence if sent in closed mails through the United King
dom, sba BOT exceed twelve and half cents ounce
that being the price paid by Great Britain for ~
transit of British closed mails through the United
States TO and from the British North American Pfot
inces. The lowest offer of the British Goyernmen.s
that contained in Lord Palmerstons note OF the 20
May, 1851, in reply to Mr.. Lawrence's comuanlcs
ton Of 18th October preceding. Of one shilling twH
n'four cents an ouDce-a sum nearly OF quae douof
that received by the United States for similar seryle