Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-12-09

continue be carried but if these contracts are 10 be
considered with reference to the transportation of the
mails, the prices paid too high and II continued all
competition the part Of private individuals unconnect-
ed with the Government must High, however, as
are the present prices if the competition on the New
York and California line be driven off by the aid Of funds
derived from the General Government,
tell the prices that win have be paid after the expira-
ton of the present contract If the present contractors
do wish the Government to purchase their steamships
and thus to end the contracts it win be for them agree
to reduction OF the present prices Government will
then pay fair remuneration for all the service which it
receives and the carrying and passenger trade between
our Atlantic and Pacific coasts will not have become
monopoly In the bids received under advertisement
issued obtain information required by the third
tion Of the act Of Sd March, 1861 the Nicaragua Com
pany proposed to carry semi monthly mail between
New York and California for not exceeding three
hundred thousand dollars six hundred thousand dol
lars for weekly service which is required; and
this, in my opinion, is the highest rate of pay which
ought to be demanded The present semi monthly
vice. including the of $119 03 paid for the 18TH
transportation, viii this year the sum of $751;
9703 By the act Of July 81 1852 the number Of trips
the Collins line was increased to twentysix and the
price raised from $1925O to 33 900 trip making the
yearly cost of this service 1858 000 The section thus
increasing the compensation contains proviso reservng
the power to Congress to terminate this additional allow
at any time after the 3lst Of December 1854 upon
giving six months notice.
Whilst the Postmaster General takes pleasure in tes
yng the aithfuness with which the contracts have
been performed, he thinks the sums paid are too high
and that the notice should be given terminate the
tract He compares with the paid the Collins
line the amounts paid to the Cunard line by the British
Government, and cannot valid reason for the dis
parity in favor of the former Temporary arrangements
have been made to supply the places the Hayre line
made vacant by the loss Of the Humboldt and the
Franklin. a
In September last the United STATES Mail Steamship
Company having Withdrawn their direct steamers between
New Orleans and Aspnwall the mails between New Or
leans and the Pacific since been conveyed according
to he by he wav Of Hava IN tha
Pacific line the company are permitted to omit Monterey
and San Diego by their steamers and thus expedite
the through mails condition Of their supplying those
offices, together with Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara San
Luis Obispo f practicable and San Pedro sei month
~ by coastwse steamer from San Francisco in due con-
nexion with the through route without change of pay
No progress has been made since last report
in the pending negotiations with Great Britain relative
headmissiou of France the arrangement as oonte
plated by the provision in the 18th article Of our postal
convention This article provides that the rate of post
age to be taken by the British post Office upon letters
irving in the United Kingdom from the United States
either by British United States packets and to be for
warded through the United Kingdom to colonies or pos
sessions of the United Kingdom Of the United States
to foreign countries and versa, shall be the
the rate which is which may hereafter taken
by the British post Office upon letters from such CO.
lones or possessions or foreign countries respectively
when posted at the port of arrival delivered at the
Of departure of the packets conveying the mails between
the United Kingdom and the United States"
BY this article similar privilege is secured to Great
Kingdom to be forwarded through the United States
but letters and newspapers passing through the United
Kingdom " to and from France" expressly excepted
from the spulatons of said article The two contract
ing parties however, agreed "to invite France to enter
into communication with them without loss of time in
order to effect such arrangement for the of
letters and newspapers and closed mails through the
rtores of the United Kingdom of the United States and
OF france respectively be most conducive to the
interest Of the three countries The clause above
ferred to- excluding the correspondence between the
United States and France from the advantages Of the
convention strongly objected to by Mr. Bancroft
who negotiated the treaty part and he in
duced finally to consent to it only being assured by
the British Government that the treaty stipulatons
between England and France rendered its insertion
cessary as without it the latter Power would have just
Of complaint against the former This represen
ton, however, appears to have been incorrect Mr.
Lawrence, the successor of Mr.. Bancroft, subse
quently assured that France then ready ncgo
tate once waving the privileges of the convention
which England set up in her behalf" This Government,
deemng the treaty unequal in its bearing upon the in
tcrests of the two countries, particularly account of
the exceptional clause referred to- and being DESTROYS of
concentrating without loss of time the triple arrange
ment contemplated by the 18th article commenced nego-
tations for that purpose Immediately after the treaty
was executed; which negotiations have been continued
to the present time-nearly six yearswhou any bene-
fetal result The British Government has steadily de-
clned to unite in eecting such arrangements rs would
be most conducive to the interests of the three
tries, which arrangements might have rendered the
treaty more equal in its operations and the original
terms of the convention still remain unchanged.
reference is next made to the important parts
of the correspondence between the Governments
the subject and the rates Of charge stated closed
mails from France for the United States The present
treaty it is thought, gives undue advantage Great
Britain
No satisfactory progress has been made since my last
report toward eecting postal convention with France
nor has the contemplated arrangement with Belgium been
yet contaminated.
Some steps have been taken with reference to postal
convention with Mexico mutual exchange Of dead let
has already been agreed upon and carried into effect
and now await project, which Mexico is to propose
for perfect arrangement by which it is expected
the rates Of postage between the two countries will be
materially reduced.
Under postal convention with Great Britain the
Philadelphia post Office, with the concurrence of that
Government has been constituted Office of exchange
for United States and British mails The articles Of
agreement this subject hereto annexed. regret
to state that my proposition for the reduction of pamphlet
and magazine postage between the two countries
cent either side has been positively declined
by the British Post Department. The combined is
at present altogether too high being eight ounce
for all works OF this kind above the weight of two
In the month Of March last arrangement was made
with the propretors of the Australia Pioneer Line of
monthly packets to convey mails regularly between New
York and Port Philip, Australia at two cents letter.
one-haf cent per newspaper, and one-quarer cent
ounce for pamphlets and magazines and with the view
of adng to citizens the cheapest practicable means
Of communication with that country, / have fixed the
rates on oil outgoing matter by that line at FIVE
letter. two cents each for newspapers and cent an
ounce or fraction of an ounce for pamphlets and maya