The Portland daily press., 1867-12-20

WITHDRAWN oFCUNARp STEAMERs-Con-
been excited by the proposed withdrawal of
the Cunard line of steamers from Boston after
the first of January. Following this an
nouncement we see in Boston papers depreci-
atory notices of the management OF the Gu
nard Company which, singularly enough, have
never appeared before, when the New En-
gland public was specially interested in OBJ
tanning full knowledge of the facts. 1t mat
ters little now to learn thatfromthe beginning to
the present time there have been "many evil
dences of a decline in its management, both
aflo at and ashore" and that there has been "a
want of consideration for the comfort of pas
sengers which of late has been increasingly
apparent" 1t reminds one of the sudden con.
tempt of Reynard Tor the grapes which were
beyond his reach. .T1ea-
The following is a letter from Mr.. Edward
Cunard to gen ntleman in Boston in reference
to this subject: auial sfi # 5lau W
a4- NEW YORK, Dec. IL, 1867.
DEAR SIR,-I have to acknowledge the re-
ceip5 of your communication ON the subject
of transatlantic transportation, from which 1
gather that it is the general impression that if
the proper inducements had been offered by
OuT Hue Ol SteduSlIpS tIldt NsiSt Quslu OF
produce would have gone 10 Boston for ship
ment, which port, with the proper induce
ments, yon say shippers would prefer to any
other. must confess that i am at loss to
know what is meant by proper inducements
We do not require in New Y ork to make ar
rangements in Canada or in the Far West for
freight, and during this last autumn, when we
have been sen6ing an average of $500 tons of
freight every week, or 10000 tons per month,
in our ships from this port, we have been una
Ia IN rat f.ara0 fnrfr ,s<r1f
Boston at One-half of the freight we are get
ting here, and that was not considered suffi-
cient inducement, as shippers in Boston COM
planned at paying 20s. per ton when we were
asking 40s. and 50s. should think that the
Boston shippers, if they wished to encourage
shipments via Boston, should not complain of
paying half the rate of freight from New York,
but we have taken freight from Boston at 5s.
per ton, and even for DOthing. / have ascer-
tanned also that good deal of the little freight
obtained in Boston was sent ON from New
York or purchased for New York account, the
low rate of freight being the inducement. /
do not know what Boston may be in the future
as port of shipment-I have only to deal
with the present. l have received commune
cations from Philadelphia and Baltimore clear
ly proving that those ports offer greater in
ducements for Atlantic steamers than any 9TH
ers. have no doubt that the writer's fully
believed what they wrote, but the trade was to
he built up and the experiment was to be made
at our expense and not theirs. Il.
1 am very glad to hear that at last arrange
ments are being made to make through con-
nections between Boston and the West, but I
cannot admit that the reason why produce
has not been shipped from Boston has been
that we have not offered the proper induce
ments for taking it to England. We could
not do more than take it at 5s. per ton, and
sometimes freight free, and we have even not
been able always to get that, but have had to
take stone ballast. / can only regret that the
arrangements you speak of had not been com
pleted long age. i2liN 10 1i ,s'- -''i 3'-i-ti-
1 remain, your obedient servant,
aErfI.rE2 nHf renf1 ~ 10 .FT t. CIrNARD