GENERAL REMARKS.

The mails conveyed from Great Britain by steam to the quarters mentioned would in their courses be due:—

London to Halifax, Quebec, and New York, forty-six days; from Halifax to West Indies, according to the distance of the island or place; Havannah, twenty-two days; Jamaica, thirty-one days; Barbadoes, fifty days, &c., &c. London to Rio de Janeiro, sixty-five days, and Buenos Ayres, fifteen days more; London to Madeira and Teneriffe, thirty-four days; London to Barbadoes, and all the West Indies, from Demerara to Havannah, and Chagres inclusive, sixty-five days, and to Honduras, Vera Cruz, and Tampico, fifteen days more. If the mails are conveyed by sailing packets on the four great lines from Fayal, then the time for all would be fifteen days additional.

Large as the above-mentioned sums are, still the revenues of Great Britain and Ireland, and their Colonial dependencies in the Western World (say 55,000,000l. yearly), ought to defray the cost without feeling any embarrassment. The cost, however, is nothing, when compared to the benefits and the advantages which the nation and individuals would derive from it. Time saved and actively employed is every thing. It is capital, which, if not employed at the moment, can never be again employed—a capital which, if suffered or forced to remain unemployed, or to escape unemployed, can never again be found or replaced. The exports of Great Britain amount at the declared value, and including freights and charges, to 75,000,000l. per annum. By employing steam-packets on even a portion of the present work, instead of sailing-packets, fifteen days would be gained in every line of communication. Remittances arriving fifteen days earlier would be a profit to the commercial interests of the country of 167,793l., independent of the additional advantages which every merchant would gain when, instead of his funds wandering on the Atlantic, or lying idle and unproductive on the other side of it, he had these in hand, to lay out to good account as opportunity might offer. Even Government itself, from the want of regularity and frequency of transmission, lose, in their money transactions in the West Indies, above 8000l. yearly, and much more in not being able to learn quickly and regularly the state of the exchanges in the great money marts in the Western World.

Moreover, the Plan above recommended, conducted judiciously, and carried into effect to the extent pointed out, would amply repay either the Government or the individuals who may undertake it. Travelling would be prodigiously increased. Some of the wealth of foreign countries would be drawn by it to this country and her dependencies. Everywhere activity and industry would be encouraged and increased. The Post-office revenue would be greatly augmented,—perhaps doubled. The expenditure also would all be on British materials and labour.

Cost of the New System and the Present System.

In order to understand the subject fairly, it becomes necessary to contrast the capital and the expenditure required under the New Plan with the capital and the expenditure required for the Present System; and also, from data, which, though these in some points may not be perfectly accurate, are at any rate sufficiently so, to show the income which may reasonably be expected under the working of the Plan recommended. Every one practically acquainted with the subject, with the countries and combinations, with the objects alluded to and brought forward, will acknowledge the general accuracy of the data, and the great superiority and advantages in every way, and in every thing, of the new plan over the present system.

I.

The portion relating to the West Indian Department, shall separately and first be taken as a comparison.

Yearly cost by the proposed plan £81,900

Yearly cost by present system:—

Six Mexican packets at £4,200[8] £25,200

Four steamers and coals, say 39,000

Hire ten mail-boats, West Indies 6,000

Ditto mail-vessels, Nassau, Chagres, &c., say 4,000

Assistance navy,[9] equal to, say 3,000

——— 77,200

———

Apparent increase £4,700

But against this there is to be placed, the proportion of saving in coals 5,635

———

Difference gained £935

Capital.

Capital required by new plan £157,000

By present system:—

Six Mexican packets, at £9500 £57,000

Four steamers, above £20,000, say 86,000

Ten mail-vessels, Windward Islands, £1500 15,000

Mail-vessels, Nassau, St. Martha, &c. 5,000

Aid men-of-war,[10] equal to 7,500

——— 170,500

———

Difference: decrease £13,500

———

Under the present system, all Demerara, Jamaica (Kingston and Spanish Town excepted), and a large portion of Trinidad, cannot reply to their letters by the same packet by which they receive them. Also Nassau, Havannah, Tampico, Vera Cruz, Honduras, Chagres, Carthagena, Santa Martha, and Laguayra, have only one mail each month; while all Porto Rico, all the north side (the most important part) of Hayti, and all the south side of Cuba, are wholly left out; while in all parts the system is imperfect, irregular, and uncertain.

By the new plan, Nassau, Havannah, Tampico, Vera Cruz, Honduras, Chagres, Santa Martha, and Laguayra, would have two mails each month; all Porto Rico, the north side of Hayti, and the south side of Cuba, would be included, and have two mails each month also; and all Jamaica, Trinidad, and Demerara, would have time to reply to their letters by the same packet which brought them. Time would everywhere be saved, and the whole system would be regular and certain, and properly combined.

II.

The General Plan for the Western World:—

Capital required by new plan £476,500

By present system:—

28 sailing-packets,[11] at £9500 £266,000

2 do. vessels, S. America, £5,000 10,000

4 steamers, above £20,000 86,000

10 mail-vessels, Barbadoes, £1500 15,000

Mail vessels, other stations, at least 8,000

Aid navy, as already stated 7,500

——— 392,500

———

Difference: increase £84,000

———

Cost yearly by new plan £272,850

By present system:—

28 sailing-packets, at £4200 £126,000

4 steamers, and coals 39,000

2 vessels, Rio de Janeiro, &c. 4,500

10 mail vessels, Barbadoes station 6,000

Bermuda, Halifax, Nassau, &c. &c. say 5,500

Aid navy, equal to 3,000

——— 184,000

———

Apparent increase £88,850

But against this is to be placed, first, the coals saved by the use of sails, 20,000l.; secondly, the sum of 11,350l. allowed in new plan (not taken into account in the present) for the expense of coal depôts, and places for repairs; together 31,350

———

Real increase £57,550

———

Remarks.

By the present system, there is no direct mail communication with New York; no communication between North America and the West Indies, no mail communication with the north side of Hayti, the south side of Cuba, nor with Porto Rico; Havannah, Vera Cruz, Tampico, Honduras, Nassau, Bermuda, Chagres, Carthagena, Santa Martha, Laguayra, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, &c. &c. have only one mail in each month; while all Demerara, most part of Trinidad, and all Jamaica (Kingston and Spanish Town excepted), cannot reply to their letters by the same packet by which they received them. Further, every thing is imperfect, irregular, and uncertain; and, moreover, the four steamers in the West Indies last spring are so utterly inefficient and worthless, that they must forthwith be replaced by at least three good new ones, to do the same limited work.

By the new plan there will be two mail communications with New York and Halifax monthly; two ditto between all the West Indies and all North America; there will be a mail communication twice each month with Porto Rico, with the north side of Hayti, and the south side of Cuba. There will be mail communications twice each month with Bermuda, Nassau, Havannah, Tampico, Vera Cruz, Honduras, Chagres, Panama, Carthagena, Santa Martha, Laguayra, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, Madeira, and Teneriffe; and all Demerara, Jamaica, and Trinidad will be able to reply to their letters by the same packet by which they receive them. The work everywhere will be well done, and every thing will be regular and certain.

III.

If Steam is employed between Falmouth and Fayal, and in all the West Indian department, and supposing that all the remainder of the general plan for the western world is performed by sailing packets, then the results will be:—

Capital required by new plan this way £335,500

Ditto employed under the present system 392,500

———

Difference less £57,000

———

Yearly cost by present system £184,000

Dittoby new plan 168,500

———

Difference less £15,500

But to this difference ought to be added the sum of 6885l. saved in coals by using sails, and the sum of 7600l. allowed in new plan but not taken into account in the present, for the expense of coal depôts, and places for repairs, 7600l. together 14,485

———

True difference less £29,985

IV.—Income.

Profit on passengers in all quarters (see Appendix, No. 1.) £132,274

Freights, parcels, packages, fine goods (see do.) 117,440

Ditto specie, 24,000,000 dollars, at 1 per cent. dollar 4s. 2d. 51,125

[12]Transport troops, stores, &c. for Government, say 30,705

Saving coals, as before, by use of sails 20,000

———

Total £351,544

Yearly charges of whole done by Steam £252,850

[13]10 per cent. yearly to replace capital, or 50,000

Port charges, say foreign ports, &c. 15,000

Sundry small charges for Steamers, at 600l. yearly 11,400

——— 329,250

———

Gain besides clear post-office revenue £22,294

———

As regards the Post-office revenue, it is impossible, in the absence of full official returns, to state its present exact amount, and, consequently, the probable future increase. The revenue from the outward postages to the British West Indian Colonies, Honduras excepted, is inserted in the Appendix from official authority. Judging from it, and other data, also adduced from official authority, the present amount there stated cannot be far wrong; and the calculated increase under the arrangements proposed, every circumstance considered, is fair and reasonable. Besides the certain great increase in all the external postages in these countries and colonies and places, the internal and coasting postages in these places will be augmented to a very great extent. Taking the outward postages at present to be, to all the places mentioned, 100,000l.—inwards as much, 200,000l.—there may be added, Additions 100,000l.; Increase 70,000l.; total 370,000l.; viz., outwards 185,000l., and inwards as much; giving at the average postage of 2s. 5d. the number of letters each way to be 1,531,465.

As regards the Harbour-charges, in the British Colonies, these may be given up, or reduced to a small sum for the trouble which the Custom Houses may be put to; and in foreign ports it should be arranged by compacts with the respective governments, that the port dues should be reduced to a small sum, for two reasons,—because the vessels carry the mails, and because they are on that account restricted to a small portion of the whole cargo, which they could otherwise take. The charges might be made proportionate: there could not be much difficulty in arranging these points. In some of the minor ports (foreign), the steamers would not even come to anchor.

WEST INDIES.—INTERNAL POST OFFICES.

The internal communications in the West Indies by post are very inefficient, even where they exist, but in most colonies these are altogether wanting.

Communication in the West Indies on business, and in the affairs of public and private life, is principally carried on by correspondence; and from the particular circumstances of these colonies, more so in proportion than in other countries.

The way in which this extensive and general communication is carried on is by letter sent by servants or hired messengers. These servants or messengers take days in a particular service, according to the distance. The latter mode is particularly expensive. The other, the most general, is scarcely less so, except that from the construction of West Indian society, there was beforetime felt no immediate outlay for the service required.

Important supplies are required upon an estate for various purposes. This is of very frequent occurrence. A special messenger from that estate must be despatched with a letter ordering the same, to a distance of twenty or thirty miles, or more. Two or three days' labour are lost, an expense of 4s. or 5s. incurred, while 1s. for letters by post, if there was a post, would accomplish the object. This is merely one point brought forward in proof of the necessity of internal post conveyances in the British West Indian colonies, as in this country, out of the multitudes that could be adduced for a similar purpose.

The state of society in the West Indies is now on the eve of being completely changed, and assimilated to the society in this country; and consequently the duty of the Government of this country ought to bestow on the population of the colonies the same facilities of communication which the population of the mother country enjoy.

When the Negro apprenticeship comes to an end, either partially or totally, the expense to estates and individuals for servants or messengers to carry the correspondence absolutely necessary, will be exceedingly great, and a most serious burden; and yet it must be borne,—or otherwise, without internal post communications, neither cultivation nor commerce can be carried on.

It is absolutely necessary for the future well-being of these colonies, that internal post communications should be extended to, and established in each of them.

Jamaica (and perhaps it stands single in this respect) has an internal post communication once a week, to and from Kingston, and other quarters of the island (daily only with Spanish Town, the capital); still this weekly post is greatly inadequate to its present wants, and will be much more so after August 1838, and August 1840. In consequence of this restricted communication, no other part of the island, Spanish Town excepted, knows of a packet's arrival until it is gone, or till it is too late to write by it. This important colony ought not only to have mails from Kingston at least three times a week, but the various post-offices throughout the island should have auxiliary post-offices, after the manner of penny or twopenny post-offices in this country. Every one will be glad to pay a regular and reasonable postage, rather than be at the very heavy expense, after 1840, of taking a labourer to convey the communications. Knowing the stated day for receiving and transmitting letters, no one in the most distant parts could ever be at a loss; and every one, more especially on estates, would benefit and save exceedingly thereby.

In like manner, the smaller colonies ought to have posts twice or thrice a week from the capital; the country offices placed at the most important villages, and the auxiliary ones at hamlets the best situated for the purpose. Smaller merchants and shopkeepers in these places would be glad to do the duty at a moderate rate, because it would otherwise serve them, by drawing customers and correspondents to their places of business.

Even in the smallest colonies such internal establishments would pay, and, in most of them, more than pay, the expenses they occasion; while it is clear that such internal facilities would most materially add to the external or packet postage.

Where the roads are good, the mails, travelling at the rate of five or six miles per hour, may be carried in gigs, as in this country, drawn by horses or mules; and where rugged or hilly, on the backs of mules, in proper portmanteaus.

It is worthy the attention, and is in fact the duty, of Her Majesty's General Post-office, to direct some person locally acquainted to proceed through the colonies, to examine into situations, and to establish such internal post conveyances. In the smaller islands, as has been stated, they would defray, and more than defray, the expenses incurred; while in the larger and more opulent colonies, they would yield a fair revenue; while the good they would do to every community will be incalculably great. The West Indies everywhere want a little European energy and regularity infused into them,—and this is one efficient, perhaps the simplest and most efficient way to do it.