THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL. (FROM: THE "NEWS OF WORLD," AUGUST 11.) (Continued from Wednesday's issue.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4078, 16 September 1870, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL. (FROM: THE "NEWS OF WORLD," AUGUST 11.) (Continued from Wednesday's issue.)

How much is not a subject of ox-act calculation ; but a basis could be found in the amount of mail matter now carried by the Peninsular and Oiiental steamers vi;l La Gallo and the Hod Sea. A mail by the fugitive steamer 'Wonga Wunga,' which lately anived at San Francisco, brought some twonty-fi^e thousand letters and other mail matter ; and T am informed that during the last week eighty mail-bags of Ictteis passed through New York from England for Australia. It is not a good aigumont against this piopnsod lino that tho tiade between San Fiancisco and the Aus.tiali.in poits is at present very limited. Had the facilities been less the" tiade -would Iliac been still less. l>y incieasmg the facilities trade will be increased m piopoition. That our American loutc is shoitcbl in point of time is capable of full demonsiiation. It is hardly ei edible that 13,000,001) dollars' worth of our pioducts go to England annually, and thence to Australia ; but, aside f1 om this commerce by way of England, we have a direct trade of about five million tlollais with. Australia itself, neaily the entire amount of which is made up m supplies furnished those colonies. In addition to this trade with Austialia, we cany on a barter with the Polynesian Islands amounting to millions annually — at pi-esent I believe it is four millions live hundred thousand or five million dollars — Avhich would be vastly augmented byfcheesfcabhshmentof Australian mail steamship sci vice. Why, sir, tho Fiji Inlands, -which he immediately m the tiack of the proposed line, contain some forty thousand square miles, : and a population little .short of two hundred j thousand, thiec thousand of whom are Euro- | peans engaged in the v.uious industiial ! pursuits, and piospcimg in a manner that promises, a great icward to those who tap i then commeice. 1 will not icsoit to the argument, fuicible ihough it be, that if we fail to put on tins service tho English will avail themselves of the oppoi tunity. It is not si vain boast that "Btitannia rules the ■waves." Bother legitimise domain is the Atlantic Ocean. She holds that by right of preoecupaney and piuxnmty. Tho Pacific Ocean, by as legitimate a title, belongs to tho United States. By proximity our right is paramount, and v. c have only to occupy to make our claim preeminent. It lests with us only to add a little to the means of intercom so, by extending steamship service on H\r» Paoilio Oooan, and tho necessities of commerce will accomplish the balance. I hope that the Senate will see the necessity of passing this lull, m order to avail themselves of "tho new outlet on the Pacific Ocean which n.ifcuidUy belongs to us, and which, if we do not po-ses& oui selves of, will certainly be availed or by those nations who have gone so fai into these cntci puses. —The Chief Clerk : The amendment is in section three, I lino two, tosti ike out "live" and inseit " three ;" so that the clause will read, "That no piopos.il shall be considered that shall j xmounttomoie than :}oo,ooodol. for f the twelve round voyage^ per annum." — The Presiding Officer : It theie be no objection, ;his amendment will be considered as agreed ;o. It is agieed to — Tho next amendment a as in section three, line eight, to strike out ;he words "an offer of." The amendment vas agreed to. — The next amendment was in lection three, line ten, after the word 'tho," to strike out the following words :; ' Proposals accepted by the Postmaster"roneval shall also be accepted by a sufficient lumber of the aforementioned countries, and , ihat distinct and separate conti acts, contain- i ng similar provisions, be made with such i ■Jovcrmnente for additional subsidies to tho j ,aid monthly line of steamships." And to i nsert m lieu thereof : "Colonies of Australia md New Zealand shall make contracts with ihe accepted bidder, giving a sum not less shan the sum paid by the United States for >uch service and under the conditions contained in this bill." So that the section will read : "Section 3. And be it further enacted, That no proposal shall be considered which shall amount to more than 300,000 dollars "or twelve round voyages per annum ; nor unless the same is from a citizen ir citizens of the United States, rf undoubted, character and responsibility, and having expeiience _in such business, and possessing the facilities and imple ability to furnish tho steamships repihedfor the service, and accompanied by ?ood and sufficient sureties for the faithful performance of such contract ; nor unless the colonies of Australia and New Zealand 3hall make contracts with the accepted bidder, giving a sum not le3S than the sum paid by the United States for such service, and under the conditions contained in this bill." — The amendment was agreed to.— The next amendment was in section four,lme seven, after the word "material," to insert the words "of wood or iion ;" and also to strike out the word "after" and insert the word " upou. ;" so that the clause will read :— "Sec, 4. And be it further enacted, that any contract which the Postmaster-General may execute under the authority of this Act shall go into effect on or before the Ist day of January, 1871, and shall, in addition to the usual stipulations of osean mail steamship contracts, provide that the.steamships accepted for the service shall be constructed of the best material of wood or iron, and upon approved models, with all the modern improvements adapted to seagoing steamships of the first class." — The amendment was agreed to. — The next amendment was in section four, line fifteen, to strike out the word " shall."-- Mr. Cole : I think that is a mistake. That Avord should not he stricken out. — The amendment was rejected. — The next amendment was in section four, line twenty-seven, to strike out the words " without his consent to any party," and insert the words " and for any other cause, by giving two years' notice ;" so that the clause will read : "That suitable fines and penalties may be imposed for delays and irregularities in the performance of the service, and that the Postmaster- f.'eneral shall have the power to determine the contract at any time, in case of its being underlet, or assigned, and for any other cause by giving two years' notice."— The amendment waa agreed to.— Mr. Kellogg : That, I believe, comprises all the I amendments reported by the committee to this bill. I desire to offer an amendment to the bill, to add four additional sections, in the following words : "That the PostmasterGeneral be, and is hereby, authorised and directed to contract with William R. Gar-rison, Jainea M. Motley, Frances R. Baby, Joseph C. McKibbin, Jacob O. De Castro, and their asssooiates for the conveyance of the mails from and to tho United States, and to and from the republic of Mexico, in the following manner, to

r wit : The said service shall be a semi-montlily service, and in accordance with a schedule of departures and arrivals, to be fixed by the Postmaster-General. One steamer shall leave the port of New Orleans each month, touching at the ports of Tampico, Vera Cruz, Coatzacoalco, Tabasco, Lacuna, Campeche, Sisal, and thence, via Havana, to New Orleans each month, touching a' Havana, Sisal, Campeche, Laguna, Tabasco, Coatzacoalco, Vera Cruz, Tampico, and thence to New Orleans."— Mr. Nye : Nobody doubts ■what the Senator aays ; it is not necessary to call for corroborative testimony.— The Presiding Officer : Does the Senator desire the report to be read ? — Mr. Kellogg : Yes, sir ; it is short, and it shows the necessity of this line, and really is full of instructive data. I desire that the Senate should hear it. It is conclusive.— Mr. Cole : I hope that the Senator from Louisiana will not insis.*- on this amendment. I appeal to him not to embarrass the passage of the bill which is properly under consideration by moving that as an amendment. Each bill of this character ought to stand upon its own merits. I hope the Senator will withdraw the amendment. — Mr. Kellogg The remarks of the Senator justify me in making a statement which I had not proposed to make. I appreciate the anxiety and solicitude of the honourable Senator that his bill shall be considered, and favourably considered, by the Senate. 1 have a natural solicitude on my part that a bill so full of merit as this which I have offered should also be considered at the earliest practicable moment by the Senate, and considered favourably. I must say that I never regarded it as possessed of the meut this bill I have offered as an amendment is. This morning the Senator slated to me that if I would co-operate with him, in conjunction with other Senators, he thought we could get this evening devoted to the consideration of these steamship bills. I agreed to do it, naturally, and walked right into the pitfall. I did what I could to get my friends rallied, in order to devote this evening to the consideration of these two bills ; but, happening unfortunately to be out of the Chamber when my honourable fiicnd made his motion, instead of moving my bill he moved his own. I propose that the report of the honourable Senator from Aikausas, which accompanies the amendment I have offered, be read ; T know it will be instructive to the Senate.— Mr. Cole : When 1 moved the evening session for taking up these bills, the Australian bill, and other bills of a like nature, the question raised by the Senator from Delaware, not now in his seat (Mr. Bayard), as to whether the Australian bill should be alone considered, or whether other bills would be considered. A vote was being taken by a rising of the Senate, and. wlien wg were on our feet it appeared evident, from the number of those who had risen, that neither of the bills would betaken up if the motion was persisted in ; and the Senator from Delaware appealed to me, as the Senate will recollect, asking that this be made a separate bill, and other Senators did it for the same reason ; and I then consented to the proposition that this alono should bo consideied, for the purpose of having the evening session for its consideration. The Senator fiom Louisiana was not in his se.it, it is fciue, but it was his business, t presume, to be in his seat. I hope it was ; and that his bill was not set for this evening was not my fault ; I should have been glad to assist him. —Mr. Nye: But you conld not. Mr. Scott : Mr. President . — Mr. Kellogg : A single Avord. — Mr. Scott : We came here with the understanding that we should hear the remarks of the Senator from California upon this Australian Steamship Bill, and there are many Senators who are inteiested in this bill particularly the chairman of the committee from which it was repoitcd, who. I know, desires to be heard upon it. We have accomplished what we came here for to-night, permitted the Senator from California to present his views on tl'is bill ; and now, as another amendment is offered to it which the Senate did not expect to consider at this hour on Saturday night, I think I am justified m^ moving that the Senate do now adjourn.— Mr. Kellog : If the Senator fiom Pennsylvania knew how much ho was losing by not beaiing tins report, he would not make tho motion at this time.— The I'iefiding Officer : The Senator fiom Pennsylvania moves an adjournment. — The motion was agreed to, and the Senate adjourned. [Noti: — Theie beiug such an immense amount of Mi&inc&s on" the file, the bill was not again reached during the remaining two or three days of the session. Tt w ill come up again as " unfinished business" during the fh»t week after the recess. — IWi tor Nev^ of the World.}