E.—No. 2

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO

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a section of one Colony only —and those opinions called forth, not upon the general features of tho scheme, but by a collateral question not even mooted in the Conference. The object of the opposition was solely to deprive this Colony of the only advantage she could derive from' the postal scheme, with a view of accumulating in favour of Melbourne every possible advantage which it could confer, in addition to those which must unavoidably have fallen to her share. The rejection of this proposition by Her Alajesty's Government, advised by His Grace, will reintroduce the elements of discord into communities which had arrived at a common bond of union. Moved by these considerations, the Government of New South Wales have already earnestly requested Her Majesty's Government to reconsider their decision. Pending the reply, I submit the only scheme which appears to me to afford a possibility of working the arrangements for the Indian and China mails in such a manner as will confer upon the Australian Colonies the advantages of a fortnightly mail, distributed as equitably as possible to meet tho various geographical positions and conflicting requirements of the various Colonies. This Minute, I propose, should be submitted to Her Majesty's Government and to the Administrations of the respective Colonies, with an intimation that the Colony will be prepared to concur with them in a request for the establishment of a fortnightly mail, and to unite in calling for tenders for the same, upon the scheme proposed or some similar basis. As the document is framed in the shape of a Time-table, the various authorities will be enabled to judge if it would in any manner meet their respective requirements, and could also form some estimate of the expenditure required to carry it out. It would also in some measure solve the vexed question of the terminus, as by this arrangement the terminus of one line of ocean steamers would be at Melbourne. The only disadvantage would be that it is purely Australian; excluding from the federal bond tho very important Colony of New Zealand, destined in all probability, in the course of the future, to become the most important commonwealth in the Southern Hemisphere. To show that some change is necessary, and that the arrangements at present in force have introduced a disturbing element in the transit of correspondence to and from Europe, I append a table which shows that the receipt of letters in this Colony by the Suez route has fallen off by about onethird during the period the new arrangement has been in force. A corresponding diminution will also be observed in the numbers despatched from the Colony ; and I understand that a similar result has occurred in Victoria. I append a copy of a letter upon the subject, addressed to mo by tho Chamber of Commerce in Sydney, and a copy of a similar letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of Victoria by the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, in which tho views of the respective bodies are enunciated. General Post Office, J. Dockee. Sydney, 29th June, 1808.

Appendix C.

Appendix D Appendix E

APPENDIX.

A. TABLE showing the Time occupied to and from England and New South Wales via Suez, via Panama, and via Torres Straits respectively, during the first seven months of 1867. HOMEWARD.

Date of Acknowledgment of Receipt of Mails in London. Number of Letters by each Route. Date of Despatch of Mails. Via Suez. Via Panama. m a. •* Torres Straits. Time occupied in reaching London. Nov. 24, 1866... Dec. 1, 1866... No Mail Jan. 11 & 18, 1867 ... Feb. 1, 1807... No Mail 17,061 55 days, via Suez and Southampton. 62 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. 1,912 No' Mail. Dec. 24, 1866... Jan. 1,1807... No Mail Feb. 11 &16, 1867 ... March 1, 1867 ... No Mail 14,209 2,555 54 days, via Suez and Southampton. 59 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. No Mail. Jan. 24, 1867... Jan. 30, 1867... Dec. 15, 1866... Mar. 14it21, 1867 ... April 3, 1867 ... Mar. 3 & 8, 1867 ... 18,456 "2,417 56 days, via Suez and Southampton. 63 days, via Panama. 83 days, via Torres Straits. 25 Feb. 22,1867... Mar. 1,1867... No Mail April 12 & 18,1867 ... Mav 14, 1867 ... No'Mail 17,853 3,355 55 days, via Suez and Southampton. 74 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. No Mail. Mar. 24, 1867... April 1, 1867... No Mail ... May 12 & 19, 1867 ... May 27, 1807... No Mail 16,862 3,346 56 days, via Suez and Southampton. 56 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. No Mail. April24, 1867... May 2. 1867... No Mail June 14 & 19,1867... Juno 26, 1867... No Mail 16,638 "4,039 56 days, via Suez and Southampton. 55 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. No'Mail. May 24, 1867... June 1, 1867... No Mail July 20 & 25, 1867... July 27, 1867... No'Mail 17,715 "2,628 62 days, via Suez and Southampton. 56 days, via Panama. No Mail via Torres Straits. No'Mail.