29th September, 1858.
[APPENDIX L.]
[See [p. 293.]]
Letter to Lord Canning, Governor-General of India.
October 24th, 1857.
Dear Lord Canning,—I hope it may do some little to relieve your Lordship’s anxiety to learn that Government has adopted a plan of mine for giving to Calcutta and Madras four mails a month, to and from England, instead of two.
The plan is fully described in the enclosed copy of a minute; but, to save you the trouble of reference, I beg to say that the principle of the measure is as follows:—Leaving the Calcutta, Madras, and China mails, whether viâ Southampton or Marseilles, unaltered, I despatch the Bombay mail from hence, viâ Marseilles, about a week (a quarter of a month) after the despatch of the Calcutta mail by that route; and arrange the despatch from Bombay of the return mail, so that it may reach London, viâ Marseilles, also about a week after the arrival of the Calcutta mail by that route.
Under this arrangement, the despatch across the peninsula, between Calcutta and Bombay, being fitted, in each direction, to the Bombay line of packets, will afford to Calcutta two good mails, each way, per month, viâ Bombay, in addition to the two per month she now has by her own packets; and, as to cross the peninsula requires about a week, the arrivals, as well as the departures, will be at nearly equal intervals, i.e., one per week, or rather quarter of a month.